To be honest, I don’t recommend going to Suzhou from February to April.
Transportation🚇
High-speed rail🚄: Suzhou is connected to Shanghai, Hangzhou and other places by high-speed rail, and it takes about 25 minutes to reach Shanghai. Suzhou Railway Station and Suzhou North Railway Station are both located near the city center, with convenient transportation.
Subway: Suzhou Metro covers major tourist attractions. It is recommended to download the "Su E Xing" APP to scan the code and take the subway.
Public transportation: Use Alipay to collect Suzhou electronic bus card for convenient public transportation.
Taxi: The starting price for a taxi in Suzhou is 13 yuan (including 3 kilometers), and taxis between scenic spots are generally less than 20 yuan.
Tips for visiting🏞
✅Classical gardens: Humble Administrator's Garden, Lingering Garden, Lion Grove Garden, Master of the Nets Garden, etc. are iconic attractions in Suzhou, known for their exquisite architectural layout and rich cultural connotations.
✅Historical districts: Pingjiang Road, Shantang Street, Panmen Scenic Area, etc., preserve the historical features of the ancient city of Suzhou, with small bridges, flowing water, and stone roads, which are very suitable for walking and taking pictures.
✅Cultural landscape: Tiger Hill, Suzhou Museum, Suzhou Silk Museum, etc., showcasing Suzhou's historical culture and artistic charm.
✅ Water towns: Zhouzhuang, Tongli, Luzhi, etc. are great places to experience the Jiangnan water town style.
🔥🔥🔥Check-in guide📍
✅Humble Administrator's Garden: One of the four famous gardens in China, it is a representative of Suzhou classical gardens with waterscape as the core and pavilions and towers scattered in an orderly manner.
✅Suzhou Museum: Designed by I.M. Pei, it combines modern architecture with natural landscape and has a rich collection of cultural relics.
✅Huqiu: The first scenic spot in Wuzhong, with the leaning Yunyan Temple Pagoda, is known as the "Chinese version of the Leaning Tower of Pisa".
✅Jinji Lake Scenic Area: A representative of modern Suzhou, where you can enjoy the beautiful city skyline and lake and mountain scenery.
✅Pingjiang Road: One of the best-preserved ancient streets in Suzhou, the lights and lantern decorations at night are very charming.
🚌🌞Travel route🚶♂ and transportation strategy between attractions
✅Three-day tour
Day1: Humble Administrator's Garden→Suzhou Museum→Lion Grove→Pingjiang Road
Day2: Tiger Hill→Shantang Street→Jinji Lake Scenic Area
Day3: Tongli Ancient Town or Zhouzhuang→Guanqian Street Shopping
🔥🔥Five-day tour
✅Day1: Humble Administrator's Garden→Suzhou Museum→Lion Grove→Pingjiang Road
🚌Transportation: Humble Administrator's Garden to Suzhou Museum, walk (about 800 meters); Suzhou Museum to Lion Grove, walk (about 500 meters); Lion Grove to Pingjiang Road, take bus No. 9006 (get on the bus at Lion Grove South Station and get off at Pingjiang Road Station, about 1.5 kilometers, you can also choose to walk or ride).
✅Day2: Tiger Hill→Shantang Street→Liuyuan Garden→Nets Garden Night Garden (open in summer)
🚌Transportation: From Tiger Hill to Shantang Street, take Metro Line 6 (get on at Tiger Hill Station, get off at Pinghe Road Station, transfer to Bus No. 9035M and get off at Shantang Street Scenic Area Station, about 6 kilometers); from Shantang Street to Liuyuan Garden, take Bus No. 9035M (get on at Shantang Street Scenic Area Station, get off at Liuyuan Station, about 3 kilometers); from Liuyuan Garden to Nets Garden Night Garden, take Metro Line 6 (get on at Liuyuan Station, get off at Suzhou University Station, transfer to Bus No. 9007 and get off at Nets Garden West Station, about 7 kilometers. Note that Nets Garden Night Garden is only open in summer).
✅Day3: Suzhou Silk Museum→Panmen Scenic Area→Jinji Lake Scenic Area→Suzhou Center (shopping, food)
🚌Transportation: From Suzhou Silk Museum to Panmen Scenic Area, take bus No. 9006 (get on at Renmin Road Station and get off at Panmen Scenic Area North Station, about 4 kilometers); from Panmen Scenic Area to Jinji Lake Scenic Area, take Metro Line 4 (get on at Nanmen Station, transfer to Metro Line 2 at Suzhou Railway Station to Guangnan South Road Station, then transfer to Metro Line 1 to get off at Dongfangzhimen Station, about 10 kilometers); from Jinji Lake Scenic Area to Suzhou Center, walk (about 500 meters).
✅Day4: Tongli Ancient Town (morning) → Luzhi Ancient Town (afternoon) → Yangcheng Lake hairy crab experience (recommended in autumn)
🚌Transportation: From Tongli Ancient Town to Luzhi Ancient Town, take bus No. 735 at Tongli Bus Station (get on at Tongli Ancient Town Station and get off at Luzhi Ancient Town Station, about 20 kilometers); from Luzhi Ancient Town to Yangcheng Lake, take bus No. 52 (get on at Luzhi Bus Station and get off at Yangcheng Lake Town Station, about 15 kilometers. Note that the Yangcheng Lake hairy crab experience is best in autumn).
✅Day5: Zhouzhuang Ancient Town (all day) → Return to Suzhou City at night, free activities or shopping
🚌Transportation: From Suzhou City to Zhouzhuang Ancient Town, take the No. 7 bus at Suzhou North Bus Station (get on at Suzhou North Bus Station and get off at Zhouzhuang Bus Station, about 40 kilometers); return to Suzhou City at night, and take the No. 7 bus back at Zhouzhuang Bus Station.
Food🍔
🔶Suzhou cuisine: squirrel mandarin fish, fried eel paste, steamed hairy crab, etc. are Suzhou's specialty dishes, with a fresh and sweet taste and particular about the cooking time.
🔶Snacks: Fried steamed buns, fried dumb buns, sugar porridge, etc. are street food in Suzhou, affordable and authentic.
🔶Noodles: Aozao noodles, three shrimp noodles (summer only), Fengzhen big meat noodles, etc. are Suzhou's specialty noodles and are worth a try.
Accommodation🏨
✅ Economy: All Seasons Hotel (Guanqian Street Branch), Home Inn (near Pingjiang Road), etc., affordable and convenient transportation.
✅Mid- to high-end: Pingjiang Mansion (Garden-style Hotel), Suzhou Tonino Lamborghini Hotel (Jinji Lake), etc., with luxurious and elegant decoration and first-class service.
✅Special B&B: The Linshui Inn on Pingjiang Road or Shantang Street is moderately priced and allows you to experience the unique style of the Jiangnan water town.
⭕⭕Lightning avoidance guide⚡
❗Attractions: Some attractions, such as Humble Administrator's Garden and Lingering Garden, are crowded during holidays and weekends. It is recommended to book tickets in advance and try to avoid peak hours.
🍛Food and Beverage: Avoid buying food from small vendors in the scenic area to avoid food safety issues. You can choose some restaurants or snack bars with good reputation.
➡️Shopping: Guanqian Street is an old commercial street in Suzhou, where shopping and food are concentrated, but the prices may be slightly higher. You can choose some specialty shops to buy souvenirs.
🚌Transportation: Suzhou subway and bus are very convenient, but may be congested during peak hours. It is recommended to plan your trip in advance and allow enough time.
❗❗❗Season: Spring and autumn are the best seasons in Suzhou, with flower viewing from March to May and autumn colors from September to November. The summer is hot and the winter is cold and wet, so you need to take sun protection and keep warm measures.
I hope this guide can help friends who are about to travel to Suzhou. I wish you all a pleasant journey! 🎉
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