1 Day Suzhou City Highlights Tour
Short Glimpse of Best Suzhou
Short Glimpse of Best Suzhou
Suzhou, just adjacent to China’s most spectacular metropolis Shanghai, is a small but fascinating city. It was referred as one of China’s most beautiful cities in China by Marco Polo. Numerous Chinese poets, aristocrats, scholars, royal family members as well as pleasure-seekers have been attracted to savor its unique glory since thousands of years ago. What makes Suzhou so alluring? The eloquent answer might be the meticulously-designed Suzhou gardens, the ancient canal streets, the fine Suzhou silk, the old historical sites, etc.
This 1 day tour brings you the best features of Suzhou City and helps you find your own answer. In spite of the limited time, you are able to unveil the mystery of Suzhou. Each attraction arranged in this tour is handpicked to tell the old story and demonstrate the elegance and antiquity of this city. You will find it really meets your expectation and even beyond your imagination. Just uncover the exquisite scroll painting of Suzhou City and start an incredible exploration now!
Day 1 Suzhou Day Tour
Today‘s Highlights: Lingering Garden, Tiger Hill, Suzhou No.1 Silk Factory
In the early morning of today, you will be picked up from the train station or your hotel lobby by your private tour guide and driver, then set out for today’s exciting things to do.
Start with an interesting visit to Lingering Garden, one of the Four Greatest Gardens in China as well as the perfect representative of traditional Suzhou Gardens. The Lingering Garden has synthesized almost all the classic features of Suzhou gardens. It is composed of residential areas, shrines, family temple and garden, making full use of the changes between big and small, bend and straight, bright and dark, tall and low, tight and disperse, with the surrounding landscapes, such as plants, lakes, sky, etc. as backgrounds to create an ingenious system of space. Stepping into the garden, you will find the architectures, rockeries, corridors, pavilions, ponds and trees in Lingering Garden are all standing in the best place, neither too crowded nor too sporadic. The most incredible thing is that, in the same place, looking from different angles, you can enjoy different scenery. Making a step, you will get another feeling of another kind of scenery.
After visiting Lingering Garden, move on to the next site – Pingjiang Road, a peaceful water town style street with canals by side. Narrow lanes, humpbacked bridges, archaistic cafes and shops all make the road fascinating. No longer need to be disappointed about missing a water town, because the water town is just within your sight. Just enjoy a relaxing stroll on Pingjiang Road and take some nice shots.
In the afternoon, you will go to explore the iconic historical site in Suzhou – Tiger Hill. The hill is only 36 meters in height, but covers about 3.5 acres areas with a number of historical sites some of which have history over 2,500 years. The most famous sites include the Yunyan Pagoda which is an over-1000-year-old pagoda with seven stories in height and famously leans much like the Leaning Tower of Pisa, and the Sword Pool where the King of Wu, He Lu, tested and buried his treasured swords about 2500 years ago. Apart from the history, the Tiger Hill is also an amazing place to go for a walk, enjoy natural scenery and experience local custom.
Next, you will transfer from Tiger Hill to Suzhou No.1 Silk Factory for a great entertaining and educational experience. Acting as a living museum of Suzhou Silk, this factory exhibits not only the ancient looms in different dynasties and different weaving techniques, but also the demo of silk manufacturing from cover to cover. You can feast your eyes on each step of the magic process, including silkworms eating mulberries, machinery unraveling cocoons, workers spinning silk and so on. A sea of fancy silk items like scarves, pajamas, bags, cheongsams, shirts, etc. are also on display.
Note: All attractions can be customized according to your arrival and departure arrangements, the lowest price & best-value guaranteed. Please feel free to contact us at any time.
Our delighted customers visited Lingering Garden
1. This price is for one person, based on a group of 2 adults sharing one standard double-bed room in 4-star hotel
and traveling with our private tour in low seasons.
2. This price is subject to change according your
traveling season, group size, hotel class, change of activities in your itinerary and possible fluctuation of
currency exchange rate. If you want a lower price, you can get more people to join you, or use economy class hotels.
3. This price is only valid to March 31, 2025.
4. Reference exchange rate of USD 1=RMB 6.85. The final quote is based on current exchange rate. It may change
according to the currency fluctuation, while the RMB quotation will be remained the same.
Hi Mr Wang,
Thanks! I had a weekend away to Xi’an, China to celebrate my birthday. It was an exciting weekend and it was certainly something off the beaten trail for most of my friends. The itinerary you have suggested provided good coverage of the city’s rich history. From the fascinating Terracotta Army to the City Walls to the sacred Mount Hua, to the Muslim Quarter to the Drum & Bell Towers, there’s an interesting story from every historical era in Xi’an. I managed to hike up Mount Hua from North Peak to West Peak, but I didn’t get to do the dangerous plank walk as it was closed.
The hotel Eastern House was very accessible too with food places within steps and its proximity to the Drum Tower is a plus. The room was very clean and comfortable.
At this point, I have to quickly mention our amazing tour guide Betty Jiao Yan who was assigned to us as part of our private tour package. She made our time feel so very special and I wonder if Xi'an would have been as awesome without her. She had such a positive and caring nature and when we had to say goodbye, we felt very sad. It was strange to miss a guide after only knowing her for 5 days! Luckily we still keep in touch on WeChat. Our driver Mr Ma was very polite, punctual and accommodating, making our travel a pleasant experience
Anne
Hi Jack,
Thanks. The Harbin and Snow Town trip was excellent and very enjoyable. We are now in Japan skiing, and will send our feedback upon our return on 31st Jan.
Best wishes
Leong
Hi Rita,
From my end, everything is remarkable! Jane is amazing! She really make us feel welcome.
All the hotels were amazing too! My parents also very impressed.
I will definitely reaching out again, next time when I visit China. There’s many more places I want to visit.
Best regards,
Jefry
Dear Rita,
We are home. Thanks for arranging this nice trip. Everything worked out nicely except the smoking room problem in Chengde.
Thanks again.
John
Hi Rita,
In response to your enquiries, we had a wonderful experience with the tour arrangements in both Guilin and Yangshuo. Both the tour guide and driver were very professional and handled the arrangements well.
I am surely recommending any friends or relatives who are interested in travelling to China in future to use China Discovery. Also, will be looking at other destinations for ourselves too.
Thanks once again for the wonderful experience.
Kwan
We are one of the few China travel agencies who have kept active and received lots of feedbacks and reviews during pandemic years
"Highest Standards of Quality and Honesty" is the core value of each specialized team at China Discovery.
Eveyone in our company is working hard for only one goal, which is to ensure the highest level of service, luxury, and attention to detail from the minute you begin planning your trip, to the day you return home.
Our travel consultants are professional, experienced and responsible, helping you from the very beginning to the end of your China trip!
After sending us an inquiry, one of our travel consultants will get back to you within 0.5~23.5 hrs. In the next few days, he/she will be working closely with you to formulate a customized tour plan, as well as providing professional suggestions based on your travel interests, time, and budget.
Beside, he/she will keep in contact with you during your entire tour in China, continually checking if everything is going well as planned.
We're working at Chengdu Bamboo International Tours, local based in Chengdu.
Our local guide in every destination is not only very friendly, enthusiastic but also very informative and knowledgeable.
Once you arrive in the destination, the patient and punctual guides will pick you up and take you to get under skin of the city at your own pace. By in-depth discovery and explanation, they’ll show you more about the history, culture, customs and authentic local life. Throughout the journey, they're not only expert guides who take care of all the details but also fellow travelers who are dedicated to help you explore in comfort and style.
Our guides are passionate about what they do, and it shows all the way!
Using our private transfer service makes you comfortable, relaxed and worry free all the way!
Our private service includes licensed drivers with many years’ driving experience and air-conditioned, non-smoking, clean and well-maintained cars/vans. Drivers are local, polite, friendly and helpful, taking you to your tourist sites, hotels, airport/train stations in safety. All kinds of vehicle are offered, and yours depends on the size of your group. Usually, we offer sedan cars, SUVs, business vans (MPV) and different types of buses, all with extra space for your luggage.
Our private transfer service guarantees you the highest comfort!
In each destination, you’ll enjoy a comfortable stay in a great location!
The hotels we choose are based on star rating, great locations, well-equipped facilities, cozy bed, high quality service and guests’ feedbacks. Choices are a lot ranging from luxury 5 star, comfortable 4 star to budget 3 star. You could decide where to stay to best suit for your budget and likes. Generally, the hotels have both Western and Chinese breakfast with a wide choices.
If you have already got an ideal hotel, please feel free to tell our travel consultants and they'll book the hotel for you.
Have good sleep in our well-selected hotels in all the destinations of China.
We can satisfy all the dietary requirements no matter you want Chinese local food, western food, vegetarian food or muslin food.
The restaurants we will take you for lunch or dinner are all designated tourist restaurants approved by local tourist administration bureau. They have very good sanitary conditions and the food is prepared fresh and clean.
There will be some meals excluded in your itinerary as you like, and your private guide will be delighted to give you some suggestions and take you to the local restaurants to taste like Beijing Roast Duck, Xian Dumpling Dinner, Sichuan Hotpot, etc., if you are interested in local food tasting.
All the dining options will satisfy your stomach!
Lingering Garden Customer
Suzhou Tiger Hill
Suzhou No.1 Silk Factory
Pingjiang Road Spring
Our private Suzhou tour package ensures the highest standards for our guests with greater flexibility, better comfort and personalized service so you can experience Suzhou in the way you have always dreamt of it to be. You can decide how your time should be spent and the pace in which your tour is conducted, while we can help maximize every minute of your journey to let you enjoy your Suzhou vacation to the absolute fullest. Before the tour, you will enjoy an efficient one-on-one travel consulting service provided by one of our knowledgeable Suzhou expert. During the tour, you will have your very own personal guide, with a private vehicle and chauffeur, exclusively serving for your party - nobody else. So please do not hesitate to explore Suzhou with our private tour now!
Since 2016, China has started the 144-Hour Transit Visa Exemption policy in Yangtze River Delta (Shanghai, Jiangsu and Zhejiang) to offer transit convenience for international travelers. It means that, visitors from the appointed 53 countries, holding the valid travel documents and connecting flight tickets to a third country/region, are allowed to enter and exit from one of the six ports - Shanghai Pudong International Airport, Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport, Shanghai Railway Station, Shanghai Wusongkou International Cruise Terminal, Nanjing Lukou International Airport and Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport, and stay for not exceeding 144 hours in the administrative regions of Shanghai, Jiangsu (Suzhou included) and Zhejiang.
Because of the pleasant climate and great natural scenery of Suzhou, it is available to visit Suzhou all the year around. The elegant gardens, old water towns and fine silk will never disappoint you. But if you want to visit Suzhou in the most comfortable weather, you can choose to visit during April to October, especially April and May in spring and September and October in autumn. In spring, colorful flowers can be savored in different gardens, like Humble Administrator’s Garden, Lingering Garden, Tiger Hill, etc. In autumn, the sweet-scented osmanthus and fallen golden leaves make most streets and old lanes so charming.
The most convenient way to get to Suzhou is by high speed train. There are frequent high speed trains from Shanghai (about 0.5h), Hangzhou (1.5~2.5h), Nanjing (1~1.5h), Wuxi (20min), Changzhou (25~50min), Wuhan (4~4.5h), etc. as well as some c. as well as some high speed trains from Huangshan (about 3.5h), Yangzhou (about 1.5h), Chengdu (12~14.5h), etc. Since there is no airport in Suzhou City, you can take a flight to Shanghai or Wuxi first and then transfer to Suzhou. Shanghai is the best gateway to Suzhou, because it can be reached easily by flights or high speed train and it operates quick transfer to Suzhou.
In spite of the small scale, Suzhou city offers a variety of accommodating choices ranging from 5-star luxuries hotels to 3-star comfortable hotels. The best accommodating areas include Suzhou Old City – the home to the many attractions (like Administrator’s Garden, Suzhou Museum, Pingjiang Road, etc.) and central urban districts (offering quick access to good restaurants, shopping malls, metro lines). If you want to visit the water towns around Suzhou City, you can also choose to accommodate in the town for a great night view. Big towns like Tongli and Zhouzhuang also has some super hotels. Besides, you can also choose to accommodate Shanghai if you plan a day tour in Suzhou.
China Discovery always uses those hotels with convenient amenities, fine services and great reputations. Most of them are 5-star and 4-star hotels located near the downtown.
Shanghai / Hangzhou / Suzhou / Shanghai
Suzhou / Zhouzhuang Water Town
Hangzhou / Suzhou
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