Liuhe Pagoda, Hangzhou

Is Liuhe Pagoda worth visiting?

Yes, if you have a second day in Hangzhou and want a genuinely old pagoda you can climb on foot. Unlike Leifeng Pagoda, which is a modern rebuild with escalators, Liuhe is a 12th-century brick core wrapped in wooden galleries, and the view is of the broad Qiantang River and its historic bridge rather than the lake.

Skip it if you only have one day: it’s 7–8 km from the centre, up to 40 minutes each way by bus, and you can’t see West Lake from the top. It’s also not for anyone who dislikes tight stairs.

The tower stands on Yuelun Hill (月轮山). The first pagoda went up here in 970 under the Wuyue kingdom, whose capital was Hangzhou. It was later rebuilt: the brick core dates from the Southern Song dynasty in the 12th century, and the timber eaves you see outside were added in the late 19th century. It has been a nationally protected monument since 1961.

Tickets and opening hours

There are two tickets. Entry to the park around the pagoda is about ¥20, and climbing the tower is a separate ¥10. Guides list half price for students and seniors and free entry for children under 1.2 m and people over 70 — bring your passport. Three guidebooks agree on these prices, but we couldn’t load the official page, so treat them as unofficial.

The site is open every day, roughly 7:00–17:30, with last entry around 16:55. On busy days the climb is capped: staff hold people at the bottom when it’s full upstairs. Pay with Alipay or WeChat Pay linked to a foreign Visa or Mastercard, or in cash — keep small notes in case a scan fails.

What to see at Liuhe Pagoda

• The climb to the seventh floor — the main event. Each floor has a walkway with windows on all sides, and the ceilings are carved and painted with animals, birds, flowers and figures.
• The river view — the Qiantang widens towards the sea, and right below runs the long steel Qiantang River Bridge, opened in 1937. The fifth floor frames the bridge best; the seventh has the widest view.
• The pagoda model garden (中华古塔博览苑), north-west of the tower — about a hundred 1:10 models of China’s famous pagodas, including Leifeng and Xi’an’s Giant Wild Goose Pagoda, with English labels.
• The bells — 104 iron bells hang from the eaves; on a windy day you hear them best from the upper galleries.
• The stele pavilion and bell — north of the pagoda, on the way from the garden down towards the river.
• The riverside path at the foot of the hill, where you get the whole tower in one frame.

Can you see the Qiantang tidal bore here?

Yes, in the right season. The Qiantang is famous for its tidal bore: twice a day the incoming tide funnels into the narrowing estuary and rolls upriver as a wall of water. It’s strongest in autumn around the full moon of the eighth lunar month; the traditional viewing day is the 18th of that month, usually in September or early October.

From the pagoda you watch it from above, but by Hangzhou the wave is smaller than downstream — the biggest bores are seen near Haining. Tide times shift every day, so check a local tide table. On bore days the riverbank gets busy; stay behind the barriers.

Liuhe Pagoda vs Leifeng Pagoda

Both prices are unofficial guidebook figures. With one day in Hangzhou, pick Leifeng — it’s on the lake loop. Save Liuhe for a second day if you want a real climb.

Hangzhou sights with a view

Hangzhou places with a view, scored by YesGo. Tap a column header to sort.

How to do it right

• Arrive at opening or before lunch: on weekends there’s a queue for the climb between 2 and 4 pm.
• The climbing ticket is separate from park entry — if you want to go up, buy both at once.
• The staircase is tight; carry your backpack in front so you can pass people coming down.
• No flash and no lighters inside, and don’t sit on the window ledges — staff patrol every floor.
• Bus 4 runs back north past Leifeng Pagoda to the lake, so it’s easy to pair the two.
• If you hit bore season in autumn, be at the river half an hour before the tide-table time.

Questions