Hangzhou

Hangzhou needs 2 days: touring West Lake by boat or on foot, with pagodas, bridges and gardens that inspired Chinese poetry for over a thousand years, on one, and a visit to the Longjing green tea plantations in the nearby hills on the other. March-May and September-November are best. It's mid-priced for China. Marco Polo described it in the 13th century as «the most beautiful and magnificent city in the world», and its West Lake, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is one of the most depicted urban landscapes in classical Chinese painting and poetry throughout its history.