ADHD Family Tours · Hangzhou 杭州
Hangzhou
Lake Bikes & Wetland Boats
Four days in Hangzhou, an hour from Shanghai by high-speed train: cycling along West Lake and its causeways, a boat through Xixi Wetland, a walk in the Longjing tea fields and an evening show at Songcheng. Easy to add after the Shanghai route.
Trip length
4 days / 3 nights
Trip type
ADHD-friendly family trip
Best time to go
March–May and September–November
Best for
Families adding a second city to Shanghai; children who like bikes and boats
Overview
A short add-on to Shanghai: bikes round the lake and boats through the wetland.
Hangzhou is built for moving slowly outdoors. Flat paths and causeways circle West Lake, perfect for bikes, and Xixi Wetland is a maze of waterways best seen from a small boat.
It works as a stand-alone short trip or as an add-on to the Shanghai route, which is where you'd fit in an English-language consultation if you want one.
This route suits
- Families extending a Shanghai trip
- Children who enjoy cycling and boats
- Parents who want a trip without medical appointments
- Families who prefer parks to big-city sights
Trip type · ADHD-friendly family trip
What the trip includes
Medicine travel plan
Sorted before you book flights, not at the border.
- Checklist of your child's medicines against Chinese controlled-drug rules
- Doctor's letter template: diagnosis, medicine, dose and quantity, for personal use
- Trip length planned around how much medicine you can sensibly carry
- Time-zone dosing plan to agree with your child's doctor
ADHD-friendly itinerary
Built around attention, energy and routine.
- One hotel base for the whole stay, so no repacking
- One main outing a day, mostly in the morning
- Timed or pre-booked tickets to avoid long queues
- Visual day-by-day schedule you can share with your child
Family coordinator
One person who knows your child's plan.
- Airport pick-up and a calm first evening
- On call through the trip for changes of plan
- Restaurant picks with plain, familiar food options
- Backup indoor plan for rain, heat or a hard day
Medicine plans are always agreed with your child's own doctor. Any consultation is optional. Background reading: pediatric care · medical travel checklist
Want a route planned around your child?
Tell us your child's age, medicines, what they love and what's hard. We'll shape the Hangzhou days around them — free, with no obligation.
Treatment timeline
Before, during and after
| Visit | When | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Before you go | 6–8 weeks ahead | Medicine plan agreed with your child's doctor; doctor's letter; tickets booked; visual schedule sent. |
| The trip | This itinerary | Travel only: one base, one main outing a day, quiet afternoons. No medical appointments. |
| Want a consultation? | Optional | Pair this route with Beijing, Shanghai or Chengdu, where a specialist consultation can be added. |
Built for ADHD
How the days are paced
- One hotel by West Lake
- Bikes and boats rather than long walks
- One outing each morning, free afternoons
- Easy one-hour train from and to Shanghai
Itinerary · 4 days / 3 nights
Day by day
- Day 1
Arrive
- Train from Shanghai (about an hour); hotel by the lake
- Short lakeside walk
Overnight: Near West Lake
- Day 2
Bikes
- Morning: cycle West Lake and the Su Causeway
- Afternoon: tea fields
Overnight: Near West Lake
- Day 3
Wetland & show
- Morning: boat in Xixi Wetland
- Rest, then an early Songcheng show
Overnight: Near West Lake
- Day 4
Depart
- Train back to Shanghai or fly out
Make this itinerary yours
Change the dates, add rest days, upgrade hotels or combine it with another route. Your coordinator sends a revised plan and itemised quote.
Travel
What you’ll see
Cycling West Lake
Flat lakeside paths and the willow-lined Su Causeway, easy to cover by bike.
Tip: Weekday mornings are much quieter than weekends.
Xixi National Wetland Park
A large wetland of ponds and waterways on the city's western edge, explored by small boat.
Tip: Take the boat one way and walk a short trail back.
Longjing tea fields
Terraced tea fields in the hills above the lake, with paths between the bushes.
Tip: A good place to run around; pick a farmhouse for lunch.
Songcheng show
A theme park recreating Song-dynasty streets, with a large evening stage show full of effects.
Tip: Choose an early show; it's loud and fast, which many children love.
Medicines sorted before you book?
Send us your child's medicine names and doses. We'll explain how China's rules apply and what to agree with your child's doctor.
Aftercare
Travelling with ADHD
Medicines & time zones
Agree a plan with your child's doctor before you go for shifting doses across time zones. Keep medicines in hand luggage, in original packaging, with the doctor's letter.
Routine
Keep the anchors your child relies on: wake-up, meals, medicine and bedtime at about the same times, even on holiday.
Movement & breaks
Build in running-around time every day, and take breaks before your child needs them, not after.
Food & sleep
New food and jet lag can unsettle anyone. Pack familiar snacks, and keep the first two days light while sleep settles.
General tips only. Your child's own doctor decides anything to do with medicine.
Practical tips
Before you go
- Spring weekends and public holidays around West Lake are very crowded; go midweek.
- Hangzhou is hot and humid from June to August.
- Talk to your child's doctor 6–8 weeks before travel about every ADHD medicine they take, and whether it can be carried into China.
- Methylphenidate (Ritalin, Concerta and others) is a controlled Category 1 medicine in China. Under Chinese regulations you may carry it for treatment with a medical diagnosis certificate and ID, up to the maximum of a single prescription; customs releases it on a personal-use, reasonable-quantity basis.
- Amphetamine-based medicines (such as Adderall or dexamfetamine) are also Category 1 controlled drugs in China, and no amphetamine product is approved there. Discuss alternatives with your child's doctor and check with the Chinese embassy well before you travel.
- Atomoxetine, guanfacine and clonidine are not on China's controlled-drug list; still carry the prescription and a doctor's letter.
- Bring your child's passport to every appointment; hospitals use it to register patients.
FAQ
Hangzhou ADHD family tour — answered.
- Can we add this to the Shanghai route?
- Yes, it's designed for that. The train takes about an hour, and you'd do any consultation in Shanghai before or after.
- Is Songcheng too much for a child who gets overwhelmed?
- It's loud and busy. If your child struggles with noise, skip it and do a second bike day instead; we'll plan both options.
- Can we bring ADHD medicine into China?
- It depends on the medicine. Methylphenidate (Ritalin, Concerta) is a controlled Category 1 medicine in China; Chinese regulations allow it to be carried for treatment with a medical diagnosis certificate and ID, up to the maximum of a single prescription, and customs releases it on a personal-use, reasonable-quantity basis. Amphetamine-based medicines such as Adderall are also Category 1 controlled drugs and aren't approved in China, so speak to your child's doctor and the Chinese embassy well before travel. Atomoxetine and guanfacine aren't on the controlled list.
- How much methylphenidate can we carry?
- The regulation says up to the maximum of a single prescription. In China, a single prescription of methylphenidate for childhood ADHD is limited to 15 days' supply. Customs hasn't published how it applies this to foreign prescriptions, so we plan trips of up to about two weeks and suggest you carry only what the trip needs, with a doctor's letter.
- Can we buy ADHD medicine in China if we run out?
- Some ADHD medicines are approved in China, including long-acting methylphenidate (Concerta) and atomoxetine, but they're prescription-only and methylphenidate is tightly controlled. A Chinese doctor would need to see your child. Bring enough for the trip rather than relying on this.
- Do we have to see a doctor on this trip?
- No. Four of the seven routes (Xi'an, Guilin, Sanya and Hangzhou) are travel-only, and on the other three the consultation is an optional add-on.
- Can we combine two routes?
- Yes, and many families do: Beijing with Xi'an, Shanghai with Hangzhou, or Chengdu with Guilin. We keep it to one hotel per city and a calm travel day in between.
- Will the doctors speak English?
- At public hospitals, consultations are in Chinese with your coordinator interpreting. That works well for second opinions and medicine reviews. For an assessment that relies on talking directly with your child, the Shanghai route includes an English-language private clinic.
- How common is ADHD in China?
- A 2017 meta-analysis of 67 studies with more than 275,000 children and adolescents in China estimated a pooled prevalence of 6.26%, so Chinese child psychiatry and developmental-behavioural teams see it often.
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Get your itemised quote.
Share your dates, your child's age and medicines, and what your family enjoys. We'll confirm the route, hotel and any consultation, and pace the days around your child.