The Shanghai–Suzhou–Hangzhou triangle is the classic Yangtze Delta loop: base in Shanghai, then take fast trains to Suzhou and Hangzhou as day trips or overnights, sleeping in one licensed room for most of the stay. This plan is built around that base-and-loop logic and the booking notes it creates.
A foreign passport holder’s Shanghai–Hangzhou plan is two bases: two or three nights in central Shanghai (Huangpu) and two or three by Hangzhou’s West Lake. The high-speed train takes about 1 hour, so you ride once and check in twice — both cities have dense licensed-hotel clusters that register foreigners without fuss.
Three days in Hangzhou are best spent from one base beside West Lake: the lake, the tea hills and the old town are all rides, and a lakefront room turns the sunset into a walk home. This plan is organised around that stay and the choices foreigners should know.
West Lake is Hangzhou’s reason to visit, and staying within walking distance of its eastern shore puts you on the scenic loop, near the temples and the tea hills, and a short high-speed rail hop from Shanghai. The trade-off is price: lakefront hotels command a premium, while a short walk inland or toward the station saves money without losing the atmosphere. Here is where to stay and how the transfers actually work for a foreign visitor.