Four-season West Lake travel guide—my trip notes are all you need, plus a rundown of the West Lake attractions

How beautiful are the West Lake attractions? The Ten Scenes of West Lake will give you the answer. Visit West Lake in different seasons and you'll find these scenes unfold by time of day and season. This West Lake route shows you how to stroll Su Causeway and visit Viewing Fish at Flower Harbor in spring, head to Leifeng Pagoda at dusk in summer for Sunset Glow over Leifeng Pagoda, wait for Autumn Moon over the Calm Lake on an autumn evening, and see Broken Bridge after a winter snowfall—watching the ice melt on the sunlit side to reveal brown stone while snow lingers on the shaded side, making the bridge look broken from afar. A stretch of brown, a stretch of white; as the brown appears, the alternating colors make the bridge seem "broken," which is how you truly understand Lingering Snow on Broken Bridge. Twin Peaks Piercing the Clouds is hard to see nowadays, but video footage can fill in that imagined beauty. Finally, Evening Bell Ringing at Nanping Hill isn't seasonal—the bell at Jingci Temple rings every day, and you can quietly listen to its ethereal chime. So when is the best time to visit West Lake? What are the Ten Scenes? Watch the video to find out!