Suzhou 苏州

Pingjiang Road Old Town 平江路历史街区

Canal-side lanes, stone bridges, teahouses and garden entry points are all within a 15-minute walk of this preserved Song-dynasty street grid.

Good for: first-timers, couples, photographers, garden lovers

Guanqian Street 观前街

The traditional commercial heart, walkable to the Humble Administrator's Garden and Lion Grove and right by metro Line 4 and Line 1 interchanges.

Good for: shoppers, budget and mid-range hotels, easy transport

Jinji Lake / Suzhou Industrial Park 金鸡湖

Modern skyline, lakefront promenades, malls and international-brand hotels, with fast metro links back to the old town.

Good for: business travellers, luxury stays, families, night views

Sunan Shuofang International Airport 苏南硕放国际机场

Suzhou's de-facto airport, about 30–40 km west. Shuttle coaches run from the Suzhou Railway Station area in roughly 50–60 min (about ¥25); a taxi or Didi to the old town takes 45–60 min and costs roughly ¥130–160.

Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport 上海虹桥国际机场

The easiest Shanghai option: walk from the terminal to Hongqiao Railway Station next door and take a high-speed train to Suzhou (25–30 min, about ¥40, departures every 10–20 min). Total door-to-door roughly 2 hours.

Shanghai Pudong International Airport 上海浦东国际机场

About 130 km east. Direct long-distance coaches to Suzhou take around 2.5 hours (roughly ¥80–100); metro Line 2 to Hongqiao plus a high-speed train takes 3–3.5 hours and is the more reliable option in traffic.

Suzhou Railway Station 苏州站

Main station on the north edge of the old town, served by metro Lines 2 and 4; most convenient for Pingjiang Road and Guanqian Street (2–3 metro stops or a short taxi ride).

Suzhou North Railway Station 苏州北站

High-speed station about 10 km north on metro Line 2; used by many Beijing–Shanghai line trains. Allow 30–40 min to reach the old town.

Suzhou Industrial Park Station 苏州园区站

Smaller station serving Jinji Lake and the SIP business district; handy if your hotel is on the east side.

Suzhou New District Station 苏州新区站

Western suburban stop on some high-speed services, including trains toward Wuxi and Nanjing; far from the main sights.

Metro

Both rail stations, Jinji Lake, Shantang Street area and quick cross-town hops

Scan the Suzhou Metro QR code in Alipay or buy a single ticket from the English-language machines; lines run roughly 6am–11pm and the network also links to Shanghai via Line 11 through Kunshan.

Didi / taxi

Door-to-door trips at night, luggage, and reaching gardens away from metro stops

Much of the old town is pedestrian-only with one-way lanes — set your pickup point at a main road or metro exit rather than your hotel door.

Bike-share

Following the canals, hopping between Shantang Street, Pingjiang Road and the gardens

Hellobike and Meituan bikes are everywhere; ride slowly on the flagstone lanes as pedestrians have priority and bridges are steep.

Bus

Tiger Hill, Hanshan Temple and other sights off the metro lines

Buses are frequent but slow in traffic; have your destination written in Chinese to show the driver.

Walking and canal boats

The old town core and the Grand Canal night views

Sights like the Suzhou Museum, Humble Administrator's Garden and Pingjiang Road cluster within 20 minutes on foot, so plan days by neighbourhood rather than by transport.