2020 National Day 7-Day Self-Guided Tour of Nanjing, Suzhou, Hangzhou, and Shanghai

I had always been thinking about going on a trip, particularly to a few cities in East China: Nanjing, Suzhou, and Hangzhou were all places I wanted to visit. This year's National Day holiday turned out to be free from overtime work, so I decided to go solo, sling a backpack over my shoulder, and embark on a carefree journey. I didn't join any tour group; I found all my travel tips online. Just before departure, I sketched out a simple itinerary, but I hardly used it—plans often can't keep up with changes, and I had to adjust my schedule on the fly many times.

Route: Chongqing → Nanjing (2 days) → Suzhou (2 days) → Hangzhou (2 days) → Shanghai (1 day)

**Day 1 (October 2)**

1. Took the 6:55 direct flight from Chongqing to Nanjing; airfare was 550 yuan. Then took Metro Line S1 and Line 3 to Daxinggong Station. Walked to the Presidential Palace; admission 33 yuan. During the National Day peak season, plus pandemic restrictions, many attractions were limiting visitor numbers, so advance online booking was generally needed—otherwise the system showed tickets were sold out. But that wasn't entirely true; at least in Nanjing, you could buy tickets on site. Staff would come around with a QR code for scanning to purchase; all you needed was your ID card.

2. Headed to Jiming Temple. Nanjing's attractions are mostly reachable by metro, very convenient. Just activate a Nanjing Metro e-card in Alipay; you only need your phone and ID when going out, nothing else. Jiming Temple entrance was 10 yuan. There's a pagoda inside, said to have been used as the model for Leifeng Pagoda in the classic TV series The Legend of the White Snake. Other than that, the scenery was just average—not much to see.

3. A few hundred meters further from Jiming Temple is the ancient Nanjing city wall and Xuanwu Lake Scenic Area. The wall requires a ticket, and since you could only queue to buy on the spot, I skipped it and just took a few photos from below. Xuanwu Lake Scenic Area is enormous; due to time constraints, I didn't go in either. Instead, I turned back and went to Confucius Temple (Fuzimiao).

4. Fuzimiao is a large scenic zone that includes the Qinhuai River, Jiangnan Examination Hall, Zhanyuan Garden, Zhonghua Gate, Taoye Ferry, Wuyi Lane, Li Xiangjun's Former Residence, Bailuzhou Park, Mochou Lake, and more. I arrived at Fuzimiao around 2 p.m., so I only managed to visit a few spots: Taoye Ferry (free), Jiangnan Examination Hall (ticket 50 yuan), Fuzimiao (the Confucian temple, ticket 30 yuan), Wuyi Lane (free), and the Qinhuai River (free). You can take a painted pleasure boat on the Qinhuai (I didn't take it, so I don't know the price).

5. That night I stayed at a homestay I had booked in advance: a private studio apartment with shared bathroom, 159 yuan a night.

**Day 2 (October 3)**

1. First I went to the Ming Palace Ruins. The main gate wasn’t open, but you could enter from a side gate; admission was free. There’s hardly anything left of the original Ming Palace to see—just a few stone blocks still on the ground. It has been turned into a park, so you might skip it; it’s a bit of a time-waster.

2. Headed to Ming Xiaoling Mausoleum. Ming Xiaoling is inside the Zhongshan Mountain National Park. The whole park is so large that a full day isn’t enough to see it all. I selectively visited Music Platform → Linggu Temple → Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum → Ming Xiaoling. You can buy a combo ticket for 100 yuan, covering all attractions inside—buying single tickets is pricier and not cost-effective. The area is huge, so you can rent a bike or take a sightseeing shuttle. A single shuttle ride costs 10 yuan, or a 50-yuan pass allows unlimited rides. That day it poured rain, so I missed many spots. By the time I finished Ming Xiaoling, it was already 4 p.m., and I had to catch a high-speed train to Suzhou that evening. Linggu Temple has a Linggu Pagoda you can climb—nine stories high, well worth it.

3. Went to Nanjing Railway Station and took a high-speed train to Suzhou Station, 104.5 yuan. When buying tickets, make sure you choose Suzhou Station. If you accidentally buy for Suzhou North Station, it's far away and takes a long ride. Suzhou Station is close to the scenic spots.

4. From Suzhou Station, I took a bus for two stops to Pingmen, got off, and walked to my hotel, the Jinchidiao Hotel, which is about 100 meters from the station. Two nights cost 298 yuan.

**Day 3 (October 4)**

1. Getting around Suzhou's attractions is easy by bus. There's a convenient bus called the "Hao Xing Line 1" that has a southern and a northern line; it connects all the main sites. My first destination was definitely the Humble Administrator's Garden, one of China's four great classical gardens. Precisely because it's so famous, it was swamped. I arrived at 9 a.m., only to find a notice at the door saying all reservations for the day were full and to book for the next day. No choice but to go to the nearby Lion Grove Garden instead, just a few hundred meters away; ticket 40 yuan.

2. Headed to the Blue Wave Pavilion (Canglang Pavilion). Canglang Pavilion along with Lion Grove, Humble Administrator's Garden, and Lingering Garden are the four great gardens of Suzhou. But it's less well-known, with few tourists. Right across from Canglang Pavilion is Keyuan Garden, separated only by a small river. You can buy a combo ticket for 40 yuan to visit both; otherwise each is 20 yuan.

3. On the way to Canglang Pavilion, I passed an antique and Confucian temple street, so I strolled through on my way back. It's all antiques, very quiet—plenty of vendors but hardly any visitors.

4. Hanshan Temple—a must-see in Suzhou, all because of Zhang Ji's famous poem "A Night Mooring by Maple Bridge." Ticket was cheap, just 20 yuan. The temple sits within the Maple Bridge Scenic Area; only the temple requires a ticket, the rest is free, and you can also see the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal.

5. Went to Shangtang Street. Shangtang Street is famous online, extremely crowded, completely commercialized—similar to Chongqing's Ciqikou. You can take boat rides. I just took a quick walk and left; there were too many people, impossible even to take photos, the density was insane.

**Day 4 (October 5)**

1. Again took the Hao Xing Line 1 to Tiger Hill; ticket 69 yuan. Tiger Hill is well worth visiting: the Sword Pond, Yunyan Pagoda (China's Leaning Tower of Pisa), plus many other sights, and fantastic scenery. I spent the whole morning there and still didn't see all the minor spots.

2. In the afternoon I went directly to Pingjiang Road. Compared with Shangtang Street, Pingjiang Road has far fewer people. Both are historic streets, but I prefer Pingjiang Road.

3. From Pingjiang Road, you can walk to Guanqian Street, a modern pedestrian street. There are a few small attractions along it, but all required tickets, so I didn't go in. After finishing Guanqian Street, I took the metro from the station right inside Guanqian Street to Suzhou Railway Station. So Guanqian Street is a good last stop before leaving.

4. From Suzhou Station, took a high-speed train to Hangzhou East Station, ticket 120 yuan. Hangzhou has several railway stations; before buying tickets, check which one is closest to your hotel or sights. Hangzhou South Station is not recommended—too far from West Lake. That night’s homestay I booked on Airbnb, two nights for 172 yuan, near Datieguan metro station.

**Day 5 (October 6)**

I had only one destination today: West Lake. My route: Bai Causeway → Broken Bridge → Autumn Moon Over the Calm Lake → Solitary Hill → Three Pools Mirroring the Moon → Leifeng Pagoda.

West Lake is huge, with sights everywhere; I recommend renting a shared bike. To photograph Broken Bridge well, it's best to take the boat to Three Pools Mirroring the Moon from the entrance area, because the boat passes Broken Bridge, giving you a photo op. Of course, there are hand-rowed boats too, but they require at least two people; a solo traveler can't take one. Three Pools Mirroring the Moon is a combo ticket including the boat and admission for 55 yuan. Leifeng Pagoda ticket was 40 yuan. Later I also walked along Su Causeway. For someone who can't ride a bike, it was truly exhausting; I practically collapsed from fatigue when I got back at night.

**Day 6 (October 7)**

1. Set off in the morning to Southern Song Imperial Street. I'm someone who really likes old towns and ancient streets; whenever a city has such a place, I go see it. The Imperial Street is huge, and right beside it is the Wushan Scenic Area. After walking the street, I went up Wushan. Most spots within Wushan are free; only the City God Temple needed a ticket, so I skipped it and just checked off the other sites. The whole Wushan area can occupy a whole morning.

2. In the afternoon, I planned to go to Xiaoshan Tide Watching City to see the Qiantang River tidal bore. But because I spent too long at Wushan, and getting to the tide-watching spot took almost two hours by bus, by the time I was on the way I heard from others that the road ahead was blocked due to repairs and you couldn't reach Tide Watching City; you had to go to Meiren Dam instead. Since I had to catch a bullet train to Shanghai at 6 p.m., even if I chose Hangzhou South Station, it would take about an hour to return, so I gave up and went straight to the station. In Hangzhou, transport is mainly metro plus bus. Near West Lake, special buses go directly to Lingyin Temple Scenic Area and Song Dynasty Town.

3. Took a bullet train from Hangzhou South Station to Shanghai South Station, ticket 57 yuan. Stayed that night at the Home Inn near the station, 175 yuan.

**Day 7 (October 8)**

My Shanghai plan was simple, because flying from Shanghai back to Chongqing was cheap, so that's why I ended up in Shanghai with just one day. I had only two destinations: Sihang Warehouse and Nanjing Road Pedestrian Street, and a quick look at the Bund. Took the 6 p.m. flight directly back to Chongqing. Both spots are reachable by metro and very close—Sihang Warehouse and Nanjing Road are just one metro stop apart.

Overall, the 7-day trip cost: round-trip airfare 1110 yuan, high-speed train tickets 281.5 yuan, city transportation in all cities total 72 yuan, 6 nights' accommodation total 804 yuan, all attraction tickets 537 yuan, meals 660 yuan. The whole trip came to 3464.5 yuan. This doesn't include gifts and souvenirs I bought, but I only spent a little over 200 yuan on those.

This was a simple, budget travel itinerary. It's my first time writing one; I probably left a few things out. Later I'll write a proper travelogue and include the photos I took as a reference for everyone.