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Voykit pocket guide · China
Qiandaohu
千岛湖
One full day is enough for a boat tour of the islands and fish-head lunch; two days if you add rafting or a hike. Skip it if you have only a half-day window.
Qiandaohu (Thousand Island Lake) is a man-made reservoir in western Zhejiang, formed by the Xin'an River Dam. Its clean water supplies Nongfu Spring bottled water. The main draw is a boat ride past the islands, plus a few animal-themed stops and a river-rafting course in the hills. Most travellers come as a day trip from Hangzhou (1 h by train) or as a stop on the Hangzhou–Huangshan high-speed line.
- Country
- China
- Local name
- 千岛湖
- Best months
- Apr–Jun, Sep–Oct
- Avoid
- Jul–Aug (hot and humid, rain), Chinese public holidays (crowds)
- Stay
- 1 night
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- CNY
- Money
- Alipay and WeChat Pay accept Visa, Mastercard, JCB and Amex cards; single payments over ¥200 carry a fee of about 3% on a foreign card (smaller ones are free), and per-payment and yearly caps apply — check the app. Keep a second way to pay.
- Daily spend
- Budget ¥200–400 excl. bed · Mid ¥400–800 excl. bed · High ¥800+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- A roaming eSIM from outside China routes traffic through its home network, so Google, WhatsApp and Instagram work without a VPN — the simplest setup.
- Emergency
- Police 110 · Fire 119 · Ambulance 120
- Plugs
- Types A, C, I · 220 V · 50 Hz · Many sockets take flat two-pin (A), round two-pin (C) and angled three-pin (I) plugs; UK plugs need an adapter.
- Tipping
- Restaurants: No tip; upmarket hotels add 10–15% service.; Taxis and DiDi: No tip.; Tour guides and drivers: Expected on organised tours: about ¥100–200 a day for a guide, ¥50–100 for a driver.; Hotel porters: Not expected; ¥10–20 in luxury hotels.
- Water
- Not for drinking from the tap; bottled water ¥2–5, and kettles and free bottles in hotel rooms. Restaurants serve hot water or tea.
- Toilets
- Public toilets are frequent and free; squat toilets outside hotels and malls. Carry tissues — many have no paper.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Boat tour (standard loop) | ¥150 |
| Jiulong Brook Rafting | ¥100 |
| Fish-head soup (per person) | ¥60–120 |
| Bottle of water (Nongfu Spring) | ¥2–3 |
| Taxi from station to lakefront | ¥50–70 |
| High-speed train Hangzhou–Qiandaohu | ¥70–100 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- HGH · Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport
- About 2 h by taxi or bus to Qiandaohu; high-speed rail from Hangzhou East station is faster.
Typical fares
- High-speed train Hangzhou–Qiandaohu
- about ¥70–100, 1 h (check)
- Taxi Qiandaohu station → lakefront
- ¥50–70
- Boat tour standard loop
- ¥150 (check)
Show 7 more sections and the pocket cardHideGet around, See and do, Sleep, Phrase card, Etiquette, safety and scams, One and two days, Sources, Pocket card
Get around
Public buses and taxis in town; boat tours are the main way to see the islands. The high-speed rail station is about 20 min by taxi from the lakefront.
See and do
Known for
- Thousand Island Lake boat tours
- Monkey Island and Snake Island
- Fish-head soup
- Jiulong Brook Rafting
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Hangzhou | High-speed train from Qiandaohu station, about 1 h | 1.5 h |
| Huangshan (Yellow Mountain) | High-speed train from Qiandaohu station, about 1 h | 1.5 h |
Sleep
- Qiandaohu town (near the lakefront)
- Most hotels and restaurants; walking distance to the main pier.
- Resort hotels on the lake islands
- Pricier, quieter, but require a boat transfer.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Hello | 你好nǐ hǎo |
| Thank you | 谢谢xiè xiè |
| How much is this? | 这个多少钱？zhè ge duō shao qián |
| Where is the pier? | 码头在哪里？mǎ tóu zài nǎ lǐ |
| I'd like fish-head soup | 我要鱼头汤wǒ yào yú tóu tāng |
| Can I pay by card? | 可以刷卡吗？kě yǐ shuā kǎ ma |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Handshake and a nod; use surnames with a title; avoid: Hugs and cheek kisses
- Face: Disagree privately and indirectly; avoid: Correcting or embarrassing someone in front of others
- Gifts: Give with two hands; expect the gift to be refused once or twice and opened later; avoid: Clocks, umbrellas, white flowers, sets of four
- Business cards: Present and receive with both hands, read it, keep it on the table; avoid: Writing on it or pocketing it at once
- Queues and crowds: Hold your ground politely in scrums at buses and lifts; avoid: Taking pushing personally
- Temples: Walk clockwise around Tibetan stupas and prayer wheels; remove hats; avoid: Touching statues or photographing where signs forbid
- Politics: Listen; follow your host's lead; avoid: Raising Tibet, Taiwan, Xinjiang, 1989 or the party leadership
- Numbers and colour: Red and 8 are lucky; red envelopes carry money gifts; avoid: Writing names in red; the number 4
Scams and watch-outs
- Boat tours run fixed schedules; arrive at the pier by 09:00 for the full loop.
- Animal islands have caged animals; some travellers find them depressing.
- Rafting gets you soaked: bring a change of clothes and a waterproof bag.
- Tap water is not drinkable; buy bottled water (Nongfu Spring is local).
Qiandaohu is a safe tourist area. Watch for slippery boat decks and wet rafting rocks. The main risk is sunburn on the water: bring sunscreen and a hat.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Qiandaohu yet. Suggested stay: 1 night. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Thousand Island Lake boat tours
- Monkey Island and Snake Island
- Fish-head soup
- Jiulong Brook Rafting
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Wikivoyage: Qiandaohu, revision 5139650 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5139650
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Printed from Voykit (/qiandaohu). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.