Immerse yourself in Suzhou classical gardens
One Day Shanghai to Suzhou Round-Trip Tour
Make the most of your time to visit Suzhou and Tongli Water Town from Shanghai in 1 day!
In this Shanghai to Suzhou day trip, private transfer between Shanghai and Suzhou will make your time smart, and Suzhou UNESCO gardens and authentic experiences are arranged. Enjoy Suzhou's vivid and elegant charm!
Highlights
- Listen to the stories behind Suzhou's UNESCO gardens, and learn the implied meanings behind the design.
- Peep local life by having a rickshaw ride to explore little lanes and food market.
- Unveil the secret of herbal fragrance in Tongli Water Town, and relax on a rowing boat.
98.8% positive customer reviews among 10,000+
|
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
|
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
|
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
|
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
|
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
|
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
|
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
|
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
|
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
|
Shanghai Tour with China Highlights
We recently had the pleasure of going on a tour of Shanghai with China Highlights, and our guide, Ryan! This experience was wonderful, we were able to visit some of Shanghai’s most iconic locations, such as The Bund, the French Concession, and even got to try some famous Xiaolongbao at Jia Jia Tang Bao. Overall, really recommend China Highlights. more
May 2023,
Francesco
|
Speak about travel in China means speak about China Highlights!
Chris, in Shanghai; Alice, in Lijiang; Lee, in Dali; May, in Kunming; and others that we have previously known no less efficient and friendly. My greetings and respect to all of them and also to the drivers. They all have a very good command of the English language and strive to make one dedicate themselves to enjoying what China offers us. Thank you, China, and thank you China Highlights!! Just tell you: SEE YOU IN OUR NEXT TRIP!!! more
May 2023,
Horacio S
|
Our consultant Roger Li did a wonderful…
Our consultant Roger Li did a wonderful job of making a great private tour plan for my husband who wanted to add on a few days in China. He incorporated everything my husband wanted to see and made a great tour based on our needs and wants.Roger Li was very easy to get in touch with and was always available and accessible when we had questions. more
Apr 2023,
Brian
|
Shanghai's Best
My husband and I celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary by exploring China ; and first in our bucket list was Shanghai and Beijing.We booked this trip via China Highlights, and we had a tour guide , named Ryan, who made our trip memorable by not only sending us to Shanghai's best spots but most of all his rich knowledge on all these places. One of the best part is that he communicates very well, fluent in English, made us understand China's culture, its stories behind those buildings and sceneries. No doubt will recommend this travel site to our friends, "High Five" to China Highlights and again kudos to our tour Guide, RYAN, see you again !! more
Mar 2023,
Jocelyn So G
|
Experience Tour in Shanghai
Tour guides under this agency are very well experienced, and questions are always answered in great detail. Definitely will recommend to anyone who would like to go on a flexible tour with guidance. more
Mar 2023,
David A
|
Roger Li has been AMAZING....
Roger Li has been AMAZING and deserves to win this advisor competition! He answers e-mails promptly, addresses my concerns, and guides me through the process. He has organized tours for me and my husband for both China and Taiwan, and we are excited to go! I have been thoroughly satisfied with his work in every way. more
Mar 2023,
Brian Lewis
|
Chinese lantern festival and Sophie Lee. Actually March 2018 not Feb 2022
When we were there, one of the highlights was the Chinese Lantern Festival in Old Shanghai, which is both colourful and has an excellent festivalatmosphere. She bought us a Chinese desert item that was small sweet sticky balls that were very good. more
Jan 2023,
Dave H
|
Fun couple days in fantastic Shanghai!
Our family trip to China ended with a couple of days in historical Shanghai. We loved seeing and visiting the historic centers, traveling up the Shanghai Tower, eating delicious dumplings, and visiting the best Chinatown we have ever experienced. Our guide, Quing Quing, and driver Ken were fantastic, informative, professional and fun. Quing Quing even took us to experience the marriage market where Chinese parents try to help their children find potential mates after we expressed that it would be an interesting thing to see. Quing Quing, her American name is Clair, is an excellent and vivacious tour guide. Ask for her when you book with China Highlights you will be in good hands. --Inspire819460 more
Dec 2019,
Inspire819460
|
Awesome Shanghai tour with Mary
With other two friends I have visited Shanghai in October 2018 and our tour guide was Mary, who has been wonderful with us.She had the smart idea to adapt the schedule of our planned tours in order to visit the city centre with few crowds, even if we were visiting Shanghai right during the Chinese national holidays. Besides the city centre with the panoramic towers, we visited the old French district, the Bund, the old city with the market and Tonglizhen, a water village just outside of Shanghai. Mary gave us also very nice suggestions about restaurants and hotels with panoramic terrace to visit in the evenings during our free time. In the end Mary was so kind to give us some Chinese salty pastries as lunch for our long train journey back to Beijing. Totally recommended!!! ---Vittorio C, Germany more
Nov 2019,
Vittorio C
|
Lovely girl Candy
We have been in China 2 weeks and our last day was spent in Shanghai! Our guide Candy Shao was the best...Candy was so helpful in planning the highlights of the city and what we absolutely needed to see and do on our last day. Her English was great and she was young and fun...seemed more like we were hanging out with a friend. Candy also took some great photos of us to capture our experience! I would definitely recommend Candy and China Highlights to all my friends! --Vody, USA more
Nov 2019,
Vody
|
Thank you Daniel for hospitality & impressive touring!
First of all, Daniel is a very friendly, entertaining & knowledgeable tour guide.Not only had he brought us to places in the schedule, but also helped in bookings when we went around the city on ourselves. He is online 24/7 and provided immediate responses for all the questions and inquiries. In addition, he ensured our safety not only during the trip with him, but also texted us to make sure we were back to hotel safely after our own schedule.Overall, he is more than excellent for us, as not only he had fulfilled his duty to guide us as scheduled, but more of providing us hospitality, help and knowledge beyond our exceptions and beyond what we have booked with the tour. Therefore, I would 100% recommend Daniel if any of you are planning for a trip to Shanghai. ---Catherinenodnod more
Oct 2019,
Catherinenodnod
|
Suggested Itinerary
Here is a suggested itinerary. We are happy to customize a tour according to your interests and schedule.
Your private guide and driver will be waiting for you in your Shanghai hotel's lobby, so get ready to enjoy Suzhou.
It's about 1½ hours' drive to Suzhou from Shanghai. On the highway, you can see the typical outskirts and modern countryside of East China.
Visit a UNESCO garden - Lingering Garden. Your guide will tell you the history and some stories of this delicate traditional garden.
Explore Suzhou by taking a rickshaw ride alongside the ancient canal. You will go into little lanes and chat with locals in a food market.
Enjoy authentic Suzhou food in Pingjiang Road. Your guide will help you to order the dishes. The most famous dish in Suzhou is squirrel-shaped mandarin fish.
Tongli Water Town is only 30 minutes' drive from Suzhou. It's a small water town with lovely traditional architecture and bridges - the local people still live there. Visit a moxibustion academy and relax in a rowing boat.
Trip Notes
1. Customizing the Tour - According to Your Needs
This tour is very flexible. You can alter the itinerary and extend or shorten it to suit your schedule.
2. 144-Hour Visa-Free Transit Policy
A short stay (up to 6 days) in Shanghai and the surrounding cities is more convenient now as there is no need for a visa.
It's permissible to stay within the administrative areas of Shanghai municipality, Jiangsu Province, and Zhejiang Province for up to 144 hours. Contact us to find out more.
Price includes:
Start planning your tailor-made tour now. Your 1:1 travel consultant will reply within 1 working day.