Hangzhou Metro Guide (2026): Lines, Fares & Tips

Hangzhou’s metro is clean, cheap and the fastest way to West Lake and the city’s main sights. This guide covers paying, the lines you’ll actually use, fares and the practical details — from the security check at the station door to scanning out at the lakeside.

How to pay

You have three realistic options, and one clear favourite for visitors.

• Alipay QR code (easiest): open the Hangzhou metro code in Alipay (or WeChat) and scan at the gates — the fare is deducted automatically on exit. Foreign visitors can link an international card to Alipay, so there’s no need to buy paper tickets. Set up Alipay before you land.
• Single-journey ticket: buy one at the machines with cash or phone payment if you’d rather not use your phone. Keep the token for the exit gate, where the machine collects it.
• Day passes: ¥15 one day, ¥40 three days of unlimited rides — great value on a full sightseeing day, when you might ride four or five times between West Lake, Lingyin Temple and the shopping districts.

Whichever you choose, you’ll scan or insert on the way in and again on the way out. The fare is worked out by distance, so nothing is charged until you exit — which is why a cross-town trip with a line change costs the same as a direct ride of the same length.

Fares

• Fares are by distance: ¥2 for the first 4km, then ¥3, ¥4 and up. Most rides run ¥2–9; the single-trip maximum is around ¥8–9.
• Transfers inside the paid area are included in a single fare, and the day passes make constant hopping painless. Compared with a taxi across the city, the metro is a fraction of the price.

The lines you’ll actually use

• To West Lake: Line 1 to Longxiangqiao, then a 5-minute walk to the lakeside (Broken Bridge area). From Hangzhou East station, about 35–40 minutes and ¥3.

Step by step: from the entrance to the exit

1. Enter and pass security. Every station screens your bags before the fare gates. Put backpacks and shopping through the X-ray machine and walk through the metal detector; liquids may be checked separately. It’s quick, though the queue is longest at rush hour — allow an extra minute or two at peak.
2. Scan in. Open your Hangzhou metro QR code in Alipay and hold it to the reader at the entrance gate, or insert a single-journey token. A green light and the gate opening means you’re through.
3. Ride. Check the line number and direction on the platform signs, then board. Let passengers off before you get on, hold a handrail, and keep bags clear of the doors — eating and drinking are not allowed on the train.
4. Transfer. Follow the bilingual transfer (换乘) signs if you change lines. You stay inside the paid area, so the whole journey is one fare, and there’s no need to scan out and back in again.
5. Scan out. At your destination, scan your QR or insert your token at the exit gate — the fare is deducted then. Use the exit letter (A, B, C, D) your map app recommends so you come out on the right side of the street.

Practical tips

• Hours: most lines run 6am–11pm (varies by line; later on holidays).
• Avoid peak: 8–9am and 5:30–7pm, especially at interchange stations; holidays can bring crowd limits at West Lake stops.
• Bags and liquids: bags go through security at the entrance; liquids may be checked separately, so keep water bottles handy to show staff.
• Buses for the lakeside: the metro doesn’t reach every West Lake corner — grab a Hangzhou bus QR code in Alipay for the rest of the loop.
• Payment and data: set up Alipay and an eSIM before you arrive, since your transit code needs data at the gates.
• Luggage: suitcases are allowed but go through the X-ray at every station — avoid peak hours with big bags and keep them clear of the doors.
• Navigation: use Amap or Baidu Maps rather than Google Maps, download offline packs, and screenshot your route before you head underground.

English signage

Hangzhou is one of China’s most tourist-friendly cities, and the metro matches that. Station names appear in Chinese with pinyin underneath, next-stop announcements are bilingual, and the ticket machines have an English interface. It’s still worth saving the Chinese name of your station in a translation app in case of a platform change — see our navigation guide for offline tips.

Getting to and from the airport

Xiaoshan International Airport is served by Lines 1, 7 and 19, so you have a few ways in depending on where you’re staying. The ride into the center is cheap compared with a taxi. If you land late, check the last-train time for your line — taxis and ride-hailing are the fallback for arrivals after the metro winds down. For the high-speed rail, Hangzhou East sits on Line 1, the simplest connection from the center, and the transfer there keeps you inside the same station complex. Allow extra time on arrival: security checks and the walk between platforms can eat 10–20 minutes when you’re rushing a train.

Etiquette and common mistakes

• Let passengers off before boarding, and stand on the right of escalators to leave the left free for people in a hurry.
• Give up the priority seats near the doors to the elderly, parents with children and pregnant travellers.
• Don’t eat or drink on the train, and keep your voice down on phone calls.
• Have your QR code ready before the gate — fumbling for Alipay while a queue forms behind you is the classic first-ride slip.
• Don’t ride with big luggage at peak — a suitcase in an 8–9am train is no fun for anyone. Use a taxi or ride outside the rush.
• Check the last train if you’re out late; most lines stop around 11pm.

If something goes wrong

If your QR code fails to scan or your token gets stuck, head to the staff booth near the gates — station staff are used to helping visitors and the gates won’t trap you. Lost your exit ticket? You can usually pay the maximum fare for your line and leave. If you take the wrong direction, ride to the next stop, cross the platform and come back — the fare adjusts at exit, not at the gate, so a wrong turn costs you nothing extra.

Getting around the city

West Lake is the anchor — the city guide maps the sights and the lakeside loop. Beyond the lake, Line 3 reaches Lingyin Temple, Leifeng Pagoda and the Xixi Wetland, and Line 2 runs the west shore, so the network threads most of the city’s highlights together. For the system-wide basics, our China metro guide covers how the network works.

Where this fits

Hangzhou is the day-trip star of the Shanghai–Suzhou–Hangzhou route and a stop on the two-week route. For where to stay, see the Shanghai & Hangzhou area guide.

Fares and hours as of August 2026 — confirm current schedules in a maps app before you travel.