Once in West Lake, it's easy to understand why it is one of China's favorite spots for winding down, weekend excursions from Shanghai and — in profusion — honeymoons. It's also easy to forget that a city with an approximate population of Chicago and Los Angeles combined surrounds the area. Getting here via trains that cover the approximately 125 miles from Shanghai in as little as 45 minutes is another example of this amazing nation at its best.

A stroll across a bridge in Hangzhou, China, provides views of West Lake. Photo courtesy of Barbara Selwitz

Popular year-round, Hangzhou is most crowded on Sundays, when thousands pour in to grab a few precious hours of relative peace and quiet. Indeed, though several days onsite is better, it's possible to get a feel for the place during a day trip — one that is best not scheduled on weekends. Marco Polo, who visited in the 13th century, described it as a place as close to paradise anyone alive is likely to encounter.

Many hotels are close to the lake, and the many taxis driving the 10 miles of roadway circumventing the lake ensure that visitors can always get a ride back to their lodgings or to other intriguing sites away from the lake.

Walking and an occasional boat trip are the best ways to experience West Lake. Melding with the crowds and watching kite-flyers and bicycle-riders (rental bikes are readily available) are ways to be immersed in Chinese life. Hangzhou is the real deal — the Chinese themselves are its prime users, and the place is almost always crowded, with or without international tourists. Incidentally, all matter of boats are available for rent, including wooden rowboats, smallish ferries, small junks and somewhat larger ferries with awnings to protect passengers from the sun.

A look at a map can help visitors decide which of the two longish causeways — the Bai paralleling the northern coast or the Su along the western coast — to head for. Walking here is lovely, and because the terrain is virtually flat, visitors often find they are walking much greater distances than they might have anticipated.

In any case, there are a number of attractions worth including on a stroll. For example, quite close to the main shore near the Bai causeway entrance is the arched stone Broken Bridge. The epitome of grace and a photographers' favorite, it is famous as the concluding scene of a grand Chinese romantic legend. And, despite its name, nothing about it is actually broken. The name refers to a late-winter vision when snow melts earlier on one side than the other. Then, from the shore, it appears as if one portion of the bridge has disappeared or is "broken." Once all the snow melts, so does the image.

Nearby is Solitary Hill Island, where a park is dedicated to Sun Yat-Sen, China's first president following the 1912 fall of the Manchu dynasty that ended the nation's royal rule. Also worth a look is the Crane Pavilion, where during springtime there are vast swaths of plum blossoms. The island also has a smallish hill, which, nevertheless, offers a fine overview of the lake and other islands

Three Pools Mirroring the Moon is actually three hollow 800-year-old pagodas standing a bit more than 6 feet tall just off the Island of Small Seas that appears to stand atop the water. Often on moonlit nights, candles are placed inside, giving the illusion of four moons lighting up the lake.

Three Pools, one of three man-made West Lake islands, is also visible from another West Lake must-see, the Su Causeway. It was constructed during the Northern Song Dynasty (960 to 1127 A.D.), and along its 1.7-mile stretch one crosses over six bridges, passes through gorgeous greenery and — during spring — masses of peach blossoms and weeping willows. If time allows for only one extended walk, the Su Causeway would be a wise choice.

Another popular destination is the man-made Island of Seas. Created in 1607, it features four separate ponds, elegant bridges, and a famous flower and bird pavilion. Tour boats regularly link this island with the mainland.

If time allows, Hangzhou visitors should hire a driver and explore nearby sights. For instance, a short drive away is the Lingyin Temple (Temple of the Soul's Retreat), a massive structure whose origins date back to the fourth century. Vast in size and crowding, it is another highly popular attraction for Chinese families. There are two separate entry fees: one for the grounds, another for the temple itself.

A laughing Buddha statue graces Lingyin Temple, not far from Hangzhou, China. Photo courtesy of Barbara Selwitz.

En route to the temple from the parking area is the intriguingly named Peak That Flew From Afar. Many believe that the 500-foot-tall peak was magically transported to this location from India, thus its name. Here are nearly 400 Buddhist rock carvings. One, dating back 1,100 years, depicts a laughing Buddha.

A short drive out to Mei Jia Wu tea village, a refreshingly un-touristy enclave just a 30-minute taxi ride from Hangzhou, provides a look at a peaceful way of life. Tea pickers head off to their fields, and merchants offer cups of tea and encourage — but not badger — visitors to buy more. More popular and crowded is Dragon Well Tea Village, which draws masses of visitors and tour buses, and where coping with aggressive tea-sellers is part of the game.

Regardless of the price of tea, a critical factor in any visit to Hangzhou — or indeed most of China — is that here the dollar goes exceptionally far. Unlike in the United States or most of Western Europe, where $185 dollars buys middling accommodations, at best, in Hangzhou it will secure an advance-purchase room in luxury hotels. Restaurant costs — often for fabulous cuisine — are similarly well below Western tabs. Even taxis are refreshingly inexpensive.

Coming to Hangzhou might not be the primary reason for visiting China that Shanghai is, but during or after a visit to that urban dynamo, there's no better way to reconnect with nature than a short stay and several long walks at Hangzhou's intriguing, historic and lovely West Lake.

WHEN YOU GO

The Hangzhou Tourist Information Center has English-speaking personnel and is located on the northern corner of Hubin Lu and Jiefang Lu. It is open daily from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.: www.visithangzhou.com.

For more information about dining, lodging and touring: www.morehangzhou.com.

The five-star Shangri-La Hangzhou boasts a great location on the lakefront with lovely rooms and delicious meals. This hotel has hosted such luminaries as Richard Nixon and Chou en Lai: www.shangri-la.com.