After spending the first half of my trip in Shanghai, it is time to move on to the next city. I will head to Suzhou for the next two nights before spending the last three nights in Hangzhou. These three cities form up my 南巡 of the Jiangnan area. I am keen to visit a new city and to explore it. I have heard how gorgeous it is with the historic gardens. Suzhou is also a very popular day trip destination for travellers given the close distance to Shanghai. Let’s see what I did in Suzhou!

Travelling in Suzhou

I do not have any relevant information to share on the public transport as I mainly rely on Didi, the China and Singapore equivalent of Uber and Grab. It is super affordable and reliable. I love it as it is always so convenient. The prices here are much higher, which also reflects the higher standard of living in Shanghai. This is after all the most expensive city in China. The coverage is extensive and it is straightforward to get a ride. Do set up the app prior and add all the payment methods. You can also link it to Alipay. I only go for their Premium rides as they are cleaner. It is not too much of a premium above the usual. The stations are mostly staffed with security scanners which makes it a hassle especially when you have huge bags.

Suzhou

Qianmen

Pinjiang Road

Humble Administrator Garden

Guanqian Street

Eating in Suzhou

Grandma House (外婆家)

Conclusion

A very short trip and time in Suzhou. I didn’t do much since we only had 1.5 days here. I kinda regret not staying nearer to the city centre and also for another day. There is way more stuff to do in the city than what was shared above. I love Suzhou this place. It is laid back and gorgeous with tons of historical gardens and streets. It might just be one of the prettiest cities too and very well landscaped. The relatively short distance to Shanghai also meant that Suzhou could be a very easy day trip with the high-speed trains and perhaps even with Didi too.