Hangzhou: Best Spots for Photos
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Hangzhou photographs easily, most of its best sights are free, and the timing matters more than the gear. Here’s where and when.
The Su and Bai causeways, first light or last light
Both causeways are free and both cross open water lined with willows, the classic Hangzhou frame. Midday brings the biggest crowds and the flattest light; go at sunrise or in the last hour before sunset instead, when the water catches color and the causeways themselves empty out enough to actually get a clean shot rather than a line of other people’s umbrellas.
Leifeng Pagoda, lit at night
Leifeng Pagoda (¥40) is a 2002 reconstruction, worth saying plainly since it changes how you might frame it, but it’s genuinely striking after dark when it’s illuminated against the lake. The daytime view from the pagoda looking out over the water is worth the climb too; the two shots, from it and of it, are different enough to justify a visit at both times of day if your schedule allows.
Feilai Feng’s carved cliff face
Feilai Feng’s 300-plus Buddhist rock carvings, cut directly into the cliff beside Lingyin Temple, reward close-up shots more than wide ones; the laughing Maitreya carving specifically is the single most recognizable image to come back with. Since the site now requires a timed reservation booked 1-7 days ahead through Alipay or WeChat, plan the visit, and the photos, around your booked slot rather than a walk-up hope.
Three Pools Mirroring the Moon, by boat
The island, printed on the ¥1 note, is reachable only by boat (¥55-70), and the three stone pagodas themselves are the shot everyone recognizes even secondhand. They’re lit from inside only on the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival; any other night, you’re photographing empty stone lanterns, which is still a fine shot, just not the postcard version.
Hefang Street and the Louwailou view
Hefang Street’s old shopfronts make for good street-level photography any time of day, and if you’re eating at Louwailou, open on the lakeside since 1848, the restaurant’s own lake-facing tables are worth arriving early for if a view with your meal matters to the shot.
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For how to fit these into a day without rushing, see the main guide or the 2-day itinerary .