Suzhou Gardens and Canals Day Trip from Shanghai
Overview
Suzhou, half an hour from Shanghai on the high-speed train, is famous for two things: its classical gardens and its canals. The gardens, built by scholars and officials from the Song to the Qing dynasties, are a UNESCO World Heritage Site, little worlds of ponds, rockeries, pavilions and windows framing a view.
You travel with your guide from Shanghai by train and start at the Humble Administrator's Garden, the largest in the city, laid out around lotus ponds and zigzag bridges. Next comes the smaller Lingering Garden, with its covered walkways and strange limestone rocks. After lunch, walk along Pingjiang Road, a canal street of whitewashed houses, tea houses and little shops, where you can take a short boat ride on the water. You're back in Shanghai in the early evening.
It's a gentle day with plenty of walking on flat paths, and a peaceful contrast to the skyscrapers of Shanghai.
Highlights
- High-speed train from Shanghai in about half an hour
- Humble Administrator's Garden, Suzhou's largest
- The Lingering Garden and its limestone rocks
- Canal-side Pingjiang Road
- UNESCO-listed classical gardens
What's included
- Return high-speed train Shanghai–Suzhou (second class)
- English-speaking guide
- Entrance tickets to the Humble Administrator's Garden and Lingering Garden
- Local transport in Suzhou
- Lunch, unless stated by the operator
- Canal boat ride
- Tips
Location
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Itinerary
Frequently asked questions
Yes. Train tickets in China are issued in your name and checked against your passport, so bring it with you.
Spring and autumn. Lotus flowers fill the ponds of the Humble Administrator's Garden in summer, but it can be hot and busy.
