🏖️Destination: One-day Tour in Suzhou
🕐Recommended travel time: Set off in the early morning and return in the evening. Specifically, leave Shanghai at 6 am and return around 8 pm.
💰Budget range: Around 800 yuan. This includes transportation costs, catering expenses, ticket fees, and possible shopping expenses.

🌟Highlights: Deeply experience the beauty of Suzhou's gardens, cultural charm, and special cuisine. In the quiet early morning, enjoy the tranquility and elegance of the Humble Administrator's Garden alone and feel the charm of the top of the four famous gardens in the south of the Yangtze River. Listen to professional free manual explanations to learn about the rich historical stories and cultural connotations of the Humble Administrator's Garden. At the same time, you can also taste Suzhou's special delicacies and feel the unique charm of this city.

📋Itinerary

I. Preparation before departure

The night before, pack necessary items such as cameras, mobile phone chargers, and ID cards. Set the alarm clock for 5 am to ensure getting up on time. Check the train schedule from Shanghai to Suzhou in advance and confirm taking the bullet train departing from Shanghai Hongqiao Railway Station to Suzhou Station at 6:13.

II. Travel to Suzhou

At 5 am, the alarm clock rings on time. Quickly wash up, put on comfortable clothes and shoes. After checking the luggage items, go out and head to Shanghai Hongqiao Railway Station. You can choose to take the subway, taxi or other means of transportation to the railway station and ensure arriving at the waiting hall before 6 am.

Take the bullet train departing at 6:13 to Suzhou Station. On the train, you can take a short rest or enjoy the scenery outside the window to recharge for the upcoming day's journey. About half an hour later, arrive at Suzhou Station.

III. Arriving at Suzhou Station and choosing breakfast

After coming out of Suzhou Station, follow the signs to the north square. At the north square, you can see many buses going to the Humble Administrator's Garden. You can choose to take a suitable bus to the Humble Administrator's Garden or take a taxi, which is relatively expensive but can save time.

If time permits, you can taste some Suzhou-style breakfast at a snack bar or restaurant near Suzhou Station. Recommended to try Suzhou-style noodles, pan-fried buns, wontons and other special delicacies. Suzhou-style noodles have a delicate texture, delicious soup, and chewy noodles; pan-fried buns have a crispy bottom and juicy filling with a rich taste; wontons have thin wrappers and large fillings with a delicious soup. These delicacies can let you taste the unique flavor of Suzhou and start a wonderful taste journey for the day.

IV. Tour of the Humble Administrator's Garden

Arrive at the gate of the Humble Administrator's Garden around 7:29. At this time, there are relatively few tourists, so you can enjoy the peaceful atmosphere and wait for the garden to open. As one of the four famous gardens in China and the top of the four famous gardens in the south of the Yangtze River, the Humble Administrator's Garden has extremely high historical and artistic value.

The origin of the name of the Humble Administrator's Garden is full of stories. In the Ming Dynasty, an official named Wang Xianchen was frustrated in officialdom and returned to Suzhou. He bought a piece of land and built this garden and named it "the Humble Administrator's Garden", which means being clumsy in politics, expressing his weariness of officialdom and yearning for a peaceful life.

The designer of the Humble Administrator's Garden is Wen Zhengming, a great talent in the south of the Yangtze River. He spent six years completing the design plan and after another ten years, he finally created this top private garden with piled mountains, managed waters, and lush elegance. The main scenic spots in the garden include Lanxue Hall, Yuanxiang Hall, Xiangzhou, and the Thirty-Six Mandarin Duck Pavilion. Among them, "the borrowed scenery of the North Temple Pagoda" and "the small flying rainbow of the corridor bridge" are famous scenes.

The garden is generally divided into three parts: east, middle, and west, each with its own characteristics. The middle garden basically maintains the simple and natural style of gardens in the Ming Dynasty and is the most essence of the whole garden. The scenic area is very friendly to those who are not good at directions. You can see the "main tour route" after walking a few steps. Just follow the arrows. There is no need to specifically learn about the route. The main scenic spots will basically not be missed. If you follow the explanation, you can learn more historical stories and cultural connotations about the Humble Administrator's Garden.

There is a regular free manual explanation service at the tourist center with a duration of about half an hour. It is recommended that tourists who come for the first time can listen to it and just take advantage of it. You can also rent an audio guide at the west entrance, but after all, the machine is not as wonderful as the manual explanation.

After entering the Humble Administrator's Garden, you can first tour the eastern garden. Here, it is mainly composed of flat hills, distant mountains, pine forests, lawns, and bamboo valleys and winding waters, with a bright and cheerful characteristic. You can enjoy scenic spots such as Lanxue Hall and Furong Pavilion. Lanxue Hall is the main hall in the eastern part of the Humble Administrator's Garden. The name of the hall is taken from the poetic meaning of Li Bai's "Standing alone between heaven and earth, the cool breeze sprinkles orchids and snow". Furong Pavilion is half built on the shore and half extends into the water. It is a good place to watch lotus flowers.

Then tour the middle garden. This is the essence of the Humble Administrator's Garden. With a pool as the center and pavilions and towers surrounding it, it creates a peaceful and elegant atmosphere. You can enjoy scenic spots such as Yuanxiang Hall, Xiangzhou, and Xiaofeihong. Yuanxiang Hall is the main building in the middle garden. The name of the hall is taken from the poetic meaning of "the fragrance is far-reaching and clear" in Zhou Dunyi's "On Loving Lotus". Xiangzhou is a ship-shaped building, symbolizing the owner's longing for freedom. Xiaofeihong is a corridor bridge with a beautiful shape, like a rainbow spanning the water.

Finally, tour the western garden. Here, water is the highlight, and the buildings are exquisite, with a deep and peaceful characteristic. You can enjoy scenic spots such as the Thirty-Six Mandarin Duck Pavilion and Who Shall I Sit With Pavilion. The Thirty-Six Mandarin Duck Pavilion is the main building in the western garden. It is named after there were once thirty-six pairs of mandarin ducks raised in the pavilion. Who Shall I Sit With Pavilion is a fan-shaped building. The name is taken from the poetic meaning of Su Shi's "Who shall I sit with? The bright moon, the cool breeze, and me".

During the tour, you can take many pictures to record the beautiful scenery of the Humble Administrator's Garden. Especially when there are few people in the early morning, you can take many pictures without tourists and enjoy the feeling of a private tour. Around 9 am, there will be more and more tourists. At this time, you can choose to rest in some quiet corners or continue to enjoy some small scenic spots.

V. Lunch and rest

Around 11:30, end the tour of the Humble Administrator's Garden. After coming out of the garden, you can taste Suzhou's special delicacies at a restaurant nearby. Recommended to try dishes such as squirrel mandarin fish, stir-fried shrimps, glutinous rice and sugar lotus root. Squirrel mandarin fish has a beautiful shape and a sweet and sour taste; stir-fried shrimps are tender and smooth with a delicious taste; glutinous rice and sugar lotus root are sweet and glutinous and rich in nutrition.

After lunch, you can rest for a while in a nearby coffee shop or teahouse, have a cup of coffee or tea, and relax. You can also choose to take a walk in a nearby park or street and enjoy the urban scenery of Suzhou.

VI. Choice of other scenic spots (optional)

If time permits, you can choose to go to the vicinity of scenic spots such as the Lion Grove Garden and the Suzhou Museum to take pictures and check in. But it is not recommended to enter and visit to avoid time constraints. The Lion Grove Garden is famous for its rockeries. The Suzhou Museum is designed by the famous architect I.M. Pei and has a unique architectural style.

On the way to these scenic spots, you can enjoy Suzhou's traditional buildings and streets and feel the historical charm of this city. You can take pictures while walking and record the beautiful moments of Suzhou.

VII. Shopping and choosing souvenirs

If interested, you can buy some souvenirs or special delicacies in Suzhou's characteristic stores or snack bars. Recommended to buy Suzhou embroidery, silk products, Suzhou pastries, etc. Suzhou embroidery is a traditional handicraft in Suzhou and has extremely high artistic value; silk products are soft and smooth with high quality; Suzhou pastries have a delicate texture and a sweet taste.

During the shopping process, you can communicate with the shop owner to learn more about Suzhou's culture and history. You can also taste some Suzhou's special snacks such as plum blossom cakes, begonia cakes, and sweet porridge. These snacks are delicious and affordable and are good choices.

VIII. Return to Shanghai

Around 7:30, end the day's journey. You can choose to take a bus or taxi to Suzhou Station. Take a suitable train at Suzhou Station to return to Shanghai. It is recommended to check the train schedule information in advance to ensure returning to Shanghai on time.

On the train, you can review the day's itinerary, enjoy the photos taken, or communicate and share the feelings of this trip with your companions. Around 8 pm, arrive in Shanghai and end a pleasant one-day tour in Suzhou.

IX. Summary and reflections

The one-day tour in Suzhou is a journey full of charm and surprises. On this day, we not only enjoyed the beautiful scenery of the Humble Administrator's Garden but also tasted Suzhou's special delicacies and felt the historical charm and cultural connotations of this city.

As the top of the four famous gardens in the south of the Yangtze River, the Humble Administrator's Garden is indeed worthy of its reputation. The buildings, landscapes, flowers and trees in the garden complement each other and create a peaceful and elegant atmosphere. Here, we can feel the wisdom and aesthetics of the ancients and also relax and enjoy the beauty of nature.

Suzhou's delicacies also left a deep impression on us. Dishes such as Suzhou-style noodles, squirrel mandarin fish, and glutinous rice and sugar lotus root have a delicate texture and delicious taste, leaving a lingering aftertaste. Suzhou's special snacks such as plum blossom cakes, begonia cakes, and sweet porridge are also very delicious and affordable, which are good choices.

This trip has given us a deeper understanding and recognition of Suzhou. Suzhou is not only a beautiful city but also a city full of history and culture. We look forward to the next trip to Suzhou and feel the charm of this city again.