Hangzhou Culinary Tours and Tea Tastings

Enjoy refreshing flavors and teas on a Privately Guided Hangzhou Culinary Tour. One of China’s seven ancient capitals, Hangzhou has been an important center of trade and cultural exchange since its founding during the Qin Dynasty more than 2,000 years ago.

The city is situated at the southern end of the Grand Canal, the longest man-made waterway in the world and once a major artery of trade and transportation between the imperial capital and its far-flung northern frontier.

Hangzhou is renowned for its Longjing tea, a delicate green variety that grows on the slopes of the rolling hills beside the scenic West Lake. Longjing, or Dragon Well, is so-named for the artesian mountain spring that irrigates the surrounding village’s tea plantations. According to local legend, the well was blessed by the emperor Qianlong and is inhabited by a benevolent dragon that ensures a stable supply of water to the local farmers.

Hangzhou is also home to the Lingyin Temple, a sprawling monastic complex that played a major role in the development of Zen Buddhism in East Asia during the eighth and ninth centuries. Founded 1,700 years ago by a visiting Indian sage, the temple was inhabited by more than 3,000 monks at its peak and remains an important site for Buddhist pilgrims to this day.

When the Venetian explorer Marco Polo visited Hangzhou in the late 13th century he called it “the most beautiful city on earth.” Many foreign visitors are similarly affected by the city’s charm, and the Chinese  themselves have immortalized this sentiment with the famous saying: “Above there is Heaven, on Earth Hangzhou.”

Just a short bullet train ride from Shanghai, the pastoral sights, sounds and flavors of Hangzhou are truly one of a kind and not to be missed. Don’t take our word for it, select one of our gourmet day trips or multi-day offerings from the menu below and see for yourself!