Hangzhou hotels and places to stay

     "There are thirty six lakes in the world claiming the title of West Lake; the best one is in Hangzhou" accoding to the eminent writer Su Dongpo.

     Immortalized in books and verses, this focal point of tourist interest – West Lake - converted a once small provincial town named Hangzhou into the most beautiful city in China. With a total area of 600ha the West Lake is the most notable tourist draw in Hangzhou making the city one of the ten most scenic destinations in China.

     You can see this ''miracle of China'' on your own if consult Booked.net for your stay. We have all hotels in China from cheap offers to luxury, all available with maps, photos and secure forms at Booked.net.

     About 200 years after another prominent figure not so in literature, but in Western exploration – Marco Polo - would say that Hangzhou is "the finest and most splendid city in the world".

     Along China's coastline, on the famous Silk Road this traveler first discovered Hangzhou – a close neighbor to Shanghai and Beijing. It lies in only 180km north from Shanghai and up the Grand Canal toward Beijing, but is still totally different from both. Actually, it is quintessentially Chinese in essence whether you are about its handmade silk, green tea or peppered cuisine. But in Hangzhou the silk is especially delicate, tea strong and cuisine hot or as a great poet of Song Dynasty praised it ''no food can compare with the Hangzhou cuisine''.

     Hangzhouers, who number some 1.7 million in population, are proud of the city's uniqueness referring to much more than its natural lagoons, but rich historical background. Hangzhou was originally founded during the Qin Dynasty 7000 years ago, but first rose to prominence during the Sui Dynasty.

     Later on a visit to Hangzhou Marco Polo would say that ''the number and wealth of the merchants, and the amount of goods that passed through their hands, was so enormous that no man could form a just estimate thereof." Just compare the speed of city's development, by the 13th century another explorer from Morocco Ibn Battuta said of Hangzhou that it was "the biggest city I have ever seen on the face of the earth." No surprise that the city was given the status of a major trade port that still survives today.

     But trade is not the only income for Hangzhou is thriving on, tourism is strong as well. Here tourists will find temples, churches and mosques, thus attractions include;

- Mid-Lake Pavilion, the oldest island in Hangzhou dating from 1552

- Wushan Square, a major town center in Hangzhou

-West Lake, a must-see on a trip to Hangzhou

     You can book a hotel in Hangzhou a stone's throw from any of these listed attractions at Booked.net – a personal approach to every client.