History Hidden in Garden
5-Day Suzhou, Nanjing, Wuxi Tour
In-depth discovery of Jiangsu province includes: leisurely trip to Suzhou gardens and Tongli Water Town, a visit to the must-see Yuantouzhu Park in Wuxi, and the historical sites of Nanjing, another ancient capital of China.
Highlights
- Take a gondola in Tongli Water Town
- Watch a performance of Pingtan in Lingering Garden
- Walk in Yuantouzhu Park at the bank of Taihu Lake
- Appreciate colorful clay figurines in Xihui Park.
- Visit magnificent Sun Yatsen Mausoleum
- Ride a boat along the Qinhuai River




98.8% positive customer reviews among 10,000+
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Suzhou via Shanghai Day Trip
Ryan from #chinahighlights was my guide beginning in Shanghai when I landed the day before. He had a huge bouquet of flowers from China Highlights company for me when I arrived at the Shanghai airport. Next We went to Humble Administrators Garden which was already inundated with throngs of Chinese Tourists and visitors. It was a super lovely day so I don't blame them for visiting! I was wearing my own Han Fu dress so I felt very much at home because that's what the girls and women do, go to these places for photos! This garden despite all the people was super great. The features and layout including bonsai. Especially Azalea, we're stunning. Clean and neat. Worth your time anyway you cut it. Next was the smaller The Garden of The Master of Nets. Along the way Ryan explained some of the history and features of these places as we went along. Somehow both these gardens merged in my mind! I love Gardens, so I could go to these places daily! Finally, we drove to Tongli Old Town. Another places where girls and women dress up for outings and pictures. I wish I saw more men indulging! Lovely little town, I loved the layout and feeling like I had time travelled. The little boat cruise was jumping again with Chinese visitors and tourists. I really felt happy that they were out enjoying themselves after the recent past.... After the boat Ryan took me to Pingjuang Road, which is mostly a pedestrian street. He mentioned the Film Industry and showed me a monument and street tiles for all the movies that had been made there. A light lunch and walked back out of the area to the parking lot area where we began. A super lovely day with No Hassles! more
May 2023,
JeanneC
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Wonderful Suzhou experience
We had another amazing tour with China Highlights. Cultural tour to Suzhou was so informative and fun with our amazing guide Mr Lin and our wonderful Wendy who brought us together. Many thanks to both of you! Looking forward to our next adventure. more
Apr 2021,
tiillly
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Beautiful garden city tour with Cathy and China Highlights
I've been to Suzhou many times on business but I wanted to explore more when my wife and I planned a two week trip to China. We took the train in from Xian - which gave us an opportunity to see the countryside while relaxing on the smoothest trip I've had by rail. China highlights took care of all the details for us. Our guide Cathy is very proud of her city and knows its history well. We enjoyed two days of tours including the Humble Administrators garden, Tiger Hill pagoda and gardens, a canal cruise, the silk museum and a rickshaw tour through a residential area with stops in the local markets. Throughout Cathy was able to highlight points of interest as well as answer any questions. The restaurants were great as well with a nice variety of foods to enjoy. more
Oct 2019,
Traveldad65
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Thank you China Highlights for Custom Tour to Suzhou, Wuhan and Hangzhou!
Penny got us safely on our high speed train in Suzhou and we traveled on our own to Wuhan. Michael of China Highlights found us when we disembarked the train station and couriered us to our hotel where we settled in for the night. Next day he took us to all the desired locations. A super friendly tour guide with great knowledge of the region. Michael couriered us to the Wuhan airport and we traveled on our own to Hangzhou. more
Jun 2018,
jengrinold
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Pleasant tour through the gardens and canals with knowledgeable guide
On October 26, China Highlights guide, John, picked us up in Shanghai and transported us to Suzhou and the next day to Tongli. John spoke excellent English and was very knowledgeable and clear in his answers to all our questions about modern Chinese history. One of our main reasons for our going to Suzhou was to go to the Suzhou Art Museum designed by I. M. Pei. Among other features, John was able to point out how the architect used doorways and windows to create painting-like images. For the same reason, we also enjoyed his guidance through the Garden of the Master of Nets. We especially enjoyed the rowboat cruise through the Grand Canal in Suzhou and our lunch at the tavern in the Tongli, where Sun Yat-sen and colleagues had first planned the overthrow of the emperor. Finally, we were especially grateful to John and the arrangements he was able to make about returning the ipad I had left behind accidently in the car upon our arrival back at the hotel in Shanghai. John was able arrange its return to me at the hotel by the next morning. more
Jan 2018,
Rocky H
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Suzhou & Gardens Tour
Our guide, Deng, met us at the train station and took us to our hotel. She was also our tour guide for the next two days, where we visited the many gardens of Suzhou (Lingering, Humble Administrators and Tiger Hill). Deng was friendly, knowledgeable and always on time. She gave us some excellent inside perspectives on the areas of Suzhou. We especially enjoyed the Night Tour of the Nets Master, where Deng made sure we were well positioned to see the next presentation. Suzhou is a wonderful city to visit and we enjoyed our time there. Thank you Deng. more
Nov 2017,
Robert C
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Suzhou was a pleasure to explore
I was fortunate to have Huang Min as my tour guide for Suzhou. His interest in traditional Chinese culture and Chinese design helped me to really appreciate Suzhou. When we visited buildings he would show me things like how the buildings were made and different techniques used back in the old times. He would also mention how many of the items and rooms I saw were used and their function in Chinese culture. I felt he went above and beyond in that respect. I felt like I was doing more than just spectating, and the tour felt more personal because of Huang Min. He had a lot of knowledge to pass on. The lunch was delicious at yangyang dumpling restaurant. I needed help to use chopsticks and Huang Min showed me how to use them. My hands got tired so I ended up using a fork anyway, but it was a pleasant experience with really tasty food. I loved Suzhou and I hope to visit again someday. I did many more things on the tour, but to summarize I would say Suzhou was special to me. Huang Min helped make it special. more
Sep 2017,
smael_nicolas
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Suzhou another place you just have to got to
The Gardens are incredible,bonsai by the 100,s and each one perfect.The locals in the park singing and dancing.Lunch was incredible (SO SO GOOD)The water town was like stepping back in time.I loved every minute i spent in this beautiful place. Can i say you need a guide to explain the reasons behind things and to show you things as simple as where to stand to get a photo. Well my guide Deng from china highlights a true local and an amazing guide with bucket loads of knowledge and a huge amount of patients for my hundreds of questions. more
Jun 2017,
cer75
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Suzhou a beautiful city of gardens
Arriving in Suzhou we were met by our very knowledgeable and experienced guide Ming who immediately took us to a famous dumpling restaurant for a delicious lunch. In spite of having grown over the years from a small city to a city in the millions of inhabitants, Suzhou retains in its center town the traditional architecture and feel of days gone by which makes it one to the loveliest places to visit. The highlight of a visit to Suzhou is its famous classical gardens, we started by visiting 'The Humble Administrator's Garden' where we learned that the important elements in a Chinese garden are not only the vegetation but also the water features, the rocks, and the buildings each with its own function making the garden an extension of the home. That same evening we went to a show at the 'Master of Nets' garden, it was magical to see the garden at night and the show was moving from building to building with the audience following and consisted of traditional music and singing, a short humorous play (which with Ming's help we could follow in spite of not understanding a word) , some dancing, and a short historical drama. Our hotel in Suzhou was a beautiful building in traditional Suzhou style around a lovely courtyard and was a few steps away from the 'Lingering Garden' which was my personal favorite, every element of the garden is uniquely chosen to form a perfectly harmonious whole. In addition to the gardens we visited the Pamnen ancient city gate and Tiger hill, which are both interesting and beautiful historical sites. We loved everything about our vist to Suzhou, our hotel, our guide Ming, the wonderful traditional restaurants, the old town historical streets, and most of all the gardens. Thanks to China Highlights for such a wonderful visit. more
Jun 2017,
Marylene P
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Suggested Itinerary
Private guide and driver will pick you up in the Shanghai airport. Enjoy a hassle free transfer with a comfortable non-smoking car. After about a 1.5h journey, you will arrive at one of top 6 water towns in China- Tongli Water Town. Take a gondola ride along the canal, see how people still live in a traditional way right along the canal, and photograph ancient houses setting on the bank. It's a historic and quaint town with vendors, original old houses and waterways. This leisurely journey gives insight of Chinese ancient life.
Suzhou gardens and water towns are admired for two unique highlights.. First, the Humble Administrator's Garden, a symbol of Suzhou's great culture and history. Stroll along the ponds, wood carvings and rocks. Secondly, the Suzhou Museum is a small but enjoyable museum to see a nice selection of Chinese artifacts. Learn more about Suzhou's culture and history with the help of your guide..
Lingering Garden is another well-preserved ancient Chinese garden. Record your special China trip with some amazing photos of the garden. Hear live ancient music is the air, watch a performance of Pingtan(storytelling and ballad singing in Suzhou dialect). Take a boat ride along Suzhou's ancient canal to see local people's lives.

After a western breakfast at the hotel, you will head out to explore Wuxi. It takes about 1h to arrive at the city. Take a walk at Yuantouzhu Park, this park is especially beautiful with blossoms in spring. It is the number one must-see place of Wuxi. Visit Liyuan Garden, a typical peaceful park on the bank of Taihu Lake. Listen to its love story dating back thousands of years. A charming sunset park - great for dusk walks.
Plum Garden in spring is full of blossoms. Stroll through the beautiful flowers, historic sites and gardens. Go to Xihui Park, an incredibly preserved old town. Appreciate the exquisite art of the colorful clay figurines in the park.

Take a morning train to Nanjing, one of China's ancient capitals. Visit magnificent Sun Yatsen Mausoleum. Sun Yatse was the father of modern China. Your guide will help you learn about the modern history of China.
Walk into Nanjing Confucian Temple, a quiet place for both travelers and local people. See the fantastic white buildings with black roofs, and double golden dragons with red walls. Enjoy a boat ride along the Qinhuai River, Nanjing's mother river. The night cruise is full of atmosphere and is even more beautiful.
Good to know:1. For Sun Yatsen Mausoleum: There are a lot of steps in front of the site, prepare for a long walk.
2. If you are still energetic in the evening, you can have walk along the Qinhuai River to see a different side of Nanjing. Enjoy amazing night scenery of the city.

Leave for Xiaoling Tomb of the Ming Dynasty, a peaceful natural locale coupled with historical sights. A very beautiful place especially if you come in autumn when the maple leaves all turn red. It's A wonderful place to learn about the first emperor and culture of the Ming Dynasty. It's a must visit place for history buffs. Take a stroll along the city wall which represents a true masterpiece of military architecture and design during the Ming Dynasty.
Take a train in the afternoon back to Shanghai, a 2 hour journey. Your guide will take you to the railway station and leave after you get into the security check queue.
Good to know:The emperor of Zhu Yuanzhang, the owner of Xiaoling Tomb, is the first emperor of the Ming Dynasty. His tomb is the second most famous after the Ming Tomb Clusters in Beijing.
Trip Notes
1. What's the best time to visit Suzhou?
You can visit Suzhou at any time. Every season has different beautiful scenery. Beautiful flowers in spring and colorful leaves in autumn make them more popular. Avoid Chinese national holidays like May 1st, China National Day (Oct.1th-7th).
2. How to get there?
High speed train from Shanghai to Suzhou can be as short as 40 min. But we will arrange a non-smoking car to maximum your comfort and time.
3. Extend to Suzhou's Neighbors
To Hangzhou (1-2 days)
Arrange 1 to 2 days to experience the unique Hangzhou: the romantic and heavenly West Lake, Lingyin Temple, the Former Residence of Xueyan, an in-depth Dragon Well Tea culture exploration.
To Shanghai (1-2 days)
Add Shanghai before or after the Suzhou tour: Yuyuan Garden, Oriental Pearl TV Tower, Shanghai World Financial Center, the Bund and Zhujiajiao Water Town.
Price includes:
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