Despite being an important tourist destination, Suzhou does not have its own international airport at present. It is best to use the airports of nearby Shanghai. Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport (SHA) and Pudong International Airport (PVG) are used frequently by domestic and international visitors.
Hongqiao Airport (SHA) is 86 kilometers (about 53 miles) away from Suzhou. Every day shuttle buses run between SHA and Suzhou. The whole journey takes about one hour and forty minutes.
Buses from SHA to Suzhou:
Time of departure: The buses depart from SHA on the hour from 10:00 to 16:00 every day. Also, two buses leave SHA at 17:30 and 19:00.
Fare: 50 Yuan per person.
Buses from Suzhou to SHA:
Address: CEAG (China Easter Airlines Group) ticket office, No.115, Ganjiang Xilu, Suzhou
Time of departure: 6:20, 7:20, 7:50, 8:20, 9:20, 10:20, 10:50, 11:50, 12:50, 13:50, 14:50.
Fare: 50 Yuan per person.
You can also get to Suzhou by flying to Pudong International Airport (PVG), which is located 120 kilometers (about 65 miles) away from Suzhou.
Buses from PVG to Suzhou:
Address: The parking lots at the 2nd floor of PVG's terminal building.
Time of departure: 10:40, 11:20, 11:50, 12:50, 13:50, 14:40, 15:20, 16:10, 16:50, 17:50, 18:50, 19:40
Fare: 82 Yuan per person.
Buses from Suzhou to PVG:
First, take the bus to SHA, and then take the No.1 shuttle bus from SHA to PVG. The price is 30 Yuan per person.
Time of departure for the No. 1 shuttle bus: every 10 minutes from 6:00 am to 9:00 pm
Lastly, for the visitors to or from Beijing and Foshan (in Guangdong Province), the Guangfu Airport, located in the west suburb of Suzhou, has direct flights every week.
Several airlines companies have ticket offices in Suzhou City, so your trip by air will be more convenient.
CEAG: No.192, Renmin Lu
CSAC (China South Airlines Company): No.943, Renmin Lu
AC (Air China): No.183, Fenghuang Jie
CAAC (Civil Aviation Administration of China): No.85, Renmin Lu
By Train
Almost all the trains running on the Hu-Ning (Shanghai-Nanjing) Railway stop at the Suzhou Railway Station. Suzhou is the terminus and starting station for five trains to and from Beijing, Shanghai, Nanjing and Ganzhou (Jiangxi Province) everyday. The rest of the trains are bound for Shanghai from Beijing, Chengdu, Xian, Qingdao, Xining and Nanjing, etc., but stop in Suzhou. Usually, at least two trains to Shanghai stop in Suzhou each hour. The trains which go direct to Suzhou from Shanghai depart Shanghai at 6:30 and 16:41 everyday. The return trains depart at 7:13 and 17:09.
Address of Suzhou Railway Station: Chezhan Lu, Suzhou
Bus: 16 buses terminate at the Suzhou Railway Station, including No.1, 102, 103, 178, 19, 26, 518, 69 and 83.For information call: 67272831
Tip: You can buy tickets 6 days before you leave at the Ticket Hall at the east of the Suzhou Railway Station.
By Long-distance Bus
Suzhou is known as the 'Southeast Gate' to Shanghai and Zhejiang Province because of its well-developed highway network. Three long-distance bus stations are in use in Suzhou nowadays. The Suzhou North Bus Station has the most bus routes to Anhui, Hubei, Fujian, Shandong, Jiangxi, and Zhejiang provinces. Buses also depart for Shanghai from the North Bus Station once every twenty minutes. The ticket fare varies from 26 Yuan to 30 Yuan.
Address:
North Station: No.29, Xihui Lu. Located at the east of Suzhou Railway Station.
South Station: Located at the corner of Nanhuan Eastern Road and Yingchun Road. Take the No.10, 931, 54, or 55 buses to get there.
Buses going to Anhui, Hubei, Shandong, Jiangxi, and Zhejiang provinces plus Shanghai are available here.
West Station: Jinshan Road, New District. The No.313, 39, 302, 317, or 622 buses will take you to West Station. Buses to Anhui and Zhejiang provinces and Shanghai depart from here.
Travelers' Voices on Getting to Suzhou
1.
Nov. 5,2009 05:42 Reply
Ms.marta(catalonia) said:
Hi,
Is it possible to go from Huangyan (Zhejiang) to Suzhou without going to Shanghai?
How long do I need to visit Suzhou?
Can anyone recommend any nice hotel in Suzhou?
Thanks!
Marta
Nov. 6,2009 02:08
Mr.Shan replied:
Yes, at the Huangyan Bus Station or the Taizhou South Bus Station, you could take a coach to arrive in Suzhou directly.
Usually, it is suggested that you spend 2~3 days in downtown Suzhou, or one more day to its neary water town.
Here is a hotel list of Suzhou for your reference: http://www.travelchinaguide.com/hotel/suzhou-hotels.htm
2.
Nov. 4,2009 09:32 Reply
Ms.JANNICE(Malaysia) said:
Hi All..
my concern here is what is the best way from suzhou to Xiaoshan International Airport .
do you have any suggestion?
i need to catch up my flight( depart from Xiaoshan Airport) at 1pm and back to Malaysia.
your suggestion/response will be highly appreciated. thanks
Nov. 4,2009 23:16
Mr.Shan replied:
You could take the shuttle bus from Suzhou to Hangzhou Airport directly. It is suggested that you catch the one departing from Zhongshan Dasha, Renmin Road, Suzhou at 07:45. The journey is about 3 hours at least.
3.
Oct. 29,2009 08:44 Reply
Ms.Rebecca(Singapore) said:
Can I take the bullet train from Shanghai airport to Suzhou? Which airport, Pudong or Hongqiao? What's the frequency/timing of the trains?
Nov. 1,2009 01:47
Ms.Cindy replied:
No, you should get to Shanghai Railway Station from either of the airports first and then take the bullet train to Suzhou. There are many trains a day, the last one is leaving 21:28. You can jsut take airport bus to the railway station and buy tickets for the train.
4.
Oct. 5,2009 01:56 Reply
Ms.Lau(Singaopre) said:
Please help to advice what is the recommended tranportation from Hangzhou to Suzhou. How long does it take and how much? Thanks.
Oct. 9,2009 20:57
Mr.Jamie replied:
Recommend go by bus. Hangzhou North Bus Station has buses to Suzhou. It takes about 2-3 hours.
Oct. 10,2009 06:10
Ms.Lau(Singapore) replied:
HI Jamie,
Thanks for your reply.
I will be staying in Elan Inn (Xueshi Road), do you know how far is this to the Hangzhou North Bus station?
Thanks again.
Oct. 11,2009 03:17
Mr.Shan replied:
Hi Lau, both of the Hangzhou North Bus Station and the Hangzhou East Bus Station have express bus to Suzhou everyday. The former one is about 9 kms from the hotel as the latter one is about 7kms~ You could use the taxi or the city-bus to reach both of them.
5.
Sep. 22,2009 10:00 Reply
Ms.Susanne(USA) said:
What is the best way to get from Suzhou to PVG? Bus or train? How long does it take?
Sep. 23,2009 01:55
Ms.Cindy replied:
The best way is to get to the ticket office of China Eastern Airlines in 115, Ganjiang West Road. There are direct buses to Pudong Airport, and the journey is about 2.5 hours. Time leaving from Suzhou 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
6.
Sep. 20,2009 21:33 Reply
Ms.shaz(Australia) said:
Hi there,
Are tickets from Shanghai to Suzhou easy to buy? (will be in Shanghai in dec)I have heard horror stories of how difficult it can be to buy train seats with large crowds and all that. I also heard there are self ticketing machines. Would it be ok to buy Suzhou tickets on the day of travel? I am australian-chinese and can speak mandarin, but not that fluently. please advise.
Sep. 23,2009 01:51
Mr.Jamie replied:
It is not difficult to buy the ticket in December. Still suggest you buy ticket in ticket counters of Shanghai Railway Station and the ticket back from Suzhou is also available.
7.
Sep. 14,2009 05:21 Reply
Ms.JH(Malaysia) said:
Would like to check whether is there any transport from Huangshan to Suzhou? Thanks !
Sep. 17,2009 22:08
Mr.Andy replied:
Two night trains are available in Huangshan to Suzhou and arrive there next morning, about 13 hours. Tunxi Bus Station has bus to Suzhou leaving at 6:10. Bus time is sometimes changeable and need to confirm by asking the bus station in advance.
8.
Aug. 26,2009 22:10 Reply
Ms.TRIP0903(United States) said:
Hi, anyone knows which bus station from Hangzhou to Suzhou? Frequency?
Is there a direct bus or train from Tunxi/Tangkou to Suzhou? Thanks.
Aug. 29,2009 03:15
Mr.Hank replied:
The Hangzhou East Bus Station has coaches to Suzhou. The interval is about 20 minutes. Very frequently!
As I know, the Tunxi Bus Station has two buses to Suzhou. Seems no buses departing from Tangkou.
9.
Jul. 30,2009 18:08 Reply
Mr.WNEDDIE(United States) said:
We are 2 seniors and are planning to travel from Hangzhou to Suzhou on 1 Oct 09. From this forumn it is recommended that we take the bus. Because of the National Holiday, would the bus be a major hassle? Can the bus seats be reserved? Or would you suggest take the "d" train or a "bullet train" to Shanghai thru to Suzhou. Or should we hire a car/driver to transfer us from Hangzhou to Suzhou. Thank you in advance for a response.
Aug. 3,2009 02:08
Mr.Shan replied:
Please don't worry, even if you travel during the national holiday, you could catch a bus from Hangzhou to Suzhou easily. Usually, more buses will be put into use in every holiday to meet travelers' needs. And, it is sure that you could purchase a ticket with seat just when you arrive at the bus station.
10.
Jul. 20,2009 07:54 Reply
Ms.Sandi(Canada) said:
We are staying in a hotel near The Bund in Shanghai. We want to leave very early to go to Suzhou, before the tourist buses leave from the stadium. From the Bund, is it easier to take the train to Suzhou in the early morning (7am) or is there a bus to Suzhou that is just as fast? Where to get the bus? Thank you!
Jul. 21,2009 03:39
Mr.Shan replied:
I think you could take an express train from Shanghai Railway Station to Suzhou. Close to the Bund, you cold take the subway Line 1 to arrive at Shanghai Railway Station in 15 minutes. Then, you could catch the trains D5474 at 07:37 or D5406 at 07:42 to arrive in Suzhou in 40 minutes. Very convenient!