Suzhou

Understand

Suzhou has always been a major center of Wu culture which developed in the region around Lake Tai; a Suzhou accent in the Wu language is still considered prestigious, even though the language is now often called "Shanghainese". Suzhou was the capital of the Kingdom of Wu in the first millennium BCE, but through most of history Wu has not been an independent state. The area was settled much earlier, but the city walls that defined what we now know as Suzhou were built in the late 6th century BCE. By 100 CE Suzhou was one of the ten largest cities on Earth, and in the early 19th century it was the world's largest non-capital city. Throughout this history, Suzhou was clearly the most important city of its region; Shanghai was just a walled town near the river mouth and the officials there reported to higher-ranking officials in Suzhou. Starting in the mid-19th century, Shanghai boomed due to foreign trade; today it is far larger than Suzhou and very much the center of the area. However Suzhou is still a very significant city; the core city has over five million people, and the whole urban area more than ten million. The entire region is prosperous. Suzhou has been a center of the silk trade and a place of gardens and canals for centuries. It has long been both a center of commerce and a haven for scholars, artists, and skilled craftsmen.

All of that is still the case today, over 700 years later.

In Imperial China, Suzhou was a popular destination for retired scholars and officials, many of whom built classical Chinese gardens around their homes; even lesser houses and some commercial buildings often have lovely small gardens or courtyards. The Classical Gardens of Suzhou are a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Today, East China is one of the country's most prosperous and fastest-growing regions, and Suzhou is very much part of that. A wander off the beaten path and into some of the old neighborhoods can be quite a treat, but their seediness and crowded conditions provide a stark contrast to the endless billboards at the edge of the city advertising suburban developments that would not look out-of-place in any allegedly "more developed" country. Suzhou is a bustling modern city, though you can still see traces of a very old lifestyle centered around the canals. Come prepared to feel a bit betrayed by the guidebooks singing the praises of a quaint thousand-year-old city. The old city center around the canals still has a very high concentration of traditional Chinese buildings in the Jiangnan architectural style, however, making it a great place to snap some post

Getting there

By plane Suzhou does not have a civilian airport. The closest airports with flights of use to most travellers are the two in nearby Shanghai. The airport in Wuxi is closer, but it is relatively small and serves mostly domestic flights. Nanjing and Hangzhou are other alternatives; both are large airports with a range of flights and easily reached from Suzhou.

Via Shanghai Pudong Airport (PVG IATA) has many international flights and Hongqiao Airport (SHA IATA) has mostly domestic flights, but also some flights to nearby countries. They are 120 km (75 mi) and 86 km (53 mi) away from Suzhou respectively. Regular shuttle buses run between Suzhou and both Shanghai airports, taking about an hour to Hongqiao and one hour and forty minutes to Pudong.

Shanghai-Hongqiao to Suzhou. Departs from Shanghai Hongqiao Airport. On the hour from 10:00-16:00; and one at 17:30 and 19:00. ¥50. Shanghai-Pudong to Suzhou, 26 Kerry Road. Departs from the parking lot on the 2nd floor of Terminal 1 building. Almost hourly 10:40-19:40. ¥82. Suzhou to Shanghai-Pudong. Departs from the CEAG (China Eastern Airlines Group) ticket office (No.115, Ganjiang West Rd). Almost hourly 6:20AM-2:50PM. ¥80. Suzhou to Shanghai-Hongqiao. The China Eastern Airlines buses going to Pudong pass through Hongqiao first. A shuttle bus between Pudong and Hongqiao leaves every 10 minutes from 06:00-18:00 and costs ¥30. Hongqiao airport can be reached from Suzhou by train; some of the Suzhou-Shanghai bullet trains go to Hongqiao Railway Station which is only about a km from the airport — one stop on the metro or a walk that is fairly long but all indoors and level. The trip takes less than half an hour. Be certain your ticket is for Hongqiao station; some trains go to the original Shanghai Railway Station, which is nowhere near the airport. It is also possible to reach Pudong Airport by train, but this is much less convenient. From Hongqiao Station, metro line 2 goes to Pudong Airport but it takes over an hour and you need to change trains once; it is still called line 2 but you need to walk across the platform and get on a different train.

Via Wuxi Wuxi is only a few kilometers from Suzhou and, like Suzhou, is a traditional center of Wu culture and a hi-tech hub today. Wuxi Airport is southeast of the town (toward Suzhou) and has flights from major Chinese cities and a few international flights (e.g. from Taiwan). From the airport to Wuxi city center (Wuxi train station) there are infrequent (every 30 minutes) buses, just on the right side when you exit the airport (look for a blue plate

Getting around

By metro

The Suzhou Metro or SRT (Suzhou Rail Transit) has 9 lines and is rapidly growing. Lines 1 and 4 are most useful to visitors, as they form a cross shape in the middle of downtown. Line 1 runs east–west, while lines 2 and 4 run north–south. Fares start at ¥2 for up to 6 km, then ¥3 for 6-11 km, ¥4 for 11–16, ¥5 16–23, ¥6 23–30; going the whole length of Line 1 is ¥6.

Walking Downtown Suzhou, where most attractions are, is a rectangle about 6 by 3 km in size. Depending on your stamina and the weather (summers can be up to 40 degrees), it may be possible to walk between the various sites. Be warned that walking in downtown is not relaxing: most sidewalks are narrow and clogged with parked scooters meaning that you'll end up walking in the bike lane or in the road. Also, around the subway construction sites the sidewalk and bike lane disappear altogether. Keep your eyes and ears open. Walking in the SIP is more pleasant as roads and sidewalks are wider, and traffic is less heavy. To make sure you don't get too lost, ask your hotel concierge to write out the name of your destinations, as well as how to get back. Make sure to add your own notes so you know what the translation is.

Taxis Suzhou's rattling old silver-and-teal VW Santana taxis are a very reasonably priced way of getting around and are easily available outside of rush hour. Fares start at ¥10 for 3 km and tick up at ¥3.2 per km, so most trips within the city are cheap. That said, Suzhou's cabbies are infamous for their lack of local knowledge (most of them are migrants from poorer provinces) so having an address or phone contact to your destination will save you a lot of hassle. Driving style is best described as aggressive, although serious accidents involving taxis are rare. Taxi touts work near tourist destinations and the train station - always use the taxi queue or flag one down from the street (available taxis have a green light on the front dash). Always get a receipt from the taxi driver at the end of the ride, so you may call the taxi company if you have left anything behind or need to dispute a fare. Few, if any taxi drivers speak English or any other foreign languages, so be sure to get your hotel's business card, and have the names addresses of your destinations written in Chinese to show your taxi driver. The taxi reservation hotline is ☏ +86 13004597814 (1–3-day notice preferred)

Bus Taking a bus in Suzhou is relatively easy if you have a basic grasp of Chinese, or horribly bewildering if you don't. Buses cover the whole city, run at 10–20-minute frequencies from

See

Suzhou has a number of attractions, including at least two that are absolutely world-class: its famous classical Chinese gardens, and the Suzhou Museum designed by a world-renowned architect. Suzhou's gardens and architecture have had influence worldwide. Suzhou Street in Beijing's Summer Palace is a copy of Suzhou's Shantang Street, and the Chinese Garden Court in New York's Metropolitan Museum is a copy of part of the Master of the Nets garden. Both Vancouver's Sun-Yat-Sen Garden and Portland's Lan Su Chinese Garden were built by craftsmen imported from Suzhou.

Classical gardens The UNESCO World Heritage List listing for Classical Gardens of Suzhou includes nine of the finest gardens, dating from the 11th to the 19th century. These are:

1 The Humble Administrator's Garden (Zhuo Zheng Yuan 拙政园), Dongbei St (in the NE corner of the old city), ☏ +86 51267537002. 07:30-17:30. Said to have cost a boatload of silver and taken sixteen years to build. Free tours through the garden start every 5-10 minutes, though these tours are conducted only in Mandarin. Included in the tour is a "Chinese marriage", a look at carved tree roots, followed by a boat ride through the garden canals. The incredible collection of bonsai trees ('pen cai' or 'pen jing' in Chinese) at the end of the garden furthest from the main entrance is worth a trip all by itself. ¥80, ¥70 off-season. (updated Aug 2024) 2 The Garden of the Master of the Nets (Wang Shi Yuan 网师园) (down a small alley off of Fenghuang Rd, just south of Shiquan Jie), ☏ +86 512 65293190. 07:30-17:00(Mar - Oct), 07:30-16:30 (Nov - Feb),. Founded in 1140, and rebuilt in 1770 by the bureaucrat Song Zongyuan. The enclosed complex of house and garden is one of the smallest, most beautiful, and most perfectly proportioned in Suzhou. Don't let the small size deceive you, this garden has enough to occupy you for half a day or more. On certain evenings there are demonstrations of many traditional performing arts. ¥40. (updated Aug 2024)

3 The Lingering Garden (Liu Yuan 留园). 07:30-17:30. One of the largest classical gardens in Suzhou. ¥55, ¥45 off-season. (updated Aug 2024) 4 Mountain Villa with Embracing Beauty (Huanxiu Shanzhuang 环秀山庄) (at the Embroidery Museum). Mainly a rock and water garden. 5 Lion Grove Garden (Lion Forest Garden, Shi Zi Lin 狮子林) (just off Lindun Rd, near the Humble Administrator's Garden). 07:30-17:30. Has an incredible collection of pitted, eroded rocks that were greatly appreciated by classical Chinese scholars. It was originally part of a Buddhist monastery. The gardens are a reminder of the Buddh

Do

Take a boat ride through the city's canals, Renmin Bridge. An interesting way to see the city low down in the network of canals. Explore Guanqian Street (观前街). The street is a rather uninspiring shopping street, however the back streets off it harbor many small shops selling local crafts and some interesting restaurants serving local cuisine. 1 Yangshan Hot Springs. A hotel resort with hot spring facilities - you can buy a ticket to soak in hot tubs outdoors. It's quite fancy, has plenty of different baths, illuminations and spas. It's in the outskirts to the west of the city, a 30-minute taxi ride away. By public transportation, take Metro Line 1 to a western station, then take a bus - consult Google Maps for details. ¥188. Cycle. Suzhou is relatively flat, and once past the ring-road, traffic is light and easy-going enough to enable a pleasant ride about town. Jinji Lake, Dushu Lake and a few outlying temples are within casual cycling distance. Many hostels rent bikes for around ¥25 a day. Weekend cycle rides. Two local cycle shops — Specialized Bicycles and Trek Cycles; see below for contact information — organise one or two day rides to nearby attractions such as Lake Tai (30 km one way), Yangcheng Lake (40 km around the lake), Tongli (20 km one way) and Zhouzhuang (40 km one way). Pace is normally relaxed with regular stops for photos and taking a rest. Joining the tour is free, although you have to bring your own bike or rent a bike from the store for a deposit and small charge. Costs such as meals and accommodation are split between group members. Although most of the riders are locals, foreigners are always welcomed and most members will speak English, and will ride in a safe manner. 2 Suzhou Amusement Land (Metro 1, Suzhou Amusement Land stop). Amusement park in the SND west of downtown. 3 长江文化节 (Yangtze River Culture Festival), 主要在中国张家港市举办. 通常在秋季举办. An annual cultural extravaganza held in Zhangjiagang, Suzhou. It celebrates the diverse cultures along the Yangtze River basin through five main themes: cultural relics, intangible heritage, arts, travel, and openness. The festival features thematic exhibitions, a vibrant intangible cultural heritage bazaar, and electronic guidebooks for exploring riverside cities[citation:6][citation:8]. 多数活动免费. (updated Oct 2025)

Buy

1 Shi Quan Jie. Main area downtown for tourist shopping, with everything from cheap tacky souvenirs and ¥10 allegedly silk ties to fine antiques, silks and jewellery (updated Sep 2025) 2 Guanqian Jie. Mainly a general-purpose shopping street similar to what one might find in any city, but does have some upmarket shops for silks and other tourist items (updated Sep 2025) There are also many such stores around the Mystery Temple and along other back streets north of Guanqian Jie, and some near various tourist attractions. Shops in the SIP are like those in Guanqian Jie, most of which are concentrated in a few enormous malls. As anywhere in China, bargaining is the norm. Since Suzhou is a domestic tourist destination, though, prices will start off at surprisingly reasonable values. As anywhere, help from a knowledgeable local can save you both hassle and money, but you should not accept "help" from unknown locals; that may just mean you get a higher price and the "helper" gets a commission. As a city famed through the ages for its silk embroidery, Suzhou is one of the best places to pick up silk handicrafts. Suzhou double-sided embroidery, in which the same picture is rendered in great detail on both sides of a silk screen and the knots are tied in the middle, is a traditional Suzhou speciality and is absolutely amazing. The needles used for this work are finer than a human hair. Much of lower-priced embroidery work sold to tourists is now made using sewing machines which provide embroidery stitches. The fine handwork is still available, and often at better prices in Suzhou than elsewhere, but it is not cheap.

Su Embroidery Studio, 1902 Senso International Plaza, 98 North Dongwu Road, ☏ +86-1825-1161-121. This is a Suzhou-based company whose main business is exporting embroidery; the address is for their Suzhou distributor. Their web site is in English and has a lot of good background information on the history and techniques. The Embroidery Institute is a lively enterprise producing high quality work which you can see on a tour of the facility. The gift shop has prices a little higher than at the street stalls but they will bargain and the quality is much better. Silk fans, musical instruments, paintings and calligraphy, lanterns, mahogany furniture and jade carvings are all made in the city and all readily available. Prices can be very good, though you generally have to bargain to get a good price. Freshwater pearls – the Suzhou area is part of the largest freshwater pearl-producing region in the world. Pearls can be bought in every conceivable price a

Eat

Suzhou has its own unique, slightly sweet cuisine that tends to have very light and delicate flavors. Locals are very fond of freshwater fish and shellfish. Sweets made from glutinous rice paste are an old tradition here; these will generally baffle most Western palates, but try them anyway. A Suzhou speciality popular with many visitors is Song Shu Gui Yu (松鼠桂鱼 sōng shǔ guì yú), often rendered in English as "Squirrel-Shaped Mandarin Fish": the meat of a large fish is delicately cut into strips, breaded in flour, fried, and served covered with pine nuts and a sweet-and-sour sauce. It looks a little like a squirrel's tail... if you've drunk enough of the local rice wine. Another famous local dish is the slightly sweet braised cold duck (酱鸭 jiàng yā).

Budget A Bing Cangshu Mutton Soup, 332 Pi Shi St. People in Suzhou like the soup very much. ¥20. Harbin Dumplings, Shizi Jie. The dumplings are much cheaper than the better-known Yang Yang Dumplings, and just as good. Let's Rock Hong Kong Restaurant (Hǎo Yuè), 403 Shi Quan St. A fun, modern little restaurant with great Hong Kong/Cantonese food. Good dim sum- these folks make a serious Barbecued Pork Bun (Cha Shao Bao). The menu offers lots of quick, inexpensive dishes. Nanjing Duck Noodle, 95 GongXiang. Traditional duck noodle where the more you pay, the more body parts you get. Some of the non-duck part dishes are worth a bite too. ¥7-12. Sicily, Guanqian Lu (near Renmin Rd and Ganjing Rd). Very good Italian food at near Chinese prices. Xi Sheng Yuan, 43, Fenghuang Jie (on the west side of the street, approx halfway along - wooden facade, next to a spicy meat snack shop). 10:00-19:00. Bowls of wontons in soup (kai yang huntun) for ¥6 or wontons in a sweet sauce (ban huntun) for ¥9. Both delicious. This place is more widely known for its Xiao Long Bao (on sale to eat in or take away) in the steamed baskets to the right of the entrance. At lunch/dinner time it gets very crowded but tables are vacated quickly. A popular light meal with locals. ¥6-9. ¥10. 36 葑门横街 (Fengmen Hengjie Street). Morning until afternoon are busiest. A bustling, narrow market street frequented by locals, not tourists. It's the perfect place to experience authentic Suzhou life, sample seasonal foods and local snacks, and observe the daily rhythm of the city. (updated Oct 2025)

Mid-range Da Mario (Global 188 Building in SIP). Good Italian food. There really is a Mario, and he really is Italian. The pasta dish "Rosetta Della Mamma" is an original. Yun-Gei (Ren Ji) Cantonese Restaurant, Intersection of Fenghuang Street a

Drink & nightlife

Bars Shiquan Street (十全街) is the main bar area downtown. Among the popular places are:

The Pub Bar (酒吧), ShiQuan St. Supports a large crowd of 'expat locals' and 'repeat visitors' in it's small but friendly interior with more than ten years of photographs and business-cards pasted on the roof and walls. It's a good point to catch up on local gossip and enjoy a drink with 'expat locals'. WiFi Internet, snacks and clean toilets keep the patrons happy. Pulp Fiction Bar (纸浆小说吧), Li Gong Di bar street. Happy hour till 8PM. This Australian bar is a great place to meet Westerners and English-speaking Chinese, shoot some American pool and play a game of darts. It is fairly quiet until 10PM, then it comes to life. (updated Mar 2018) A number of the bars on this street (not the ones listed above) are thinly-veiled fronts for the world's oldest profession; numbers of very friendly young ladies sitting around the bar or standing in doorways to tempt in passers-by are easily recognized. Those wishing to avail themselves of such diversions are encouraged to exercise extreme caution, not overdo the drinking, ask the cost of everything (including the room you are taken to) before accepting it, and never pay anything in advance. Prostitution is illegal in China and disease rates among sex workers, while reportedly quite low, are definitely not zero. Some of the better known bars of this sort (safer?) are the Moon Bar aka 'The Danish Embassy", known for its regular crowd of locals, the Blue Lady and the Red Lion - all within the block between FengHuangJie and Suzhou Hotel. All offer drinks without other services and they won't bother you if you are not partaking further! It is fairly common for groups of Suzhou expats, usually of mixed gender, to visit these places because they are open late and have cheap beer. There are also a number of bars in the SIP, mostly along the lake:

Zapata's, Rainbowalk, Jinji Lake. Margaritas and view over the lake. Western DJ plays happy tunes from last 4 decades and free tequila pouring on the bar every night. Blue Marlin, 168 Xinghai St, Wuzhong, ☏ +86 512 6288 9676. A chain of upmarket restaurant/bars with locations in several cities, with Western food, live music and a largely expat crowd. Sky Sports on multiple TV screens, comfortable seating and good Wi-Fi. Ligongdi (李公堤). Li Gong Di area has plenty of night clubs, bars and one expat-friendly club Pravda (could easily be the only one with a dance floor)

Coffee shops and book bars 1 The Bookworm, just off ShiQuan St (find the C Store on Shiquan Jie, west of most of the

Sleep

Budget Dongwu Hotel Wuyachang (新东吴珍珠大酒店), 200 Shi Quan St, ☏ +86 512-65193681. Mingtown-Suzhou Youth Hostel, No.28 Pingjiang Rd, ☏ +86 512-65816869. In the most ancient block in Suzhou downtown area. Ping Jiang Rd keeps the old pattern of road paralleling to canal on its original site Town giving you aboriginal water town feeling, which makes it the most attractive ancient block in old Suzhou Town. Hostel is rebuilt based on an old building and have a nice garden with fish in the pool. 10-min walk to Humble Administrator's Garden, Suzhou Museum, Lion Forest Garden, Shan Xi Assembly Hall, Couple Garden, Guan Qian St and there are also many buses to other sight-seeing spots in Suzhou city from here. Weirdly enough, their lounge (Mingtown cafe) is not inside nor adjacent to the hostel - you'd have to go out and walk 10 meters to go to the lounge. Perhaps as a result, you won't meet as many travelers as in most other hostels. The staff were friendly, but did not know bus routes to even the most popular destinations. They also have a lot of bicycles at their courtyard, but do not rent them out. All ten-something were "broken", and they refer you to go to some other hostels to rent bikes. Other hostels would rather rent out their bicycles to their own guests. If you want to bike around the city, book with another hostel.Hot water available only between 7-10AM, and 7-10PM. Bed ¥40-200. Suzhou Hostel, 186 Zhuhui Rd, ☏ +86 512-65180266. Beds from ¥45. Suzhou Minghantang Youth Hostel (广济路新民桥,山塘街口), 61 Tongguiqiao, Xiatang, Shantang St Guangji Rd, ☏ +86 512-65833331. Centrally located, in a traditional Suzhou block-house more than 400 years old in Shantang St, Internet access, WiFi, coffee shop. From ¥40. 1 Suzhou Watertown Youth Hostel, 27 Dashitou Ln 大石头巷27号 (1 block from Renmin Rd), ☏ +86 512-65218885. Check-in: 14:00, check-out: 12:00. Centrally located in a traditional Suzhou block-house with all the modern conveniences, including free Internet access & WiFi, DVDs, bicycle renting (¥25/15 full/half day). From ¥40. Suzhou Youth Hostel, 178 Xiangwang Ln (next to Shiquan St and the Dong Wu & 100 Happy Hotels), ☏ +86 512-65109418, +86 512 65188734. Beds from ¥40-50. Suzhou Blue Gate Youth Hostel,NO.259 Fenghuang Street, Gusu DistrictSuzhou, Jiangsu,+86 18151111680, From ¥3050.

Mid-range, 2 Citadines Xinghai Suzhou (苏州馨乐庭星海服务公寓), Block 27, Jiacheng Gardens, 58 Xinghai Street, SIP, ☏ +86 512 8885 8288, [email protected]. The residence in Suzhou Industrial Park offers apartments that each has a living/dining area, home entertainment s

Go next

Suzhou has a central position in East China and anywhere in the region is accessible. The other major cities of the area — Shanghai, Nanjing and Hangzhou — are all both economically important and major tourist destinations. Some of the lesser cities may also be of interest:

Wuxi is so close that people from either city often shop or dine in the other Yixing is famous for pottery, especially teapots Yangzhou is historically important and Zhengjiang, just across the river, was the girlhood home of Nobel Prize writer Pearl Buck See East China#Go next for some possibilities beyond the region. Suzhou is close to Lake Tai, which is a major recreational area. Day trips to the lake are possible going straight west from Suzhou or going via towns which are right on the lake, Wuxi to the north or the Suzhou suburb Wujiang to the south. Longer trips are also possible; see the Lake Tai article. The whole region around Suzhou is flat Yangtze Delta terrain and has water towns, once the market towns for agricultural areas. All have picturesque canals with old houses along them and many bridges, and many are set up to accommodate tourists. Suzhou itself is very much a water town, and some travellers will find that enough. However, smaller places may be more picturesque or better preserved. Many agencies in Suzhou offer tours to some of these — especially to ones within Suzhou such as Zhouzhuang, Tongli and Zhen Ze. All are within an hour's travel of central Suzhou, and these tours are quite popular. Another water town, Mudu, can easily be visited without taking a tour since it is the last stop going west on Metro Line 1. It is reportedly a bit shabby, not as pretty or developed as some of the others, but this may change now that it is more accessible. See also our lists of water towns in East China and within Shanghai.