Location: Suzhou
Top Things to do in Suzhou
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The 10 Best Things to do in Suzhou, Jiangsu
Suzhou is a major city on the lower Yangtze known for its canals, bridges, pagodas, and beautiful gardens. These gardens were built and owned by wealthy families and emperors hundreds of years ago, and make for a pleasant place to wander during nice weather. Suzhou is also a major center for silk production and manufacturing, and a tour of a silk factory here provides an interesting and educational glimpse of this Chinese textile industry. Suzhou is designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Restaurants in Suzhou
1. Tiger Hill
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 1,026 reviews
Reviewed By halil-tarhan - Akcay, Turkey
Historical place to see in Suzhou city. You should see inclined temple on the top of the hill. It was rainy in begining of August.
2. Tongli Town
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 915 reviews
Reviewed By denisepeterr
You can really get a "feel" of this water town as you walk in and stroll the streets with crafts to witness from clothes, indigo dyed fabric (well, that is what I was interested in), ceramics and on to architecture and people. There is a charm and intimacy as one sees daily living in what is also a well served tourist town.
3. Humble Administrator's Garden
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 2,321 reviews
Reviewed By MattwalesNorthWales - Chengdu, China
This is one of the four most important gardens in China. Perfectly preserved and well maintained. Shows off the ancient Chinese fixation with stone formations and meaning. Great use of water with crisscrossing pathways shaded vantage points and focus on colour. Lovely collection of mature bonsais and plenty of opportunities to relax and unwind in a tranquil space despite the number of people. A highly recommended way to spend a couple of hours.
4. The Lingering Garden
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 838 reviews
A Brief Description of the Lingering Garden Located at the outer side of the Chang Gate and built in the 21st year of the reign of Wanli under the Ming Dynasty (AD 1593), the Lingering Garden is reputed to be one of the four most famous gardens of China. In 1961 it was listed from the very first as cultural relics of national importance. Since 1997 it has been inscribed on the World Cultural Heritage List. The Lingering Garden, covering 23,310 sq.m., is divided into the middle, eastern, western and northern parts. The middle part features fascinating landscapes and waterscapes. The eastern part is noted for its architectural beauties and limestone rockeries. The northern part is famed for its beautiful bonsai garden. And the western part boasts the mountain forest scenery and the delights of wilderness. Celebrated for its superb handling of architectural space and spatial relations, the Lingering Garden serves as a fine specimen of ancient Chinese garden and landscape design and reputably tops all the well-known gardens in Suzhou. The Lingering Garden provides English tour guide for free every hour since 2017. You can also choose to pay for a professional English guide with different guiding route or a guiding machine. Hope that during your short stay here, you can not only satisfy your eyes, but also experience the real Chinese culture and have a better understanding of our philosophy.
Reviewed By BillPNo1 - Friendswood, United States
On our entire trip to China, The Lingering Gardens at Suzhou, was one of the most memorable places we visited. The extent of the Lingering Gardens is difficult to describe. The Gardens, seemingly, went on and on and there was another lovely fascinating sight around each corner of the winding paths. Meticulously groomed, cleaned (constantly) and maintained, the whole Gardens were beautiful, whether you were looking at rock gardens, winding paths, ponds or fish pools, little bridges, or flowering plants, trees, and shrubs! How could so many things still be in bloom in November? I think my favorite things were the extensive bonzai tree collection in their area. All old (ancient?) and perfectly groomed, they seemed like silent sentinels of the past left for us to view and appreciate now in modern times. Even the bathrooms were works of art and the finest examples of WC's that we saw anywhere during our trip! The entire group decided that the Lingering Gardens WC's were Five-Star! DO NOT miss a visit to the Lingering Gardens if you are anywhere in the area. They are exquisite and I wish that we had several days to more fully explore the Gardens than the too short time that our group tour schedule allowed. The Lingering Gardens was definitely as high as the Great Wall and Terra Cotta Warriors in my esteem!
5. Lion Forest Garden
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 764 reviews
Reviewed By michaelh818 - Grassau, Germany
We spend an entire morning in the Lion garden and it was absolutely amazing. Our guide made the visut something truely special.... we could almost feel the history.
6. Suzhou Museum
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 828 reviews
Reviewed By EricTanJJ - Penang, Malaysia
The Suzhou Museum is a blend between modern design and the past history of Suzhou. The building itself is Instagram/facebook photo worthy. The Museum is not that big but is worth your 1-2 hours.
7. The Classical Gardens of Suzhou
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 694 reviews
Reviewed By loonpk - Singapore, Singapore
On my Two Full Days tour, friendly May was my guide from Suzhou Private Tours. She is an experienced guide with knowledge on the history and culture of the places we visited. The sights were impressive and beautiful. Tong Li Water Town and Garden Lingering Garden, Master of Nets Garden, Humble Administrator's Garden, Panmen Gate, Shantang Old Street, Suzhou No. 1 Silk Mill. The tour was comprehensive and I had the opportunity to appreciate the beauty of Suzhou. Thankful to May, a great guide to be with.
8. Panmen Gate
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 242 reviews
Reviewed By geo3 - Calgary, Canada
I am primarily reviewing the garden rather than the pagoda, the gate or the restored wall, as that is where I spent the most time - and the garden is gorgeous and, as someone else mentioned, not crowded at all. As others have mentioned, entrance to the garden is free if you are staying at the adjacent Pan Pacific Hotel (in which case you should absolutely make a point of visiting the garden). If you are in the garden early enough, you can watch people doing tai chi. Unlike most of the other Suzhou gardens, this garden is recent and is a sort of combination of classical Chinese ideas of gardening and western concepts of gardening. For this reason the garden is more spread out than other Suzhou gardens, and there is more greenery and more emphasis on colours from flowers and shrubs. The end result is very beautiful. If you are visiting in April, the peonies will be blooming, and they are stunning. Just to the south of the Panmen Scenic area there is a park that follows the bank of the Waicheng River for some distance. This is a scenic stroll, with many benches for relaxing, and it will take you past the 900-year-old Wumen Bridge.
9. Jinji Lake
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 441 reviews
Reviewed By PaulSiow - Petaling Jaya, Malaysia
We came here at night and it was beautifully lit up. There were quite a few majestic and tall buildings brightly lit up with neon and led lights. We were hoping to catch the musical fountain show but alas, it was cancelled due to maintenance. Supposed to be held on Friday nights, holidays and festivals. Nevertheless, it was relaxing just to sit around and enjoy the cool breeze and night lights beside the lake. Lots of people, especially youngsters were milling around. Very relaxing place. Suggest you bring some drinks and snacks while you relax and enjoy the views. Very near the metro station.
10. Pingjiang Road
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 981 reviews
Reviewed By 246StephenC
Came during the Labor Day holidays. Started in early afternoon and the crowd was bearable. People continued to stream in and by late afternoon, the place was packed. Interesting place with shops lined up along the canal. There are plenty of food and beverage options. Souvenirs shops are also in abundance. For entertainment, there are tea houses with talk show in local language. There are quaint alleys that are good for photo ops. Certainly worth a visit when you visit Suzhou.
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