Hangzhou
West Lake Private Day Tour
The causeways before the crowds, a boat to the island on the ¥1 note, and the hillside pagoda nobody climbs. The lake, done properly.
From US$109/per person
View tourHangzhou
Lingyin Temple & Grand Canal Day Tour
A 1,700-year-old monastery with Buddhist carvings cut into the cliff behind it, then the working southern end of China's imperial canal.
The short version
Lingyin has been a working Buddhist monastery for 1,700 years, and the cliff behind it — Feilai Peak — carries nearly 400 stone carvings cut between the 10th and 14th centuries. Pair that with the southern terminus of the Grand Canal, still carrying barges 1,800 km from Beijing, and you have the Hangzhou that runs underneath the lake. About 7 hours.
- Lingyin Temple: 1,700 years, and still a working monastery rather than a museum.
- Feilai Peak has the best collection of Buddhist carvings in the Yangtze delta.
- The Grand Canal's southern end still carries freight; the public ferry costs ¥3.
- Seven hours, and it works in the rain better than the lake does.
What not to miss
08:00
Hotel pickup
Private vehicle to the temple, west of the lake. Early, because the monastery's courtyards are quietest before the tour buses.
08:45
Lingyin Temple
Through the Hall of the Heavenly Kings to the Great Hall: a 19-metre camphorwood Buddha, and monks at morning practice if you are early enough.
10:15
Feilai Peak grottoes
Nearly 400 carvings cut into the limestone cliff behind the temple, from the Five Dynasties through the Yuan. The laughing Maitreya by the stream is the famous one.
12:00
Vegetarian lunch
The monastery's own refectory serves a simple vegetarian meal — the reason many people come at lunch rather than any other hour.
13:30
The Grand Canal
South to the canal's terminus at Gongchen Bridge, where the imperial waterway that begins in Beijing ends after 1,800 km.
14:30
Ferry, granaries, then back
The public ferry along the canal for ¥3, then the riverside warehouses and the museum quarter on the bank. Your driver takes you back to the hotel by about 16:00.
What's included and what isn't
Includes
- Private vehicle and driver for the day
- Licensed English-speaking guide
- Lingyin Temple and Feilai Peak tickets
- Vegetarian monastery lunch
- Grand Canal public ferry fare
- Bottled water
Not included
- Breakfast and dinner
- Gratuities
- Offerings and incense bought at the temple
- The canal museum's paid exhibitions
Pickup, timing and getting around
Pickup at 08:00 from hotels in Hangzhou's central districts. The temple is 8 km west of the lake, and we drive because the bus route is slow at that hour.
This is the day we recommend in rain or in the heat of July and August: the temple halls, the grottoes and the canal ferry are all sheltered, unlike the causeways.
Route diagrams are schematic and illustrative, not to scale.
More day tours from Hangzhou
Hangzhou
Longjing Tea Village Day Tour
Thirty minutes uphill from West Lake, terraced bushes and families pan-firing the country's most famous green tea by hand.
From US$99/per person
View tourFrequently asked questions
Is Lingyin Temple still active?
Yes. It has been a functioning monastery since 328 AD, with resident monks and a daily schedule. You will see people at worship, which is what separates it from a heritage site that happens to look like a temple.
How old are the Feilai Peak carvings?
The oldest date to the Five Dynasties in the 10th century, with the bulk carved under the Song and the Yuan through to the 14th. There are close to 400 figures in the niches and caves of the cliff.
Is the monastery lunch good?
It is simple and it is good: vegetarian dishes, rice, and soup, served in the refectory. It is not a restaurant experience, and that is rather the point of eating there.
Can I reach the canal without a tour?
Yes — metro to Gongchenqiao and the ¥3 ferry runs on a schedule. A guide earns its place here by explaining what the canal was for and pointing out which warehouses are original.
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