Suzhou is famous for its classical gardens and canals, and its old city and nearby water towns make an easy day trip from Shanghai.

Our Suzhou tours are private day trips for less than 10 guests, with a dedicated guide throughout and pickup from your hotel in Suzhou or Shanghai. Both tours include your guide, transport, admission tickets and a boat ride. Lunch is not included.

City or water town. Timeless Suzhou in a Day covers the old city, from a classical garden to a canal boat ride. The Tongli Watertown tour pairs a quieter water town with a UNESCO-listed garden.

From Suzhou or Shanghai. Suzhou is about 30 minutes from Shanghai by high-speed train. If you depart from Shanghai and would rather not navigate stations, you can choose a private car to take you there and back.

Private Suzhou Tours

Suzhou (7-10 hours)

The Timeless Suzhou in a Day: A Day in the Past

A full day packed with the best Suzhou has to offer, capturing the beauty, history and fun activities of Suzhou all in a single day.
Suzhou (6-7 hours)

Tongli Watertown: Watertown & Suzhou Garden Two-in-One

Experience Tongli in one go: stroll ancient alleys, ride a private boat, enjoy teahouse shows, and visit a UNESCO Suzhou-style garden—all in one trip.

Lion Grove Garden rockery and a canal boat – Timeless Suzhou private day tour

Timeless Suzhou Day Tour

Explore Suzhou's old city in one day, from a UNESCO-listed garden to a canal boat ride. You wander the rockery maze of Lion Grove Garden, stop for tea at a riverside teahouse off Pingjiang Road, choose your lunch at a local wet market and visit Xiyuan Temple, with its resident cats, incense and fortune-telling. The day ends with a 4-kilometer boat ride along Shantang Street's 1,200-year-old canal.

Private tour for 7 hours from Suzhou, or 9-10 hours from Shanghai, with about 5 kilometers on foot. From Suzhou, $169 per adult for two guests, falling to $129 per adult for five. From Shanghai, $199 per adult for two guests, falling to $149 per adult for five.

See the full itinerary

Rowing boat in Tongli and the Tuisi Garden gate – Tongli water town tour

Tongli Water Town and Tuisi Garden

Visit a water town and a classical garden in one trip, with far less walking than the city tour. Tuisi Garden is the only one of Suzhou's UNESCO-listed gardens outside the old city, and your guide shows you how to read its design. You glide through the canals on a private wooden rowing boat, see the wood and brick carvings of Jiayin Hall, cross old bridges into the back alleys most visitors skip, and finish with tea and a local opera performance in Suzhou dialect.

Private tour for 6-7 hours including the drive, with 4-5 hours in Tongli and about 1.5 kilometers on foot. From Suzhou, $129 per adult for two guests, falling to $99 per adult for five. From Shanghai, $169 per adult for two guests, falling to $129 per adult for five.

See the full itinerary

First Time in Suzhou or Been Before?

On a first visit, choose Timeless Suzhou in a Day: Lion Grove Garden, Pingjiang Road, a local market, Xiyuan Temple and a canal boat ride in one day. If you have already seen the old city, you can choose the Tongli Watertown tour in which you will visit a quieter water town and Tuisi Garden.

A Full Day on Foot or an Easier Pace?

Timeless Suzhou covers about 5 kilometers on foot over 7 hours. Tongli involves about 1.5 kilometers of walking, with a private rowing boat and a teahouse opera performance, so it is the easier choice if you prefer to walk less.

Gardens and City Life or a Quiet Water Town?

Timeless Suzhou pairs a classical garden with the city's streets, market and temple. Tongli is about canals, old bridges and carved halls, plus Tuisi Garden, the only UNESCO-listed Suzhou garden outside the old city.

Starting from Shanghai or Suzhou?

In both tours,we offer different options to either pick up from your hotel in Suzhou or in Shanghai. You can choose freely whether you want to stay overnight in Suzhou or do a day trip from Shanghai.

Suzhou works well as a day trip from Shanghai. High-speed trains from Shanghai Hongqiao or Shanghai Railway Station reach Suzhou in about 25-30 minutes, and there are dozens each day.

Two Ways to Do It with Us

  • By high speed train: book the Suzhou departure and we meet you at your hotel or Suzhou Railway Station.
  • By private car: book the Shanghai departure and we pick you up from your Shanghai hotel and drive you back.

The train is cheaper and the quickest way to reach Suzhou. The car makes it a 9-10 hour day, but you never have to change transport.

When to Go

April to May and October to November are the most comfortable months for walking. June into early July is the rainy season, and July and August are hot and humid.

Avoiding the Crowds

The famous gardens are busiest on weekends and Chinese public holidays, especially the first week of October. Weekday mornings are the quietest time to visit. You can also visit the Net Garden in the night time to avoid the crowds in the day time.

How Many Days You Need

Usually one to two days is sufficient. If you have only one day, then go to experience the old city's highlights. A second day lets you add a water town such as Tongli without rushing either.

Paying for Things

Almost everything runs on Alipay or WeChat Pay, including the market stalls. Our Alipay guide for visitors explains how to set it up before you fly.

Suzhou Tour FAQs

Is lunch included?

Are the tours suitable for children?

Suzhou or Hangzhou: which is better for a day trip?

What happens if it rains?

If Suzhou is one stop on a longer trip, consider our multi-day journeys throughout China! Poetic Southern China links Suzhou and Hangzhou over several days. For something built from scratch, tell us what you are after on our customize your journey page.

Heading to another city? We also run Shanghai tours, Beijing tours and Hangzhou tours.

Reading ahead: our guides write a monthly column on things to do in China, such as Suzhou gardens after dark. You can also meet the guides who will lead your tours.