Suzhou: Living Guide
If you love ancient Chinese culture this is the city for you, ranging from the picturesque views in the gardens to the tranquil water towns, but still having a very modern transport system and lovely locals!
The Basics
Suzhou is a major city based in Jiangsu Province, East China around 40km from Wuxi, 100km away from Shanghai and 110km away from Hangzhou (the province’s capital and largest city). A relatively large city with a population of 10.7 million.
The best time of year is from April to September, since its sunny and warm. It allows you to enjoy the nature within the parks, water towns and beautiful gardens. It’s an extremely popular expat city, so meeting new people will be extremely easy.
The Suzhou Metro is generally very efficient, with 4 lines currently in operation, but it’s projected to have 9 lines by 2024! There are also 5 long distance bus stations, normal city buses, and a boat trip across the Grand Canal.
City Highlights
Zhouzhuang Water Town
30km southeast of Suzhou, known for its well preserved and beautiful local houses, amazing water views and ancient architecture.
Shantang Street
Shantang Street is an ancient (1,200 year old!) riverside pedestrian road – and one of the must-sees in Suzhou! Walk along Shantang Street to be transported back to Ancient China – it’s the perfect place for a chilled-out walk and try some of the local food.
Lingering Garden
Did you know there are over 60 gardens in Suzhou?! Here we are mentioning one of the most famous and most beautiful gardens - you can spend at least 2-3 hours here taking in the beautiful scenery.
Tiger Hill
Tiger Hill is known for its natural environment and historic sites. The name comes from the the hill looking similar to a crouching tiger. It has a history of over 2500 years containing old buildings, rocks and a leaning pagoda. Tickets costing 80 RMB on season and 60 RMB off season.
Suzhou Museum
It is one of the most visited museums in the world - with over 2 million visitors in 2019! Containing ancient Chinese art, paintings, calligraphy and several national treasures, making it an amazing place to learn more about Chinese Culture.
Surrounding Areas
Fancy heading out of Suzhou? You are surrounded by endless options which are super easy to get to!
Wuxi
Wuxi is just 20 minutes away from Suzhou and is well worth a visit. There’s a lot of incredible parks, a vast amount of water and beautiful ancient streets. Don’t forget to try their sweet ribs!
Jiaxing
Why not visit Jiaxing? Having a huge coastline 121 km long and has lots of man-made beaches. The weather is very unpredictable due to the intense humidity so bring an umbrella!
Shanghai
You can visit Shanghai by bullet train in just 20-30 minutes! An easy day trip from Suzhou. Walk along the bund for the classic view of the skyscrapers, then walk along West Nanjing Road for a little shopping and then head to People’s Park. In just one day you can tick off some of the must-see places in Shanghai.