New Year Travel: Unlock 13 Artsy Ways to Experience Suzhou's East Taihu Lake – Coffee, Bookstores & Hot Springs

Arriving in Suzhou, you’ll find houses nestled along the canals. Suzhou’s slow pace is pure poetry – there are always so many beautiful things to do here.

Strolling along the riverside of Wangongdi, unhurried visitors glide in little boats through the winding waterways, passing under elegant green arch bridges, drifting toward a vanishing point. Everything in sight feels like a scene from the Jiangnan of old.

Ancient Suzhou is like a novel you can never tire of reading, shaped by centuries of history, exuding a quiet charm. Every time you open its pages, the fragrance still lingers, fresh and new.

Suzhou’s beauty is multi-faceted: here you’ll find towering skyscrapers and whitewashed walls with grey tiles, tranquil lanes and stylish modern transport. On this trip, I’ll show you 13 ways to unlock a Suzhou that is both artsy and bohemian.

About the check-in spots:

1. Artsy Suzhou: Shangshuzhou Bookstore, BFM Art Center, Wangongdi

2. Bohemian Suzhou: COO Coffee, LIM Café, Shengjiaku

3. Foodie Suzhou: Lan Japanese Cuisine, Hepburn Restaurant

4. Leisurely Suzhou: East Taihu Hotel, Le Méridien, HUALUXE

5. Scenic Suzhou: Day and night at Suzhou Bay, East Taihu Ecological Park

Practical tips for a New Year trip:

1. Suzhou is very accessible. This time I took a high-speed train directly to Suzhou North. Coming from the north to Jiangnan, the temperatures are a bit warmer. The spots here are perfect for artsy, fresh photos. To look good in your pictures, I’d suggest packing more spring/autumn clothes. When going out, a wool coat or a light down jacket is enough.

2. This trip focused on leisure and relaxation – soaking in hot springs, browsing bookstores, savoring food, and enjoying the scenery. The pace was very easy, ideal for a New Year getaway. To cover these 13 spots, I recommend allowing four to six days.

3. (Typo skipped – original jumps to 4.)

4. A special note: shoes matter a lot on the road. Prioritize comfort. You can wear heels in cafés and bookstores, but for Wangongdi and Suzhou Bay, comfortable, casual shoes are best.

5. For New Year travelers, I’m recommending three hotels. They’re not far apart and let you experience different styles. I’ll detail the leisure activities each offers later in the article.

6. Must-bring photo gear: camera, phone, tripod – they’ll all add to your travel stories. I brought a DJI drone, a Sony A7R2, and an Apple iPhone XR. Also, a power bank is essential!

Good food is the best reason to meet a place. Whenever I travel to a new city, finding beloved local spots, tasting the dishes, and snapping photos is my little travel joy. My journey around Suzhou’s East Taihu was filled with satisfying flavors and stories in every cup of coffee. Take your time, explore slowly, and feel it all.

Suzhou travel has many layers. This New Year, come discover your own artsy vibe.

Suzhou’s beauty is many-sided. Skyscrapers stand beside white walls and grey tiles; quiet lanes coexist with sleek modern transport. You’ll always find unexpected surprises. I recommend a niche yet popular spot perfect for creative, fresh photos – ideal for a New Year trip.

A ribbon of emerald water winds along, lined with artsy, bohemian shops. This is Wangongdi at East Taihu Lake – a newly trendy checkpoint in Suzhou. The area isn’t huge, but there’s plenty to do: boat rides, tent barbecues, a vintage green-train restaurant, and a cluster of charming little boutiques.

Wangongdi sits on the shores of East Taihu, echoing the Suzhou Bay Bridge. The environment is serene, perfect for a leisurely stroll. You’ll often see young couples and ladies here shooting wedding or travel portraits. The lakeside shops are full of character, selling whimsical trinkets.

Wangongdi has its own mini-celebrity: an adorable pig. Every visitor is curious about this cutie and chases after it with cameras and phones. The pig, utterly unfazed, simply goes about its business – a heartwarming sight.

Wangongdi is steeped in history and remains a relatively niche spot. It’s named after the water conservancy expert Wan Qingxuan. You can also row a boat here, gliding through lush greenery and enjoying Suzhou’s slow-paced joy. The pristine woods also make a great backdrop for portraits.

Wan Qingxuan was a dedicated water official. In 1863 (Qing Dynasty), he served as magistrate of Zhenze; in 1872, as magistrate of Wujiang; and in 1875, again in Zhenze. During his tenure, he saw the long-neglected Wujiang causeway and, with no government funds available, donated his own salary in 1874 to rebuild the section from Sanli Bridge to Dapu Bridge. That road is now a protected national heritage site and a key part of the Grand Canal – the “Nine-Li Stone Embankment.”

Wangongdi today is part of the Taihu embankment. Its artsy-bohemian vibe has won over more and more tourists, turning it into a new must-see spot in Suzhou.

Stepping into Wangongdi, the most eye-catching feature is the train restaurant converted from an old green carriage. The vintage atmosphere instantly whisks you back to the 1980s. The carriages are fantastic for photos, blending classical Chinese elegance with European country style. The restaurant specializes in Cantonese cuisine. At lunchtime, you can savor delicious food while snapping nostalgic shots.

The natural setting is quiet and secluded. Follow the winding path and you’ll reach the tent barbecue area – ideal for a laid-back gathering with friends and equally photogenic for outdoor lifestyle pictures.

Travel is about relaxing body and mind. I really love these lesser-known Suzhou spots, where Jiangnan’s refined tranquility meets urban artsy charm. Wangongdi is a peaceful haven right in the city, far from the hustle and bustle, a place to savor a calm, unhurried life.

Suzhou travel is multi-layered. This New Year, come to Wangongdi and find your own artsy style.

Suzhou is slow, slow in the most poetic way. There are always so many beautiful things to do here. If you love that bohemian, artistic feel, there are three little things you must do in Suzhou. No matter how restless your heart, it will settle the moment you begin.

2. Shangshuzhou Bookstore

A bookstore shaped by time represents a city’s cultural depth, radiating a gentle, timeless elegance. With life moving ever faster, it had been ages since I last visited a bookstore. I always miss the quiet reading days of my student years. Today, a bookstore is more than just a place to buy books – it’s a space to sharpen the mind, store memories, and comfort the soul.

Shangshuzhou is a cherished sanctuary for many Suzhou locals. It sits in Suzhou Bay Food New World, Wujiang District. Outside, a sign reads, “A bookstore to appreciate, so pause a while.” Those words drew me in. Its hours are relaxed: 10:00–21:00 every day.

Step inside and you’re in an ocean of books. The atmosphere is hushed, and the collection is vast, neatly organized by era. There’s also a section for creative souvenirs, tea, and other thoughtful items. The setting is perfect for peaceful reading. Some students come specifically to do homework; others meet friends here to sip tea, read, and chat in soft murmurs.

I love the artistic lines inside: “Reading has always been about crossing mountains; drinking tea, about traversing rivers.” Every corner is photogenic – even a random spot makes a beautiful picture. Just remember to keep your voice down when taking photos so you don’t disturb other readers.

3. COO Coffee

Spending the time it takes for a cup of coffee to soak in Suzhou’s bohemian mood is perhaps the loveliest part of travel. Suzhou is fresh and artsy. My trip this time was a deep dive into East Taihu, which is dotted with cafés of a particularly bohemian, artistic character. COO Coffee is one of the most iconic.

COO Coffee is located in Building C, Meizhuang, East Taihu Ecological Park, Wujiang – a patch of tranquility in the city. The café has two floors: the ground floor houses the coffee bar and Western dining area, while upstairs is an art, fashion, and lifestyle space. Plenty of corners are great for photos.

My favorite photo spots: the white spiral staircase, the 180-degree floor-to-ceiling panoramic windows, and the indoor tropical plants. They even prepare sun lamps for those who love taking pictures.

4. LIM Café

Good food is the best reason to meet a place. Finding beloved local spots, tasting their dishes, and capturing them on camera – that’s my little travel joy. My East Taihu journey was filled with satisfaction in every flavor and stories in every cup. The third café I’d recommend is LIM Café, done up in Instagram-worthy style.

LIM has several branches in Suzhou. I visited the new one at 100m south of the Suzhou Bay Sports Park football field, Wujiang District. If you’re traveling to Suzhou for the New Year, head to LIM Café at East Taihu. Its Instagram-inspired décor – minimalist, artistic, and sophisticated – lets you snap photos that will instantly dominate your social media.

The café is a photographer’s dream. Order a colorful fruit tea, a favorite among girls; it doubles as a perfect prop in your hand and tastes wonderful.

I love coming to cafés because the food not only looks gorgeous but also tastes great. The shop has many festive decorations, perfect for New Year-themed photos. The Misty Rainbow Roll serves three or four people; it’s ethereal and costs only 58 yuan – a great value and one of the most-ordered items.

For many girls, drinking coffee is about savoring a mood. A beautifully presented coffee lifts the spirits in ways words can’t describe. The Pineapple Caramel Coffee, for example, is stunning, photogenic, and delicious.

The Sea Salt Mille Crêpe, in a fresh pale blue, has a delicate texture and a subtle salty note. Even those who don’t normally like cake will enjoy this one.

Whether it’s COO Coffee or Shangshuzhou Bookstore, these are Suzhou’s peaceful hideaways. Here, you escape the clamor of city traffic and the frantic pace, meeting the long-awaited Suzhou slowness. A coffee, a small pastry – Suzhou is perfect for whiling away time in such charming, bohemian spots. Recording these little travel moments is part of the journey’s meaning.

5. Hepburn Restaurant

“One Suzhou city, half a book of Jiangnan poetry.” For Suzhou, I’ve always been a hurried passerby. As 2022 begins, I’ve decided to savor it more slowly, to deeply feel its beauty.

To get to know a city, start with its food. I always feel that the dishes locals love carry the city’s character and cultural heritage. For dinner, I deliberately chose a spot strongly recommended by a local friend: Golden Sea·Hepburn Time (Suzhou Bay branch).

Bright, glittering lights and an elegantly classical setting lead you into a world of grace and tranquility. Hepburn Time is at Building A, 3333 Kaiping Road, Wujiang District. Reservations are a must; it’s a favorite among locals. My friend told me she visits regularly – first for the food, second for the relaxing, artistic atmosphere.

Outside, Suzhou’s twinkling city lights; inside, an elegant, serene dining space. I love this style. Aesthetic sense at the table is Suzhou people’s pursuit of refinement and our own tribute to living well.

A pre-meal bread opened my culinary journey at Hepburn Time. The menu blends Chinese and Western elements with Suzhou characteristics: rich but not greasy, light but not bland, beautifully plated and delicately flavored.

Our group of nine ordered quite a spread, featuring the restaurant’s signatures: sea urchin slow-braised tofu, chilled nine-year lily bulbs, rose-fed ribeye on a sizzling plate, foie gras balls with scallion pancakes, and pan-fried golden fresh shrimp cakes, among others. If your New Year trip brings the family together, come to Suzhou for a slow journey of beautiful scenery and delicious food.

The chilled nine-year lily bulb was a personal favorite. Lily bulb is a traditional Chinese medicinal ingredient now widely used in cooking. It nourishes yin, moistens the lungs, and calms the mind. Hepburn’s version is refreshing. As a cold appetizer, it was a hit. During my five-day, four-night Suzhou trip, I had lily bulbs every day – clearly, Suzhou people love this healthful dish.

The foie gras balls with scallion pancakes were a revelation. This is why I love Suzhou: its refined food culture invites savoring, leaving a lasting impression. I see this dish as a wonderful fusion of East and West. Even visually, it’s stunning.

Suzhou, marked by these flavors, has woven itself into my real life, making my trip all the more vivid. Meeting Suzhou again, sooner or later, in this gentle winter.

Suzhou, brimming with poetry and aesthetic charm, has bohemian vibes as its signature style. On this deep dive into East Taihu, I discovered a Japanese restaurant with outstanding value: Lan Cuisine (the name itself is elegant).

6. Lan Japanese Cuisine

Lan Japanese Cuisine is located at Building A3, Suzhou Bay Food New World, 539 Hujing Street, Suzhou.

Average cost per person: 268 yuan.

Dining environment: The atmosphere is exquisitely refined. Dining is entirely in private rooms, varying in size according to party number. Each room is named after a Japanese city – Hokkaido, Fukuoka, etc. – which feels very familiar to those who love traveling in Japan.

7. BFM Art Center

Step into BFM Art Center and you step into a temple of art. It’s on the south plaza of Kaiping Business Center, 11666 East Taihu Avenue, Suzhou Bay. From the outside, it’s unassuming. But climb the stairs, and you enter a different world. Paintings, sculptures, ceramics – the ambiance is quiet and graceful, instantly calming.

At BFM, you can appreciate master-level works and sit down for a coffee and a light snack. The center has thoughtfully arranged resting spaces, and the design itself is highly artistic, great for portrait photos.

8. Shengjiaku Old Street

Old architecture in a city always holds mesmerizing charm, which is why I came to Shengjiaku Old Street. It was first called Qipao Town, then renamed Shengjiaku Old Street, and for a while was known as “Wujiang Memory.” I think Shengjiaku Old Street sounds the most nostalgic.

Shengjiaku is rich in historical culture, once a gathering place for literati. If you love qipao, this is definitely the place to hunt for treasures. Today, several famous qipao shops are here. One offers custom tailoring; the owner is a Suzhou native, and each piece exudes an old-Suzhou charm – classic, elegant, and high in quality.

For those who love life and travel, the hot topic lately is where to go for the New Year holiday. As life accelerates, we are endlessly drawn to poetic living – distant places with poetry, wine, friends, and dreams. Every such phrase that catches the eye can instantly touch our hearts. This New Year, let’s embark on a slow journey to Suzhou and encounter its artsy, bohemian lifestyle.

9. East Taihu Hotel

East Taihu Hotel boasts captivating natural scenery, set along the scenic beauty of East Taihu Lake. It’s located at 588 Yingbin Avenue, Taihu New Town, Wujiang District. Transportation is easy, making trips out very convenient. It’s about a 5-minute bike ride along the lakeside road to the Sports Park or to the East Taihu Tourist Resort & Shangshai Sailing Club. Most importantly, the hotel is brimming with New Year atmosphere.

I stayed in a family room in the villa area. The spacious, bright room was playfully decorated. Far from the city’s noise, I whiled away a leisurely half-day idyll – truly wonderful. The villa area is secluded and serene; right outside are stands of bamboo, classically elegant.

The hotel is beautifully landscaped, with 49,000 square meters of gardens, over a hundred precious plant species, and a large sports park. In your free time, you can stroll, cycle, or enjoy tea in the gardens. Besides the standard rooms and villas, the family suites also impressed me: spacious and bright, with a balcony overlooking the whole East Taihu Lake, and you can even enjoy a hot spring bath inside your room. It’s perfect for two or three families vacationing together.

The hotel’s hot spring area offers great privacy. The water comes from natural carbonated hot springs thousands of meters underground. There are 12 outdoor soaking pools, plus geothermal steam rooms and carbonated stone sauna rooms. Each pool is screened by greenery, so you’re undisturbed – very peaceful.

10. HUALUXE Hotel

Spend your New Year trip at Suzhou’s East Taihu! Stay at the HUALUXE Hotel with views over the lake, then unwind at Wangyan Hot Spring – the most relaxing way to start the New Year. Right by the lake, in the East Taihu Tourist Resort, the hotel’s design blends classic Jiangnan garden elegance with contemporary luxury comfort.

I stayed in a lake-view room, where I could admire Taihu Lake from the balcony: gentle breezes, shimmering waters, and the mild, cozy Jiangnan winter. The room was thoughtfully prepared with fresh fruit and snacks, and the balcony’s private plunge pool meant we could soak in the hot spring right in our own space. The hotel also offers a wonderful perk: all guests can enjoy complimentary access to the adjacent Wangyan Hot Spring.

A three-minute walk from HUALUXE brings you to Wangyan Hot Spring. If you’re not staying at the hotel, you can also purchase a separate ticket. The environment is tranquil, with over forty pools of different sizes and functions – essential oil and petal pools, lemon, rose, ginger, and more. Each pool has a different temperature, so you can choose according to your preference.

Photo recommendations: the infinity pool overlooking the lake, the little yellow duck pool, and the water mahjong pool – all stunning for photos. At the infinity pool, you can even order an afternoon tea set. After snapping your pictures, you can eat, drink, and chat with friends in total relaxation.

11. Le Méridien Hotel

Le Méridien East Taihu is another personal favorite. It’s at 518 Yingbin Avenue, Taihu New Town. The bright, spacious lobby and elegantly modern décor give a warm, home-away-from-home feeling. My room had a huge sea-view floor-to-ceiling window. Drawing the curtains, I was met with the calm, crystal-clear East Taihu Lake. The scenery was heart-stirring. On clear evenings, you can even watch a gorgeous sunset from your room.

Le Méridien is full of design flair. The brand originated in France and now runs 120 hotels in 50 countries and regions. Each property incorporates local cultural elements, and the Suzhou East Taihu one is steeped in Suzhou’s cultural heritage.

Le Méridien is stylishly bohemian. All rooms feature oversized floor-to-ceiling windows, offering panoramic views of Taihu Lake or the Suzhou cityscape. With the New Year, the hotel is festooned with red lanterns, radiating a joyous atmosphere everywhere.

During my stay, I tasted authentic Suzhou cuisine. The dishes were meticulously prepared – not just beautifully plated, but full of the Jiangnan flavors I love: Jiangnan Six Appetizer Plates, Crab Roe and Potato Velouté, Crystal Shrimp with Oil-Blasted River Shrimp, Tangerine Peel Beef, Braised Old Goose Claypot, Stir-Fried Chicken Mushroom with Crispy Pork, Asparagus and Yellow Fungus with Australian Scallop, Pepper-Fragrant Marble Goby, Baked Lanzhou Lily Bulb, Lard-Fried Taro Stem with Baby Bok Choy, and an assorted dim sum platter – each one a delight.

On this New Year trip, by Suzhou’s East Taihu, I harvested my own slice of happiness. Heartily enjoy every detail of life, savor every cup of tea, cherish every gathering. Focus on each present moment, face people and things with a calm heart. Slow living is for everyone. Here, the landscape is natural, far from noise, close to the countryside – perfect for cultivating the spirit and relaxing the mind.

12. Suzhou Bay

Suzhou’s beauty is full of spirit. Arriving at Suzhou Bay at twilight never fails to surprise. The architecture here fuses grandeur and solidity with Jiangnan charm. An aerial view from a drone brings a visual impact beyond words. I love the beauty created by nature and human hands – it stirs the heart. Walking slowly along the stone steps, in the distance, an ancient boat seems to float gracefully from old Suzhou, drifting toward you.

Make sure to return to Suzhou Bay after dark during your New Year trip. The dazzling light show and fountain will carry you into a dreamlike fairy-tale world. It’s a feast for the eyes created by light and shadow, and a concert for the ears from the music. Under the enchanting lights, to the sound of splashing water, time slips quietly away in a glance.

13. East Taihu Ecological Park

With eyes that can discover beauty, you’ll find Suzhou never lacks it. East Taihu Ecological Park is a crucial waterfront system for the entire Wujiang area along East Taihu. It’s a large ecological leisure park where city and lake blend, water and greenery entwine. Stroll and wander with a relaxed heart; amid nature, your mood is freest. This is exactly the easy, joyful state you want for a New Year journey.

A wisp of cloud, a stream and moon; a stretch of landscape, a season of life. Wandering through the picturesque scenery of Suzhou’s East Taihu, searching for the city’s bohemian artistic core. I’ve unlocked Suzhou’s cultural code in 13 ways.

Classic and modern, coffee and bookstores, fine dining and hot springs – all infused with a subtle poetry in the New Year air. Winding lanes brim with ancient charm; hidden paths lead to storied distances.