Stories of our journey.

If you're exploring the old part of Hangzhou, Hefang Street (河坊街) is definitely worth walking through. Compared with nearby Nan Song Yu Jie (南宋御街), Hefang Street feels much more lively and touristy. Think: street food traditional snacks souvenirs tea shops Chinese medicine stores handicrafts and rows of traditional-style buildings packed with people. I’d recommend visiting Hefang Street and Nan Song Yu Jie together since they're basically part of the same historic area. What

If you're exploring central Hangzhou, Nan Song Yu Jie (南宋御街) is a nice place to slow down and walk around. Also known as Southern Song Imperial Street, this historic street gives you a completely different side of Hangzhou from West Lake or Lingyin Temple. Here you'll find old-style buildings, traditional shops, local snacks, cafés and small stores along a long pedestrian-friendly street. I'd recommend pairing it with Hefang Street (河坊街) since they're right around the same hi

If you're visiting Lingyin Temple in Hangzhou, there's another temple nearby that I really recommend: Shang Tianzhu Faxi Temple — 上天竺法喜寺. Personally, I think this was one of the most beautiful temples we visited in Hangzhou. Yellow temple walls. Dark tiled roofs. Red lanterns. Trees and mountains surrounding everything. And because the temple is built upwards along the hillside, every time you climb another set of stairs, you discover another courtyard or building above you.

If you're visiting Hangzhou, Lingyin Temple (灵隐寺) is one place I would definitely put on your itinerary. Hidden among mountains and trees near West Lake, Lingyin Temple feels completely different from the busy parts of Hangzhou. You don't just come here for one temple building either. The whole area includes Feilai Peak (飞来峰), ancient Buddhist carvings, forest paths and several temples surrounded by greenery. If you only have a few days in Hangzhou, this is one of the places