Exploring Jiangnan with Dad: An 8-Day Independent Tour of Suzhou (Zhouzhuang, Tongli, Luzhi, Mudu, Jinxi, Qiandeng)
This trip to Suzhou in the Jiangnan region with my dad was actually planned four years ago, when I first brought my mom on a 10-day independent trip to Hangzhou, also in Jiangnan. Ever since I was little, I've heard the saying, 'Above there is paradise, below there are Suzhou and Hangzhou.' After graduating from college four years ago, I took my mom on a 10-day vacation to Hangzhou, and I've always loved the scenery of Jiangnan with its small bridges and flowing streams. So I decided then that once my dad retired, I would bring him to Suzhou for a few days. After the pandemic, once we were both vaccinated, I requested a week off from work, and the journey began. This itinerary was leisurely—whenever we were tired, we could stop and rest, wandering and admiring the scenery and experiencing local customs. We savored the garden city of Suzhou and its clusters of gardens, checking off two of China’s Four Great Gardens: the Humble Administrator’s Garden and the Lingering Garden. We wandered among the rockery of the Lion Grove Garden described in an elementary school textbook, and experienced the midnight bells of Hanshan Temple outside Gusu City, as if onboard a traveler's boat. We explored six famous ancient water towns of Suzhou: the natural film set of Tongli Ancient Town, the foremost water town in China—Zhouzhuang, Luzhi Ancient Town which is as old as Suzhou city, Mudu Ancient Town where Emperor Qianlong stopped by on all six of his southern tours, Jinxi Ancient Town known as the hometown of folk museums, and Qiandeng Ancient Town, the birthplace of Kunqu Opera.
【Itinerary】
Day 1 (2021/5/22): Tianjin—Suzhou (visit Canglang Pavilion, Keyuan Garden, night tour of Master of the Nets Garden), hotel: Pod Inn Humble Administrator’s Garden Cultural Theme Hotel
Day 2 (2021/5/23): Suzhou (Hanshan Temple, Fengqiao Scenic Area, Lion Grove Garden, Suzhou Museum, Humble Administrator’s Garden, Guanqian Street), hotel: Pod Inn Humble Administrator’s Garden Cultural Theme Hotel
Day 3 (2021/5/24): Suzhou (Tiger Hill, Lingering Garden, Shantang Street, Yipu Garden, Couple’s Retreat Garden, Pingjiang Road), hotel: Pod Inn Humble Administrator’s Garden Cultural Theme Hotel
Day 4 (2021/5/25): Suzhou (Luzhi Ancient Town, Panmen Scenic Area, Shantang Street), hotel: Pod Inn Humble Administrator’s Garden Cultural Theme Hotel
Day 5 (2021/5/26): Suzhou—Mudu Ancient Town—Tongli Ancient Town, hotel: Tongli Loujia Mumi Inn
Day 6 (2021/5/27): Tongli Ancient Town—Zhouzhuang, hotel: Zhouzhuang Gusu·Xiaozhu Homestay
Day 7 (2021/5/28): Zhouzhuang—Jinxi Ancient Town—Qiandeng Ancient Town, hotel: Kunshan Kuai Zhi Lu Express Hotel
Day 8 (2021/5/29): Qiandeng Ancient Town—Shanghai—Tianjin
【Cost Details】
Both high-speed train (outbound) + return flight: 1,920 yuan
Hotel: 760 yuan
Tickets: adult 790 yuan / person, senior 440 yuan / person
Transport (taxi, airport pickup): 210 yuan
Local transport (pedicab, metro, bus): 130 yuan
Food & drinks: 560 yuan
Other: 170 yuan
Total: 5,000 yuan
Per person: 2,500 yuan
【Detailed Itinerary】
On May 22, 2021, we took the G211 high-speed train from Tianjin West Station at 9:30 am and arrived at Suzhou North Station at 2:15 pm after a five-hour ride.
After exiting the station, we took the metro to our hotel, checked in, dropped off our luggage, and the journey officially began.
(Pod Inn Suzhou Guanqian Humble Administrator’s Garden Cultural Theme Hotel booking link on Ctrip:
https://hotels.ctrip.com/hotels/detail?hotelid=1503638&cityid=14)
Around 3:30 pm we set off from the hotel. I had pre-booked a night tour of the Master of the Nets Garden on Ctrip, so we took a taxi to the Shiquan Street / Fenghuang Street area and first visited Canglang Pavilion and Keyuan Garden.
Canglang Pavilion is a classical Chinese garden originally built in the Northern Song Dynasty as the private garden of scholar Su Shunqin. Covering 1.08 hectares, it is the oldest existing garden in Suzhou. Along with Lion Grove Garden, Humble Administrator’s Garden, and Lingering Garden, it is one of the four great gardens representing the Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties.
Peak-season adult ticket: 20 yuan; senior half-price: 10 yuan. Booking on Ctrip and entering with an ID card is very convenient.
Recommended visit: 30 minutes to 1 hour. The garden is not large but has its own unique charm. Even though it was Saturday, we arrived late so there weren’t many tourists, allowing us to slowly enjoy the scenery.
Around 4:30 pm we finished at Canglang Pavilion and walked directly to the opposite Keyuan Garden to continue.
Keyuan Garden is a classical garden dating back to the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period. It’s separated from Canglang Pavilion by just one lane, with the garden gate facing south and overlooking the water towards Canglang Pavilion.
Recommended visit: 30 minutes to 1 hour. We strolled, rested in a small pavilion, and soaked up the Suzhou garden atmosphere. Peak-season adult ticket: 25 yuan; senior half-price: 12.5 yuan.
After visiting both gardens it was not yet 5:30 pm. I checked navigation and saw that the Master of the Nets Garden was about a 20-minute walk away. Our night tour was at 7:30 pm, so we decided to walk to the area and have dinner nearby. The Master of the Nets Garden is surrounded by the foodie streets of Shiquan Street and Fenghuang Street.
We ended up at the highly-rated Xishengyuan for wontons. We ordered a bowl of kaiyang wontons (with dried shrimp) and a bowl of shepherd's purse and fresh pork wontons.
It was exactly the taste I love—the broth was fresh and delicious, simply superb.
After dinner, around 6:30 pm, we walked about 10 minutes to the Master of the Nets Garden for the highlight of the day—the night tour.
At 7:30 pm the tour started. Each group was led by a guide who took us through eight performances staged in different parts of the garden. We experienced a series of evocative shows under the night sky:
– Kun dance 'Magnolia' inside Jixu Studio
– 'Tea Art with a View' in the Kan Song Du Hua Xuan (Pavilion for Viewing Pines and Paintings)
– Flute poetry and singing in Dianchun Yi (Spring-stealing Tower)
– A live-action holographic Kun opera 'A Dream in the Garden' at Zhuoying Shuige
– 'Wumen Qin Music' in Xiaoshan Conggui Xuan
– 'Jiangnan Silk and Bamboo' music in Wanjuan Hall
– Kun opera 'Fifteen Strings of Cash: The Interrogation' in Xiexiu Lou
– 'Suzhou Pingtan' (storytelling and ballad singing) in Tiyun Shi
It was a one-hour immersive experience, a completely different way to enjoy a garden. Listening to opera and music in a garden at night felt like stepping back in time.
On the way out, we spotted a super cute French bulldog at a little shop—adorable!
After the night tour, we took a taxi back to the Pod Inn to rest and recharge for the next day. Our first night in Gusu was over.
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May 23. Woke up at 7 am to find it had started raining—perfect for a rainy Jiangnan scene, just missing an oil-paper umbrella, haha.
We were ready and out for breakfast by 8 something. I had planned to go to Yaba Shengjian on Lindun Road, a 10-minute walk from the hotel. But when we got there, Sunday+rain didn’t stop the crowds—Yaba Shengjian was packed, so we gave up. I searched and found a super famous alternative just around the corner: Changmen Yaoji Soy Milk. We headed there instead and ordered a mei cai kou rou (preserved vegetable) bun, a steamer of xiaolongbao, and two bowls of soy milk.
After breakfast, we took a taxi to Hanshan Temple outside Gusu City to experience the daytime version of the midnight bell, haha.
Hanshan Temple in the rain.
Peak-season adult ticket: 20 yuan; senior half-price: 10 yuan (senior tickets must be bought on-site).
After Hanshan Temple we strolled through the adjacent Fengqiao Scenic Area—no extra ticket needed.
The ancient Fengqiao bridge...
Zhang Ji’s 'A Night Mooring by Maple Bridge' poetic scene...
After that, we took a taxi back to the city center to visit Suzhou’s most iconic sights: Lion Grove Garden, Suzhou Museum, and the Humble Administrator’s Garden. I’d pre-booked Suzhou Museum tickets the day before, with timed entry slots. We only managed to get tickets for the 12:00–1:00 pm slot, so at 11:00 we grabbed onigiri from a FamilyMart for lunch and headed to Lion Grove Garden first.
Lion Grove Garden represents the Yuan Dynasty. It’s named after the countless rocks shaped like lions. I remember a Chinese textbook from my childhood describing the rockery and stone lions, and I was thrilled to finally weave through the rockery myself.
Recommended visit: 1–2 hours. Because of the rain, we didn’t spend a lot of time in the rockery, but if weather permits, I highly recommend playing hide and seek among the rocks—it’s easy to get lost!
Peak-season adult ticket: 40 yuan; senior half-price: 20 yuan. Check the Suzhou gardens WeChat account for combination ticket deals.
Around noon we walked 10 minutes from Lion Grove Garden to Suzhou Museum and started a fascinating museum journey.
The museum’s old site was the Prince Zhong’s Mansion of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, while the new building is a stunningly photogenic modern structure inspired by Jiangnan architecture and garden layouts.
You enter through the new wing, walk through to the riverside square, then enter the former Prince Zhong’s Mansion, which now serves as the museum exit.
The museum cleverly uses water to connect visually with the adjacent Prince Zhong’s Mansion, creating a seamless architectural flow.
Right next to the exit is the Humble Administrator’s Garden.
One of China’s Four Great Gardens and a masterpiece of Ming dynasty Jiangnan classical gardens, it’s the largest classical garden in Suzhou.
Even the rain couldn’t deter visitors. The garden is divided into eastern, central, and western sections. The eastern garden is open and spacious, the central garden is the essence, and the western garden features exquisite architecture—each with distinct charm.
Recommended visit: 2–3 hours. Peak-season adult ticket: 80 yuan; senior half-price: 40 yuan. Both are bookable on Ctrip with timed entry; just scan your ID to enter—very convenient.
By around 3 pm, our main activities for the day were done. We walked back to the hotel. Since I wanted to keep the trip relaxed for Dad, he rested at the hotel while I went out alone. A 15-minute walk took me to Guanqian Street.
Different angles of the Guanqian Street archway.
I bought some Suzhou specialties on Guanqian Street. Yummy!
At around 6 pm I picked Dad up and we went to the nearby Weiji Ao Noodle House for dinner.
A trip to Jiangnan wouldn’t be complete without noodles—a bowl of red-braised pork noodles and a bowl of five-spice pork chop noodles. That wrapped up Day 2.
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Day 3 in Suzhou brought clear skies. We went out at 8 am and finally had the Yaba Shengjian breakfast we missed yesterday. A plate of pan-fried buns started the day.
At 8 am on a Monday, the place was much quieter. We happily ate, then took a taxi to Tiger Hill, the 'No. 1 Sight in Wuzhong.'
I recommend entering through the north gate and exiting from the south gate. From the south gate, you can take bus Route 1 for a few stops to the Lingering Garden—an efficient day.
At the north gate, there are shuttle cars and horse carriages. To save Dad's energy, we took the shuttle car (20 yuan per person) to the peak where Tiger Hill Pagoda stands, then walked downhill and enjoyed the scenery. The hill isn’t high, so if you’re young, I’d suggest hiking up from the north and down the other side.
At the summit we reached Tiger Hill’s Yunyan Pagoda (also called Tiger Hill Pagoda). Due to uneven soil and foundation design issues, the pagoda has been leaning northwest since the Ming Dynasty, earning it the nickname 'China’s Leaning Tower of Pisa.'
Down from the pagoda, the next iconic sight is the Tiger Hill Sword Pond and the Third Spring. Continuing south down the hill, you’ll pass Yanghe Run, Sun Wu’s training ground, and Wanjing Villa.
Peak-season adult ticket: 70 yuan; senior half-price: 35 yuan. Recommended visit: 1.5–2.5 hours.
Around 11 am we exited through the south gate and took bus Route 1 to the Lingering Garden, one of China’s Four Great Gardens and a representative Qing dynasty garden of Jiangsu.
The Lingering Garden lets you experience four distinct types of scenery: mountains and waters, pastoral fields, wooded hills, and courtyard gardens.
Peak-season adult ticket: 55 yuan; senior half-price: 27.5 yuan. Recommended visit: 1–2 hours.
The highlight is the 'Ugly Rock,' characterized by four words: wrinkled, slender, perforated, and translucent. You can appreciate these features from different viewing angles.
After 12 pm, we took a bus two stops to Shantang Street. Near the bus stop there were many small eateries; we picked the highly-rated Danfeng Lou Restaurant. We sampled a variety of local specialties: a bowl of fresh pork wontons, a salted egg yolk pork zongzi, a ci mao tuan (sticky rice ball with pork floss), and a bowl of sweet fermented rice with osmanthus and glutinous rice balls.
After lunch we explored the ancient Qilishantang (Seven-Mile Shantang) Street.
After Shantang, we walked about half an hour into the alleys to find the hidden gem Yipu Garden.
Yipu Garden is a classical private garden built during the Jiajing era of the Ming Dynasty, a fine example of a small Ming-style garden in Suzhou.
Peak-season adult ticket: 10 yuan; senior half-price: 5 yuan. Recommended visit: 1 hour.
After Yipu Garden, we grabbed a taxi back to the hotel. Dad rested again while I went out solo. About a 10-minute walk from the hotel took me to Pingjiang Road Historical & Cultural Block. I first visited the nearby Couple’s Retreat Garden (Ouyuan).
Adult peak-season ticket: 25 yuan. Originally named Sheyuan, it got its name because there is a garden on each side of the residence (east and west), and the name 'Ouyuan' also implies the good fortune of a loving couple.
After the garden, I strolled along Pingjiang Road.
My favorite Cat Sky Bookstore—there are two on Pingjiang Road!
Hand-drawn illustrations of Pingjiang Road.
Pingjiang Road deserves to be savored—one Pingjiang Road equals half of Suzhou city!
By 6 pm I’d finished Pingjiang Road and went back to Baita East Road, where I bought pork-cabbage dumplings and soy milk from Laocheng Huangmiao Potstickers near the hotel for Dad’s dinner. We went to bed early to rest up for tomorrow’s visit to Luzhi Ancient Town.
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Day 4. Got up at 6 am sharp, had a simple breakfast of bread we’d bought at FamilyMart the day before, and left at 7 am. We walked to Beisi Pagoda Metro Station, took Line 4 to Line 2, went to the terminus Sangtian Dao Station, then took a taxi to Luzhi Ancient Town in Wuzhong District—a water town as old as Suzhou city.
Luzhi Ancient Town has no entrance fee for the town itself. A joint ticket for the small attractions inside costs 55 yuan for adults. Right after the visitor service center you’ll see the Luduan statue; Luduan Square is the entrance to the old town. Recommended visit: 3–4 hours. Luzhi is very quiet, with no commercial clutter or noisy tour groups. Residents wash clothes and vegetables by the river, chat in the shade—just a peaceful place waiting to be discovered.
Quiet lanes...
One attraction on Shangtang Street—Wansheng Rice Shop
Jiangnan Cultural Park...
Wang Tao Memorial Hall...
Xiao’s Residence & Shen’s Residence...
Creative little shops along the street...
It happened to be Tuesday, and there were many art students sketching all around town. The quiet ancient town under a clear blue sky was simply beautiful.
For lunch, we bought delicious Haitang cakes and radish cakes from Qiuxiang Haitang Cake stall, then found a riverside restaurant and ordered a bowl of longfeng tangyuan (sweet and savory rice balls), sitting by the window watching the small bridges and flowing water.
After lunch, we took a taxi back to Sangtian Dao Metro Station and then transferred to the metro to visit Panmen Scenic Area.
Adult ticket: 40 yuan; senior half-price: 20 yuan. Recommended visit: 2–3 hours.
The Panmen Scenic Area mainly features three sights: the Panmen Water-and-Land Gate in southwest Suzhou, the Wumen Bridge spanning the Grand Canal, and the Ruiguang Pagoda reflecting in the water. These three are connected by the mighty Grand Canal, forming the Panmen historic area.
Around 3:30 pm we left, took a taxi back to the hotel. Dad rested while I went out for food.
I headed back to Shantang Street to buy the famous Jiangnan xiekehuang pastries—one scallion oil and one sesame sugar.
I also got some potstickers from Laocheng Huangmiao Potstickers near the hotel—one order of pork and one of beef.
Tonight was our last night in Suzhou city proper. Tomorrow we’d head out to explore the famous ancient water towns of Suzhou.
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Day 5. Another misty rainy Jiangnan day. Today we planned to cover two ancient towns: Mudu and Tongli. Rain paired with an ancient town perfectly captures the Jiangnan water-town vibe. In the morning, we bought a savory sesame cake, a youtiao (fried dough stick), a sugar dumpling, and a ma tuan (sesame ball) from Shuangta Wang’s Baked Cakes near the hotel for breakfast. Then we walked to Lindun Road Metro Station, took Line 1 to Mudu, and after exiting took a bus from Zhonghua Yuan Hotel a few stops to Mudu Ancient Town—the place Emperor Qianlong always visited on his six southern tours.
The town itself is free to stroll. I pre-booked a joint ticket for the main attractions on Ctrip: adult 62 yuan, senior half 36 yuan.
The ticket covers Yan’s Garden, Hongyin Shanfang, Ancient Pine Garden, and Bangyan Fudi.
Recommended visit: half a day. At noon we bought hand-rolled cold-skin noodles and a fish-flavored shredded pork rice from a street vendor for lunch.
After lunch, we took the bus back to Mudu Metro Station and transferred to the metro bound for Tongli. At Tongli Metro Station, we followed signs to the bus stop and took bus 725 straight to Tongli Ancient Town.
Tongli Ancient Town is a natural film set—every snapshot looks perfect. The town requires an entry ticket between 7:30 am and 5:30 pm. Ctrip pre-booked adult ticket: 80 yuan, senior half 50 yuan. The ticket also covers small attractions inside. If you’re not interested in those, you can enter outside the ticketing hours free of charge. But since we were already there, we wanted to see everything, so I booked tickets ahead and also reserved a night’s stay at a guesthouse inside the town. For overnight stays, you need to exchange your online booking for a paper ticket at the ticket office and mention you’re staying in the town; the staff will handle an overnight ticket so your ticket remains valid the next day. When choosing accommodation, I found a wonderful guesthouse: Tongli Loujia Mumi Inn. Run by a couple, it has two small buildings often lent out to film crews. Our twin room happened to be the one used in the drama 'Diamond Lover' starring Tang Yan and Luo Jin. Before we arrived, the hostess called to let us know tips and directions. After check-in, she gave us a map and planned a personalized route based on our interests—superb!
The hostess is incredibly friendly and shared fun stories about film shoots. I absolutely recommend staying here when visiting Tongli! (Ctrip booking link: https://hotels.ctrip.com/hotels/detail?hotelid=824595&cityid=14)
After checking in and a short rest, we went out to explore. We visited Gengle Hall, Chongben Hall, the Ancient Stage, and Tuisi Garden.
For dinner, we went to Jiutanzi Fantong Tongli Main Store, as recommended by the hostess. We ordered a steamed white-water fish and rice; every table gets a complimentary bowl of rice wine.
