Suzhou was one of the major cities of classical China, founded around 500 BC and developed amongst the canals of the Yangtze River delta. Located by the Grand Canal, which ultimately reached as far north as Beijing, it was a major trading center by the time of the Southern Song Dynasty (10th-13th centuries). It’s only 100 km west or about 30 minutes by train from Shanghai and is a good day trip. The old city and its traditional gardens are within a fairly defined area within the 16-kilometer long city wall footprint, and so you can walk it in a few hours and use Suzhou’s excellent metro to get around easily.

The medieval layout and many of the gardens, bridges and temples within the fortified wall boundary are well preserved, so it’s quite a good place to get a feel for classical China. Suzhou was important enough to be sacked by a northern army in 1130 and again by the invading Mongol army in 1275. Many of the gardens were wrecked after Japanese invasion during World War 2 and restored in the 1950s.

Suzhou can easily be covered in a day trip although there are plenty of good hotels in town and some sites outside the city wall if you chose to overnight it. The main railway station is a roughly 30-minute walk northwest of the old town, or you can take the metro which will deliver you to the south side along Ganjian Road.

The Humble Administrator’s Garden. Suzhou has almost 70 preserved classical gardens that were developed between the 11th and 19th centuries, mostly by scholars who attempted to reflect natural scenes together with pavilions and temples. At 5.2 hectares, the largest of these is The Humble Administrator’s Garden, was built in the early 1500s by a retired magistrate and poet, and is structured around a set of lakes and pavilions. Go early if you can as it does get popular.

Other gardens inside the old town that are worth considering include the Lion Grove Garden, based around rock formations, the Lingering Garden and the lake-heavy Garden of the Master of the Nets. Suzhou’s gardens are a UNESCO World Heritage site and their comments are worth reviewing before you go: https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/813/

Pingjiang Lane. While most of Suzhou’s streets have been converted for vehicle traffic with their canal paved over, Pingjiang Lane is an original canal-lined thoroughfare dating from the Song Dynasty and periodically set with medieval-era stone bridges. Despite the density of tourist-focused snack and souvenir shops, it’s worth a stroll along its mile.

The sidestreets off Pingjiang Lane have a pleasant laid back feel and they are worth exploring out to the original medieval city wall. The 19th-century Couple’s Retreat Garden at the east end of Daxinqiao Alley is also worth a detour.

Shantang Street. Another well-preserved street, the 9th-century Shantang Street is located northwest of the city and runs almost 4 kilometers towards Tiger Hill, a 30-meter high forested rock outcrop and that contains the 10th-century Yunyan Pagoda. The 9th-century Shantang Canal runs parallel and a number of old stone bridges cross the canal. You can either head for the northwest corner of the old city or get off at the Shantang Jie metro station.

Suzhou Museum, 204 Dongbei Jie. Just west of The Humble Administrator’s Garden, the museum is a great way to understand Suzhou’s 2,500-year history, inside a building designed by IM Pei, who was raised in pre-war Shanghai and who drew inspiration from the gardens at Suzhou.

Panmen Scenic Area. Located at the southwest corner of the walled city and convenient to the Nanmen Metro Station, this park area features a range of medieval structures such as the 2,500-year old Panmen Gate, Wumen Bridge, the 250 AD Ruigang Pagoda and Wuxiang Temple, as well as a 300-meter walkable section of the medieval city wall.

Logistics. The western side of the old town is about a 30-minute walk from the railway station; upon exiting the south side of the station, you’ll see the canal and some restored imperial buildings and a bridge just east to take you over.

Metro. The Hangzhou Metro is an excellent way to get to and from the main railway station. As to cab and ride hailing alternatives, note that Uber does not operate in China – you can try the main Chinese provider, Didi Chuxing, but check online for the latest as far as obtaining an English version of the app.

Rail. China’s high-speed rail system is comfortable, fast, cost-effective and well worth trying. The two main issues you should factor in include the high passenger volume it manages in a country of 1.4 billion people, and the airport-style security requirements at rail stations. Particularly if you are planning a day trip, this means you need to factor in time beforehand. Many trains are 100% occupied so unless you don’t mind a “standing” ticket, you should book in advance: trip.com is a useful website. Secondly, you will need your passport to buy or (if bought online) pick up your ticket, after which you will go through a security check (including baggage x-ray) where you will present your ticket and passport. The ticket is scanned again when you enter the platform via the boarding gate. If you book for a certain departure time, there will be a specific departure gate that usually open about 15 minutes pre-departure. Particularly for Shanghai, if you allow 15 minutes to buy or pick up your ticket from the ticket office queue (there are self service machines with only Chinese language access), 15 minutes to enter the station, pass security and navigate to your gate, and then assume you get in line at the gate 15 minutes pre-departure, for your first time I would allow arriving at the station at least 45 minutes pre-departure. At post-journey arrival, at the larger stations you are sent through a separated (from the departures) arrivals level and put out into a pre-security area.

Your Chinese Language Skills. Lack of Mandarin Chinese language skills is not much of an issue; all public signs are bilingual Chinese/English – even the metro ticket vending machines have an “English” button on their touchscreen displays. Since China’s schools have had English language training from about 8 years of age for some time now, English is more commonly spoken to some extent.  However, you should still either pick up a basic language guide or go to the many Mandarin Chinese language Youtube offerings in advance of the trip.

Visas and Visa-Free Transit. You usually require a visa to enter China, however certain areas, including the greater Shanghai-Jiangsu-Zhejiang region, permit visa-free entry for transit purposes (i.e. traveling between two different countries) with up to 24, 72 or 144-hour visit periods, for citizens of 53 countries. Here is a useful summary of the conditions and you should check latest conditions with the Chinese Embassy or a visa service before you go: https://www.travelchinaguide.com/tour/visa/free-transit-144-hours.htm