Suzhou Travel Guide

• Suzhou Overview
• Get in and around
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• Suzhou Nightlife
• Suzhou Miscellaneous

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Edition HistoryEdit Introduction

Suzhou has an advantaged geographical location. At present, the whole city has formed a huge cubic and open transportation structure. It has many types of transportation and forms circles in the outskirts of a city, nets in the counties and countryside. The waterway and the land route go side by side. The Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal in Suzhou boundary and the Suzhou-Hangzhou Highway run through the north and the south; The Shanghai-Nanjing Railway and Shanghai-Nanjing express highway wind from east to west. The highway is accessible from all directions within the territory, the rivers and harbors cover densely. So the land and water transportation is convenient and rapid.

Edition HistoryEdit Air

There is no airport available in Suzhou. The closest airport from Suzhou is Xuzhou Airport.

Xuzhou Guanyin Airport is only 70 kilometers away from Suzhou downtown area. Taking Beijing-Fuzhou Superhighway and Lianyungang-Huoerguosi Superhighway, it costs no more than an hour to get to the airport. The air transport is very convenient here.

Xuzhou Guanyin Airport

Xuzhou Guanyin Airport locates in the city of Xuzhou, the central city of Huaihai Economic Zone. It is 45 kilometers distance away from Xuzhou downtown area, 90 kilometers distance from Huaibei downtown area, 110 kilometers distance from Zaozhuang downtown area, and 70 kilometers distance away from Suzhou downtown area.

Telephone numbers in common use

Enquiry Center of the Airport: 0516-83068113

Freight Center of the airport: 0516-83068147

24 Hours Ticket Booking Call: 0516-83068188

Complaint Call: 0516-83068075, 0516-83068021

Edition HistoryEdit Train

Nearly all the trains on the Shanghai-Nanning railway stop in Suzhou for a short time, including the trains setting out from Suzhou, but most of all are trains that pass by Suzhou to Shanghai. There is a shift on the shuttling line of Suzhou-Shanghai every twenty minutes (in the morning and the late evening of the weekend and the peak period time for special purpose, there is a shift every 10-15 minutes). It takes 7-22 Yuan RMB for a single ticket and 40 minutes---90 minutes for one way. The trains form Shanghai to Suzhou set off at Shanghai new passenger station at 8:00, 9:00 and 10:00 sharply. It takes15 Yuan for the ticket and takes 40 minutes to arrive at the destination station.

The east ticket-selling hall of Suzhou railway station sells tickets of every networked station 6 days in advance. Tickets are also available in the east oblique window after entering the station under emergency circumstances. The ticket-selling window sells only the tickets of the trains whose driving time is within one hour and sells platform tickets simultaneously.

Transportation: Take Bus No. 1, 2, 6, 7, 9, 13 in the urban area to Suzhou Train Station

Telephone of Suzhou Train Station (Gongren Road, Yongqiao District): 0557-3027095

Ticket booking line of Suzhou Train Station: 0557-1605167

Enquiry call: 0557-3027095

Edition HistoryEdit Bus

Suzhou is the "Gateway to the Southeast" in Jiangsu Province which leads to Zhejiang and Shanghai. There are four long-distance passenger stations. In November 8^th, 2003, Suzhou-Jiaxing-Hangzhou express highway was fully opened, which starts from Chang Shu City of Jiangsu province in the north to Hangzhou City of Zhejiang Province in the south. Suzhou connects the highway along the river, the Shanghai-Nanjing expressway, Shanghai-Hangzhou highway and Shanghai-Jiangsu-Zhejiang-Anhui expressway, which is of great significance to ameliorate the traffic conditions in Suzhou and in its surrounding areas.

Address of Northern Bus Station in Suzhou: No.29, Xihui Road (east of the railway, Pingmen)         
Consultation Phone: 67530686

Address of Southern Bus Station in Suzhou: The station was moved to the cross of the East Road of Nanhuan and Yingchun Road in April, 2004 (only 2 kilmeters away from the Suzhou-Jiaxing-Hangzhou expressway)             How to arrive at the station: No.10, No.931 (the original No.31), No.54 and No.55 Bus.

Address of Western Bus Station in Suzhou: Jinshan intersection, Changjiang Road, Suzhou New Region (the north of Suzhou Fairyland)            How to get to the station: No.313 Bus

Edition HistoryEdit Boat

The Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal has passenger sea route shuttling between Suzhou and Hangzhou. In Suzhou, you should buy tickets in Nanmen quay (No.8, Renmin Road) to board the boat; in Hangzhou, you should buy tickets and board the boat in Wulinmen quay (No.138, the north Huancheng Road). There is a boat setting off at 17:30 every day from Suzhou and Hangzhou respectively heading for each other city and arriving at the destination at 7:00 the next day.

Ticket Purchase: The booking office may pre-sell a steamer ticket to booking in addition to selling steamer ticket of that very day. In most cases, you can get a steamer ticket about two hours before the steamer leaves in common seasons. But you must book your ticket in advance in midseasons.

Inquiry phone number: 65206681

Regular ship: There are four regular ships heading for Suzhou and Hangzhou every day from the two cities, setting off at 17:30 or so and reaching each other city at about 6:00 of the next day. At present, the luxurious type of ship is administered to carry out the transportation task equipped with air-conditioner and double or four-person room. The food and drink accommodations are served in the ship. The embarkation time is 17:30 every day and you are supposed to board the ship 30 minutes in advance. The sail distance is 150.2 kilometers and it takes about 14 hours to finish the voyage between the two cities.

Quay: The new steamship quay is located 200 meters away from the east side of Nanmen Renmin Bridge and the north bank of Huancheng River. At present, the quay has been put into use. After the quay being out into use, the passengers between Suzhou and Hangzhou are to get on and off the ship here. The upper reach of the river is to open several traveling sea routes, like tourist line around the ancient city, Hanshan Temple, Toneli, Zhouzhuang etc. meanwhile, some new traveling lines are to be open to tourists in succession, such as Taihu Lake line and Yangchenghu Lake line. The passengers can take bus 1, 7, 101, 102, 513 (the former 13), 514 (the former 14), 16 and bus 28 in the city and get off at Renmin Bridge Station.

Edition HistoryEdit Local Transport

Bus

The ticket price for each person is one Yuan for an ordinary bus and two Yuan for an air-conditioned bus. Generally, the buses have nobody sell tickets. In some suburbs of Suzhou, the buses implement the rule of “fare by turning cards”, that is, the fare is not always one Yuan and there is a cue card by the bus gate which indicates the fare the passengers should pay if they get on at this station.

Special Railway Line for Tourists

Suzhou Railway Station---Zhouzhuang ancient town    Via: the railway station, the north bus station, Guanqian street and Zhouzhuang

Suzhou Railway Station---Yongzhi ancient town     Via: the railway station, the north bus station, Guanqian street and Yongzhi

Suzhou Railway Station---Tongli ancient town       Via: the railway station, the north bus station, Guanqian street, Wujiang and Tongli

Suzhou Railway Station---Xishan    Via: the railway station, the north bus station, Guanqian street, Daoqian street, the west bus station, the Agricultural Scientific and Technological Garden, Xishan Town, Guzhang Garden, Linwu Hole, Baoshan Temple, Luohan Temple and Shigong Mountain

Taxi

Price: The Suzhou taxi adopt a double-jump fare system, 50% empty return fee is to be charged if the mileage exceeds 5,000 meter. Both average type Santana and Passat charge 10 yuan according to the starting price within 3,000 meters; if exceeding 3,000 meters, 1.8 Yuan is added for every kilometer to the original price.

Attention: There is a designated point in the south of Suzhou Railway Station Square for taxi departure 

Automobile tenancy within the city

HSBC automobile rental company               Dengwei Road       0512-65305566

New Suzhou Comfort Taxi Limited              Jinjihu Road         0512-68226186

Automobile Leasing Company Ltd. of Datong     No.45, Renmin Road   0512-65305566

Bicycle

Suzhou attractions are relatively concentrated, riding a bike to an alley along street, exploring deep and quiet, you can be definitely intoxicated in such artistic conception as "little bridge, running water, the household". It will cost you twenty Yuan for half a day and twenty-five Yuan for a whole day. If you visit Suzhou Railway Station, you should pay fifteen Yuam for a whole day (150 Yuan as deposit).

Tricycle

Some of the attractions are distributed in the alley and the car could not get in front of the door. At this moment, the tricycles are the best vehicles to get to the scenic spots. The starting price of the tricycle is two Yuan and another two Yuan is to be charged for every kilometer. When you want to charter a car, you should discuss with the vehicle owner for the price. The tricycle in Suzhou has not formed perfect trade criterion, so you had better negotiate with the wheeler before getting into his vehicle in case you were cheated.