If you want to get knowledge about a city, its museums are great start points. There are more than 50 museums in Hangzhou, and all of them are free and feature a comfortable environment.

Zhejiang Provincial Museum (the Solitary Hill branch)

Address: No. 25 Gushan Road 孤山路25号

Transportation: take bus No. 7, 27, 117, 118 or 258 to the bus stop of the New Hotel (pinyin: xin xin fan dian; simplified Chinese: 新新饭店)

Admission: Free

Opening Hours: 9:00-17:00 from Tuesday to Sunday (no entry after 16:30)

Zhejiang Provincial Museum is the only provincial-level natural history museum that focuses on the collection, research and display of animal, plant, prehistoric life, rock and mineral specimens. Currently, the museum has a collection of over 110,000 pieces. Combining knowledge, science and fun, it is the largest comprehensive exhibition of natural science with the most abundant contents in history. Inside, you will find dinosaurs, marine life, prehistoric life as well as human body knowledge exhibition and science corners. It is one of China's Top Eight Museum of Natural History.

Hangzhou Museum

Address: Wushan Square, 18 Liangdao Mountain 粮道山18号吴山广场

Transportation: take bus No. 28, 8, 38, Y8, 35, 850, 85, 40, 34, 59 or 210 and get off at Wushan Square (吴山广场)

Admission: free

Opening hours: 9:00-16:30, closed on Monday

Hangzhou Museum is a comprehensive museum reflecting the local culture and history of Hangzhou. Through the fine cultural relics inside, people can know about the historical evolution of ancient Hangzhou city. The museum displays various cultural relics from the Neolithic Age to the Ming and Qing dynasties. On the Hall of Calligraphy and Painting, there are specially exhibiting works of famous calligraphers and painters in Zhejiang, especially in Hangzhou area.

Zhejiang Museum of Natural History (Hangzhou branch)

Address: 6, West Lake Cultural Plaza, 581 Zhongshan North Road, Xiacheng District 下城区中山北路581号西湖文化广场6号

Transportation: Subway Line One; or take bus No. 2, 19, 72, 78, 105, 106, 214, 217, 219, 814 and other buses to get off at the bus stop of Zhongbeiqiao (中北桥站)

Admission: Free

Opening hours: November 1st - March 31st, 9:30 to 17:00; April 1st - October 31st 9:00-17:00 (Tuesday to Sunday)

In the museum, you will find fossils, dinosaur specimens and various interesting flora. Once you have visited it, you will be attracted to it and reluctant to leave. What you have learned from books, like "How big is the earth?" "How does it rotate?" "How are creatures born in the sea?" "What is the first life on the earth like?" … now can be seen and experienced in the museum.

China Silk Museum

Address: 73-1 Yuhuangshan Road 玉皇山路73-1号

Transportation: Take bus No. 12, 42, 87, 271, Xihu South Line Scenic Area Holiday Line, y9 Line and other buses to get off at Silk Museum Station

Tickets: Free

Opening hours: Monday 12:00-17:00; Tuesday to Sunday 9:00-17:00

China Silk Museum is located at the foot of a mountain. Opened in February, 1992, it is a national museum demonstrating China's over-5000-year-old silk culture and achievements. The museum covers an area of 50,000 square meters with a construction area of over 7000 square meters. It consists of nine zones, introduction hall, cultural relics hall, folk custom hall, silkworm and mulberry hall, silk making hall, silk weaving hall, printing and dying hall, modern achievement hall and the friendship shop, to display the history and truths of China silk culture from all aspects.

China Tea Museum

Address: 88 Longjing Road, Shuangfeng Village 双峰村龙井路88号

Traffic: take bus No. 27, No. 87 and get off at the bus stop of Shuangfeng (pinyin: shuangfeng; simplified Chinese: 双峰)

Admission: free

Opening Hours: May 1st to October 7th 9:00-17:00; October 8th to April 30th 8:30-16:30 (closed every Monday, holidays are open as usual)

China Tea Museum is located in Longjing Village, a famous tea village near the West Lake. It is the only national museum that is centered on tea. Inside the museum, there are exhibition halls and tea areas about the history of tea, tea collections, tea ceremonies, tea sets and tea customs. The tea area features typical tea-drinking scenes, including modern tea art performance, ancient tea art performance, Japanese tea ceremony, Jingshan tea ceremony, Taiwan tea ceremony, etc. In addition, every year after the Qingming Festival, the museum will hold the international "West Lake Tea Party".

Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal Museum

Address: 1 Grand Canal Cultural Square, 34 Jinhua Road, Gongshu District拱墅区金华路34号运河文化广场1号

Transportation: Take bus No. 61, 70, 591 and get off at the bus stop of Grand Canal Square (pinyin: yun he guang chang; simplified Chinese: 运河广场).

Tickets: Free

Opening Hours: 9:00-16:30, closed on Monday

The museum is located at the south side of the Grand Canal Cultural Square in Gongshu District and is adjacent to Gongchen Bridge, the mark of the ending point of the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal. With an area of over 5000 square meters, the museum is set with four exhibition halls including the digging of the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal, the historical changes of the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal, the utilization of the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal, the cities on the banks of the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal and Culture of Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal. 

China Jiangnan Water Town Culture Museum

Address: 95 South Street, Nanyuan Street, Yuhang District 余杭区南苑街道南大街95号

Transportation: Take bus No. 768, 770 or 796A inner loop to the People's Square West Station (pinyin: ren min guang chang xi; simplified Chinese: 人民广场西站).

Admission: Free

Opening hours: May 4th - October 7th 8:45-17:00, October 8th - May 3rd 9:00-16:30, closed every Monday (except legal holidays).

Important note: The museum will be closed on August 18th and the opening time is yet to be confirmed.

Jiangnan Water Town Culture Museum shows the world the history of Yuhang District of Hangzhou and the culture and folk customs of China's Jiangnan water towns. With an investment of 60 million, the museum covers an area of over 8000 square meters and is set with seven exhibition halls and four parts, "Our Homeland – Exhibition of Yuhang History and Culture", "The Dawn of Civilization – Display of Liangzhu Culture Fine Artifacts Collection", "Jiangnan Water Town Culture Exhibition" and temporary exhibits. 

(Executive Editor: Yijun Chen)