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Offered languages
- English
A private half-day tea plantation tour into the hills behind West Lake, home of Longjing (Dragon Well) green tea. Walk the terraced tea fields of Longjing Village, then visit a tea farmer's home to watch the leaves hand-roasted in the wok and taste the family's own Longjing brewed in a glass. Continue to Meijiawu tea village for lunch at a tea farmer's house, with a stop at the China National Tea Museum to put the tasting in context. Add the Jiuxi "Nine Creeks" hike through the tea terraces if you like, and from late March to April you can join the spring harvest. You travel with your own English-speaking guide and private vehicle, with pickup from your hotel or Hangzhou East Railway Station — an easy half-day for visitors arriving from Shanghai by bullet train. Tastings and lunch included; every site on the route is free to enter.
What's Included
Meeting and pickup
Your private guide meets you at your Hangzhou hotel lobby or at the arrivals area of Hangzhou East Railway Station, holding a sign with your name. Arriving by bullet train from Shanghai? This half-day tour fits comfortably after a morning train — send us your train number after booking and we'll match your pickup time to it. We'll confirm the exact meeting point and share your guide's direct contact (WhatsApp/WeChat) through the Viator chat. The Longjing tea village is about 25 minutes from downtown by private car.
Itinerary
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1Longjing tea fields
Walk the terraced hillsides of Longjing (Dragon Well) Village, the source of China's most famous green tea. Follow the plantation paths between rows of tea bushes, with views across the valley, then visit a tea farmer's home to see how Longjing is made — leaves hand-roasted in heated woks and sorted into grades, from the prized pre-Qingming spring pick downward. Sit down for a tasting of the farmer's own Longjing brewed in a glass, and learn to judge it by leaf shape, colour, and aroma. Your guide translates as you talk with the family about a growing season that has shaped this village for over a thousand years. In late March and April you can join the harvest and pick leaves alongside the farmers.
1 hour 30 minutes • Admission ticket included -
2
Continue to Meijiawu, a 600-year-old tea village tucked into the hills west of West Lake, where nearly every family still grows and processes Longjing. Wander the village lanes past tea-drying yards and family workshops, then sit down to lunch at a tea farmer's home: home-style Hangzhou dishes including Longjing shrimp, the local classic cooked with fresh tea leaves. Your guide explains how the village's tea economy works today, from the spring harvest to the tea-house trade, while you eat overlooking the plantations.
1 hour 30 minutes • Admission ticket included -
3National Tea Museum
A short stop at the China National Tea Museum, the country's only national museum devoted to tea, set among its own tea gardens on Longjing Road. The galleries trace tea's story from ancient medicine to global trade — the six tea families, brewing styles across the dynasties, and a fine collection of historic teaware. Your guide points you to the exhibits that explain what you've just seen in the fields: how green, oolong, and black teas all diverge from the same leaf, and where Longjing sits among China's famous teas.
1 hour 30 minutes • Admission ticket included -
4Nine Creeks in Misty Forest
Optional hike: from Longjing Village, follow the Jiuxi trail — "Nine Creeks in Misty Trees," one of West Lake's celebrated scenic spots — gently downhill through tea terraces and shaded forest, crossing the stream on stepping stones as it winds toward the Qiantang River. It's an easy 3 km walk of about 90 minutes at a relaxed pace, with tea fields on the slopes nearly the whole way and far fewer visitors than the lakeside. Choose it when you book or on the day; your guide adjusts the timing around it.
1 hour 30 minutes • Admission ticket free
Additional info
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
- Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
Tags
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Cancellation Policy
- For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
- If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
- Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.
- This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund.
Rating
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
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