Getting There and Away
By Air
Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport is located on the southern shore of Qiantang River in the Xiaoshan district and is about 30km east of downtown Hangzhou (杭州). The airport primarily services domestic flights with a limited number of international flights to and from Hong Kong, Tokyo, Osaka, Singapore, Seoul, and Kuala Lumpur. A convenient route to Hangzhou for foreign visitors is to first fly into Shanghai's Pudong airport, and then take bus to Hangzhou using the Shanghai-Hangzhou-Ningbo Expressway. Driving time from the airport to Shanghai is about 2.5 hrs (about 85 RMB one way), Suzhou is about 1.5 hrs, Wuxi is about 2 hrs, Ningbo is about 1.5 hrs and Wenzhou is about 3.5 hrs.
Airport buses leave for Wulin Men (downtown Hangzhou) (15 RMB one way) and Xiaoshan (also 15 RMB one way) every 15-30 minutes. There are also airport buses to prefectures further away near Hangzhou such as Yiwu (30 RMB one way).
By Train
There are many trains going to or passing Hangzhou from Shanghai. It normally takes about 2 hours from Shanghai (200 km) to Hangzhou by train (Cost is about 40 RMB). There are two train stations in Hangzhou, the New Train Station (the main Train Station, which is inside the city) and the East Hangzhou station.
Trains leaving Hangzhou reach more than 20 cities directly, including Beijing (1650 km), Shanghai (200 km), and Xi'an (1550 km).
Train tickets can be purchased at the Wulinmen Ticket Office (No. 199, Wulin Road) or Huansha Road Ticket Office (No. 147, Huansha Road). The train station inquiry numbers are 0571-8782 9424 (New Train Station) and 0571-8645 0514 (East Train Station).
By Ship
Grand Canal. There are overnight ships, but it will be too dark to enjoy the scenery along the Grand Canal.
The boat fare from Hangzhou to Suzhou is anywhere between 70 and 130 RMB depending on the levels.
Getting Around
By Public Bus
There are a total of 278 public bus lines in Hangzhou. In addition, visitors also have the option of taking special tourism buses, the lake bus lines, or the night bus lines.
Buses in Hangzhou use automatic ticket machines, and do not give changes. Passengers get onto the buses from the front doors, and get off the rear doors.
By subway
Line 1 is scheduled to be completed in 2010, and line 2 shortly thereafter; a total of 8 lines covering over 200km have been planned. The opening dates of the lines are "last", it means they can open earlier in case they pass the security checks quicker. For example, Nanjing's new subway system was opened ahead-of-time, after safety checks were passed, and the same happened in Shanghai.
By "water bus"
Ferry down the Grand Canal takes 30 minutes but only makes 5 trips per day, the first at 7:30AM and the last at 6PM. It starts at Wulin Gate/West Lake Culture Plaza and ends at Gongchen Bridge, with one stop at Xinyifang Grand Canal Culture Plaza. The boats stop first at Xinyifang, then to the newly-developed Canal Culture Square, where you can see the Canal Museum, see if there are any events in the square, and check out the new Xiaohe Steet- a series of "historical" alleys with shops and restaurants similar to Hangzhou's Hefang Street; the area's renovation was completed in 2008. Cost is yen.
While really worth taking the trip, Hangzhou now has plans to connect a series of canals and streams throughout the city with the Grand Canal, West Lake, Yuhang River, and Qiantang River, making for increased water transport and a Venetian feel when completed.
There are also passenger boats running along the Grand Canal from near the Qiantang River.
Getting to the islands on West Lake, you get to choose between tourist trap Dragon or "Gaily-painted" pleasure boats (yen45 and yen35). There are also medium-sized power boats (yen25), or for yen160 you can hire a driver to paddle you around for about an hour. The boats are available in Hubin #X (1, 3, 6) parks and other obviously marked areas all over the lake.
By bike
While traffic in Hangzhou may seem chaotic to some foreigners, the city is comparably bike-friendly. All but small side roads have dedicated bike lanes, often divided from motor traffic by barricades or medians.
For longer stays in Hangzhou, making use of the city's extensive public bike system can be a cheap and convenient way to experience the city. These fire engine red public bikes are ubiquitous on the street of Hangzhou, and the rental stations that dispense them are generously spread across the core of the city. To use the bikes, one will need to purchase a stored value card at 20 Longxiang Qiao. To do this, he or she must present an ID (such as a passport) and pay 300 RMB, 200 of which is a deposit with the remaining 100 to cover rentals fees. Bikes may then be rented by tapping the card against one of the automated bike racks holding the bikes. A beep and the audible sound of the rack unlocking will indicate that the bike can be removed. The bike is free for the first hour, 1 RMB an hour for the two hours after that, and 3 RMB an hour thereafter. Bikes are returned by reinserting them into an empty bike rack and tapping one's card against the top of the rack. Another beep, a solid green light, and the sound of the rack locking will indicate when the bike has been received successfully. Bikes not returned by 8:00 p.m. each night must be taken back to the Longxiang Qiao location, so keep an eye on the clock during evening rides. After ten days from purchase of the card, it may be returned for an 89% refund.
By Taxi & Rental Car
Like most major world cities, Hangzhou has a large number of taxis which allow for quick and convenient travel within the city proper. Most of the city's taxis are turquoise-green in color and easily identifiable by the word "Taxi" printed in both English and Chinese on the vehicles. Taxis for hire are marked by the green (or sometimes yellow-orange) light-up signs above the dashboard on each car.
Hangzhou taxi drivers always use the meter as required by law. All routes under three kilometers are charged a flat rate of 10 RMB (May 2008), plus the temporary addition of a 1 RMB "fuel tax" increase mandated by the government in 2006, is now charged. There is a low "slow-speed" charge for when the taxi is waiting at lights, stopped in traffic. It is advisable to take a receipt each time use you a taxi, should you wish to contact the taxi company or driver at later time to dispute a fare, recover a lost article, etc.
Few, if any, of the city's taxi drivers speak English or other foreign languages. It is therefore important that you be able to point out your destination on a map, present the driver with the name of the destination (in written Chinese), or properly pronounce the name of the destination in spoken Mandarin Chinese. If you have a Chinese acquaintance whom you can reach by cell phone, you can allow him or her to speak to your driver through the phone to convey the desired information.
Hangzhou taxis are not allowed to carry more than four passengers, although you may be able to convince or bribe a driver to allow you to "hide" an extra passenger in the backseat. This can be worth if the trouble or expense if it saves your group from needing to take two taxis.
Taxis, like all public transportation, are difficult to come by during the tourist weeks (Chinese New Year, May Golden Week, and October National Week); also, taxis between 7:30 and 8:45AM and 4:30-7:00PM are difficult to flag, as they are always full or in the middle of a shift change. A taxi with an imminent shift change (around 4.30-5PM) will be showing a plate in the windscreen (Chinese characters of course) and will only take you if your route coincides with his (or hers, a good number of taxi drivers in Hangzhou are women). A good rule of thumb is that if you need a taxi, there won't be any, but if you don't need one, they will be driving extremely slowly in the right lane disrupting traffic and honking and flashing their brights at you. Being familiar with areas that taxis frequent or places where taxi passengers are likely to be dropped off at will aid you in finding a ride.
Taxi drivers will also negotiate for long distance trips, or full-day / half-day hiring. A trip to Pudong airport in Shanghai will be RMB 600-1000 depending on time of day or night.