6-Day Hangzhou Huangshan Qiandao Lake Tour: Explore Ancient Villages & Breathtaking Scenery

Tour Itinerary

Meeting Your Guide

Your guide meets you at the high-speed train station exit holding a Your Way Holiday welcome sign, then drives you into the old town to begin a day at the classic sights of this canal city.

Slender West Lake

Your first stop is Slender West Lake, part of the Grand Canal World Heritage Site that shaped Yangzhou over many centuries. The lake is long and narrow, with a causeway, willows, and garden pavilions, and you pass the White Pagoda, the Fishing Platform, and Small Golden Hill along the walk. In fair weather a short boat ride gives open views across the water and the planted banks.

Yangzhou at Midday

Midday is free time for Yangzhou cooking at your own cost, so you pay for what you order. Your guide recommends a local restaurant and helps you pick dishes, explaining the Huaiyang style the city is known for. Look for Yangzhou fried rice, soup dumplings with a hot broth inside, and the local saltwater duck.

China Grand Canal Museum

After lunch, visit the China Grand Canal Museum, a short walk from Daming Temple. The exhibits trace how the Grand Canal, in use for more than two thousand years, carried grain, salt, and goods between north and south and linked many regional cultures. You see artifacts, old maps, and models of the waterway, with sections on daily life along its banks.

He Garden

Close by stands He Garden, one of the great private gardens of Yangzhou, built in the early nineteenth century by a salt merchant. The layout pairs halls and courtyards with rockeries, ponds, and bamboo, and is famous for its four-season rock garden, where different stones stand for spring, summer, autumn, and winter. Winding paths connect arched bridges and waterside pavilions.

End of the First Day

When the afternoon visits end, your driver takes you back to the high-speed train station to conclude this first day in Yangzhou.

Day 2 Mt.Huangshan

Yungu Cable Car and Shixin Peak

This morning, after breakfast, your guide meets you in the lobby and drives you to the foot of Huangshan. You ride the Yungu Cable Car up the slope, looking out over the peaks as you climb. At the top your first stop is Shixin Peak, the Beginning-to-Believe Peak, one of the classic viewpoints on the mountain, reached by stepped paths between the granite.

Magical Brushwork

From there you continue to Miaobi Shenghua, the Magical Brushwork, a cluster of granite pinnacles that stand upright like old calligraphy brushes. Your guide points out the rock shapes and the story behind the name as you walk, with open views over the peaks and valleys below.

Monkey Watching the Sea

Next comes Monkey Watching the Sea, a boulder on a ledge that looks like a macaque gazing out over the cloud layer. On a clear morning the sea of clouds fills the valleys below; when it drifts, the peaks show through one by one, and your guide tells the local legend tied to the rock.

Lunch on the Summit

Around midday you stop for lunch on the mountain. Meals here are at your own cost, so you pay for what you order; your guide recommends a mountaintop restaurant where you can rest before the afternoon.

Bright Summit

After lunch you walk to Bright Summit, or Guangming Ding, the highest point on the main trail and the standard spot for sunrise and sunset. From the viewing platform the granite ridges spread out in every direction, and on clear days the sea of clouds sits below the peaks.

Flying-Over Rock

The afternoon trek continues to the Flying-Over Rock, a large boulder that seems balanced on a smaller base and one of the most recognizable formations on Huangshan. Your guide tells how it is said to have flown here from another mountain in legend, and you have time for photographs at the viewing point.

Night on the Mountain

In the late afternoon your guide walks you to your hotel near the summit for tonight, where you check in and set down your bags. The rest of the evening is free: you can watch the light change over the peaks and have dinner at your own cost before an early start the next day.

Day 3 Mt.Huangshan-Qiandaohu Lake

Sunrise on the Mountain

This morning on the mountain begins with an early start. After breakfast your guide walks you to a sunrise viewpoint, where the sun comes up over the granite peaks and lights the cloud layer below. Before you leave the summit area, your guide explains how Huangshan formed and why painters have come here for centuries.

West Sea Grand Canyon

Next you follow the trails down into the West Sea Grand Canyon, the deepest of the gorges on the west side. The path links cliff-hugging walkways and stone steps between ravines, with granite walls and peaks opening in front of you. Your guide keeps a steady pace and points out the rock formations along the way.

Lion Peak

From the canyon you climb toward Lion Peak, Shizifeng, a granite summit whose rock, seen from a distance, looks like the head of a lion. The path is narrow with handholds carved in the stone, and the top gives open views over the surrounding ridges. It is one of the classic photo stops on the mountain.

Lunch on the Mountain

At midday you stop for lunch on the mountain. Meals are at your own cost, so you pay for what you order; your guide recommends local Anhui dishes, which lean toward braised and steamed cooking with mountain vegetables and river fish.

On to Thousand Islands Lake

After lunch your driver meets you for the road transfer to Thousand Islands Lake, a large reservoir in western Zhejiang dotted with small green islands. In the afternoon you are free at your own pace, whether a boat tour out to the islands, a walk along the shore, or simply resting by the water. In the evening your driver takes you to your hotel near the lake for tonight.

Day 4 Qiandaohu Lake-Hangzhou

Meeting Your Guide

After breakfast you meet your guide in the lobby, holding a Your Way Holiday sign, and set out toward Thousand Islands Lake. On the way your guide introduces the region and its history, and you make your way to the lake shore to begin the morning.

Thousand Islands Lake

Thousand Islands Lake, or Qiandaohu, is a wide reservoir created when the Xin'an River was dammed in the 1950s. The rising water submerged hills and villages, leaving more than a thousand small islands across the blue water. A boat tour takes you close to several of them, and your guide points out the islands and the sunken settlements below while telling the local legends.

High-Speed Train to Hangzhou

In the afternoon you take a high-speed train to Hangzhou, a smooth ride of about an hour. On arrival, your guide drives you to your hotel, where you check in for tonight and the rest of the day is free.

Day 5 Hangzhou

West Lake Boat Cruise

After breakfast your guide and driver take you to West Lake for a boat cruise. From the water you see the shoreline landmarks, including the Broken Bridge and the Su Causeway, and your guide tells the legends attached to each. The lake is ringed by hills, causeways, and small pagodas, and the cruise gives a calm introduction to Hangzhou.

Viewing Fish at the Flower Pond

Next is Viewing Fish at the Flower Pond, one of the classic West Lake scenes. The gardens hold flower beds and ponds full of red and gold carp, and shaded paths lead between the water and the willows. Your guide points out the planting and the history of the site, and there is time for photographs along the banks.

Lingyin Temple

Lingyin Temple is among the largest Buddhist temples in China, founded in the fourth century. Your guide walks you through the halls, including the main Hall of the Great Hero with its statue of Sakyamuni, and explains the carvings and the role the temple has played in Chinese Buddhism. Set in a valley of old trees, the grounds are quiet, and you can move through them at your own pace.

Hangzhou Lunch

For lunch your guide recommends local Hangzhou dishes, so you pay for what you order. Two well-known plates are soy sauce duck, marinated and slow-cooked, and Longjing shrimp, river shrimp stir-fried with local green tea leaves, a dish built around the tea the area is known for.

Meijiawu Tea Plantation

In the afternoon you visit the Meijiawu tea village, a terraced slope of Longjing tea fields. Your guide explains how the tea is grown, picked, and dried, and you can watch the processing at work. A tasting follows, with your guide showing how the leaves are brewed and how the grade and roasting change the flavor.

Bamboo-Lined Path at Yunqi

Nearby is the Bamboo-Lined Path at Yunqi, a walk of tall bamboo along a stone-paved track with small streams and mossy bridges. Yunqi was a retreat for scholars and monks, and the path stays cool and quiet under the stalks. Your guide tells how the place was used for study and reflection.

Back to the Hotel

At the end of the day your guide and driver take you back to your hotel. The evening is free, and your guide is available if you want help planning the next day.

Day 6 Hangzhou Departure

Guo Garden

This morning your guide and driver take you to Guo Garden, a classical garden on the shore of West Lake. The layout pairs halls and walkways with ponds, rockeries, and seasonal planting, and frames views of the water through its gates. Your guide explains how the garden was built and how its design opens onto the lake.

Leifeng Pagoda

Next is Leifeng Pagoda, which stands above South West Lake and is tied to the Legend of the White Snake. The pagoda was rebuilt and now holds lifts and stairways; from the upper levels you get wide views across West Lake and the hills. Your guide recounts the old tower, its collapse, and the relics found inside the base.

Hangzhou Lunch

For lunch your guide recommends Hangzhou dishes, so you pay for what you order. Local plates to look for include West Lake vinegar fish, a sweet and sour poached fish, and pian erchuan, a noodle bowl with preserved mustard greens, bamboo shoots, and pork.

Former Residence of Hu Xueyan

After lunch, visit the Former Residence of Hu Xueyan, a grand house built in the late Qing dynasty. Hu Xueyan was a merchant and philanthropist who backed a network of medicine halls, and his residence shows the wealth of that era in its wood carvings, stone work, ponds, and rock garden. Your guide walks you through the courtyards and the story behind the family.

Six Harmonies Pagoda

You then drive to the Six Harmonies Pagoda, Liuhe Ta, on the bank of the Qiantang River. First built in the Song dynasty to calm the tidal bore, the tower is octagonal and rises in thirteen eaves above an inner core, and it long served as a landmark for river navigation. Your guide explains its structure and its role beside the river.

Qianjiang New City

The last stop is Qianjiang New City, the modern central district on the east bank of the Qiantang River. Broad avenues, office towers, and riverfront parks show the newer side of Hangzhou, including the round Hangzhou International Conference Center and Century Square. Your guide explains the plan behind this new downtown.

Return to Shanghai

When the day is done, your guide and driver take you to Hangzhou East Railway Station, and a high-speed train returns you to Shanghai, about an hour away. Your driver then drops you at your hotel in Shanghai, the finish point of the tour, so you can arrange onward travel at your own pace.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best season for this Hangzhou and Huangshan trip?

Spring from March to May brings mild weather and flowers, and autumn from September to November gives clear skies for the Huangshan peaks. Summer is hot and busy, and winter is quiet with fewer crowds and, on the mountain, possible snow.

Do I book the cable cars and the West Lake boat separately?

Cable cars and the West Lake boat cruise are visited with your guide, who helps with the queue and tickets at each stop, so you arrive ready to go.

Are meals included on this tour?

Breakfast at your hotel starts each day. Lunch and dinner are at your own cost, so you pay for what you order, and your guide recommends local dishes and restaurants along the route.

How much walking is involved, especially on Huangshan?

Expect several kilometers of stone steps and cliff paths on Huangshan and gentle lakeside walks in Hangzhou. The pace is steady with rest points, and your guide can slow it on request.

Can the route be changed, such as skipping Yangzhou or adding nights?

Yes, this is a private tour, so the stops and the number of nights, including Yangzhou, Huangshan, Thousand Islands Lake, and Hangzhou, can be adjusted before you book.

Where does the tour start and end?

The tour is booked from Shanghai, with pickup at your Shanghai hotel at the start and a drop-off back at a Shanghai hotel at the end, as shown in the trip details.

Price Per Person in US Dollars