Zhouzhuang is located between three major cities that are visiting musts in their own right: Shanghai, Suzhou, Kunshan ans Hangzhou. Getting from any of these cities to zhouzhuang is relatively easy, with frequent and reliable transportation.
The bus from Shanghai to Zhouzhuang takes about 2 hours and leave from three places in Shanghai. Some options are better than others.
The best option is from Shanghai Stadium where designated buses leave in the morning and come back in the afternoon, allowing you a while day in the town. With four frequencies leaving at 0800,0900 and 0930 and two returning at 16:00 and 16:30, the trip takes an hour and a half. The trip costs 150 yuan includes the admission fee to the town.Be sure to check the timetables and ticket fee before you go, because they may change.
Visitors can go to 209, Zhongshan South Er Road, Shanghai (中国上海市中山南二路2409号) and buy the ticket. The staff there can speak English and it is recommended to buy the ticket at least one day earlier before departing. It is not guaranteed to get the ticket on the departure date. Office number is 021-24095555.
Hongkou Football Court is the next best option, with two buses leaving at 8:00 and 10:00 AM and returning at 15:00 and 17:30. The trip is closer to two hours, and costs 128 Yuan, but this also includes the admission fee and tour guide.
It’s also possible to get buses from the station north of the Shanghai Railway Station. Here the trip costs 22 Yuan, but doesn’t include the admission fee. There are few departures, so this option is not recommended.
Zhouzhuang is only 30 kilometers from Suzhou so the best way to get there is to take a bus.
The northern bus station: Shuttles leave every half hour starting at 7:05 in the morning, with the last one leaving at 17:05. Return trips leave every half hour as well, and one way costs 17.50 Yuan (but doesn’t include the admission fee to the town). Again, it’s important to check the schedule before going, just to be sure.
From the Wuzhong bus station: there are departures at 7:30, 9:30 and 13:00. One way costs 15 Yuan and doesn’t include admission.
There are two bus terminals from which you can get local buses to Zhouzhuang: Kunshan and Quingpu. Buses leave every 10 minutes, and return with the same frequency. A one way ticket costs 6.50 Yuan from Kunshan and 9.50 from Qingpu.
Zhouzhuang is connected by the Jishui river with Shanghai and Hangzhou. Visitors from Hangzhou can travel along the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal to get to Zhouzhuang. Travel via waterway may slow, time-consuming and exhausted but the scenery along the riverside may provide you a quite memorable experience.
The best way to get around Zhouzhuang is by boat. They not only give you access to the town itself, but the surrounding rural areas and waterways, including the three lakes of Nanhu, Baixian and Dianshan.
While it’s possible to find transportation within the town itself, an organized tour is highly recommended. Access to the town is through the “Water Tour of Zhouzhuang”, which departs from Baixian Lake. The trip takes 20 min and costs about 40 Yuan per person. This is on top of the 100 Yuan entrance fee that is required to access the ancient city. The admission fee covers access to all the attractions listed above. Conversely, you can hire a boat for the trip, which will seat up to six people and typically charges 100 Yuan.
Along the trip, you’ll go past Dongzhaigang and down the canals which offer spectacular rural views of the area. The route goes along the Jishuigang River as it twists and curves into the Baixian River, so you’ll be able to see lots of local craft plying the waterways with their sails. The atmosphere is really relaxed, and you are offered genuine Chinese tea along the trip. The boats are called “Hua Fang” in Chinese and are painted in bright colours. The trip is especially good to get a closer and more leisurely feel of life in rural China, tracing the footpaths to farmhouses or watching the fishermen at their work along the river.
The trip ends at Nanhu Dock, where you can advance on your own on foot, or follow your tour guide through the town.
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