Zhejiang Sheng Travel Forum

Does anyone has recommendation of any off beaten path to visit in Hangzhou other than the touristy place like West Lake etc?

Off the beaten path?

This is not off the beaten path because it is in the guide book, but, you can take a bus to where they grow tea. You can take a nice walk in the woods to a small town, shop for silk and take a bus back. There were very few tourists in the woods so some may call it off the beaten path.

People will invite you into their home along the way to sale you tea. Their English is not the best but sometimes better then my Chinese. :) It was a nice experience even when I do not know anything about tea and probably over paid. :)

I don't remember what we did every day but we rented bikes for 2 of the days and road around the lake. You are not allowed to ride on the paths next to the lake but you can stop and lock your bikes and walk into the lake area at different points.

There are many things to see, along the lake and I need to consult the guide book for the names. We even ate at a small restaurant for dinner along the way (not in the guide book).

There is an area in the south end of Hangzhou where there are shops and food stalls with different kinds of ethnic foods from around China. I'll post a short video when VT enables the video feature.

BTW
Hangzhou was very crowded during the May holiday, but was almost empty after the holiday, like the difference between day and night.

The city will be empty after the holiday?? Never. Although it is true that Hangzhou is always over crowded during the May 1st week, but there are always lots of tourists. The reason is simple: it is a tiny beautiful city.

You may take a walk in the woods as upstairs suggested, but do not suggest you to buy any tea if you are not favoring it. I believe tourists did not over pay for it only in the 90's or earlier.

Hangzhou is a beautiful city and I recommend you see it. It was almost empty the days after the May holiday when you compare it to the crowds a few days earlier during the holiday. :)

They let you taste the tea. It was a fun thing to do and I considered part of the price of the tea to be entertainment expenses. It was a nice experience of going into someone's home, chatting, and tasting tea. It is up to you. :)

Another friend recommended Meijiawu to me, you might want to check that option out.