One Day Suzhou Tour from Shanghai

This morning, your professional guide and the driver will meet you at your self-booked hotel in Shanghai at the time agreed with you, and 8:30AM is recommended. Then we’ll set out for this one-day Suzhou tour from Shanghai by a comfortable private car. During the 1.5-hour journey to Suzhou, your guide will briefly introduce Suzhou City to you, which is praised as the “Venice of the East”, with its elegant classical gardens and well-preserved water towns.

Upon arrival, let’s first visit the Humble Administrator’s Garden, which is the foremost of the “Four Famous Gardens in Suzhou” and was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site. It was initially constructed by a government official around 500 years ago as his retreat away from the world. The garden ingeniously connects a maze of rockeries, ancient trees, and elegant traditional buildings with water as its carrier, creating a series of peaceful and secluded scenes. Stroll along the lotus ponds, linger under the long corridors, and admire the halls and waterside pavilions to savor the poetic charm. Many buildings in the Humble Administrator’s Garden are named after lotus flowers which have always been associated with purity and aloofness in the hearts of Chinese literati. Thereafter, we’ll explore through Suzhou Old Town by a nostalgic rickshaw. The old town, once the economic and cultural center of south China, has remained on its original site since its establishment 2,500 years ago, which is unusual across the world. The entire town is like a vast garden, with bridges, flowing water, and traditional houses. If you like, try authentic Suzhou food here for lunch at your own expense. The signature dishes like squirrel-shaped mandarin fish, pan-fried soup dumplings, and plum blossom cakes are popular among the locals.

In the afternoon, let’s drive 40 minutes to the Tongli Water Town, which is a 1,000-year-old town isolated from the hustle and bustle of the city, with over 30 traditional residences with a history of several hundred years. The guide will accompany you to stroll across the three old-fashioned stone bridges called Ternate Bridges, which are believed to bring good luck, health, and wealth, and are significant spots for local ceremonies. Now, you can behold the vistas of the town, woven with a net of crisscrossed waterways, and absorb the timeless lifestyle of residents who have lived by the water for generations. Walk along the flagstone-paved Mingqing Ancient Street to discover fascinating antiques, embroidery crafts, and silk, and also encounter tourists wearing traditional Chinese costumes and taking amazing photos.

Forget the superficial tour. Your guide will show you beyond the surface to explore the Retreat and Reflection Garden (Tuisi Garden), another World Heritage Site hidden in Tongli Town. First built in 1885 AD, the garden features compact and exquisite architecture within a relatively small area. Most of the garden’s buildings are centered around a pond, extending horizontally from west to east, which is distinctive among Chinese classical gardens. Enjoy some quiet time seeing the koi fish swimming in the jasper-like water and find your inner peace in the fine garden.

After touring the charming water town, your private Shanghai to Suzhou day trip will come to an end. Your guide and driver will escort you back to your hotel in Shanghai. Hope you have had a nice day with us and we are looking forward to traveling with you again!