Longmen Ancient Town Guide: Eat, Stay, Travel & Play
Getting to Longmen Ancient Town
Address: Longmen Town, Fuyang District, Hangzhou. Convenient transportation: (1) Drive from Hangzhou using navigation, just over an hour. (2) Take Metro Line 6 to Guihua West Road, then walk to take bus 608, transfer to 2358B to Yangqiaotou; get off and you’re at Longmen Ancient Town. Parking: There is a large parking lot with ample spaces, 10 yuan for a full day. Tickets: Adult ticket 70 yuan. Tour routes: (1) Ancient town highlights: Old Street nostalgia, creekside homes, Hundred-step relics, pastoral fields, mountain views and water sounds, Yimen Liufang, Inkstone Pond moonlight, Sun family bell, deep alley seclusion. (2) Qiujiawu Reservoir: This reservoir was built with funds raised by villagers of Longmen Ancient Town and is the water source for the entire town, supplying domestic and irrigation water. (3) Food: Hangzhou Longmen Yi Radisson Manor Restaurant, Longmen Impression Restaurant, Quanjia Restaurant, Zhiyuxuan, Gongbu Local Restaurant. (4) Accommodation: High-end options like Kaiyuan Manju · Mozhuang, Hangzhou Longmen Yi Radisson Manor; there are also many B&Bs and farm stays around Longmen Ancient Town, all very affordable. (5) Nearby activities: Longmen Mountain: There is an ancient trail on Longmen Mountain; enter from the Longmen Mountain rafting entrance. The whole route is dirt paths and irregular stones; 4 hours up, 3 hours down, 15 km in total. It’s best to have a guide or join a group to avoid getting lost. Xingmeijian is the highest peak in Fuyang District, at 1,068 meters, a must-visit for hikers, especially in winter to enjoy the snowscape.
Approaching Longmen Ancient Town, it’s also the season when the rice matures,
a perfect harvest season.
Sunset over Longmen Ancient Town.
Arriving at Inkstone Pond in Longmen Ancient Town.
Inkstone Pond is the central point of the town,
with unique scenery. On one side, you can gaze at the mountains,
admire the setting sun ☀,
and take a break by the water.
The sunset in this ancient town is truly special.
You can sit for a while;
the long corridor opposite is also full of antique charm.
The architecture in Longmen Ancient Town is mainly Huizhou style, built along the small stream.
Reflections in the water become a painting.
That’s why many students come here to sketch.
The leisurely charm of Jiangnan water towns.
The shops on the old street are quite concentrated.
Every corner of Longmen is enchanting.
Exquisite Huizhou-style small window lattices,
cobblestone-paved roads.
️ When in Longmen Ancient Town, you must try its special snack—wheat flatbread. The shop is called Sun’s Little Store, run by an auntie who lives in the ancient town, using her own house as a small shop. A bowl of small wontons is 5 yuan, a wheat flatbread is 3 yuan; you can have dinner for just 8 yuan.
The auntie spreads a very sticky dough onto a hot flat pan, then flattens it with a scraper. The dough forms little bubbles—quite interesting. ️ Once crispy, she folds the flatbread and adds scallions, a bit of spicy pickled vegetable, and maybe some pickled mustard tuber.
The wheat flatbread is very thin, crispy in the mouth, with a fragrant aroma lingering, the savory and slightly spicy pickled vegetables perfectly paired with a bowl of small wontons.
Of course, being a local of Longmen Ancient Town, the auntie also makes gluten puffs. They are tasty and affordable at 2 yuan each; you can buy ten and store them in the fridge to enjoy later.
Longmen Ancient Town at night is uniquely charming.
The best view is at Inkstone Pond.
I stayed at Longmen Huazhu Longhao Mist Characteristic Resort Hotel,
and nearby is Longfu Restaurant.
The B&B is located near Qiujiawu Reservoir at Longmen Ancient Town, about an 8-minute walk from the town center. The surroundings are beautiful, with mountains and dragon fields, and the rice is heavy and ripe now.
The B&B environment:
Quaint decorations,
beautiful setting, attentive service. The room has a projector; I spent the whole night watching blockbusters with great picture quality.
Bedding and toiletries are high quality, ensuring a good night’s sleep.
Near Longmen Ancient Town there’s Qiujiawu Reservoir. You can drive up the winding mountain road right to the reservoir; scooters and motorcycles can also make it up. The reservoir has a circular road. ️ Standing on the dam and looking back, the entire Longmen Ancient Town is in sight.
Longmen Ancient Town is surrounded by mountains on all sides, with big peaks to the west, Longmen Mountain rising in the southeast, and the Shanxi and Longmen streams meeting north of the town.
Distant mountains roll continuously, layered with dark green hills.
️ The reservoir is also surrounded by lush vegetation. Although it’s still quite hot, autumn has arrived, leaves are turning yellow, and under the sunlight, the reservoir shows colorful reflections.
It truly feels like a “mini Jiuzhaigou.”
“Qiujiawu Reservoir” was collectively built by villagers and has now become a beautiful scenic spot, serving as irrigation water for farmlands.
“Qiujiawu Reservoir”
“Qiujiawu Reservoir”
“Qiujiawu Reservoir”
“Qiujiawu Reservoir”
“Qiujiawu Reservoir”
“Qiujiawu Reservoir”
Longmen Ancient Town snacks
By Inkstone Pond in Longmen Ancient Town, also the best spot for moon watching in the town. I stayed two days in Longmen Ancient Town and loved eating local specialties. I happened to see this small shop while strolling by Inkstone Pond. ️ It’s run from an old ancestral house, the owner a descendant of the Sun family of Longmen. They serve noodles, small wontons, large wontons, wheat flatbread—all local delicacies.
When I visited, I saw the auntie hand-wrapping large wontons, so I ordered a bowl. They are filled with minced meat, scallions, and celery. The large wontons are big, ten per bowl, with generous meat filling. The broth has scallions and seaweed. The wontons have a fresh celery fragrance and the savory, moist taste of meat. A steaming bowl uplifts the spirits.
Fufu Tea Address: By Inkstone Pond, Longmen Ancient Town, Fuyang. Ambiance: A small stone hut; at night the lighting is quite nice, with unique, trendy fish-shaped lamps. There are two high-backed chairs to sit on, or you can enjoy the moon and starlit sky right by Inkstone Pond. Service: The young lady is quite friendly.
|Strawberry Smoothie^ Moderately priced at 26 yuan per serving, made from fresh strawberries, refreshing and pleasantly sweet, with the icy deliciousness of ripe strawberries.
Located in a small alley off Yanchi in Longmen Ancient Town, this shop is run by a couple who both do fabric handicrafts. They mainly use traditional cotton cloth in blue hues, making bags, clothing, ornaments, little bears—quite a variety.
Pure handcrafting takes a lot of time, every stitch carefully done.
Passersby can stop by to pick out something; these handmade items are different from mass-produced goods, with a comfortable feel and character. Come support the artisans’ craftsmanship.
A unique handbag.
⛰️ Sights & Activities (1): Near the memorial archway of Longmen Ancient Town, there are flower seas all year round. Right now it’s a sea of red cosmos; those who love photo ops can go there, near the parking lot. (2): ️ Longmen Ancient Town has many things to explore; you might get lost in the alleys, but that’s okay—every path connects. You can experience local life on the old street, or seek out homes along the creek. The central Inkstone Pond is captivating at night and the best place to admire the moon. You can also visit Sun Family Ancestral Hall, Mingqian Garden stage and square. The highlight is the unique Ming-Qing architectural complex, making it one of the best-preserved mountain-town ancient towns in the Jiangnan region. (3): At the top of Longmen Ancient Town is Qiujiawu Reservoir, built for drinking and irrigation water for the town. From the reservoir you can overlook the entire building complex of Longmen, and there’s an ancient trail to climb, with azaleas blooming all over the mountains in spring. Transportation & Accommodation (self-driving): Navigate to Longmen Ancient Town; it’s very convenient, just over an hour from Hangzhou. (Bus): Food recommendations (1) Gluten puffs: stuffed with meat and dried bamboo shoots, some with chives, deep-fried. (2) Rice wine: excellent, brewed from pure grains, quite sweet, low in alcohol. (3) Wheat flatbread: a local specialty, thin and crispy; freshly fried, it’s very crisp. 📌 Friendly TIPS: Dogs roam freely; some are quite big but they are all gentle. Don’t startle them; just let them have their natural space. It’s nice when people and animals coexist naturally.
When you come to Longmen Ancient Town, you must try the gluten puffs. Today I went to Sun’s Little Store to taste the gluten puffs made by Auntie Sun. Sun’s Little Store is on the old street of Longmen Ancient Town. Both sides of the old street are lined with shops selling local specialties of the ancient town—badminton racket shops, clothing stores. ️ The gluten puffs are made from a pre-mixed batter with a unique recipe, very elastic and brownish in color. The batter is kept in water to retain moisture and elasticity. When deep-fried, it becomes a shiny, round ball with a very crispy texture and savory, multi-layered flavor. Auntie Sun is also a descendant of the Sun family in Longmen Ancient Town, running a small business from her old house. Locals in Longmen also like to come here for gluten puffs and wontons.
The filling in the gluten puffs is also made with care: fresh minced meat, plus dried bamboo shoot dice made from wild bamboo shoots that the auntie picks in the mountains, sprinkled with vibrant green scallions.
Authentic gluten puffs for only 2 yuan each. I bought 30 at once; they keep well. Freeze them, then later you can pan-fry or stir-fry them with vegetables. They’re delicious, with the savory fragrance of dried bamboo shoots and the rich taste of meat.
