Autumn winds have swept across Hangzhou, and the city’s osmanthus fragrance has arrived right on cue. When it comes to the go-to spot for osmanthus viewing, Manjuelong is the undisputed top draw—its annual “for-autumn-only” scenes never fails to pull in crowds of locals and visitors. But parking along Manjuelong Road is scarce, and plenty of drivers find themselves stuck in a long queue before they’ve even caught a whiff of the blossoms.

So what’s the easiest way to get there? The Bus Line 87, aka. The “Osmanthus Line,” is a solid bet. On weekends and public holidays, It connects the Huanglongdong Station on Metro Line 3 with the Shuichengqiao Station on Line 4, making things easier for residents and visitors alike. Good news: the route has recently been upgraded. It runs this way on weekdays too. That means throughout the entire osmanthus season, whether you come on a weekday or a weekend, you can hop on the dedicated line to Manjuelong and step off straight into the fragrance—no parking headaches, no traffic jams.

Beyond the dedicated bus route, regular routes have also stepped up to handle the autumn crowds. As the osmanthus reaches full bloom, Bus 180—the main line serving the core Manjuelong viewing area—has seen ridership climb steadily, peaking at 18,000 passengers in a single day, a new high for the autumn osmanthus season. To keep up with demand, Bus 180 has rolled out extra services at peak times, dynamic scheduling, and flexible vehicle deployment: four to five shuttle buses on weekdays, with more added on weekends, running a short shuttle between Huangchao Garden (Metro Line 19) and Siyanjing to move crowds efficiently.

If you’d rather avoid crowds, Hangzhou has plenty of even more spots worth checking out—the Botanical Garden, the Zoo, and the Children’s Park are great alternatives, and all easy to reach by public transport. One heads-up, though: the special lines from the zoo to Shuichengqiao and Longxiangqiao metro stations, and the shuttle from Litaizu Bay to Taiziwan, only run on weekends and public holidays—so plan your trip accordingly.