Hangzhou
Day 1: West Lake, Dragon Well Tee plantation
Our guide will greet you at the hotel/train station early in the morning. After that, you will go to Meijiawu Tea Village, the most important tea production base in China, seated at the hinterland of West Lake Park. A local tea expert will welcome you at the door and accompany you during your tea garden journey. The tea expert will first tell you what appropriate tea leaves are and teach you the right way to pick them. After hearing from the tea expert, you can pick fresh tea leaves by yourself. Then the tea expert will show you the process of stir-drying the tea. If you like, you can have a try-- but be careful. The iron pot is very hot. Later, the tea experts will introduce the correct way to taste tea and share the art of the tea ceremony with you. You can take your tea home, or make a cup of tea right away so you will know the taste of your tea.
Quick Facts:
Who are Our Tea Experts?
Born in a tea art family, our tea experts have learned tea art since childhood and are very familiar with it. Our tea experts have also participated in a number of international tea-promotional films to let the world know about Chinese tea culture.
After saying goodbye to the tea plantation, we will drive to the China Tea Museum, which is the only museum about tea in China. There you will see some precious tea sets, and your guide will also explain the classification and history of tea, so that you can know more about it.
Then you will go to Chenghuang Pavilion, where you can have a bird's eye view of Hangzhou and the West Lake. In addition, a Southern Song Dynasty Snacks Banquet is arranged for you. At the banquet, you can enjoy authentic Hangzhou cuisine and tea snacks, as well as a traditional stringed and woodwind instrumental performance.
The main itinerary in the afternoon is to visit the West Lake. As one of Hangzhou’s major landmarks, West Lake was listed as a UNESCO World Material Heritage Site in 2011. You can walk along the lake and feel the breeze blowing. You also have a chance to take a boat on the West Lake and taste Longjing tea while seeing the beautiful scenery.
Then our guide will take you back to your hotel/train station and it's time to end today’s pleasant journey.
Trip Notes:
This tour is quite flexible. You can alter the itinerary, either by extending or by shortening it to suit your expected budget, interest, and schedule. If you have any requirements, just tell us and we will help you arrange with our professional knowledge and experience.