2-Day Essential Suzhou and Tongli Water Town Tour

Meal: lunch

Accommodation in:Pan Pacific Suzhou (5-star)/ Jasmine Holiday Inn (4-star)

Your private guide will be waiting for you at your hotel. Starting from the hotel in Shanghai, you should arrive in Suzhou in about 1.5 hours, via a comfortable non-smoking vehicle.

Note: If you prefer to take a bullet train, we can arrange train tickets.

Enjoy a hassle-free transfer to Suzhou, and start your exploration at the biggest classical garden there, Humble Administrator's Garden. Your guide will help you understand more about the garden, especially its history. See picturesque pools, pavilions, and rocks.

Have lunch at a local Suzhou restaurant. The most famous Suzhou food is Squirrel-Shaped Mandarin Fish. The fish is sweet and sour, cooked in the shape of a squirrel.

The Garden of the Master of Nets is only 1/6 of the size of the Humble Administrator's Garden, but it is the most ingenious classical garden in Suzhou. It also has the smallest stone bridge in Suzhou—only 2 meters long.

Take a rickshaw ride to explore the alleys of Suzhou, where local people live. You will find a hammam (a communal bathhouse), food markets, ancient wells, and stone pagodas, and you'll probably see people washing clothes by the river.

After the trip, we'll take you back to your hotel in Suzhou.

Evening Ideas:

• The “Night Garden” in the Garden of the Master of Nets is a good place to enjoy a live traditional Chinese music performance. Ping tan (storytelling and ballad singing in the Suzhou dialect), Kunqu Opera, flute, and Chinese zither are all performed in different halls.
• Opening times: mid-March to mid-November, 19:30–22:00

Meals: breakfast & lunch

After a western-style breakfast in the hotel, you will visit Tiger Hill, also known as Surging Sea Hill. It is a large hillock, standing 36 meters high and covering an area of some 14,100 square meters. Going up the hill, you will find a number of historical sites, including some from 2,500 years ago, as old as Suzhou city itself. For bonsai lovers, there is a little bonsai garden on the hill.

We'll then drive 30 minutes to Tongli water town, often praised as the Venice of China. Take a small boat along the canal to see the old town. It's a great place for ancient architecture and traditional culture. Have lunch in a local Tongli restaurant.

After the visit in Tongli, we'll drive you back to your hotel in Shanghai and wave goodbye.

Good to know:

• If you are a fan of architecture, you might be interested in the Suzhou Museum, designed by Ieoh Ming Pei, the Chinese American architect who also designed the Louvre Pyramid. The museum is a perfect combination of ancient buildings, modern halls, and classical gardens.