Why go
Suzhou is best taken slowly. The Humble Administrator's Garden repays a quiet 90 minutes — the crowd noise disappears if you walk the back paths. Pingjiang Road runs parallel to a canal lined with teahouses and silk shops.
The Suzhou Museum sits beside the old garden and is a masterpiece in itself — I.M. Pei's white walls and grey roof forms echo the gardens next door. Admission is free with a reservation.
- The Humble Administrator's Garden — Suzhou's finest, arrive at opening
- Pingjiang Road canal lane at dusk
- The Suzhou Museum, designed by I.M. Pei
- Silk workshop visit — watch reeling and weaving live
Where to go
Morning: Humble Administrator's Garden, then the Suzhou Museum next door. Afternoon: a walk down Pingjiang Road to the Master of the Nets Garden (best seen in the evening when it's quiet). If time allows, take a boat on the outer canal.
Day trips
Suzhou is the gateway to the water towns: Tongli and Zhouzhuang are 40 minutes away by bus or car. Better yet, stay overnight in one and visit Suzhou on the way back to Shanghai.
Getting there
- High-speed rail from Shanghai in 25–35 min
- Role
- Prefecture-level city, Jiangsu
- UNESCO
- Classical Gardens of Suzhou
- To Shanghai
- 25 min by rail
