An hour from Shanghai, with flat lakeside walking that suits recovery days. This guide gives you five ready-made itineraries for Hangzhou — 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 days — each one built around real appointment timing, with sightseeing placed where it is safe rather than where it looks good on a map.
West Lake causeways, Hangzhou
Choose how many days you have
Longer is not automatically better — it depends on whether you need tests that take several days, a second opinion, or recovery time after a procedure. Pick the closest match and adjust with us before you book.
Getting there and where to stay
| Airports | HGH (Hangzhou Xiaoshan International) |
|---|---|
| Areas to stay | Shangcheng near West Lake East — walking distance to the Second Affiliated Hospital Hubin by the lake — the classic view hotels Binjiang — newer business district south of the river, quieter at night |
| Food notes | West Lake vinegar fish, Longjing shrimp, beggar’s chicken; plus the tea-village farmhouse lunches on the hills above the lake. |
Compare flights to Hangzhou → Hotels near Hangzhou hospitals →
Hospitals in Hangzhou
A clean, well-organised city an hour by train from Shanghai, with strong university hospitals and easy recovery walks around West Lake.
Eye care and joint surgery in a large university teaching hospital.
Eye · Bone & joint
Infectious disease, liver transplantation and blood disorders.
Blood disorders · Stomach & gut · Complex & rare diseases
Paediatric referral centre for Zhejiang province.
Children
Full Hangzhou hospital list → Hangzhou trip planner →
The six places this itinerary uses
The Su and Bai causeways are almost completely flat, willow-shaded, and benched every few hundred metres.
The classic way to see the lake without walking it: public ferries hop between the islands and shores.
Rebuilt Song-style pagoda on Sunset Hill with escalators most of the way up and a lake-wide view at the top.
Hangzhou’s great Buddhist temple: incense halls, cliff carvings and forest paths above the streams.
Terraced tea fields above the lake where families serve lunch and the season’s first pickings.
Boat-first wetland park in the west of the city: quiet channels, birds and almost no crowds.
The five day-by-day plans
The 3-day Hangzhou plan
The shortest workable trip: one consultation day, one results day, and one evening of sightseeing. Choose it when you already have scans and a clear question for the specialist.
Day 1 · Arrival and settle in
West Lake causeways
- Your driver meets you inside the terminal at HGH with your name on a board and drives you straight to the hotel near your hospital.
- Check in, hand over your passport copies and medical records folder, and keep the rest of the day empty — jet lag plus a first appointment is enough for one day.
- Easy evening option: West Lake causeways. The Su and Bai causeways are almost completely flat, willow-shaded, and benched every few hundred metres.
Day 2 · First hospital appointment
Boat across the lake
- Registration opens early; your companion takes the queue while you sit. Bring passport, previous scans, reports, medication list and a written summary in English.
- Consultation, then the tests the doctor orders on the spot — blood work, imaging or scope. Most results come back the same or the next working day.
- Gentle afternoon if you feel up to it: Boat across the lake. The classic way to see the lake without walking it: public ferries hop between the islands and shores.
Day 3 · Results and departure
Xixi Wetland canals
- Collect results, then the follow-up consultation where diagnosis, dosage and next steps are explained in your language.
- Pharmacy run and printed copies of everything for your doctor at home.
- Last easy hours before the flight: Xixi Wetland canals. Boat-first wetland park in the west of the city: quiet channels, birds and almost no crowds.
- Driver back to HGH in time for an evening departure.
The 4-day Hangzhou plan
Adds a full-day excursion after the diagnosis, so you go home with one real Hangzhou day rather than only hospital corridors.
Day 1 · Arrival and settle in
West Lake causeways
- Your driver meets you inside the terminal at HGH with your name on a board and drives you straight to the hotel near your hospital.
- Check in, hand over your passport copies and medical records folder, and keep the rest of the day empty — jet lag plus a first appointment is enough for one day.
- Easy evening option: West Lake causeways. The Su and Bai causeways are almost completely flat, willow-shaded, and benched every few hundred metres.
Day 2 · First hospital appointment
Boat across the lake
- Registration opens early; your companion takes the queue while you sit. Bring passport, previous scans, reports, medication list and a written summary in English.
- Consultation, then the tests the doctor orders on the spot — blood work, imaging or scope. Most results come back the same or the next working day.
- Gentle afternoon if you feel up to it: Boat across the lake. The classic way to see the lake without walking it: public ferries hop between the islands and shores.
Day 3 · Diagnosis and a first real outing
Leifeng Pagoda
- Results consultation and, if the plan changes, a second specialist in the same hospital.
- Afternoon at Leifeng Pagoda. Rebuilt Song-style pagoda on Sunset Hill with escalators most of the way up and a lake-wide view at the top.
Day 4 · The big sight, then fly home
Lingyin Temple and Feilai Peak
- Lingyin Temple and Feilai Peak. Hangzhou’s great Buddhist temple: incense halls, cliff carvings and forest paths above the streams.
- Keep one buffer meal and one sitting break in the plan; this is the most demanding day of the four.
- Airport transfer in the evening, or add a night if your treatment schedule shifts.
The 5-day Hangzhou plan
The most popular length. It leaves room for a second opinion in a different hospital without compressing the medical schedule.
Day 1 · Arrival and settle in
West Lake causeways
- Your driver meets you inside the terminal at HGH with your name on a board and drives you straight to the hotel near your hospital.
- Check in, hand over your passport copies and medical records folder, and keep the rest of the day empty — jet lag plus a first appointment is enough for one day.
- Easy evening option: West Lake causeways. The Su and Bai causeways are almost completely flat, willow-shaded, and benched every few hundred metres.
Day 2 · First hospital appointment
Boat across the lake
- Registration opens early; your companion takes the queue while you sit. Bring passport, previous scans, reports, medication list and a written summary in English.
- Consultation, then the tests the doctor orders on the spot — blood work, imaging or scope. Most results come back the same or the next working day.
- Gentle afternoon if you feel up to it: Boat across the lake. The classic way to see the lake without walking it: public ferries hop between the islands and shores.
Day 3 · Diagnosis and a first real outing
Leifeng Pagoda
- Results consultation and, if the plan changes, a second specialist in the same hospital.
- Afternoon at Leifeng Pagoda. Rebuilt Song-style pagoda on Sunset Hill with escalators most of the way up and a lake-wide view at the top.
Day 4 · The one full-day excursion
Lingyin Temple and Feilai Peak
- Lingyin Temple and Feilai Peak. Hangzhou’s great Buddhist temple: incense halls, cliff carvings and forest paths above the streams.
- Plan it two days after the first consultation, never the day after a procedure.
- Sitting breaks every hour, and water and medication in the day bag.
Day 5 · Second opinion and home
Xixi Wetland canals
- A short second-opinion slot at another department or hospital — the reason many travellers choose five days.
- Final pharmacy top-up and printed records.
- If time allows before the flight: Xixi Wetland canals. Boat-first wetland park in the west of the city: quiet channels, birds and almost no crowds.
The 6-day Hangzhou plan
Two medical blocks separated by a deliberate rest day — the shape that suits anyone travelling after surgery or during ongoing treatment.
Day 1 · Arrival and settle in
West Lake causeways
- Your driver meets you inside the terminal at HGH with your name on a board and drives you straight to the hotel near your hospital.
- Check in, hand over your passport copies and medical records folder, and keep the rest of the day empty — jet lag plus a first appointment is enough for one day.
- Easy evening option: West Lake causeways. The Su and Bai causeways are almost completely flat, willow-shaded, and benched every few hundred metres.
Day 2 · First hospital appointment
Boat across the lake
- Registration opens early; your companion takes the queue while you sit. Bring passport, previous scans, reports, medication list and a written summary in English.
- Consultation, then the tests the doctor orders on the spot — blood work, imaging or scope. Most results come back the same or the next working day.
- Gentle afternoon if you feel up to it: Boat across the lake. The classic way to see the lake without walking it: public ferries hop between the islands and shores.
Day 3 · Diagnosis and a first real outing
Leifeng Pagoda
- Results consultation and, if the plan changes, a second specialist in the same hospital.
- Afternoon at Leifeng Pagoda. Rebuilt Song-style pagoda on Sunset Hill with escalators most of the way up and a lake-wide view at the top.
Day 4 · The one full-day excursion
Lingyin Temple and Feilai Peak
- Lingyin Temple and Feilai Peak. Hangzhou’s great Buddhist temple: incense halls, cliff carvings and forest paths above the streams.
- Plan it two days after the first consultation, never the day after a procedure.
- Sitting breaks every hour, and water and medication in the day bag.
Day 5 · Recovery day, deliberately unscheduled
Xixi Wetland canals
- No hospital today. Sleep, laundry, a slow breakfast and a short walk — recovery days are what make the longer trips work.
- Low-effort outing if you feel like it: Xixi Wetland canals. Boat-first wetland park in the west of the city: quiet channels, birds and almost no crowds.
- Local food note: West Lake vinegar fish, Longjing shrimp, beggar’s chicken; plus the tea-village farmhouse lunches on the hills above the lake.
Day 6 · Follow-up and departure
Longjing tea village
- Follow-up consultation, dressing change or the second session of a two-visit treatment.
- One last look at Longjing tea village. Terraced tea fields above the lake where families serve lunch and the season’s first pickings.
- Airport transfer with time to spare.
The 7-day Hangzhou plan
A full working week: first opinion, recovery, second opinion in another hospital, and three sightseeing days paced around them.
Day 1 · Arrival and settle in
West Lake causeways
- Your driver meets you inside the terminal at HGH with your name on a board and drives you straight to the hotel near your hospital.
- Check in, hand over your passport copies and medical records folder, and keep the rest of the day empty — jet lag plus a first appointment is enough for one day.
- Easy evening option: West Lake causeways. The Su and Bai causeways are almost completely flat, willow-shaded, and benched every few hundred metres.
Day 2 · First hospital appointment
Boat across the lake
- Registration opens early; your companion takes the queue while you sit. Bring passport, previous scans, reports, medication list and a written summary in English.
- Consultation, then the tests the doctor orders on the spot — blood work, imaging or scope. Most results come back the same or the next working day.
- Gentle afternoon if you feel up to it: Boat across the lake. The classic way to see the lake without walking it: public ferries hop between the islands and shores.
Day 3 · Diagnosis and a first real outing
Leifeng Pagoda
- Results consultation and, if the plan changes, a second specialist in the same hospital.
- Afternoon at Leifeng Pagoda. Rebuilt Song-style pagoda on Sunset Hill with escalators most of the way up and a lake-wide view at the top.
Day 4 · The one full-day excursion
Lingyin Temple and Feilai Peak
- Lingyin Temple and Feilai Peak. Hangzhou’s great Buddhist temple: incense halls, cliff carvings and forest paths above the streams.
- Plan it two days after the first consultation, never the day after a procedure.
- Sitting breaks every hour, and water and medication in the day bag.
Day 5 · Recovery day, deliberately unscheduled
Xixi Wetland canals
- No hospital today. Sleep, laundry, a slow breakfast and a short walk — recovery days are what make the longer trips work.
- Low-effort outing if you feel like it: Xixi Wetland canals. Boat-first wetland park in the west of the city: quiet channels, birds and almost no crowds.
- Local food note: West Lake vinegar fish, Longjing shrimp, beggar’s chicken; plus the tea-village farmhouse lunches on the hills above the lake.
Day 6 · Second hospital, second opinion
Longjing tea village
- A different tertiary hospital in Hangzhou for an independent read of the same scans — the single most useful thing an extra two days buys.
- Afternoon: Longjing tea village. Terraced tea fields above the lake where families serve lunch and the season’s first pickings.
Day 7 · Wrap up and fly home
West Lake causeways
- Final consultation, written plan, medication for the journey and copies of every report.
- Last hours: West Lake causeways. The Su and Bai causeways are almost completely flat, willow-shaded, and benched every few hundred metres.
- Driver to HGH.
Book the ground services for Hangzhou
Flights and hotels you book yourself; we handle the airport, the hospital floor and the language. Fixed prices for Beijing and Shanghai transfers, half-day and full-day rates for interpreting and companionship.
Airport transfer — From $78 (Beijing / Shanghai), $88 other citiesMedical interpreter — $188 half day (4h) / $368 full dayHospital companion — $128 half day / $228 full dayComplete 3-day package — $2,380 all inclusiveBuild your own package — Choose services + number of daysWe are an independent medical travel agency. We arrange appointments, transport, interpreting and accommodation; all diagnosis and treatment decisions belong to the hospital and your doctor. In an emergency go straight to the nearest hospital emergency department.
