Itinerary · 7 days · balanced
Vegetarian and vegan China in 7 days
Hangzhou (Buddhist vegetarian temples) to Putuoshan (sacred Buddhist island) to Suzhou to Shanghai. A seven-day itinerary following the tradition of Chinese Buddhist vegetarian cuisine, with reliable meat-free and vegan options at each stop.
Eating vegetarian or vegan in China is significantly easier than it was a decade ago, but it still requires knowing where to look. The key insight is that Buddhist vegetarian cuisine (斋菜, zhāicài) is an old and sophisticated tradition in China — the Buddhist temples in this part of the country operate some of the most interesting vegetarian restaurants in Asia, producing elaborate preparations that use gluten, tofu, mushrooms, and preserved vegetables to create textures and flavours that have nothing to do with Western-style meat substitutes.
This itinerary concentrates on the cities and sites where Buddhist vegetarian eating is deepest: Hangzhou (Lingyin Temple's vegetarian restaurant; the Fawangsi temple food), Putuoshan (an island that is an entirely vegetarian community — no meat is sold on the island), and Suzhou and Shanghai where secular vegetarian restaurants are well established.
Note that most Chinese vegetarian restaurant menus include egg and dairy — pure veganism requires more specific communication. The phrase '我是纯素食者,不吃蛋奶' (Wǒ shì chúnsùshí zhě, bù chī dàn nǎi — 'I am purely vegan, I don't eat eggs or dairy') covers most situations.
Day by day
Day 1 · hangzhou
Arrive Hangzhou — Lingyin Temple vegetarian lunch
Arrive Hangzhou. Check into a hotel near West Lake. Afternoon: Lingyin Temple — the temple restaurant on-site serves a proper Buddhist vegetarian lunch (open through mid-afternoon). Mock-meat preparations using wheat gluten (miànjīn) and various mushroom preparations are the signature offerings. After lunch, walk through the Feilai Feng grottos. Evening: West Lake promenade.
Attractions: lingyin-temple
Day 2 · hangzhou
Hangzhou — Wenshu and Jingci temples
Morning at Jingci Temple (净慈寺) on the southern shore of West Lake — less visited than Lingyin, with a quieter atmosphere. Jingci has a vegetarian canteen for monastery meals at lunchtime [VERIFY: current availability to non-pilgrims — May 2026]. Afternoon: China National Tea Museum and Longjing tea fields in Meijiawu. Dinner at a secular vegetarian restaurant in the Shuguang Road area.
Attractions: west-lake-hangzhou, china-national-tea-museum
Day 3 · putuoshan
Travel to Putuoshan — sacred island
High-speed rail Hangzhou to Ningbo (1 hour), then ferry to Putuoshan (approximately 2 hours) [VERIFY: current ferry schedule — May 2026]. Putuoshan is one of the four sacred Buddhist mountains of China and is a functioning pilgrimage island — the entire island is under Buddhist management, and no meat is sold anywhere on the island. Check into a guesthouse or temple guesthouse inside the island. Evening at Puji Temple — the main monastery, with incense and evening chanting.
Attractions: putuoshan
Day 4 · putuoshan
Putuoshan — temples and pilgrimage paths
Full day on the island. The temple circuit covers Puji Temple, Fayu Temple (20-minute hike through bamboo forest), and Huiji Temple at the top of Foding Mountain (cable car or steps). The food on the island is exclusively vegetarian and the quality at the main temple refectories is excellent — simple preparation, fresh vegetables, tofu, preserved goods. The island's atmosphere — incense, pilgrims, sea views, temple bells — is distinct from any urban experience.
Attractions: putuoshan
Day 5 · suzhou
Return to mainland — travel to Suzhou
Morning ferry Putuoshan to Ningbo, then high-speed rail Ningbo to Suzhou (approximately 2 hours). Check into a hotel near the classical garden district. Afternoon: Humble Administrator's Garden at a slow pace — no food shopping today, rest and the garden. Evening: the Gongjing Street vegetarian restaurant area or the Suzhou vegetarian restaurant near the Guanqian Street shopping district.
Attractions: humble-administrators-garden
Day 6 · shanghai
Travel to Shanghai — vegetarian dinner
High-speed rail Suzhou to Shanghai (30 minutes). Check into the French Concession. The French Concession area has the highest density of quality secular vegetarian and vegan restaurants in China — Dian (点), New Wave Buddhist vegetarian on Yongfu Road, and several international vegan-friendly cafés. This is the part of the trip where Western-style vegetarian options overlap with the Chinese Buddhist tradition.
Attractions: french-concession
Day 7 · shanghai
Shanghai — Jing'an Temple and depart
Morning: Jing'an Temple in central Shanghai — one of the city's oldest temples, rebuilt in a notably ornate modern style, with a vegetarian restaurant on the upper floors [VERIFY: current restaurant hours — May 2026]. The temple grounds include a meditation garden. Afternoon: the M50 art district (free entry, galleries, café options). Depart from Shanghai Pudong or Hongqiao.
Attractions: jingan-temple
Budget guide (CNY per day)
| Backpacker | ¥450 |
| Mid-range | ¥1200 |
| Comfortable | ¥2800 |
Putuoshan ferry approximately ¥180 each way from Ningbo; island entrance ticket approximately ¥160 [VERIFY: current pricing — May 2026]. Temple vegetarian meals are inexpensive — ¥20–60 for a full meal. Secular vegetarian restaurants in Shanghai's French Concession are priced at Tier-1 city rates: ¥80–200 per person. Budget for temple guesthouse on Putuoshan: ¥150–400/night in modest rooms.
Cities covered
Attractions covered