Historical Grand Canal and Fabulous Hangzhou
Embark on a journey along the historic Jinghang Grand Canal, the world's longest ancient canal. As a key city on this waterway, Hangzhou offers a unique opportunity to delve into China's canal heritage. Explore local history, discover the fragrant Dragon Well tea plantation, and experience the tranquility of West Lake on a scenic cruise.
Let's work together to design the perfect vacation for you. Simply share your interests and needs, and we'll create a tailored itinerary filled with unforgettable experiences.
Tour 'Wow' Points
Create Your Unique Oiled-Paper Umbrella.
Discover the artistry of China's traditional oil-paper umbrellas. These intricate creations, once essential for daily life, are now prized as beautiful works of art.


Experience the Traditional Method of Picking Tea Leaf.
Immerse yourself in the heart of China's tea culture as you witness skilled tea farmers expertly harvest fresh leaves from lush plantations.


Glide across the Serene Waters of West Lake.
Taking a boat ride on West Lake allows you to appreciate its beauty from a different perspective.


Discover the Grandeur of Hangzhou's Most Revered Buddhist Temple.
The colossal statue of Buddha in the temple is one of the largest indoor statues in China. It's a breathtaking sight and a popular attraction for visitors.


Discover real reviews of Highlights Travel Family's best-rated service across trusted platforms.

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Hangzhou is the best city and Leaf is the best Hangzhou guide
![]() This is our third times to Hangzhou and as usual we only want Leaf as our tour guide,because she is fun, caring, knows Hangzhou history very well, and can speak English fluently. For me Hangzhou is the best city in the world. Safe, comfortable tolive in, clean, no air pollution, and the people are nice more
Jan 2025, lena o
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Thank you Derek- best tour guide in Hangzhou
![]() Our trip in Hangzhou is an excellent and the most memorable one, largely due to our tour guide Derek. He is an enthusiasts person. Along the tour he explained very well and has a vast knowledge of the site history even China history. He is very attentive, professional and also very passionate with his job. So our trip in Hangzhou feel very easy, light and enjoyable. I think any guests who will be guided by him will be satisfied. He is excellent and perfect ..Thank you very much ... more
Dec 2024, Jacqueline S
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Truly magical experience, thank you Jill!
![]() The trip was so great ! Jill, our guide in Hangzhou was excellent ! A beautiful person inside-out, she took very good care of us and made our trip truly memorable. She took us everywhere and showed all the magical places of Hangzhou! We now look forward to coming back to Hangzhou! Thank you Jill, thank you China Highlights for taking such good care of us! more
Dec 2024, AT1325624
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Suggested Itinerary
Your private guide will be waiting for you at airport/train-station arrivals.
Enjoy the Southern Song Dynasty Snacks Banquet upon arrival. The banquet includes a cup of healthy flower tea, West Lake lotus root starch, Hangzhou style cat's-ear noodles, wrapped fried bread sticks with shallots, and local moon cakes. During the banquet, enjoy a traditional stringed and woodwind instrumental performance and a tea ceremony.
After lunch, your first visit will be the Lingyin Temple, one of the most important and wealthiest Buddhist temples in China, boasting plenty of pagodas and Buddhist grottoes. Then have a relaxing visit to West Lake, one of the major landmarks of Hangzhou. Stroll alongside the lake, and take a cruise to Fairy Island.
Enjoy your breakfast at the hotel. After breakfast, we will start the day from the Meijiawu Tea Plantation – the place of origin of the best Dragon Well tea in China. Have a walk round the tea plantation, see how farmers pick tea leaves, and taste a cup of tea.
Have lunch at a local restaurant, after which we will start to explore the history of the Grand Canal!
Take the cruise on the Jinghang (Beijing- Hangzhou) Grand Canal. Imagine the scene on the canal banks in times past, and get a feeling for recent developments in the city.
Afterward, try to paint your own oiled-paper umbrella at the Workmanship Demonstration Pavilion, where the oiled-paper craftsman will teach you. In the Pavilion you can observe other traditional craftspeople working on their creations; crafting teapots, or making fans, umbrellas, or even scissors.
We will escort you to the train station/airport for your departure. Please make sure that your train/flight departs after 6 pm.
Tour Price
Price includes: