Suzhou

Come to Suzhou in the Jiangsu province to witness exceptional gardens and waterside architecture dating back to the 12th century BC. The city is part of the Yangtze River Delta, and its waterways have always brought in the new: artists, scholars, goods, ideas, crafts, and more. The Grand Canal, built by the 6th-century Sui Dynasty, runs from Beijing to Hangzhou and has heavily influenced the culture of this region.

The city today is a bustling place, wrought with as much good as bad that comes with being an important port and trading center. Suzhou’s history is deep and rich, making it the 3rd most historically significant behind Beijing and Xi'an in China. It is so important to China’s legacy that it is only one of 4 cities in the nation that is environmentally protected and its classical gardens were named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997.

Finally, there is the artistic side of Suzhou. Silk has been a major trade variable in the Chinese economy for ages. SSilk production in Suzhou and the embroidery school are ranked No.4 in the nation. The performing arts are particularly talented here. Much of the music and presentations are influenced by the Wu kingdom from the BC eras. Kunqu opera and storytelling, stele carving, calligraphy, and painting are all characteristics of Suzhou that should not be skipped over.

Weather

Suzhou, located on the eastern coast of China, carries a monsoon climate of a humid subtropical climate zone. Suzhou enjoys abundant sunlight, a long frost-free period, and high temperatures accompanied by ideal rains.

Suzhou has 4 distinct seasons including a monsoon and subtropical climate. As with many other areas in China, summers are hot and humid while winters are cool and cloudy with some snow. Since Suzhou is in the north, some Siberian winds blow south, making the city an icebox on some winter nights. On the other hand, southerly winds from the hot desert blow into the city in the summer, making it very hot and uncomfortable. Spring and autumn are the best seasons to travel to Suzhou while the weather at that time is pleasant.

• Spring (March - May): with an average temperature of at14.2℃ however temperature doesn’t maintain itself during the entire length of spring. April can have temperatures under 0℃.
• Summer (June - August): the hottest season of the year with an average temperature of 26.6℃. June is the rainy season; July is the hottest month and can reach a maximum temperature of 35℃.
• Autumn (September - November): with an average temperature of 17.6℃, the season starts with a temperature over 30℃ and cools down when September approaches.
• Winter (December - February): January is the coolest period of the year. The temperature is lower than -8℃, and the average temperature during wintertime is around 4.4℃. In recent years, winter has become warmer and warmer due to global greenhouse effects.

The average annual temperature in Suzhou is 15.9℃, but July reaches an average high of 28.2℃ and January at a low of 3.6℃. A year-round precipitation in Suzhou amounts to around 1110.6 mm, with about 128 rainy days. During June every year, it rains the heaviest and longest.

Transportation in Suzhou

Suzhou is one of the major cities in the Yangtze River Delta Basin surrounded by several important big cities within 2-hour driving distance, such as Shanghai (100 km), Wuxi (50 km), and Hangzhou (160 km). Transportation in and out of Suzhou is busy and very convenient.

Getting In and Out of Suzhou

1. By Plane

There is no passenger airport in Suzhou City, but four airports are nearby: Pudong Airport and Hongqiao Airport in Shanghai, Wuxi Sunan Shuofang Airport, and Hangzhou Xiaoshan Airport. All are easily accessible by shuttle bus within two hours of Suzhou.

Via Shanghai: Pudong Airport is 120 km from Suzhou, and Hongqiao is 86 km away. Pudong has international flights and Hongqiao is mainly for domestic flights. Shuttle buses between these two airports and Suzhou run every day.

From Suzhou to Pudong Airport via Hongqiao Airport, buses start at Suzhou Arster Hotel (115 Gangjiang West Road, Suzhou Ticket Office, Eastern Airline) at 6:20, 6:50, 7:20, 7:50, 8:20, 8:50, 9:30, 10:10, 10:50, 11:50, 12:50, 13:50, 14: 50, 15:50.

From Pudong Airport to Suzhou via Hongqiao Airport, passengers could get on the parking lot on the 2nd floor of the Terminal 1 in Pudong Airport( at 10:40, 11:20, 11:50, 12;50, 13:50, 14: 40, 15:20, 16:10, 16:50, 17:50, 18:50, or 19:40); or Hongqiao Airport at 10:10, 11:00, 11:50, 12:30, 13:00, 14:00, 14:50, 15:50, 16:30, 17:20, 18:00, 19:00, 20:00, or 20:30. The shuttle buses also stop at Suzhou Industrial Park (SIP(, 2 Zhongxin Road, Yuanqu District), Tongguan Fang, and finally at Suzhou Arster Hotel.

Ticket price and journey time: Hongqiao Airport - Suzhou: CNY50, 1 hour; Pudong Airport - Suzhou: CNY80, 2 hours 20 minutes.

Via Wuxi

Via Hangzhou: Shuttle buses between Hangzhou Airport and Suzhou operate daily, taking about two hours and thirty minutes. They leave from Gate 14 of Hangzhou Airport's arrival hall and Zhongshan Hotel in Suzhou (559 Renmin Road). From Hangzhou Airport to Suzhou buses run from 14:00 to 20:15, whilst from Suzhou to Hangzhou Airport it's 9:15 to 16:45 (CNY95/person).

2. By Train

Suzhou has four railway stations connecting Suzhou with most big cities in China, and each one has its function.

Suzhou Railway Station, located at 27 Suzhan Road, is a part of the Shanghai–Nanjing Main Line (Hu-Ning Line). All T- and K- services (slower and lower class) to Suzhou stop at this station. Also some G- and D- trains stop there.

Suzhou North Railway Stationon Fulin Road of Xiangcheng District is only for D- and G- trains running between Beijing and Shanghai via Suzhou. It takes around 5 hours from Suzhou to Beijing.

Suzhou Yuanqu Railway Station in the Industrial Park and Suzhou Xinqu Railway Station, lying in Huqiu District, both only serve D- and G- trains running on the Nanjing–Shanghai High-Speed Railway. It takes only 30 minutes from Suzhou to Shanghai and about an hour to Nanjing. Other high-speed trains to cities nearby are frequent like Wuxi, Changzhou, and Zhenjiang.

Train tickets can be bought at ticket windows in every station and self-service machines are available in the station. Only passengers holding a Chinese ID card can buy tickets for G- and D- trains using self-service machines. It is wise to buy train tickets a few days ahead in China. If you are familiar with Chinese and have a Chinese bank account, you can also book tickets online on Chinese Railway’s official website 12306.cn without any extra fees.

3. By Bus

There are five main bus stations in the city linking Suzhou with places in Jiangsu Province and most big cities around Jiangsu Province.

Suzhou North Bus Station: Located at 29 Xihui Road, it mainly offers bus services between Suzhou and Zhejiang, Northern Jiangsu, Shandong, Hubei, Henan, Guangdong, Shanxi, Fujian, Anhui provinces, and Shanghai Municipality. It also has buses running between Suzhou and major cities in Jiangsu Province like Wuxi, and six county towns belonging to Suzhou Prefecture.

Suzhou South Bus Station: Located at 601 Nanhuan East Road, at the junction of Nanhuan Road and Yingchun Road, it is the biggest passenger bus station in the city, linking Suzhou with Shanghai, the main cities of Zhejiang, Anhui, Hubei, Shandong, Henan, and Jiangxi provinces, and most places in Jiangsu Province including Wujiang City.

Suzhou West Bus Station: Also called Suzhou Xinqu Bus Station (78 Jingshan Road), it is quite far from the city center, and most buses departing there are for nearby cities around Suzhou like Wuxi and county towns belonging to Suzhou Prefecture. Bus services between Suzhou and other big cities in China are also available, but not so many choices from Suzhou South Bus Station.

Suzhou Bus Station: it is in the North Square of Suzhou Railway Station. This bus station is for intercity buses between Suzhou and nearby cities, such as Zhangjiagang, Wuxi, and Kunshan.

Wuzhong Bus Station: it is for places in Northern Jiangsu, the six counties of Suzhou Prefecture, and all towns belonging to Wujiang. It is convenient for passengers in the south of Suzhou City to take buses from this station.

Suzhou to Zhouzhuang

By Ferry: Departure time 10:40, 14:30.

By Bus: Wuxian bus station, departure time: 7:15, 9:40, 14:15, 14:20. Northbus station, departure time is 6:45 and 18:00 to return. It comes every half an hour and takes about 60 minutes.

Suzhou to Tongli: take the bus from Suzhou North Gate Long Distance Bus Station or directly from Suzhou Train Station.

Suzhou To Luzhi: there are many buses from Suzhou to Luzhi. Tourist bus departs from Suzhou railway station for Luzhi daily. Suzhou Northern Bus Station also offers bus services to Jiao. From 6:30 to 18:30, the bus leaves the northern bus station every 30 minutes.

Suzhou to Mudu: take direct bus 38、621、69、2、43, and tourist bus 4 at a railway station, bus station; take a midibus to West Hill, East Hill, and Guangfu at Wuxian Bus Station, passing by Mudu.

Getting Around Suzhou City

1. By Bus

Though public buses are not always the first choice for foreigners since all bus information is only in Chinese, some bus services in the city may help you out in certain situations.

Buses run all over the city and mostly charge CNY1, or CNY2 with air-conditioning. Make sure you have the exact change on hand before hopping on a bus. Some longer routes may charge CNY5 like bus 69 to Xishan.

There are 5 tourist buses connecting most sights in the city: Line 1-Line 5. These air-conditioned buses are usually CNY2/person, but every March, April, October, and November they only charge CNY1.

2. By Taxi

Though there are over 4,000 taxis owned by around twenty taxi companies in the city, you may still find it hard to take a taxi during rush hours rainy days, or public holidays. If a taxi presents the illuminated Chinese characters “空车”, it is available.

Taxis run day and night in Suzhou, but charges are different. In the daytime (5: 00 - 22: 00), the flag-fall rate is CNY11 covering CNY1 of fuel surcharge and the first three kilometers. After 3 km it is CNY1.8 or CNY2 per kilometer depending on the type of taxi. After 5 km it is CNY2.7 or CNY3 every kilometer. If you are in a traffic jam, you pay for the waiting time, and 5 minutes of waiting time equals a kilometer.

At night (00: 00 - 5: 00), the flag-fall rate remains the same as in the daytime. However, additional fees are charged at 2.16 or 2.4 per kilometer after the first three kilometers.

3. By Metro

Currently, only Subway Line 1 is available in the city, operating between Wuzhong District Mudu Station and Zhongnan Street Station in SIP (Suzhou Industrial Park), with 24 stations in total. The ticket price goes from CNY2 to CNY6 according to different distances. The operation time is from 6:29 to 21:26 starting from Mudu Station and 6: 29 - 22:24 departing from Zhongnan Station.

4. By Bicycle

China has been famous as “the kingdom of bikes”, and visitors can get a glimpse of this “kingdom” by being one of the cyclers in Suzhou. Suzhou has a good network of cycle lanes in the city alongside the roads, helping cyclists travel easily.

A curbed strip, landscaped with flowers or a row of trees, or an iron fence is set between the cycle lane and motor vehicle lanes. In rush hour times riding a bike can be much faster than traveling by car, but stay alert as other road users will come at you from all directions.

Bikes can be rented in most youth hostels or bicycle shops. Generally, a slow, heavy, 1-speed road bike costs CNY30/day. Bicycle Kingdom Rental Agency on Pingjiang Road offers both road bikes and mountain bikes at CNY150 - CNY300 or so a day.

Since 2010 a public bicycle service has been available in Suzhou for people who have cards. There are 49 parking stations for the public bicycle service and most are located near the main streets.

One thing to remember is to protect the bike from thieves, especially in crowded places. A U-lock might help, but the best is to bring it wherever you go. In some places, an attendant will watch the bike for CNY1, but this service is only offered in big places like Guanqian Street.

5. By Pedicab

Pedi cabs can be seen everywhere in Suzhou, especially near the main attractions. It is a good way to see the real life of this city at a slow pace. But it is not cheap, and sometimes even costlier than taking a taxi.

Make sure you bargain with the driver hard first and insist on the agreed price at the destination. In summer the price will be a bit higher as it is the peak season for tourism, and it is also very hot work for the drivers.

Top Attractions

Suzhou enjoys great fame internationally for its elegant gardens. small private gardens with delicate layouts, and decorations scattered around the city. Here is a list of Suzhou's top attractions that you should not miss.

1. Humble Administrators Garden

The Humble Administrators Garden, covering about an area of 52,000 square meters (12.85 acres), is the largest and most renowned garden in Southern China. Because of its unique designs and ethereal beauty, the garden has gained many world honors. It is listed as a World Cultural Heritage site and has also been designated as one of the Cultural Relics of National Importance under the Protection of the State as well as a Special Tourist Attraction of China.

2. Lingering Garden

Lingering Garden is situated outside of the Changmen Gate of Suzhou City, covering an area of 2.3 hectares. Originally it was a classic private garden built in 1593 by XuTaishi, a bureaucrat of the Ming court, as his private residence. It is also one of the four most famous gardens in China, the other three being the Summer Palace in Beijing, the Mountain Summer Resort in Chengde, and the Humble Administrator's Garden in Suzhou.

3. The Garden of the Master of Nets

The Master-Of-Nets Garden is one of the four famous gardens in Suzhou, which has also won the titles of world cultural heritage site, a scenic spot of national 4A level and historical and cultural relics under state protection. It is located at No. 11, Kuojiatou Lane, Daichengqiao Road, which is in the southeast part of Suzhou City.

The garden was built in the Chunxi Year of the Southern Song Dynasty (1174 A.D.) by Shi Zhengzhi after he retired from the Court. It was a private Garden with thousands of collected books, so it was also called the Hall of 10000 Volumes.

4. Tiger Hill

Tiger Hill is 3.5 kilometers to the northwest of the downtown area and has a reputation for being the most beautiful scenic spot in Jiangsu province. Su Dongpo, a famous Song Dynasty poet, spoke fondly of Tiger Hill, saying "It's a pity not to visit Tiger Hill when traveling in Suzhou.”

5. Lion Grove Garden

Lion Grove Garden is one of the four most famous and representative gardens of the ancient classical style in Suzhou City. Lion Grove Garden, covering an area of about 10,000 square meters, was built in 1342 during China's Yuan Dynasty, by a monk Tianru and a group of Zen Buddhists as a memorial of their master and teacher Zhongfeng.

6. Suzhou Museum

Initially built in 1960 and rebuilt in 1999, the Suzhou Museum is the best place to learn the history of Suzhou. Over 40,000 ancient relics are being exhibited in the museum. Besides, the small garden in the museum shows you the culture of Suzhou Garden.

7. Humble Administrator Garden

The garden is only 600 meters away from the Suzhou Museum, so you take a stroll from the museum to the garden. Covering an area of 5.2 hectares, the Humble Administrator Garden is the largest in Suzhou, so it is worth spending 2.5 hours to see the highlights in the garden. The entrance to the garden is narrow, but when you go through the entrance, a large Arcadia will go into your sight. The countless pools are the most attractive parts of the garden.

8. Guanqian Street for Lunch

You can take bus 2 or Tourism 1 from the Humble Administrator Garden to Guanqian Street. Get on at the Suzhou Museum stop get off at the Chayuanchang stop, and then walk 1.3 kilometers to the street. You might be tired after walking for over 3 hours in the Suzhou Museum and the Humble Administrator Garden, so you may want to spend around CNY15 taking a taxi to Guanqian Street.

The noodles, pan-fried buns, and local desserts are must-eat Suzhou foods. The recommended restaurants on the street are Guest Hall of Old Suzhou for noodles and buns, Crane Pavilion Restaurant for noodles and fish, and Peach Blossom Restaurant for dessert and dumplings.

9. Lion Grove

Open Hours: 9:30 to 16:30 between March 1st and October 15th, 10:30 to 16:00 between October 16th and the end of next February. Entrance Fee: 40RMB. Recommended Time for Stay: 1.5 hours.

After lunch, you can take bus 301 or 305 from the Guanqian Street to the Lion Grove. Get on at the Chayuanchang stop and get off at the South Lion Grove stop. The grove was initially built by a few Buddhist monks in 1342 AD. Teaching scriptures is also called lion’s roar in Buddhism and the rocks in the grove look like lions, so the grove was named Lion Grove. Lots of tourists visit the grove not only for garden views but also for learning Buddhism.

10. Pingjiang Road

It takes only 30 minutes to walk from the Lion Grove to the Pingjiang Road. With a history of over 800 years, the Pingjiang Road is one of the best places to learn the ancient culture of Suzhou. It is suggested to have supper on the street. Both Chinese and Western restaurants are available on the road.

If you want to extend your tour tonight, the Moon Light Port is a good choice. After your supper on Pingjiang Road, you can go to the port by taking subway line 1 from Xiangmen Station and getting off at Culture Expo Center Station. There are lots of bars beside the port, where you can refresh yourself by admiring the view of Jinji Lake.

11. Master-of-Nets Garden

Open Hours: 7:00 - 17:30. Entrance Fee: CNY40. Recommended time for stay: 1 hour.

The Master-of-Nets Garden is one of the smallest gardens in Suzhou, meanwhile, it is the most exquisite garden in Suzhou. You can see art students drawing everywhere in the Garden. If you want to enjoy the garden view without walking too much, the Master-of-Nets Garden is your first choice.

12. Shantang Street

The street is accessible by taking bus 501 or 204 from the North Master-of-Net Garden stop to the Shangtang Street stop. The 360-meter-long old street enjoys a reputation as the window of Suzhou. If you don’t have enough time to visit every part of Suzhou, you can see a miniature one on this street. The restaurants on the street offer you authentic local foods for lunch.

Things Must Do in Suzhou

1. Grand Canal Night Cruise

Suzhou Ancient Canal Tour Company provides a night cruise on the city moat. What most visitors fail to realize is that a large part of the city moat is the Grand Canal. Over 20 historical attractions of Suzhou are united by it, making for an exquisite night tour.

In the evening time you can enjoy the lights from the ancient city walls, Couple’s Garden, and Baodai Bride. Daytime tours are lovely, however colors and lights of night tours are incomparable. The trip circumnavigates the entire ancient city and will take about 80 minutes.

Ancient Canal Port: No. 739 Panxu Road

Opening hours: 18:00 - 20:00 (the cruise runs every 15 - 30 minutes)

2. Jinji Lake Night Cruise

Jinji(Golden rooster) Lake, which was once a part of the vast Taihu Lake, has become China’s largest urban lake and park and a symbol of a “new paradise on earth” in the city of Suzhou. It is 1.8 square kilometers larger than West Lake in the city of Hangzhou.

Night cruises on Jinji Lake provide excellent sights and photo opportunities for the entire area. Evening boats leave from the Lake Watching Pavilion and pass by eight top attractions: the Lake Side Avenue, Li Gong Di Commercial Water Street, Peach Island, Ferris Wheel, Expo Center, Science and Culture Center, Linglong Island, and Music Fountain. The whole trip takes approximately 45 minutes.

Night cruise port: Lake Watching Pavilion on the west bank of Jinji Lake

Departure times: 19:30 (Monday to Thursday); 19:30 and 20:30 (Friday to Sunday)

3. Authentic Teahouses To Enjoy Pingtan and Kun Operas

Kunqu, also called Kun Opera, is one of the oldest forms of Chinese Operas, also considered to be one of its Four Great Characteristic Melodies. Born in the Wu Kingdom, today’s Kunshan area of Suzhou, it grew and thrived.

However, during the Cultural Revolution, opera performances were suppressed. Despite this and against all odds, Kunqu gained popularity and significance, leading to its current position of importance and appreciation. The Kun Opera Museum, in its hometown, walks visitors through the opera’s history.

Many written novels and poems have been adapted for Kun Opera stage performances. Renowned works such as The Peony Pavilion, The Peach Blossom Fan, Water Margin, Journey to the West, and Romance of the Three Kingdoms are among a long list of literary pieces that have been adapted for Kun Opera interpretations, source of much of its admiration. The Qinlan Showplace is an ideal option if you are interested in sitting and enjoying a performance.

Another aspect of Kunqu that is still unknown to many is that it has influenced many other styles of Opera, especially its better-known cousin, the Peking Opera. It is even said that the appearance of Kunqu was the key reason for the rise in popularity and success of Chinese theater and drama.

For these reasons and many more, Kunqu Opera was, in 2001, listed by UNESCO as one of the Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity.

Pingtan must also be noted as yet another exquisite performance art of Suzhou, after all, it is probably the most local form of performing art. Essentially, Pingtan is a storytelling art where together, two artists/storytellers, one male, and the other female, retell traditional tales. Stories can take hours, even days to be told and so. Traditionally, these performances take place in quaint and peaceful teahouses, such as the Plum and Bamboo House or Pinfang Tea House of Suzhou.

3. Plum and Bamboo Storytelling Garden

Address: No. 30 Taipingfang, Stone Road

Opening hours: 13:30-15:30

Transportation: Tour Bus 1 and 5, Bus 3, 6, 401

4. Guangyu Storytelling Hall

Address: No. 8 DiyiTianmen, Guanqian Street

Opening hours: 13:30 - 15:30

Transportation: Bus 2, 4, 23, 28, 29, 54, 55 and 401

4. Pinfang Teahouse

Address: No. 24-25 Xijiaomen, Guanqian Street

Opening hours: 13:30 - 15:30

Transportation: Bus 2, 4, 23, 28, 29, 54, 55 and 401

5. Visit Classic Museums

A hugely important part of any visitor’s itinerary is to visit museums. Classic Museums give all visitors access to some of the rarest treasures in Suzhou. All museums in Suzhou reflect the city’s long heritage in many different ways, while the two most visited are Suzhou Museum which was designed by Pritzker Prize-winning Chinese-American architect Ieoh Ming Pei in association with Pei Partnership Architects and Suzhou Embroidery Museum at Wang Ao's Ancestral Temple at No.262, Jingde Road.

HanshanTemple Bell Ringing Festival

Listening to the bell ringing of the Hanshan Temple on New Year's Eve has been an exceptionally grand occasion since it began in 1979. Every New Year's Eve, thousands of visitors at home and abroad gather inside and outside the temple to listen to one hundred and eight bells ringing and pray for luck and happiness for the upcoming new year.

The Maple Bridge and the Jiangchun Bridge stretch over the ancient canal and are simple and elegant in shape. When you look in the distance over the bridges, the sights of hills, waters, and fields outside the city of Suzhou leap up in your eyes and unfold in all their majesty.

The ancient Hanshan Temple in Suzhou is home to one of China the oldest and largest New Year festivals. In traditional Chinese culture, the stroke of midnight is celebrated by ringing the great bells of Buddhist temples.

Shop Around Suzhou

Suzhou is particularly famous for its embroidery, silk fans, musical instruments, scroll mounting, lanterns, mahogany furniture, and jade carvings. Freshwater pearls, sandalwood fans, tea and green teas, and snuff bottles are also items you should consider taking back home with you.

Guanqian Street and Shiquan Street are the busiest in Suzhou. They are commercial streets combining entertainment, restaurants, shopping, and tours.

Besides, you should not miss the Shantang Street. This street has a history of more than 1100 years. There is a lot of old architecture there. It is between Hu Qiu Mountain and the most thriving parts of Suzhou, so it becomes more important.

Many famous works referred to it. Visitors may appreciate the amorous feelings of the water town, Suzhou. There are full of neat clothes shops, which are the favorites of most young people. Here, there are full of Suzhou snacks and all kinds of fashionable food from other countries, such as Korean cold noodles and Japanese sashimi. Especially at night, the business is quite good.

Visit Local Artworks

Suzhou Embroidery holds a history of more than 2,500 years, known for its “delicacy, exquisiteness, elegance and conciseness” and honored as “China’s Best Embroidery” and “National Treasure of China.”

Good Suzhou embroideries are better than paintings due to their vivid representations of different landscapes far and near, various buildings against a deep backdrop, lively figures, graceful flowers, and gurgling birds, which describe exquisite craftsmanship and vivid images from the Song Dynasty.

Suzhou Embroidery has showcased its charms; unique characteristics and diverse stitching techniques that have been displayed on soft and lustrous silk, creating unparalleled beauty in oriental artworks.

Suzhou Fans

Suzhou fans have a long history and are famous at home and abroad. Exquisite sandalwood fans, folding fans, silk palace fans, and paper fans are all characteristics of art. The production of sandalwood fans includes zigzag-shaped steel thread on two ends of a bamboo bow and engraved flowers. “Ironing Flowers” refers to a piece of drawing with flowers and characters an electric pen on a spread sandalwood fan.

The drawing with clear gradations is vivid and has the effect of drawing on paper. “Drawing Flowers” refers to a piece of drawing of women, flowers and birds, mountains and waters on silk on the upper half of a fan. The picture is colorful and the drawing is fine and delicate.

A folding fan has fine and elegant characteristics. The frame on a folding fan is mainly made of bamboo carved or painted pieces of white bones with elegant flowers. The drawn pictures include flowers, birds, poems and patterns clear and pleasant.

Silk Palace fans are the most famous among the fans. It spread far and wide since the Han dynasty. There are round, hexagon, and rectangle ones. Its face is made of silk. Some are made of thin silk or cloth. There are also single-level or double-level ones. Pictures are drawn on it, matched by teeth, bones, and bamboo handles. The ancient style and elegance are obvious. It looks fine and pleasant.

Taste Suzhou Food

The flavors of Suzhou are namely sweet and delicate. Fresh vegetables, seafood, shellfish, and glutinous rice desserts are among the local favorites. There are many proven restaurants to discover where you can try the famous cuisine known as Taihu Lake Boat dishes and also a breaded fried fish plate called Song Shu Gui Yu.

Suzhou could be a paradise for gourmets. Suzhou cuisine features slightly sweetness in taste with fresh and seasonal vegetables as one of its raw materials. The vegetable and fish dishes region are especially famous.

The main famous food/gourmet streets of Suzhou are Taijian Alley (Nong), Bifeng Fang, ShiquanJie, FenghuangJie in PanmenDistrct, and XueshiJie, Shi Lu, and Ganjiang Lu. Many good restaurants are located on these streets.

The most famous cooked dishes are the squirrel-shaped Mandarin fish, fried crab meal, and Taihu Lake boat dish.

Accommodations

Since it is among the most popular destinations in China, Suzhou has many hotels and accommodations of all categories for travelers. Budget travelers may like the hostels while more discerning visitors may elect the fuller-service hotels.

Some good budget choices include Mingtown-Suzhou Youth Hostel, Noah’s Hotel Suzhou, and Suzhou Minghantang Youth Hostel. Economic and value properties include the Bamboo Grove Hotel and Suzhou Nanlin Hotel. To indulge, stay at the Somerset Emerald City Suzhou, Regalia Resort & Spa, or Garden Hotel Suzhou.

Recommended Suzhou Tours

Here is an ideal itinerary we recommend for 2-3 days in Suzhou. You could also check our pre-designed  Suzhou tours or contact us to tailor-make your own Suzhou tour. 

Day 1: Arrive in Suzhou, visit the Humble Administrator’s Garden, and Silk Factory, and take a short jaunt to or boat ride along the Grand Canal.

Day 2: Visit the Master of Nets Garden, Lingering Garden, and wander around Shantang Road or depart today.

Day 3: Leisure morning, depart Suzhou in the afternoon or evening.

• 4 Days Shanghai and Suzhou Memories Tour
• 2 Days Suzhou's Exquisite Gardens Tour
• Suzhou Classic Day Tour
• Suzhou & Tongli Water Town Day Tour