Exploring Jiangnan with Dad: 8-Day Independent Trip to Suzhou (周庄, 同里, 甪直, 木渎, 锦溪, 千灯)

【Detailed Itinerary】

On May 22, 2021, we took the G211 high-speed train from Tianjin West Station at 9:30 am, arriving at Suzhou North Station at 2:15 pm after five hours.

Upon exiting the station, we took the subway to 布丁酒店 to check in. After putting down our luggage, the journey officially began.

(Ctrip booking link for 布丁酒店苏州观前拙政园文化主题店:

https://hotels.ctrip.com/hotels/detail?hotelid=1503638&cityid=14)

Around 3:30 pm, we set out from the hotel. Since I had booked the night tour of 网师园 on Ctrip in advance, we took a taxi to the Shiquan Street/Fenghuang Street area and first visited 沧浪亭 and 可园.

沧浪亭 is a classical Chinese garden built during the Northern Song Dynasty, originally the private garden of the literatus Su Shunqin. Covering 1.08 hectares, it is the oldest existing ancient garden in Suzhou and, together with 狮子林, 拙政园, and 留园, is listed among the four great gardens of Suzhou representing the Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties.

Peak-season adult ticket for 沧浪亭 is 20 yuan, senior half price 10 yuan. Book directly on Ctrip and enter by scanning your ID card—very convenient.

We recommend a half to one hour for visiting 沧浪亭. The garden isn’t large but offers a distinct charm. Although it was Saturday, we arrived quite late, so there weren't many tourists, allowing us to leisurely savor the garden scenery.

Around 4:30 pm, after visiting 沧浪亭, we exited and went directly across the street to 可园.

可园 is a classical garden originally built during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period. Separated from 沧浪亭 by just a lane, its gate faces south and looks toward 沧浪亭 across the water.

Visiting time for 可园 is also suggested to be half an hour to an hour. Stroll and pause, rest in the small pavilion, and soak in the Suzhou garden atmosphere. Peak-season adult ticket is 25 yuan, senior half price 12.5 yuan.

We finished both 沧浪亭 and 可园 by just before 5:30 pm. Checking the navigation, it was about a 20-minute walk to 网师园. Our night tour there started at 7:30 pm, so we decided to walk to the vicinity of 网师园 for dinner. The area around 网师园 is home to the famous food streets, Shiquan Street and Fenghuang Street.

We ended up choosing 熙盛源, a highly rated place, for wontons. We ordered a bowl of dried-shrimp wontons and a bowl of shepherd’s purse and pork wontons.

The taste was exactly what I like, the soup was delicious—highly recommended.

After dinner at 6:30 pm, we walked about 10 minutes to 网师园 for the main event of the day—the night tour.

The tour officially began at 7:30 pm. Each group is led by a guide to watch eight performances in sequence around the garden, experiencing a series of themed shows under the night sky.

Inside 集虚斋, there was the Kun dance “Magnolia”; in 看松读画轩, a tea ceremony with music; in 殿春簃, poetry and flute singing; in 濯缨水阁, a live-action holographic Kun opera scene “A Dream in the Garden”; in 小山丛桂轩, guqin music of the Wu school; in 万卷堂, Jiangnan silk-and-bamboo instrumental music; in 撷秀楼, the Kun opera “Fifteen Strings of Cash: Investigation”, and in 梯云室, Suzhou Pingtan storytelling.

It was a one-hour experience of a different garden—listening to opera and watching performances in the garden at night felt like traveling back in time.

On the way out of 网师园, we passed a small shop and met an adorable French bulldog—so cute!

After the night tour, we took a taxi back to 布丁酒店 to rest, recharge for the next day’s itinerary. The first night in Gusu.

On May 23, we woke up at 7 am to find it raining outside—very fitting for misty Jiangnan, missing only an oil-paper umbrella, haha.

By 8 am we were ready and went out for breakfast. We planned to eat at 哑巴生煎 on Lindun Road, about a ten-minute walk from the hotel, but when we arrived, 哑巴生煎 was still extremely crowded on a rainy Sunday, so we gave up. We searched and found another equally famous place, 阊门姚记豆浆, just around the corner to the right, and headed straight there for breakfast. We ordered a preserved mustard greens bun, a basket of small steamed dumplings, and two bowls of soy milk.

After breakfast, we grabbed a taxi to 寒山寺 outside Gusu City, to experience the “midnight bell reaching the visitor’s boat” in broad daylight, haha.

寒山寺 in the rain.

Peak-season adult ticket for 寒山寺 is 20 yuan, senior half price 10 yuan, with half-price tickets needing to be purchased on-site.

After visiting 寒山寺, we stepped out and entered the adjacent 枫桥 scenic area for a stroll. 枫桥 scenic area requires no extra ticket.

The ancient 枫桥~

Zhang Ji’s “Mooring by Maple Bridge at Night”~

After the visit, we took a taxi back to the city center to see Suzhou’s most representative attractions: 狮子林, Suzhou Museum, and 拙政园. I had booked Suzhou Museum tickets a day in advance, which were for specific time slots. Since I booked a bit late, I could only get entry between 12:00 and 1:00 pm. So at 11 am, we bought rice balls from a FamilyMart as lunch, then directly went to 狮子林.

狮子林 represents the Yuan Dynasty. Because the garden is filled with rockeries shaped like lions, it’s named “Lion Grove Garden.” I remember a primary school Chinese textbook article describing the rockeries and stone lions of 狮子林; I was finally able to experience weaving through them myself.

We recommend one to two hours for 狮子林. Because of the rain, we didn’t spend too much time on the rockeries. If time and weather permit, I highly recommend playing among the rockeries to experience the fun; it’s easy to get lost!

Peak-season adult ticket for 狮子林 is 40 yuan, senior half price 20 yuan. The Suzhou Garden official WeChat account sometimes offers combo garden ticket discounts for same-day visits—worth checking.

Around noon, we left 狮子林 and walked about ten minutes to Suzhou Museum, embarking on a fascinating museum tour.

The original site of Suzhou Museum was the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom’s Loyal King’s Mansion. The new building, widely shared online, is a modern structure inspired by garden architecture, blending new and old.

We entered from the new building side, explored until we reached the riverside small square, then entered the historic Loyal King’s Mansion area, which also serves as the museum exit.

Suzhou Museum cleverly uses a water surface to connect with the adjacent Loyal King’s Mansion, extending the architectural style.

Right next to the exit of the Loyal King’s Mansion is 拙政园.

One of China’s Four Great Gardens, a masterpiece of Ming Dynasty Jiangnan classical gardens, and the largest classical garden in Suzhou.

Even the rain couldn’t deter visitors. 拙政园 is divided into east, central, and west sections. The east garden is open and spacious, the central garden is the highlight of the whole park, and the west garden features exquisite architecture, each with its own character.

We suggest two to three hours for 拙政园. Peak-season adult ticket 80 yuan, senior half price 40 yuan. Book on Ctrip for a specific time slot, enter by scanning ID card—very convenient.

Around 3 pm, the main part of today’s itinerary was finished. We walked back to the hotel. Since I was traveling with my dad, I kept the schedule relaxed, so I let him rest at the hotel while I went out alone to explore 观前街 on foot, about a 15-minute walk.

Different views of the 观前街 gate.

I bought some Suzhou specialties on 观前街, la la la~

Around 6 pm, I returned to the hotel, picked up Dad, and we went to the nearby 伟记奥面馆 for noodles.

How can you visit Jiangnan and not eat noodles? We had one bowl of red-braised pork noodles and one bowl of five-spice pork chop noodles, each finishing our bowl, ending the second day’s journey.

Day three in Suzhou: sunny weather. We went out at 8 am to finally have breakfast at 哑巴生煎, which we’d missed the day before. A portion of pan-fried buns kicked off the day.

At 8 am on a Monday, 哑巴生煎 was much quieter. Happily, we finished breakfast and took a taxi to the top scenic spot in Wuzhong, 虎丘山 Scenic Area.

We recommend entering from the north gate and exiting from the south; once out the south gate, you can catch Bus Tour Line 1 for a few stops to reach 留园, making for a nice day trip.

At the north gate, there were shuttles, horse-drawn carriages, etc. To spare Dad from getting too tired, we took the shuttle at 20 yuan per person to the top, right at the 虎丘 Pagoda, then toured downhill admiring the scenery. The hill isn’t very high; younger visitors might prefer to hike up from the north gate and come down the other side via the south gate.

Arriving at the highest point, 虎丘 Yunyan Temple. Due to uneven soil thickness under the pagoda foundation and imperfect design, the pagoda has been leaning to the northwest since the Ming Dynasty, earning it the nickname “China’s Leaning Tower of Pisa.”

Going south from the pagoda, you’ll find another iconic sight—Sword Pool and the Third Spring. Further south downhill, there are Crane Nurturing Stream, Sun Wu’s Training Ground, Wan Jing Villa, etc.

Peak-season adult ticket for 虎丘 is 70 yuan, senior half price 35 yuan. Recommended visiting time: 1.5–2.5 hours.

Around 11 am, we exited from the south gate and took Bus Tour Line 1 to one of China’s Four Great Gardens and a representative Qing Dynasty garden among Jiangsu’s four great gardens—留园.

In 留园, you can enjoy four different landscapes: water and hills, pastoral scenery, forest, and courtyard.

Peak-season adult ticket for 留园 is 55 yuan, senior half price 27.5 yuan. Recommended visiting time: 1–2 hours.

The essence of 留园—the “Ugly Stone,” described in four words: “wrinkled,” “lean,” “leaking,” and “transparent.” Viewing from different angles reveals these characteristics.

Around 12:30, we came out and took a bus two stops to 山塘街. Near the stop were many snack shops; we chose the highly rated 丹凤楼食府, which offers a one-stop taste of Jiangnan specialties: one bowl of fresh meat wontons, one salted egg yolk and pork zongzi, one glutinous rice ball, and a bowl of fermented-rice sweet dumplings with osmanthus.

After lunch, we explored the ancient 七里山塘 street.

After strolling along 七里山塘, we walked about half an hour into the alleys to find the off-the-beaten-path garden, 艺圃.

艺圃 is a classical private garden built during the Jiajing period of the Ming Dynasty, representative of Suzhou’s extant Ming-style small gardens.

Peak-season adult ticket for 艺圃 is 10 yuan, senior half price 5 yuan. Recommended visiting time: 1 hour.

After visiting 艺圃, we exited the alley and took a taxi back to the hotel. As before, Dad rested at the hotel while I went out to explore more of Suzhou. From the hotel, it was about a ten-minute walk to 平江路 Historical and Cultural Block. I first visited 耦园, which is near 平江路.

Peak-season adult ticket 25 yuan. 耦园 was originally named Sheyuan; because there is a garden on both the east and west sides of the residence, it was renamed 耦园, which also symbolizes “a match made in heaven.”

After visiting 耦园, it was time to slowly appreciate 平江路.

My favorite Maokong bookstore; there are two along 平江路~

Hand-drawn map of 平江路~

平江路 is worth savoring—one 平江路 holds half of Suzhou!

After strolling along 平江路 until after 6 pm, I returned to Baita East Road, picked up some pork-cabbage dumplings and soy milk from 老城隍庙锅贴 near the hotel for Dad’s dinner. We called it an early night on day three, resting up for tomorrow’s trip to 甪直古镇.

The next morning, woke up promptly at 6 am, had a simple breakfast of bread bought the day before from FamilyMart. We left exactly at 7 am, walked to Beisita subway station, took Line 4, transferred to Line 2, and went to the terminus, Sangtiandao station. Then we took a taxi to 甪直古镇 in Wuzhong District to explore this water town as old as Suzhou’s ancient city.

The streets of 甪直古镇 don’t require an entry ticket. A combined ticket for the small scenic spots within the town costs 55 yuan for adults. After passing through the visitor center, the first thing you see is the sculpture of Luduan, and behind the Luduan Square lies 甪直古镇. Recommended visiting time is 3–4 hours. 甪直古镇 is very quiet, without commercialization or the noise of tour groups. Residents wash clothes and vegetables, relax, and chat by the river—just quietly waiting for those who will discover them.

Quiet streets~

A small attraction on Shangtang Street—Wansheng Rice Shop

Jiangnan Cultural Garden~

Wang Tao Memorial Hall~

Xiao Residence & Shen Residence~

Creative shops along the streets~

The day we visited happened to be Tuesday, and many art students were painting around the town. The tranquil ancient town under the clear blue sky was just wonderful.

For lunch, we bought super delicious begonia cakes and radish cakes from 秋香海棠糕. Then we found a riverside restaurant and ordered a bowl of longfeng rice dumplings, sitting by the window and watching the small bridges and flowing water outside.

After lunch, we took a taxi back to Sangtiandao subway station, transferred to the subway, and headed to the 盘门 Scenic Area.

Adult ticket 40 yuan, senior half price 20 yuan. Recommended visiting time: 2–3 hours.

The main highlights of 盘门 Scenic Area are the three sights of 盘门: the land-and-water gate of 盘门 that dominates southwestern Suzhou, the Wu Gate Bridge spanning the ancient canal, and the Ruiguang Pagoda reflecting on the water. The mighty Grand Canal links these three sights together to form the 盘门 scenic area of old Suzhou.

Around 3:30 pm, we exited and took a taxi back to the hotel. Dad rested at the hotel while I went out again for food.

I chose to go to 山塘街 again and bought the famous Jiangnan crab shell pastries—one scallion oil flavor, one sesame sugar flavor.

And from 老城隍庙锅贴 near the hotel, I got one portion of fresh meat potstickers and one portion of beef potstickers.

This was our last night in Suzhou’s downtown; tomorrow we’d move on to the famous ancient towns around Suzhou to experience town life.

Another misty, drizzly day in Jiangnan. Today’s main targets were two ancient towns: 木渎古镇 and 同里古镇. Rain enhances the Jiangnan water town charm. In the morning, I bought a salted flatbread, a fried dough stick, a sweet fried dough twist, and a sesame ball from 双塔王氏烧饼 near the hotel for breakfast. After eating, we walked to Lindun Road subway station and took Line 1 to 木渎. Exiting the station, we took a bus from 中华园大酒店 for about three stops to 木渎古镇, visiting the place Emperor Qianlong made a point to visit on each of his six southern tours.

The streets of 木渎古镇 are free to explore. I booked a combined adult ticket for the scenic spots on Ctrip a day in advance for 62 yuan; senior half price was 36 yuan.

The combo ticket covers 严家花园, 虹饮山房, 古松园, and 榜眼府第.

We recommend a half-day for 木渎古镇. At noon, we bought a handmade cold-skin noodle roll and a fish-flavored shredded pork rice bowl in town for lunch.

After lunch, we took the bus back to 木渎 subway station, transferred to a train to 同里. At 同里 station, we followed signs to the bus stop and caught bus 725 directly to 同里古镇.

同里古镇 is a natural film set—every snapshot is beautiful. Between 7:30 am and 5:30 pm, you need a ticket to enter the town. On Ctrip, adult tickets are 80 yuan, senior half price 50 yuan; the ticket allows visiting the small attractions inside. If you’re not interested in those, you can avoid ticket-check times by entering when the staff aren’t working. We figured “since we’re here,” we wanted to see all the spots and not miss anything, so we booked tickets in advance on Ctrip and also booked a night in a town guesthouse. If staying inside the town, you need to exchange your e-ticket for a paper ticket at the ticket office and inform them you’re staying overnight; they’ll help process an overnight pass so the ticket remains valid the next day. When choosing accommodation, we found a fantastic inn—同里楼家木米女客栈. It’s run by a couple, with two small buildings often rented by film crews. The twin room we stayed in was the heroine’s room from when Tang Yan and Luo Jin filmed the drama “Diamond Lover.” The hostess called before we arrived to let us know what to expect and how to get there. After checking in, she gave us a map of 同里 and tailored a sightseeing route to our preferences—superb.

The hostess was very warm and shared fun stories from the film crews. I highly, highly recommend staying here when you visit 同里! (Ctrip booking link – 同里楼家木米女客栈: https://hotels.ctrip.com/hotels/detail?hotelid=824595&cityid=14)

After checking in and a short rest, we went out to explore the town. We visited 耕乐堂, 崇本堂, 古戏台, and 退思园 in turn.

For dinner, we took the hostess’s recommendation and went to 酒坛子饭桶同里总店. We ordered one white-water fish and some rice; each table got a complimentary bowl of rice wine.