Hangzhou Travel Tips: Visa, Cash, and Etiquette
Before you go: China in 2026. Set up Alipay and WeChat with an international Visa or Mastercard linked before you fly, and install a VPN before you leave home; neither is easy to sort out once you’ve landed. Google, Maps, Gmail, WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook, X, and YouTube are blocked by the Great Firewall, so switch to Amap or Baidu Maps, DiDi, and Trip.com. China’s Level 2 advisory is about exit-ban and legal-dispute risk that mostly touches business travelers, not ordinary tourists, so avoid business and legal entanglements and the rest is routine.
Visa: two paths, not one
Don’t take “China is visa-free” at face value. Roughly 50 countries, including the UK, most of the EU, Switzerland, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea, and Canada, get unilateral 30-day visa-free entry through 31 December 2026. The US is not on that list. Around 54 nationalities, including the US, UK, and Canada, instead qualify for 240-hour (10-day) transit visa-free entry, provided you hold a confirmed onward ticket to a third country or region; Hangzhou’s airport (HGH) counts as a valid port for this, and the linked-region rule lets you range across Shanghai, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Anhui on the same permit. A US traveler making Hangzhou the sole destination, with no onward third-country flight, needs a standard tourist (L) visa. Passports need 6 months of validity. Confirm the current list with the National Immigration Administration or a Chinese embassy before you book anything.
Money: set up cashless before you land
Alipay and WeChat Pay QR codes run almost everything here. Both now let foreign visitors link an international Visa or Mastercard, using a passport and a home phone number, but set up Alipay first and do it before you fly rather than at the airport. Cash (¥) is still legal, though plenty of vendors would rather not deal with it, and a foreign physical card mostly only works at big hotels and malls, not at street stalls or small restaurants.
Getting online: the Great Firewall
Google Search, Maps, and Gmail, plus WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook, X, and YouTube, are all blocked. You cannot download a VPN app once you’re inside China, since app stores and VPN sites are blocked too, so install one at home before you leave. Once you land, Amap or Baidu Maps handle navigation, DiDi covers ride-hailing, and Trip.com covers local bookings.
Getting around
The Hangzhou Metro has 12 lines and you pay with an Alipay QR code at the gate, roughly ¥6-10 for a typical ride like the airport line into the West Lake area. DiDi and dockless bike-share both work well, but bikes are banned on the Su and Bai causeways, so plan to walk that stretch.
Dining and chopstick etiquette
Chopsticks are standard; don’t stand them upright in a bowl of rice, since that resembles an incense offering to the dead. Trying a bit of everything on a shared table is appreciated. Louwailou, the 1848 restaurant by West Lake, is the one restaurant name worth booking ahead for the full Hangzhou canon: Dongpo Pork, West Lake Vinegar Fish, Longjing Shrimp. A casual noodle or street-food meal runs a fraction of that.
A few more practical tips
Reserve Lingyin Temple and the Feilai Feng grottoes on the “杭州灵隐飞来峰” mini-program in Alipay or WeChat, 1-7 days ahead; entry has been free since 1 December 2025, but the daily cap means walk-ups can be turned away. Avoid Golden Week (1-7 October 2026), Labour Day (1-5 May 2026), Mid-Autumn (25-27 September 2026), and Chinese New Year, when West Lake gets genuinely mobbed. Spring, for the tea harvest and blossoms, and autumn, for osmanthus and the tidal bore season, are the most comfortable months to visit.
Pair these tips with the Hangzhou budget guide for the free-and-cheap version of the city, or plan your days with the 3-day Hangzhou itinerary .