West Lake show tickets: how to choose

Regular seats or VIP seats?

The ticket we link to sells seats in two classes: regular and VIP. VIP is the premium class. Which seating areas each class covers is not the same from one seller to another, so read the seat description on the booking page for your date before you pay. Some sellers also list a third, front-row class, and the page you are on shows what that seller offers. If you only want to see the show, regular seats do that. Choose VIP if a better position matters to you.

• Regular: the standard class
• VIP: the premium class
• Both are a seat for the same outdoor show
• Read the seat description for your date before paying

What the ticket covers, and what it does not

The ticket covers a seat at the show and nothing else. It does not include a boat ride, a transfer or dinner. It is also not an entry ticket to West Lake itself, because most of the lakeshore has been free to walk since 2002. The show lasts about an hour. Start times appear after you choose a date in the booking calendar, and your confirmation repeats them, so rely on those rather than on an older page or another site.

Our link, or another way to book?

Booking through GetYourGuide gives you an English page, your own currency and free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start. Other international resellers sell the same show, sometimes with different seat classes and different cancellation terms, so read them before you compare. Platforms in China sell it too, in Chinese. We found no English booking page run by the show's own producers, so there is no direct English route to recommend. Whatever you choose, compare the final total in one currency, not the headline price.

When to book

The show runs in yearly seasons, so the booking calendar only shows dates that are on sale. If your dates fall outside the season, no ticket can change that, and a lake cruise or a walk around the shore is the alternative. Once your travel dates are fixed, book then: cancellation through GetYourGuide is free up to 24 hours before, so booking early costs you little. Pick an evening when you are not arriving off a long transfer, because you will be seated outdoors for about an hour.

On the day: finding the entrance

The show is at No. 82 Beishan Road, Xihu District, written 杭州市西湖区北山路82号 in Chinese. Show that line to a taxi or ride-hailing driver. Hangzhou's city government gives the same address, and the venue stands across the road from the Yue Fei Temple, the gate in the photo. Your confirmation says how you get in: either a QR code to scan at the gate, or a voucher to swap at the ticket counter first. Keep your phone charged, and leave time for the swap if your confirmation asks for one.

Impression West Lake or Liu Sanjie?

Both are outdoor shows in the Impression series, co-directed by Zhang Yimou with Wang Chaoge and Fan Yue. Impression Liu Sanjie opened in August 2003 on the Li River in Guangxi province. The West Lake show opened in late 2007 on the lake in Hangzhou. They are in different cities, so choose by where you are travelling, not by which is better. If your route takes in both Hangzhou and the Li River, they are separate productions in different settings, and seeing both is a decision about your itinerary, not a duplicate.

Read next: Zhang Yimou and the Impression Series Behind This Show

Which version you are booking

The original West Lake show opened in 2007. A new version, Enduring Memories of Hangzhou, was launched in 2016 during the G20 summit in Hangzhou, and it is the one on sale today. Some sellers use that title and some use Impression West Lake, so treat the two names as the same show when you search. Hangzhou's city government describes it as a show where dancers appear to glide on water, with legends such as the White Snake told through light, music and dance.

Read next: The water stage and what to expect

Is there a pass, a free option or a cheaper way?

We found no city pass or discount card that includes the show, so a ticket for the evening is something you buy on its own. The lake itself is the free part: you can walk the shore and see where the show is staged without paying, though that is not the show. Totals can differ between sellers because each adds its own fees and uses its own currency, so compare what you would actually pay at the last step. A cheaper total is only a saving if the seat class and cancellation terms match what you wanted.

Questions to settle before you pay

A few checks save problems later. Look at the date: it must fall inside the season, and the calendar shows only the dates on sale. Look at the seat class and its description, because that is the only thing that sets your position. Check the cancellation terms for the platform you are using, and note the deadline. Finally, read your confirmation as soon as it arrives, because it says how you get in and what, if anything, you must swap or show at the entrance.

A day around the show

You do not need a ticket to walk most of the lakeshore: the city removed the park walls in 2002 and most areas around the lake are free to enter. Some sights have their own admission, including the Yue Fei Temple, across the road from the venue. One way to plan is to spend the day around the lake and keep the evening for the show. The show begins at the time on your booking, not when you arrive, so leave a margin between your last stop and the venue.

Who this isn't for

If you want a story told in words, skip it: the show is built from music, dance and light, and the legends are mood rather than a script. If you dislike evenings outdoors, or would find an hour of sitting hard, it will not suit you. If your dates fall outside the season, there is nothing to book. And if you want to be on the water yourself, a lake cruise is a different thing from this seated show. If you read Chinese and want to compare totals, check local platforms before you book here.