Visiting the Suzhou gardens
Suzhou is about 25–30 minutes from Shanghai by high-speed train, and its gardens are best enjoyed slowly. Here's how to plan.
Getting there
High-speed trains run very frequently from Shanghai to Suzhou station and Suzhou North. From the station, the metro, taxis and ride-hailing apps reach the old town in 15–20 minutes. Many visitors stay overnight, which lets you see the gardens early and the canals in the evening.
Tickets
The big gardens sell tickets online and often require real-name booking with a passport number. In spring, summer holidays and the October Golden Week, book a day or more ahead. Opening hours change between summer and winter, so check the official ticket page before you go.
Which gardens?
- One garden: Humble Administrator's for scale, or Master of the Nets for perfection in miniature.
- Architecture: the Lingering Garden.
- With children: Lion Grove and its rock maze.
- Quieter gardens: the Couple's Retreat (Ou Yuan), the Garden of Cultivation (Yipu) and the Surging Wave Pavilion (Canglang Ting), the oldest of the listed gardens.
When to go
Spring (March–May) and autumn (October–November) are the most pleasant. Lotus season (July–August) is hot and humid but beautiful early in the morning. In winter the gardens are quiet. Whatever the season, come at opening time or in the last two hours before closing, and avoid Chinese public holidays.
A two-day plan
- Day 1: Humble Administrator's Garden at opening, Suzhou Museum, Lion Grove; Pingjiang Road canal street in the evening.
- Day 2: Lingering Garden, Tiger Hill and its leaning pagoda, Master of the Nets in the late afternoon; Shantang Street at dusk.
Tips
- Read the name boards: the names of halls tell you what they were meant for.
- Stop and sit. Gardens were designed for people who stayed, looked and talked.
- Rainy days are not a loss. Rain on tiles, water and banana leaves is a classic garden scene.