1 Day Suzhou Tour with Zhouzhuang Water Town
All Suzhou Features Covered
All Suzhou Features Covered
What are the bests of Suzhou? Garden, silk and water town definitely!
Suzhou is called the Garden City in that it owns about 60 well-preserved classical gardens and 9 of them listed in UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Suzhou is also known as the Capital of Silk for it has a 4000-year-old silk industry. Furthermore, Suzhou always acts as an unbeatable base of the nearby water towns because of the quick access to them.
This 1 day tour takes you to appreciate these three lodestones of Suzhou in one go. You will spend half a day wandering through the perfectly-arranged architectures, lakes, rockeries and plants in an elegant garden and learning about the silk culture in a local factory. After the enjoyable experience in Suzhou City, you drive to one old canal town to experience the antique and poetic atmosphere of the water towns of Jiangnan area. All the attractions in this are chosen based on our research and experience to offer you the best-valued trip, but the itinerary can be changed and tailormade according to your interest and needs. Feel free to communicate with your travel consultant to customize your own tour.
Day 1 Suzhou Day Tour (L)
Today's highlights: Humble Administrator's Garden, Suzhou Silk Museum, Zhouzhuang Water Town
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 Humble Administrator’s Garden, one of the Four Greatest Gardens in China as well as the largest and most grandiose one among all Suzhou Gardens. The Classical Gardens of Suzhou was listed as the World Heritage Site in 1997 because “the gardens of Suzhou” represent the development of Chinese landscape garden design over more than two thousand years, and they are the "most refined form" of garden art”, according to UNESCO. Among all the Suzhou Gardens, Humble Administrators’ Garden is the largest one in Suzhou and is considered by some to be the finest garden in all of southern China. It is an artistic combination of buildings, ponds, bridges, paths and trees arranged in a specific manner. Scenic, peaceful and eloquent, everything in the garden tells a story of the past time. After visiting Humble Administrator’s Garden, move on to Suzhou Silk Museum which is China’s first professional silk museum, established in 1989. The museum aims to promote silk culture, protect silk relics, preserve silk craftsmanship, and spread knowledge about silk. Suzhou, known as the "Capital of Silk and Land of Brocade," has a long history in silk production. As early as the Neolithic period, primitive silk weaving appeared, and during the Qin and Han dynasties, it became a major silk-producing region in southern China. In the Tang and Song dynasties, it was the silk production center of the country. During the Ming and Qing dynasties, silk production and trade flourished, with many of the royal high-quality silk fabrics being made by Suzhou weavers.
Next, take about an hour’s drive to the beautiful water town of Zhouzhuang. Reputed as the No. 1 Water Town in China, Zhouzhuang is one of the “ten most beautiful towns in the globe” and “world charming water town” with a long history of over 1000 years, appealing sightseeing and authentic flavor of regions south of Yangtze River in China. Visiting Zhouzhuang Ancient Town, you can see 14 ancient particular stone bridges built in Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties, multiple courtyards linking together on the winding water, more than 800 residents living by the river, etc. which is exactly the look of serene historic water town in east China. Besides the scenery, the special folk culture in Zhouzhuang will tell you about the real gem of culture in Wu area and the sole of this charming place. Famous attractions include the Double Bridge, Old Drama Stage, Cultural Street, Zhang’s Residence and Shen's Residence, etc.
After the tour, your guide and driver will escort you back to your hotel in Suzhou City or directly to take your train/flight to the next destination. Our service ends.
Optional Activities in Zhouzhuang: 1) riding a boat through the canals to appreciate the fascinating scenery of rivers, bridges and local residences and listen to the old songs of the local sculler. 2) enjoying an authentic Kun Opera Performance.
Our Guests Visiting Humble Administrator's 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, 2026.
4. Reference exchange rate of USD 1=RMB 7.00. 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 Wonder,
All is good! Only my father get tired very easily, so today we skip a little bit of the programma and got back to the hotel a little bit earlier. But overall everything is good!
The tour was also good, we saw everything we wanted to see… and everything went by smoothly. Only the distance is the problem… everything is so far away.
1 week is a good choice for us, because at the end of the trip, my father and aunt had enough of the travelling. And I even thought to go to Kashgar… maybe we do it next time only Xinjiang. My father couldn’t go to some places in Zhangye, so he wait at the entrance with the tour guide while my aunt and me were wandering around.
Vanessa
Hi Tammy,
Now safely back in London after a wonderful time in China.
We thoroughly enjoyed the Victoria Jenna cruise and although we did not upgrade our cabin, as it was perfectly fine, we did upgrade the dining option as it meant we could have our own table for two in the upper dining room (rather than sharing a large table for 10 people in the large dining room) plus the food choice was larger and wine was included with lunch and dinner. Highly recommend that option.
Xi’an was terrific and we really enjoyed everything you organized and our guide Jenny was great and so knowledgeable.
Over the long weekend in between we also travelled with our daughter to Hangzhou and then on to Suzhou both very interesting and pretty.
As you know we upgraded the train to Xi’an to first class which I think was well worth doing as the train back from Yichang was comfortable but very busy and noisy for Western people, and also many people were making their own pot noodles etc so my recommendation would be to travel first class on trains (rather than flying) because you see so much of the country and the stations are well organized and trains very comfortable with lots of space and no hanging around it airports.
Thank you for all your help Tammy, excellent work and I will certainly contact you again when we return (we have a two year visa) so will return so we can visit Guilin and that area.
Take care and thanks again.
Maggie
Dear Wonder:
Evolution feedback as below,
1. Very quick, impressive, Wonder took care of every detail, any doubt any concern responding in a very proper, clear a positive way.
2. Everything was perfect, well coordinated, all the guides were on time, very nice people all, service was outstanding, all reservations were made perfectly. Wonder did a perfect job.
3. I am currently recommending Chengdu Bamboo International Tours to every person I know.
4. General opinion: perfect, great service, impressive the clearness of the information, quick response and open to explore alternatives and to mofify the original tour proposed.
Hector
Dear Mrs. Yang,
We are overwhelmed about the team here, your support in the backoffice and the great scenes on the tour. Unfortunately the tour ends already tomorrow morning but we will enjoy it up to the last minute.
Again, thank you for organizing.
best regards
Bernd
Rita,
We enjoyed our trip and especially the studio apartment in Chongqing.
1. Tour arrangements were good and not too tiring.
2. Yes, I definitely can recommend to my friends.
3. No further suggestion for CQ tour - 2 days for CQ attractions and 1 day at Dazu Rocks are sufficient.
Thanks
Peter
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!
Our Guests Visiting Humble Administrator's Garden
Peaceful Zhouzhuang Water Town - Our Guest from Australia
Suzhou No.1 Silk Factory
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 / Suzhou / Zhouzhuang / Shanghai
Suzhou / Zhouzhuang Water Town
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