Comparison
Hangzhou or Shanghai as a base
For a first trip, Shanghai is the base. Hangzhou is the addition: West Lake, a smaller center, and a train that is short enough to do on purpose.
Use Shanghai as the base
- Your international flight lands there.
- You want the wider choice of hotels that can register a foreign passport.
- You are only in the region for a few days.
Stay in Hangzhou if
- The lake and a quieter few days are the actual plan, not a checkbox.
- You have already been to Shanghai, or you do not mind a train on arrival day.
- You like the idea of a city you can cross without a long metro ride.
A day trip from Shanghai to West Lake is real, and it is also crowded in the middle of the day. If Hangzhou matters to you, sleep there one night. If it is a photo, the day trip is enough.
Questions
Is Hangzhou cheaper?
Often, in published city-cost pieces, but not enough to make it the base if your flight and your hotel flexibility are both in Shanghai. Check the room you would actually book.