Suzhou Travel Forum

Hi,

Am planning to visit Shanghai over the Xmas/New Year period. Want to make day trips to Suzhou and Nanjing on separate days of course. Can someone tell me what is the fastest train to both these cities? I read somewhere in this forum that there is a train service to Nanjing that takes under 2 hours but I am unable to find that on any train timetable. Thanks.

Hi, in October I want to go by night train from Beijing to Souzhou and than take a morning bus to Tongli, where I want to stay 2 or max. 3 nights. I expect Tongli to be a little bit smaller than Souzhou, which I would prefer, because after Tongli I will continue to Shanghai. Is Souzhou a must? I have already seen gardens in Beijing and I'm not such a garden fan. I would prefer to see a typical water town with all the little bridges and waterways. If I stay for 3 nights I even could do a daytrip back to Souzhou but concerning my interests a daytrip to Xitang would be maybe better. Or does Souzhou offer better views of a typical water town (brideges, canals) than Tongli and Xitang?.

I understand there is a silk festival in Suzhou each year in September. We will be there on September 13. Will there be any festivities? We will only be there for the day, but I'd like to purchase a length of silk fabric as a souvenir to make something back at home. Does this sound possible? Or is it very expensive for a bolt of cloth, maybe a few yards/feet/metres? Where is the best place to go to bargain for a good deal on a decent length of silk cloth? Thanks!

Hi,

Anybody can tell me if in Suzhou there are shops similar to the shops at the 'silk market' in Beijing, selling good quality clothing but fake?

Reg,
Peter

Hey Folks,

A few years back I travelled from Suzhou to Hangzhou on the overnight ferry..but i hear this is no longer available.. what other options are there to get to Hangzhou from Suzhou? Train/bus/taxi etc>? there will be four of us..

thanks in advance.

Jules

Hello all - in everyone's experience, what is the best & quickest way from Shanghai to Suzhou (return)? Is it best to leave from Pudong or Hongqiao? Thanks in advance.

I hope to go on a business+holiday trip to Suzhou. Does anyone have an idea of any company in the suzhou area or its environs where marquees/huge party tents are manufactured? Really good quality ones.

Please i will like to know the best time of year to travel to suzhou to buy wedding gowns-i want dresses for the european market.
Also is there a particular part of suzhou where i can find reeally good quality dresses with good prices that any one can recommend?
I am also looking to buy other wedding accessories including gold jewelry.
Thank you.

Hi
Will be traveling from Suzhou to Shanghai. Questions :-
1) Is there a speed train from SZ to Shanghai?
2) Is there a train schedule and how long is the journey?
3) How much does it cost?
4) Do i need to book tickets in advance and where to i book these advance tickets?

Thanks much for help

rgds..feejin

The information on here about transport to Hangzhou Airport from Suzhou is 2 years old. does the bus still leave from ren Min Lu? Are the bus times the same? Any idea of cost of a taxi? What is the timetable from the airport to Suzhou?

Is there a shuttle bus from Suzhou to Pudong airport?
Where do you get in in Suzhou?
Is it reliable?

We were considering making Suzhou a stop on our trip at the end of August. I am very interested in shoppoing for Silk and possibly having some dresses made. I have been told the government stroes are the best place(more expensive) to purchase silk and they have tailors there. I am also interested in seeing the museum and riding on the cana;l. What can you reccomend?
Our first stop is Beijing, from there we were thinking of coming to Suzhou, the Xi'an then Tibet and back to Beijing. We have 21 days. would like to also ride the train froom Lhasa to Xining. Not sure how long of a ride it is though.

Thank you for your time and suggestions in advance
PAtricia

Is there any possibility to have a local english speaking guide for Suzhou for 1 day trip (we're coming from Shanghai)? I have already bought a tour to China but I refused to take the trip to Suzhou through them as they take you only to Tiger Hill, a Silk factory and Hunble Administrator's Garden. Any names and e-mails are great help to come in touch. We can rent a taxi and with his/her help tour around

i just plan to look around the gardens. my train leaves at 10:35am from shanghai. Is spending the whole afternoon in suzhou enough?

Is it easy to buy the ticket for this? I'm going there alone and I heard it's hard to ride one if I'm not with the tour, is it true?

Andre32; I think that the cause of your difficulty is "when you have had one too many" (as you said in your post)... I have been living in Suzhou for nearly 3 years and have been a regular at Harry's for all that time, and so I believe your "...one too many" is the cause of your lapse of memory regarding your bill. And when you have "...one too many", or in your case probably more than the "... one too many" you claim, you can't then turn around and blame the bar staff when you get your bill! The prices at Harry's are lower than all of the "dives" on Bar Street (that you seem to like)! However, if you are prepared to drink moderately and enjoy the great live music and adult fun at Harry's, then you are welcome back my friend!

Hi
I would like to include Suzhou, Hangzhou and Wuzhen as sidetrips to Shanghai. Is it possible to do it in two weeks? Transportationwise in what order should I arrange the cities to minimize travel time?
I also plan to visit Beijing next.....

Is it easy to do it independently, ie take local transportation? If not, is there a street(like Khao San Road in Bangkok) where one can easily find daytours for the next day or arrange onward transportation among many competing agents?

Thanks.

Who ever been to this 2 places? Can tell me the admission fees difference? and the worth while of being to these two garden?

Hi,
How long does it take to get to Wuzhen from Hangzhou?
And how long does it take to get to Suzhou from Wuzhen? Aside from the gardens, what other sites are worth going to Suzhou to see? What I'm trying to figure out is where to stay overnight. I'm leaving Hangzhou Sun., 11/26 a.m. and I have to be in Shanghai Mon., 11/27 evening. Should I stay over in Wuzhen and trott over to Suzhou to spend the day before leaving or should I leave Wuzhen in the evening and spend the night in Suzhou? Just not sure what more Suzhou has to offer besides the gardens, which I'm not really into. Any thoughts/suggestions? I would LOVE it!

I am trying to find a way to get a ticket by train to Suzhou from Sahnghai and back. I am new in China and have a limited time to make the Journey. Can Anyone tell me how to find out the costs and when the trains run???

Hi, I am planning to spend 1 nite in Suzhou end Dec as part of Shanghai trip. Can you advise if there are any good tailors in Suzhou that could tailor a few dresses within 24 hours for reasonable price ? I have own fabric. Could you recommend a good location to stay in Suzhou that is convenient to see the sights ? Thanks for your help

Has anybody informations about this hotel??

Hi again,

I have a travel agency in Shenzhen who can book and get train tickets for me and just pay her when I go there to pick them up. As opposed to paying first and then getting the tickets. Yes, I do pay her an additional agent fee of RMB 20 per ticket for her service.

So my question is this? Does anyone know of such an agency or person in Suzhou who can do this for me. We need 17 beds on train T116 to Xian?

Thanks in advance for your thoughts.
Jenna

Hello again,

Does anyone know what is the cost of a soft sleeper train ticket from Suzhou to Xian?
I heard it was the same price as the cost from Shanghai to Xian. It doesn't sound right as Suzhou is closer to Xian than Shanghai.
Can anyone please shed some light on the situation.
Thanks

Hello, We are thinking of relocating to Wuxi/Suzho if my husbands company transfers him to a new plant being developed in Zhangjiagang. Many of the workforce will want to live and commute from Shanghai, but Wuxi looks fine to us and we think it would be less of a commute. International School looks good. Can anyone give us an idea of a monthly rental price for a 3 bed place in venice gardens or similar? Does anyone know the likely commuting time from Wuxi to Zhangjiagang?

Many thanks

PS I lived in Hong Kong for three years but never in Mainland C

Last year I spent three hours riding around in several taxis visiting the various hotels in Suzhou listed in Rough Guide and Lonely Planet as costing less than around RMB150, as well as several others. They all denied having any rooms for less than around RMB300, and those listed as having dorms denied having dorms. I asked taxi drivers and others for recomendations for cheaper hotels and was directed to a couple, but they claimed that they were not allowed to accept foreigners. Can anyone recommend a hotel in Suzhou costing not more than RMB150 for a room or even a dorm bed that is allowed to accept foreigners?

Thanks

I'm considering travelling from Suzhou to Hangzhou by the long distance bus.

Can someone pls advise which is departing bus station in Suzhou and the arriving bus station in Hangzhou?

Any advise or comment about the trip itself will be appreciated.

Anyone heard of these hotels? I think they are located at Yuan Hotel (Suzhou), 147 wu zhong xi lu and Tian Rui Hotel (wuxi), 118 shi fu xing lu.

What is the nearest metro/ train station around? What is the nearest shopping around that is open at night? What can I do or see around this hotel? Is it far from town by taxi? Any night life/shopping in town? how much is the taxi fare and how long is the journey to town?

I heard there is a nice mountain in Suzhou for excellent views of red autumn leaves.. Tian Ping Shan or Tai Ping Shan.. I am not too sure.

Can any tell me how to get there from the Bus Stataion? ( I am travelling in from Shanghai)
And I am wondering if it is the right time to go now? Are the leaves all red now?

Thanks in advance!