Hangzhou is a city of two halves. To the east and north is downtown Hangzhou, with its shops and tourist facilities, while to the west and south is the lake offering greenery and scenic spots. In fact, the lake shouldn't be regarded as being on the edge of the city - more realistically, its eastern shore marks the centre, and even the relatively remote western shore is now being developed for upmarket tourist accommodation.

The main east-west street, Jiefang Lu, runs from just north of the train station in the east to the lake, with major north-south streets crossing it, including Zhongshan Lu, and, closer to the lake, Yan'an Lu. The area around the Jiefang Lu-Yan'an Lu intersection (including the lake front and the small streets just to the north) is the commercial centre of town where you can shop, stay, eat and catch buses round the lake.

On the outskirts of the city, the Qiantang River , Hangzhou's gateway to the sea, flows well to the south and west, while the Grand Canal runs across to meet it from the north - many travellers to Hangzhou never see either of them.