Getting There



By Air
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.

Q & A Search:

Q & A on Getting to Suzhou

1.

Jan. 20,2010 21:02 Reply

Mr.alex(australia) said:

Hi,I am travelling out from suzhou to wuxi on the 1st October with my my family. What are my chances of getting a train ticket on that day? Is it easier to take a taxi/cab out to wuxi? Would appreciate any information. thanks

Jan. 23,2010 22:20
Ms.Cindy replied:

You may have a trouble to get ticket on spot of Suzhou Railway Station. If you will make a stopover at Suzhou, suggest you buy the ticket on or two days in advance. Not all the taxi drivers would like to run to another city, and it may cost very expensive that day. You should try to get the train ticket first and bus is the secondary choice.

2.

Jan. 20,2010 05:33 Reply

Ms.Woo(Australia) said:

Hi I am staying for 2 days in shanghai and need to go to suzhou on the 30 sept 2010. I like to know would it be a problem to purchase train tickets to suzhou from shanghai on spot? If not how shall I go about getting the tickets. Is taking a cab an option. What are the charges to suzhou?

Jan. 23,2010 22:16
Ms.Cindy replied:

Yes, you can buy the ticket on spot. The ticket to Suzhou is not hart to get. Otherwise, you have two days in Shanghai and you have time to buy it, no matter in railway station or ticket office in downtown. Well, I still believe you can get the ticket while you are leaving for Suzhou. Suzhou is only one hour or so from Shanghai by bus (39 minutes by bullet train and 1 horus or so by other K or T trains). If you want to take a cab, it may cost300-400RMB. So, I don't think it is a good option to take cab. If you miss the D trains, you can take T or K trains, or bus.

3.

Jan. 8,2010 16:48 Reply

Mr.Luke(Canada) said:

I am planning to go by train from Shanghai to Suzhou returning the next day. What is the fare for return trip by the bullet train? Do I have to buy the ticket in advance or can I buy it on the day of travel?
For advance purchase, am I tied down to the time of train departure on the ticket? If I miss one train can I still take the next one? What is the time of the last train from Suzhou to Shanghai?

Jan. 8,2010 20:22
Mr.Hank replied:

1. the bullet train ticket fare is CNY26 from Shanghai to Suzhou, and vice versa. Except of holidays and weekends, you could purchase the train ticket on the spot.
2. Yes, you are tied to the time on the train tickets. If you miss it, you have to purchase another ticket. As for the train schedule, pleae refer to http://www.travelchinaguide.com/china-trains/

4.

Jan. 6,2010 02:51 Reply

Mrs.Sy(Philippines) said:

Hi! I will be traveling to Shanghai with my teen kids on April 19-25. Am planning to go outside of Shanghai as well. We'll arrive Shanghai by 12 midnight. Where can we go from there? Do you suggest we stay in Shanghai before heading for Suzhou et al? Thanks so much.

Jan. 6,2010 04:30
Mr.Jamie replied:

Yes, it is suggested that you stay in Shanghai for one night. There is no public tranportation could be used to Suzhou at that time!

5.

Dec. 19,2009 08:55 Reply

Ms.Eel(Malaysia) said:

Hi

Trying to organise a tour for my customer. Is Suzhou on the way from SHanghai to Huangzhou? If yes, how does it take from SHanghai to Su Zhou and then Su ZHou to Huangzhou? Thank

Dec. 20,2009 01:53
Mr.Cindy replied:

No, Suzhou is not on the way from SHanghai to Suzhou, but they are not far from each other. Suzhou is half a hout by bullet train from Shanghai, Hangzhou is 1.5 hours by bullet train from Shanghai, different rail routes. Suzhou is 2 hours by bus from Hangzhou.

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