Lingyin Temple
Lingyin Temple
4.5
About
Built in 326 A.D. at the foot of Lingyin Mountain, this temple features a main hall extending 33.5 meters in height, a statue of Sakyamuni carved out of 24 pieces of camphor wood and a laughing Buddha covered in gold.
Anything missing or inaccurate?
Suggest an editTours & experiences
Explore different ways to experience this place.
Full view
Plan your visit
The area
Address
Best nearby
Restaurants
1,202 within 3 miles
Attractions
212 within 6 miles
Contribute
Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.
Popular mentions
4.5
1,460 reviews
Excellent
846
Very good
490
Average
108
Poor
10
Terrible
6
Martin A
Dalian, China2,758 contributions
Feb 2023
This famous temple compound combines Taoism, Zen, Buddhism, and the ancient religions of China, starting with caves and limestone carvings, by the entrance, all very famous, and then there is a series of temples, one bigger than the other, as you walk up 500 stairs, with other temples to the sides. The top temple has the biggest Buddha, about 80 feet high. Another building, shaped like a Buddhist swastika, is the home to 500 larger than life-size ararats, each weighing a ton, made of copper, and very impressive individually and all together. Great snacks on the entranceway. A restaurant and souvenir area by the ticket place with good food and serious souvenirs. There's a well-organized bus terminal by the restaurants with tunnels connecting to busses. Thousands of Chinese people visit this place, plus a few foreigners. The lush forest has ancient trees and lots of bamboo. Down below, there's the famous West Lake and the beautiful, modernized, city of Hangzhou. It was once the biggest city in the world. Now it's just the best city in the world!
Written February 18, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Ailton007
Seattle, WA910 contributions
Oct 2022
Busy and hot during Golden Week but worth it. As much as I liked the temple (have seen plenty by now in China), the stone buddha carvings outside the inner temple area were even more impressive and I also went beyond Lingyin temple to see the tea houses and monastery. It's quite a big area to cover, but easy to get to by Didi / taxi and foreigners had to go directly to gate and pay there rather than at the ticket booth. I went in the morning and went to Longjing tea plantation in the afternoon, made for a great day. Calculate with 3 hours here.
Written November 13, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Zarza's Travels
China391 contributions
Feb 2021 • Solo
A beautiful grand construction with a variety of different buildings set back up various sets of stairs. Each building contains what can only be described as breathtakingly enormous statues of various Chinese deities, so grand in scale and design. They ask you not to take photos inside the buildings and I think that is a great idea. Can get very busy, but I believe the hustle and bustle is part of the beauty, as people pray, share food and talk everywhere! Even if you are not religious or spiritual this is a fantastic place to visit, almost makes you feel as if you are part of something grander! Remember to keep looking up, the beauty of the roof for example is something not to be missed, whilst focusing on everything at eye level too. Lots of steps, but keep climbing up - it is worth it!
Written March 5, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Joel K
Vancouver, Canada3,300 contributions
Nov 2019
Multiple temples located in the vicinity of the northwest side of the West Lake. Also known as the Yunlin Temple, first built in 326 AD. There are over 300+ statues in the complex. There is the Temple Of Heavenly Kings, Guard of the Temples, Big Long Precious Hall, Hall of Medicine, Hall of the Crazy Monk, and many more. Well worth the visit.
Written March 11, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Eva Simonyi
Budapest, Hungary72 contributions
Dec 2019
Lingyin Temple is one of the oldest Buddhist temples in China. It is beautiful, and the park is also breathtaking. We climbed a lot of stairs, but it was totally worth it. It contains multiple temples, pagodas, and small fountains.
Written January 15, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Dickson90
Singapore, Singapore305 contributions
Dec 2019
Lingyin Temple is one of the oldest and wealthiest Buddhist temples in Mainland China, and, along with the West Lake, should not be missed when coming to Hangzhou. As the Hangzhou Metro does not cover many of the main attractions in Hangzhou, including this one, it is probably advised to take a taxi there straight, as the buses there may not be familiar or easy to use for tourists.
To get in there however, one has to first pay a ticket to enter the Fei Lai Feng Park, which in itself is a separate attraction worth visiting too, with all its centuries old stone sculptures and statues on the natural formations in the park. It will take a fair bit of walking before getting to Lingyin Temple itself.
Once you reach Lingyin Temple itself, you will have to pay a separate ticket to enter the temple at its ticket office. The ticket price itself includes a joss stick to make your prayers at the temple grounds itself if you so desire. The temple itself is quite big, and there are a lot of stairs to climb so do be prepared for some walking to get all the way to the end and back.
Do take the time to see the giant Buddhist statues and observe worshippers burning incense and making prayers on the temple itself. Sometimes you may be lucky to even see monks at work chanting Buddhist prayers and chantras for well wishers. The vast history of this temple is well worth a read before visiting this temple. Probably at least an hour would be needed to properly see the temple in full.
To get in there however, one has to first pay a ticket to enter the Fei Lai Feng Park, which in itself is a separate attraction worth visiting too, with all its centuries old stone sculptures and statues on the natural formations in the park. It will take a fair bit of walking before getting to Lingyin Temple itself.
Once you reach Lingyin Temple itself, you will have to pay a separate ticket to enter the temple at its ticket office. The ticket price itself includes a joss stick to make your prayers at the temple grounds itself if you so desire. The temple itself is quite big, and there are a lot of stairs to climb so do be prepared for some walking to get all the way to the end and back.
Do take the time to see the giant Buddhist statues and observe worshippers burning incense and making prayers on the temple itself. Sometimes you may be lucky to even see monks at work chanting Buddhist prayers and chantras for well wishers. The vast history of this temple is well worth a read before visiting this temple. Probably at least an hour would be needed to properly see the temple in full.
Written January 11, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
WeeKee
Singapore46 contributions
Dec 2019
If you were to visit only one temple in China, this would be it. Huge temple complex, with a long and interesting history. It’s a series of halls set on a hill, so be prepared for quite some walking. Remember to check out the huge carving at the back of the main hall. The grottos along the way to the temple is worth a visit as well. Take some time to walk through and appreciate the wonders. Look out for where there’s destructions, and learn about the history of what happened in China. It’s widely and commonly known, and you can hear people talking about it in whispers, but nothing is mentioned specifically on the descriptions.
Written January 9, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
jeffry
2 contributions
Jan 2020 • Family
Greatest temple i ever seen in whole life.
Many buddha statue , so big and many people pray. Easy to find.. suggestion to take a rent car/taxi to go there..
Many buddha statue , so big and many people pray. Easy to find.. suggestion to take a rent car/taxi to go there..
Written January 4, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Traveller_Oldie
East London, South Africa273 contributions
Jan 2020 • Family
Actually the most beautiful part of the temple is the rocky hill, sculptures and beautiful clear water streams before you enter the temple.
The carvings and statues in the temple are very impressive, but make sure you have a very knowledgeable guide to tell you all the stories. The “crazy” monk is quite a crazy story.
The carvings and statues in the temple are very impressive, but make sure you have a very knowledgeable guide to tell you all the stories. The “crazy” monk is quite a crazy story.
Written January 3, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
cornwall15
Durham, NC153 contributions
Oct 2019
we visited here in october 2019 and found the scenery to be very nice. Being on a mountainside you should expect to be climbing quite a few stairs, but they are not that steep. The temple is in a park area of some size. There are facilities for food, snacks, and drinks. Virtually all sights here are outside and thus subject to temperature, sun, and rain variations. As a national treasure the crowds are always big here - be prepared to share it with them - that's the only drawback we had with this site.
Written December 29, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Bophar H
Paris, France47 contributions
I would like to know if we can eat something near the temple ?
Lauruiz
Buenos Aires, Argentina1,299 contributions
Hello. Yes, you can eat something near the Buda Temple. There are many places where you can eat. When you arrive with the carril cable you will see. Enjoy. Laura
Anything missing or inaccurate?
Suggest an editLingyin Temple, Hangzhou
Frequently Asked Questions about Lingyin Temple
- We recommend booking Lingyin Temple tours ahead of time to secure your spot. If you book with Tripadvisor, you can cancel up to 24 hours before your tour starts for a full refund. See all 89 Lingyin Temple tours on Tripadvisor
- Hotels near Lingyin Temple:
- (0.11 mi) Four Seasons Hangzhou at West Lake
- (0.16 mi) BackPackers Youth Hostel
- (0.20 mi) Hangzhou UU Hotel
- (0.60 mi) Shangri-La Hangzhou
- (0.21 mi) Hangzhou Lotus Hostel
- Restaurants near Lingyin Temple:
- (0.09 mi) Jin Sha (Four Seasons Hotel Hangzhou at West Lake)
- (0.11 mi) WL Bistro (Four Seasons Hotel Hangzhou at West Lake)
- (0.05 mi) Lobby Lounge Four Seasons Hotel Hangzhou
- (0.06 mi) Lin Yu HuaYuan Restaurant
- (0.22 mi) Traveller Bar