Private Suzhou Highlights Day Tour

This morning, your guide and driver will pick you up from the railway station or your hotel in Suzhou at the appointed time, and then accompany you to visit the first destination of your Shanghai to Suzhou day trip, the Humble Administrator’s Garden. Built in 1509 AD, the garden is praised as one of the four most famous classical gardens in China, along with the Summer Palace in Beijing. It is a masterpiece representing Chinese private gardens, which is strikingly different from the northern Chinese gardens with symmetrical style and broad views. Constrained by space, the garden emphasizes exquisite details and practicality. See the flying eaves of Celestial Spring Tower that are both aesthetically pleasing and have comfortable natural lighting, as well as intricately carved glassless windows that allow for ventilation and views of the garden. Water and bridges, the soul of the garden, allow you to encounter different views with every step and take in the Oriental artistic conception.

Later, we’ll also explore Suzhou Museum next to the garden, which is also a photo spot popular for its combination of the dark grey roofs inspired by Suzhou’s traditional architecture and the modern-style simple and clean geometric lines. I. M. Pei (1917-2019 AD), the Pritzker architect known for his project of the Louvre Glass Pyramid in Paris, designed the building of this museum for his hometown Suzhou.After that, let’s head to Pingjiang Road to take a hand-rowing boat along the water alleys, appreciating this one of the best-preserved ancient blocks of Suzhou. Listen to the sound of oars slicing through the water, and watch the verdant trees and the Suzhou-style buildings with white walls and grey roofs on the banks reflected in the water. Enjoy 30 minutes of leisurely boat ride and discover the charm of this city. Then, you could explore the surrounding streets brimming with stores and restaurants. Enjoy some free time and have lunch there by yourself. Traditional local food like squirrel-shaped fish, sweet Osmanthus cake and Suzhou-style noodles are worth trying.

In the afternoon, we’ll proceed to the Master of Nets Garden. With a history of about 900 years, it’s a compact private garden with all the elements of classical Suzhou gardens: pavilions, bridges, water, and rockeries. The garden even has a replica in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Although its name seems to be related to fishermen, it actually symbolizes a life of seclusion, and you could feel the elegance and tranquility of the garden while strolling along the winding paths. Capture some stunning pictures of the light and shadow at the Pavilion for the Advent of the Moon and Wind or the graceful Yinjing Bridge.

Here, your Suzhou day tour from Shanghai to classical gardens will draw to an end. The guide and driver will send you to your hotel in Suzhou or the railway station according to your needs. 

► Friendly Tips:
If you arrive in Suzhou by train, we kindly suggest you arrive before 09:00 and leave after 17:30 to fully enjoy the day tour. If you need train ticket booking service, please contact our travel consultant.