What's on in Hangzhou (West Lake), China through the year

Busy — Winter break (around Chinese New Year) in China, school holidays in 5 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in January.

Busy — Winter break (around Chinese New Year) in China

Nothing new starts in February.

Shoulder season — school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it, an ordinary month

• Season

  Longjing tea picking

  20 Mar – 20 Apr · usuallyHarvest

  The leaf picked before Qingming is the one that costs a fortune, and the hills at Meijiawu are full of pickers for a fortnight. Tea houses start pouring this year's crop in early April.

Busy — school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it, one of its best months for weather

Nothing new starts in April.

Still on: Longjing tea picking (20 Mar – 20 Apr (usually))

Shoulder season — school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it, an ordinary month

Nothing new starts in May.

Quiet — school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it, one of its worst months for weather

• Season

  Meiyu, the plum rains

  10 Jun – 15 Jul · usuallyMonsoonRisk

  The front sits over the lower Yangtze for a month: warm, close, and wet in long grey stretches rather than storms. West Lake is at its emptiest and its most atmospheric.

• Nature

  Lotus on West Lake

  25 Jun – 15 Aug · usuallyWildflowers & blooms

  The beds off the Su causeway are a summer-only sight and one of the classic ten views. Go at six in the morning; by ten it is heat, humidity and coach parties.

Busy — Summer break in China, school holidays in 4 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in July.

Still on: Meiyu, the plum rains (10 Jun – 15 Jul (usually)), Lotus on West Lake (25 Jun – 15 Aug (usually))

Busy — Summer break in China, school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in August.

Still on: Lotus on West Lake (25 Jun – 15 Aug (usually))

Busy — Qiantang tidal bore, school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it

• Nature

  Qiantang tidal bore

  10 Sep – 12 Oct · usuallyHigh waterCrowded

  The world's largest tidal bore peaks around the eighteenth day of the eighth lunar month, usually late September or early October. Yanguan in Haining is the classic stand and the embankment is policed for a reason. Source ↗

• Nature

  Osmanthus

  20 Sep – 20 Oct · usuallyWildflowers & blooms

  Hangzhou's other autumn smell. Manjuelong village behind the lake is where people go to sit under the trees with tea while the flower drops into it.

Peak crowds — travelers describe it as peak season, Qiantang tidal bore

• Holiday

  National Day Golden Week

  1–7 OctCrowdedBook early

  West Lake takes several hundred thousand people a day in this week and the causeways are managed one-way. The bore peaks around the same time, which does not help. Source ↗

Still on: Qiantang tidal bore (10 Sep – 12 Oct (usually)), Osmanthus (20 Sep – 20 Oct (usually))

Busy — one of its best months for weather

Nothing new starts in November.

Shoulder season — school holidays in 5 of the markets that fill it, an ordinary month

Nothing new starts in December.