Lingyin Temple

Lingyin Temple (灵隐寺) is the main and most iconic temple to visit in Hangzhou, especially for first-time visitors. It holds great cultural and religious significance and is a must-see attraction in the city. Entry requires registration as there is a daily limit on visitors. Although admission has been made free by the authorities to allow more devotees to visit, this has also resulted in a surge in the number of visitors. When I visited on a weekend, the crowd was nonstop from morning onward. I arrived around 3pm and had to queue for about an hour just to register. Identification documents such as an IC or passport are required, and this registration step is mandatory regardless of whether you already have a reservation. Transportation can also be quite challenging, especially by bus, as the intervals were not sufficient to clear the large crowds entering and leaving the area. Our day tour guide literally had to get us to squeeze our way up onto the bus 😅 Due to the crowd and time constraints, I only managed to spend about an hour inside, which felt very rushed. Ideally, setting aside 1.5 to 2 hours would allow for a more meaningful and relaxed visit. Visiting on a weekday or arriving early in the morning might be better.

Amazing temples located in the big compound of mountain area and they are still expanding towards uphill. The base one down the is the original tho built almost 2000 years ago! The big buddha and statues are tremendous intimidating and amazing!

Very nice place, you should spend at least 2hr here, we arrive quite late and not have enough time to see all, red leave is so beautiful. Lingyin Temple is a major Chan (Zen) Buddhist temple founded in the year 328 CE, making it one of the oldest and most important temples in China. It’s known for its grand halls, peaceful atmosphere, and the nearby Feilai Peak grottoes filled with ancient Buddhist stone carvings.

Before coming to Hangzhou, I did a very good research about the place and everyone said that I need to see this place. I loved the architecture of the temple. The guide explained to us lots of details we needed to know. This temple has the biggest gold coated (33 kgs of gold) buddah. It was nice to see how people worship at this temple. The place can be very crowded.

Historic place, ancient temple with many idols, Buddha, and many other saints and monks. It's a very divine place, crowded with a lot of people, and features clean, organized maintenance. Worth visiting to get blessings from the divine powers.

Came on Sat and the q was super long and packed with people. This temple was just having foc entrance, and we had our China friend to help to book the ticket a week in advance. The entrance is strictly for people holding advance booking tickets. They scan id(passports) for foreigners during entrance. Please ensure passport no is filled correctly, some issues with the alphabet of passport number where it's needed to be excluded in the registered cell. Despite the long q , entrance crowds and procedures, it's a place still worth a visit. Inside, there are many temples, Ling Yong bring the largest and nearest to the entrance.

Go with klook guide. Took a taxi to the temple and meet the guide at entrance. Have a vegetarian buffet meal and have fun with fan painting with longjin tea and guide bring us to take boat ride from yue fei temple then we go the small island at xihu. Lastly we take the boat to leifeng pavilion.

The entrance is FREE. You are able to register yourself at the entrance, although the number of visitors are limited per day. During holidays, it is guaranteed to run out, so register early. You can register via Alipay mini app or the official website. Original passport during visit is a must. About the temple complex, it had 3 main parts, a garden, the stone sculpture park (fei lai peak), and the Lingyin temple. Lingyin temple is a wealthy and large temple with impressive display of various Buddhas, including a magnificent large wall of thousands of Buddha carvings. Imagine the Paris Notre Dame, but about twice as large over 3 different levels accessible by stairs. At the foot is a stone sculpture part with multuple carvings, dating 500 - 1,100 years old. Suggested planned visit of 4 hours for a full visit. 2 hours if you only do the temple.