Hangzhou

Is Hangzhou safe?

Yes, very. Hangzhou police say criminal incidents fell 7.03% and public order incidents 10.51% in the first eleven months of 2025, and China's homicide rateHomicide rateThe number of people killed on purpose each year for every 100,000 residents. It is the most comparable crime figure between countries.More in the glossary is about 0.4 per 100,000 people. In Gallup's survey, 94% of people in China say they feel safe walking alone at night, and the lake shore is full of joggers and families well after dark.

We score Hangzhou 82, level with Beijing and just below Shanghai (84). The things that bring it down are the ones that apply to most big Chinese cities: traffic, air that is cleaner than in the north but still far above the WHO guideline, and a long typhoon and storm season.

Crowds, scams and fraud

The places to watch your belongings are the crowded ones. On public holidays, and above all in the October Golden Week, the West Lake promenades, the Broken Bridge, Hefang Street and Lingyin Temple are packed. Keep your phone in a front pocket and agree a meeting point if you are travelling with children.

Hangzhou is the home of Longjing tea, which makes the "tea tasting" invitation an easy pitch. The UK Foreign Office describes friendly strangers who invite visitors to drink tea, visit a bar or have a massage, after which the venue demands a large fee, sometimes with threats. Buy tea in shops with marked prices, and choose your own tea house.

Hangzhou is also home to Alibaba and runs almost entirely on mobile payments, so fraud tends to be online rather than on the street. Police say telecom fraud cases fell 11.6% and losses 30.4% in the first 11 months of 2025. Pay only at the till's own QR code, as the FCDOFCDO travel adviceThe UK government's travel advice for each country, which can advise against all travel or all but essential travel to specific areas.More in the glossary warns about QR-code phishing.

Typhoons, plum rains and heat

The weather causes more disruption than crime. The FCDOFCDO travel adviceThe UK government's travel advice for each country, which can advise against all travel or all but essential travel to specific areas.More in the glossary gives China's typhoon season as May to November, affecting the eastern and southern coasts. Hangzhou sits at the head of Hangzhou Bay rather than on the open sea, so storms usually arrive weaker than in Shanghai or on the Zhejiang coast, but they still bring heavy rain, cancelled flights and flooded underpasses. In June and July the "plum rain" season adds weeks of steady downpours. Summers are hot and humid, so plan West Lake walks for early morning or evening.

The Qiantang River produces one of the world's largest tidal bores, a wall of water that rushes upriver on the big autumn tides. It draws crowds to the riverbanks in Hangzhou and nearby Haining, and in past years waves have overtopped embankments and knocked spectators down, especially when a typhoon raised the water. Watch from official viewing areas behind barriers, and stay off steps and slipways that lead to the water.

Earthquake risk in Hangzhou is low.

Air, water and medical care

Hangzhou's air is middling for China. The Ministry of Ecology and Environment measured an annual PM2.5PM2.5Tiny airborne particles 2.5 micrometres across or smaller. They reach deep into the lungs and are the air pollutant most linked to early death.More in the glossary average of 29.3 µg/m³ in 2025, slightly worse than Shanghai's 26.3 but much better than Xi'an's 39.5. That is still almost six times the WHO guideline of 5. Winter has the worst days, with December averaging 46.3. If you have asthma or a heart condition, check the air quality index in the morning.

Do not drink tap water unless it is boiled. Hospitals are modern and well equipped, but English is limited outside international clinics, and you will usually pay before treatment. Bring travel insurance.

Getting around safely

Like Xi'an and Chengdu, Hangzhou publishes no road death rate. The nearest official comparisons are Beijing at 4.5 deaths per 100,000 people and Shanghai at 3.3 in 2024, according to Hong Kong's Transport Department; WHO's national estimate for China is 17.5. The risk to visitors comes mainly from e-bikes, which use pavements and cycle lanes and often ride against the flow, and from cars turning right on red. Around West Lake, the shared lakeside paths carry bicycles and scooters too.

The metro links the railway stations, the airport and the lake, and it is the safest and simplest way around. Use DiDi or marked, metered taxis at night; the FCDOFCDO travel adviceThe UK government's travel advice for each country, which can advise against all travel or all but essential travel to specific areas.More in the glossary warns of robberies and assaults in unmarked or unmetered cars.

How we scored it

Violent crime (93) and walking at night (93) are as strong as in Beijing and Shanghai, based on police figures and Gallup's national survey. Health and environment (67) is the weakest factor because of PM2.5PM2.5Tiny airborne particles 2.5 micrometres across or smaller. They reach deep into the lungs and are the air pollutant most linked to early death.More in the glossary, followed by traffic (68), which has no city figure, and natural hazards (72) for typhoons and summer storms. Exit bans and detention risk apply to all of mainland China and are covered on our China page, not in the city score.