Venice of the East - Suzhou
With a history of nearly 2500 years, Suzhou is an important birthplace of Wu culture (An important part of Chinese civilization) and has the reputation of "Paradise on Earth". The representative of Chinese private gardens, Suzhou Classical Gardens and the Suzhou Section of the Grand Canal of China are listed as World Cultural Heritage by UNESCO. Suzhou was also marveled at by Marco Polo as "Venice of the East". The ancient city is situated within a network of water, and the streets are built along the river, parallel by land and water.


Top things to do and see in Suzhou
Visit Suzhou Classical Gardens
Suzhou classical gardens date back to the Spring and Autumn Period and flourished in the Ming and Qing Dynasties. Known as the "City of Gardens", Suzhou had more than 170 gardens at the end of the Qing Dynasty, with more than 50 existing now. Suzhou classical gardens and residences are integrated into one, which can be appreciated, visited, and lived in. In order to beautify and improve the living environment in densely populated cities lacking natural scenery, ancient people start to build those types of architectures to pursue harmonious coexistence with nature. Among these classical gardens, we would recommend the Humble Administrator's Garden (Admission fee: CN¥90 Per Person, 07:30-17:00), Lingering Garden (Admission fee: CN¥55 Per Person, 07:30-17:00), and Master of the Nets Garden (Admission fee: CN¥40 Per Person, 07:30-17:00).
Explore the Ancient Towns
As a famous historical and cultural city, Suzhou also retains many ancient towns. Unlike ancient towns in northern China, most of those in Suzhou is surrounded by water and connected by numerous ancient bridges. These bridges are connecting the ancient streets and dwellings. It is quite interesting to travel on the awning boat and cross the ancient stone bridges. Strolling in the streets of the ancient towns, watching the bricks and tiles here, feeling the precipitation of history and the splendor of culture. We recommend travelers to go to Zhouzhuang (Admission fee: CN¥100 Per Person, 08:00-21:00) or Tongli (Admission fee: CN¥100 Per Person, 07:30-17:30) for exploring and visiting. The traffic is very convenient whether you start from downtown Suzhou or Shanghai.

Tiger Hill (Huqiu) Scenic Area
With a long history of more than 2500 years, Tiger Hill (Admission fee: CN¥80 Per Person, 07:30-17:00) is located in the northwest corner of the ancient city of Suzhou, and a must-visit place when visiting Suzhou. The most famous attractions are Tiger Hill Tower and Tiger Hill Sword Pool. The Tiger Hill Tower is called the "Leaning Tower of Oriental Pisa", and the sword pool is named because it looks like a flat sword when viewed from above. In addition, there are temples, pavilions, ancient tombs, springs, all kinds of strange rocks, rich vegetation, and other cultural and natural landscapes. Several flower fairs or temple fairs are held here every year, and a large number of famous Chinese and foreign flowers and plants will be exhibited, with quiet and beautiful scenery.
Suzhou Museum
Suzhou Museum was established in 1960. In 1999, the Suzhou government invited the world-renowned architect Leoh Ming Pei to design the new Suzhou Museum. In October 2006, the new building of Suzhou Museum was completed and officially opened to the public. This is a comprehensive museum integrating modern building architecture, ancient architecture, and innovative landscape gardens. The museum has more than 40,000 cultural relics, including archaeological relics, paintings, and calligraphy, handicrafts, etc. The old building of the museum preserves more than 400 pieces of Suzhou-style painted paintings and other important relics and art treasures of the late Qing Dynasty. It is an extremely precious cultural heritage in the Chinese cultural treasure house. Tickets are free, and volunteer narrators provide free explanations every day. Opening time is from 09:00-17:00 Tuesday to Sunday.
Hanshan Temple
Built-in 502-519 AD, Hanshan Temple (Admission fee: CN¥20 Per Person, 07:30-17:00) is located in Gusu District of Suzhou. In history, Hanshan Temple was one of the top ten famous temples in China. There are many historical sites in the temple, including stone inscriptions and stone statues of historical celebrities. It is a famous place for praying for blessings. Every year on December 31st, Hanshan Temple holds a New Year's Eve bell-ringing ceremony with 108 bells ringing. Each ring represents a kind of trouble, after listening to the bell-ringings, the trouble will go away with the wind in the coming year.

Stroll along the Pingjiang Road
Pingjiang Road is an old historic street in Suzhou, a small road along the river, with a total length of about 1.6 kilometers. It’s also the most intact area of the ancient city of Suzhou so far kept, which can be called the epitome of the ancient Suzhou. The entire Pingjiang Road retains the old appearance of the streets, even the transformed bars, souvenir shops, and cafes retain the original features of the ancient city, looking like residential buildings. You can also taste the local specialties of Suzhou here, and it is also close to major classical gardens.
Shantang Street
Shantang Street has a history of more than 1,100 years. During the Tang Dynasty poet Bai Juyi's tenure as the governor of Suzhou, he dredged the northwest river channel outside Suzhou city and excavated the mountain river. So the ancient street along the river was called Shantang (means mountain river in Chinese) Street. It used to be one of the most developed commercial and cultural blocks in China during the Ming and Qing Dynasties, known as "the first ancient street in China". Shantang Street at night is very artistic and suitable for taking pictures. Travelers can also find a teahouse, listen to the Pingtan, and experience the traditional culture of ancient Suzhou.
Night tour of Jinji Lake
As the largest inner-city lake in China, Jinji Lake is flooded with tourists who come for walking, shopping, and tasting delicious food every day. Brides and grooms also like to take wedding photos here. The night view of Jinji Lake must not be missed. By the lake, all kinds of buildings are exceptionally beautiful under the glittering neon lights. Visitors can consider renting a bicycle for a night ride to experience Suzhou's peaceful and gorgeous night. Here you can also feel that ancient Suzhou has a sense of modern technology, colorful entertainment life, and trends.


Local activity and specialty in Suzhou
Enjoy the Kunqu Opera or Pingtan
Kun Opera originated in Kunshan County, Suzhou in the late Yuan Dynasty and early Ming Dynasty, which has a history of more than 600 years. It is known as the "ancestor of Chinese operas." If you want to listen to authentic Kunqu opera, you can go to Fuxi Hall on Pingjiang Road, Shantang Kunqu Opera Hall on Shantang Street, or Suzhou Kun Opera Theatre in Taohuawu. There are fragment Kun Opera performances in the Humble Administrator’s Garden, Lingering Garden, Master of the Nets Garden, and other classical gardens, so don’t miss it when you visit the classic gardens.
Pingtan is a traditional form of story-telling performed by people in the Wu dialect represented by the Suzhou dialect. There are talking and singing, which can be said to be the "hip-hop" of Suzhou. The contents of Pingtan are mostly legendary novels and folk tales, Pingtan usually performs in tea houses.
Suzhou Embroidery and Silk
Su embroidery originated in Suzhou and is one of the four famous embroideries in China and one of the national intangible cultural heritage. Su embroidery has a unique style of beautiful patterns, ingenious ideas, meticulous embroidery, lively stitches, and elegant colors, with strong local characteristics. Su embroidery works can be framed and hung on the wall as decoration. Many are made into arts and crafts or commodities, such as Suzhou embroidery scarves, pillowcases, purses, and so on.
Suzhou is the hometown of silk, and the Taihu Lake Basin has preserved Neolithic and Paleolithic sites, which witness the long history of silk. Physical fragments of textiles dating back 6,000 years ago were unearthed here. Silk fabrics dating back 4,700 years ago and a large number of spinning wheels and bone needles dating back 4,000 years ago have also been unearthed. The scarves, clothes, and skirts made of silk are very exquisite, feel very silky and smooth to the touch, and very comfortable to wear on the body. For thousands of years, silk is still very popular. Su Embroidery products and silk clothing and accessories are the most popular souvenirs in Suzhou.

Taste the seasonal delicacy of Taihu Lake
Located on the southern edge of the Yangtze River Delta, Lake Tai is one of the five largest freshwater lakes in China, two-thirds of which belong to Suzhou. Whenever you come to Taihu Lake, you will feel the freshness of the four seasons of the Taihu Lake Basin, which is full of fruits, fish, and shrimps. From March to April, green tea is harvesting, and it's the best time to drink the Biluochun. In May, green plums and loquats mature and taste refreshing and delicious. From June to July, bayberry and peaches are well-ripe, with a bite of sweet and sour and juicy. From August to September, the Taihu Lake starts fishing, you can taste the freshest Taihu fish and shrimps. At the same time, you can also pick and taste the tangerines, pomegranates, dates, and persimmons. From October-December, when the Taihu crabs are harvested and marketed. Each one is plump, the crab meat is sweet and tenacious, and the taste is very delicious.
Biluochun Tea
Biluochun is produced in the area of Taihu Lake in Wu County, Suzhou City, Jiangsu Province. It is a traditional Chinese tea, one of China's top ten famous teas, and belongs to the category of green tea with a history of more than 1,000 years. It was listed as a tribute in the Tang Dynasty, and now ordinary people can drink it anytime. According to national standards, Biluochun tea is divided into seven grades according to product quality, and the price gap is also large. Generally, there are only one or two types of Biluochun tea available in teahouses or restaurants. If you want to buy and take it home to families and friends, you can choose a corresponding Biluochun according to your taste preferences and budget.


Best time to visit Suzhou
Suzhou is a good place to travel in all seasons, especially spring. In the spring from March to May, the climate is pleasant and the flowers bloom. From June to October, you can enjoy the beautiful natural scenery in Suzhou, and fresh peach, red bayberry, loquat, hairy crab, bamboo shoots, and many kinds of fresh fruits and vegetables will come out, which is enough to satisfy your appetite. The classical garden in winter is still full of life, planted with trees and flowers of this season. If you are lucky enough to encounter winter snow, Suzhou will be more classical and gorgeous.


How to get to Suzhou
There is no civil aviation airport in Suzhou, and travelers usually take the flight to Shanghai Hongqiao Airport, Shanghai Pudong Airport, or Wuxi Shuofang Airport for transit. Among them, Shanghai Hongqiao Airport is the most convenient to go to Suzhou. From Hongqiao Airport T2 terminal, it takes about 10 minutes to walk to Shanghai Hongqiao High-speed Railway Station for the half-hour ride to Suzhou by high-speed train.
Suzhou highway system is developed, it takes about 1.5-2 hours to drive from Shanghai to downtown Suzhou. And It takes about 40 minutes to drive from Wuxi Shuofang Airport to Suzhou. The three airports mentioned above all have shuttle buses to Suzhou. Certainly, visitors can take a private car through a local China travel agency or take a taxi, based on their travel budget.

Lodging and dining in Suzhou
Lodging in Suzhou
Most tourists will choose to stay in the Guanqian Street area, which is located in the center of Suzhou City and a relatively concentrated area of Suzhou attractions. Many tourists will also choose to stay near the Shilu commercial area, which is located next to the ancient canal and is a commercial pedestrian street that combines ancient Suzhou style and modern fashion. This area is not only convenient for dining and shopping but also close to Hanshan Temple and Huqiu Scenic Area. In addition, hotels near Shiquan Street and Jinji Lake are also popular.
Suzhou has various categories and grades from inns, budget hotels, 3-star economy hotels to 5-star luxury hotels. Depending on the off-season, peak season, and holidays, the average price of a 3-star hotel usually ranges CN¥300-500 per night, CN¥480-1,000 per night for 4-star hotels, and CN¥1,200-2,300 per night for 5-star hotels. Most hotels are modern from architectural style to room decoration and facilities, and there are also many very chic hotels and inns with ancient buildings that are worth experiencing and staying.

Food in Suzhou
Suzhou is one of the food culture centers of eastern China, one of the three major food cultures (Beijing, Suzhou, and Canton), and the place where Su food culture is developed. Besides, Suzhou snack is one of the four great snacks in China.
Su-style dishes taste fresh and sweet, especially paying attention to the temperature and duration of heating, cooking, smelting, etc. The Sugar vinegar Squirrel-shaped mandarin fish (CN¥150 per dish), Ring oil eel paste (CN¥70 per dish), Crab Roe Tofu (CN¥70 per dish) are all very famous Suzhou dishes. The most popular snacks are small wontons and pan-fried buns (around CN¥20-40 per person), which many locals eat for breakfast, accompanied by a bowl of salty meat soup. People in Suzhou also love noodles. Unlike the noodles in northern China, Suzhou noodles pay more attention to the side dishes of the noodles rather than the tenacity of the noodles. The side dishes of Suzhou noodles are generally all kinds of meat, the more common ones are pork moose, pork chops in soy sauce, shrimp, fish, crab meat, and so on. The local river prawn noodles and crab roe noodles are affected by the season and only can enjoy these delicacies in a few months every year, so the price is expensive. Usually, the price of a bowl of prawns or crab roe noodles is CN¥140-180, but a bowl of ordinary Suzhou noodles is about CN¥25-40. The dim sum/cakes in Suzhou are also very delicate, many shapes are made into flower shapes, and the fillings are usually red bean paste. The price varies from a few Yuan to dozens of Yuan.
