In the print dialog pick “Save as PDF” to keep it on your phone. A5 makes a pocket booklet; A4 suits a desk printer.
Voykit pocket guide · China
Suzhou
苏州
Give Suzhou 2 nights: one full day for the classical gardens and canals, one for a water town or the Suzhou Industrial Park.
Suzhou is a 2,500-year-old canal city 25 minutes from Shanghai by high-speed rail, and the classical gardens inside its old moat are a UNESCO site. The old town (Gusu) holds the gardens, temples and canal lanes; the Suzhou Industrial Park to the east is a modern lakeside district with malls and hotels. Two nights covers the core; add a night if you want a water town or a slower pace.
- Country
- China
- Local name
- 苏州
- Best months
- Apr–May, Oct–Nov
- Avoid
- Jul–Aug (hot, humid, heavy rain), Chinese New Year and Golden Week
- Stay
- 2 nights
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- CNY
- Money
- Alipay and WeChat Pay accept Visa, Mastercard, JCB and Amex cards; single payments over ¥200 carry a fee of about 3% on a foreign card (smaller ones are free), and per-payment and yearly caps apply — check the app. Keep a second way to pay.
- Daily spend
- Budget ¥250–450 excl. bed · Mid ¥450–900 excl. bed · High ¥900+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- A roaming eSIM from outside China routes traffic through its home network, so Google, WhatsApp and Instagram work without a VPN — the simplest setup.
- Emergency
- Police 110 · Fire 119 · Ambulance 120
- Plugs
- Types A, C, I · 220 V · 50 Hz · Many sockets take flat two-pin (A), round two-pin (C) and angled three-pin (I) plugs; UK plugs need an adapter.
- Tipping
- Restaurants: No tip; upmarket hotels add 10–15% service.; Taxis and DiDi: No tip.; Tour guides and drivers: Expected on organised tours: about ¥100–200 a day for a guide, ¥50–100 for a driver.; Hotel porters: Not expected; ¥10–20 in luxury hotels.
- Water
- Not for drinking from the tap; bottled water ¥2–5, and kettles and free bottles in hotel rooms. Restaurants serve hot water or tea.
- Toilets
- Public toilets are frequent and free; squat toilets outside hotels and malls. Carry tissues — many have no paper.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Coffee or tea in a café | ¥20–40 |
| Noodle soup or a rice set | ¥25–60 |
| Beer: draught in a bar / can at a convenience store | ¥25–45 / ¥5–10 |
| Metro ride | ¥2–5 (check) |
| Garden or museum entry | ¥40–90 (check) |
| Taxi across the old town | ¥15–30 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- PVG · Shanghai Pudong International
- About 120 km away; shuttle bus to Suzhou takes about 1 h 40 min, or train via HongqiaoAbout 75 mi away; shuttle bus to Suzhou takes about 1 h 40 min, or train via Hongqiao
- SHA · Shanghai Hongqiao International
- About 86 km away; some Suzhou–Shanghai bullet trains stop at Hongqiao Railway Station, one metro stop from the airportAbout 53 mi away; some Suzhou–Shanghai bullet trains stop at Hongqiao Railway Station, one metro stop from the airport
- WUX · Wuxi Shuofang
- Closest airport, mostly domestic flights; about 15 min by high-speed train from Wuxi to Suzhou
Typical fares
- Suzhou → Shanghai, high-speed train
- under 30 min, second class about ¥40–60 (check)
- Shanghai Hongqiao Airport → Suzhou, shuttle bus
- about 1 h, about ¥50
- Metro ride in the old town
- ¥2–5 (check)
Get around
The metro covers the old town, both rail stations and the SIP; lines 1 and 4 are the useful ones for visitors. Buses fill the gaps and a taxi across the old town is short and cheap. The old town is walkable between Guanqian Jie and Shiquan Jie.
See and do
Known for
- Classical Gardens of Suzhou (UNESCO)
- Canal lanes of the old town
- Silk and embroidery
- Kunqu opera and pingtan
- Water towns on Lake Tai
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Shanghai | High-speed train from Suzhou Station to Shanghai or Hongqiao, under 30 min | About 1 h |
| Wuxi | High-speed train from Suzhou Station, about 15 min | About 45 min |
| Nanjing | High-speed train from Suzhou Station, about 1 h | About 1.5 h |
| Tongli or Zhouzhuang water town | Bus or taxi from Suzhou, roughly 1 h | About 1.5 h |
| Yangzhou | High-speed train via Nanjing or a direct service, check times | 2–3 h |
| Changzhou | High-speed train from Suzhou Station, about 40 min | About 1 h |
Sleep
- Gusu old town (Guanqian Jie / Shiquan Jie)
- Walk to the gardens, canals and the Temple of Mystery; metro lines 1 and 4. Best for a first visit.
- Suzhou Station area
- North of the old town on the ring road; metro lines 2 and 4. Practical for one night with bags.
- Suzhou Industrial Park (Jinji Lake)
- Modern hotels, malls and lakeside parkland; metro lines 1, 5 and 11. Quieter, more space, 20–30 min from the gardens.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Hello | 你好nǐ hǎo |
| Thank you | 谢谢xiè xie |
| How much is it? | 多少钱？duō shao qián |
| Where is the toilet? | 洗手间在哪里？xǐ shǒu jiān zài nǎ lǐ |
| Can I pay by card? | 可以刷卡吗？kě yǐ shuā kǎ ma |
| I don't understand | 我不懂wǒ bù dǒng |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Handshake and a nod; use surnames with a title; avoid: Hugs and cheek kisses
- Face: Disagree privately and indirectly; avoid: Correcting or embarrassing someone in front of others
- Gifts: Give with two hands; expect the gift to be refused once or twice and opened later; avoid: Clocks, umbrellas, white flowers, sets of four
- Business cards: Present and receive with both hands, read it, keep it on the table; avoid: Writing on it or pocketing it at once
- Queues and crowds: Hold your ground politely in scrums at buses and lifts; avoid: Taking pushing personally
- Temples: Walk clockwise around Tibetan stupas and prayer wheels; remove hats; avoid: Touching statues or photographing where signs forbid
- Politics: Listen; follow your host's lead; avoid: Raising Tibet, Taiwan, Xinjiang, 1989 or the party leadership
- Numbers and colour: Red and 8 are lucky; red envelopes carry money gifts; avoid: Writing names in red; the number 4
Scams and watch-outs
- Summer is hot and humid with heavy rain in June; plan indoor sights for the middle of the day.
- Foreigners must buy train tickets at a counter with a passport — self-service machines need a Chinese ID card.
- Book high-speed rail a few days ahead around public holidays; trains fill up.
- Ignore taxi touts inside the rail stations and use the official rank.
- Gardens are busiest mid-morning; go at opening or late afternoon.
Suzhou is a low-crime city and safe to walk at night in the old town and the SIP. The real risks are summer heat and humidity, traffic when crossing roads, and unlicensed taxis at the rail stations: use the official rank.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Suzhou yet. Suggested stay: 2 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Classical Gardens of Suzhou (UNESCO)
- Canal lanes of the old town
- Silk and embroidery
- Kunqu opera and pingtan
- Water towns on Lake Tai
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- UNESCO — Classical Gardens of Suzhou: whc.unesco.org/en/list/813
- Wikivoyage: Suzhou, revision 5326090 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5326090
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Suzhou苏州
请到这个地址
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
Most countries have embassies in Beijing and consulates-general in Shanghai; check your own country's list before you travel.
Tipping is not expected. Alipay or WeChat Pay is the normal way to pay; set it up before you fly.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/suzhou). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.