Suzhou Northwest Street Citywalk Route

Citywalk is a travel method that many people prefer nowadays. It’s relatively relaxed and leisurely. Below, we recommend a niche Citywalk route in Northwest Street, Suzhou, where you can stroll along the streets and experience different landscapes.

Northwest Street Citywalk

Northwest Street-North Temple Pagoda-Peach Blossom Dock District Route. Starting from the Suzhou Tourism Information Center (Northeast Street Center Station), the route is about 2 kilometers long and includes three cultural and historical sites and the newly opened Peach Blossom Dock Historical and Cultural District.

Northwest Street-North Temple Pagoda-Peach Blossom Dock District Route

Recommended Route: Suzhou Tourism Information Center (Northeast Street Center Station) → Northwest Street → North Temple Pagoda → Suzhou Silk Museum → Suzhou Art Museum → Suzhou Celebrity Hall → Peach Blossom Dock Historical and Cultural District

Transportation: Take Suzhou Metro Line 4 to “North Temple Pagoda” Station, walk to the Suzhou Tourism Information Center (Northeast Street Center Station), and start your Citywalk.

Tour Duration: 8:30-12:30, about 4 hours

Friendly Reminder: Cultural and historical sites require reservations and are closed on Mondays.

Suzhou Tourism Information Center (Northeast Street Center Station)

The Suzhou Tourism Information Center (Northeast Street Center Station) is located on Northeast Street, Suzhou’s most popular tourist district, where you can find the Suzhou Museum, Humble Administrator’s Garden, Lion Grove Garden, Pingjiang Road, and other popular attractions.

The Northeast Street Center Station integrates tourism consulting, itinerary planning, material reading, tourism assistance, luggage storage, and convenient services, providing solutions to various problems you may encounter during your trip. The center station also incorporates intangible heritage projects, cultural experiences, cultural and creative products, and other diverse content. In addition, citizens and tourists can stamp their travel souvenir stamps, charge their phones, use free Wi-Fi, and obtain drinking water here.

Address: No. 225, Northeast Street, Gusu District

Opening Hours: 8:30-20:30

Northwest Street

Northwest Street connects to Northeast Street in the east and Renmin Road in the west. The western section was originally called “Tianhou Temple Street,” and the eastern section was originally called “North Street.” In 1980, Tianhou Temple Street was merged into it, collectively known as “Northwest Street.” In the eyes of old Suzhou residents, this was once a famous “Suzhou Fan Street,” where the Suzhou Sandalwood Fan Factory was located.

On one side of Northwest Street, you’ll find white walls and black tiles, deep alleys, and old houses that have retained their original framework but have been refurbished, highlighting the beauty of Jiangnan architecture. On the other side are rows of food stalls, coffee shops, and craft stores. Demei Zhai, Yuanyiyuan Noodle Shop, Wushengxing Crepe Soup Dumpling Shop, and Xiaoyuanlou are all popular restaurants with good reputations. If you pass by, you can try them out!

North Temple Pagoda

At the intersection of Northwest Street and Renmin Road, you’ll find the Baoen Temple Pagoda, also known as the North Temple Pagoda, one of Suzhou’s landmark buildings. The North Temple Pagoda is 76 meters tall, the tallest building in Suzhou’s ancient city. With eight sides and nine levels, double eaves and layered roofs, vermilion railings surrounding the tower, and magnificent grandeur, it is known as the “First Ancient Pagoda in Jiangnan.”

Behind the North Temple Pagoda is a Suzhou-style garden called Mei Pu. Although small, the garden’s rockery is arranged in a staggered manner. Walking across the small bridge and climbing the stone steps, winding through the garden, is quite interesting. In winter, you can also enjoy the plum blossoms all over the garden.

Suzhou Silk Museum

The Suzhou Silk Museum is located on Renmin Road, the main thoroughfare of Suzhou’s ancient city, adjacent to the North Temple Pagoda. It is China’s first silk-themed museum. A silk-themed art installation called “The Rain of Four Sides” is located in front of the Silk Museum. It resembles the raindrops of Jiangnan, solidified in the air. It also looks like white silk, thread after thread, looming and flickering, as if shuttles and wefts are being drawn by a gentle breeze. This is also a classic spot for taking pictures of the North Temple Pagoda’s reflection!

The Suzhou Silk Museum currently has six exhibition areas: the History Hall, the Modern Hall, the Children’s Science Education Hall, the Sangziyuan, the Silk Weaving Machinery Display Room, and the Qian Xiaoping Silk Culture and Art Museum. Inside the museum is a huge, colorful brocade loom, the largest and most complex brocade loom in terms of installation difficulty and weaving process in China.

Address: No. 2001, Renmin Road, Gusu District

Opening Hours: 9:00-17:00 (Entry stops at 16:00, closed on Mondays)

Ticket Price: Free

Suzhou Art Museum

Continuing north along Renmin Road, you’ll reach the Suzhou Art Museum. Located within the Suzhou Public Culture Center, the museum’s architecture adopts traditional Suzhou-style residential styles, with flying eaves and upturned corners, white walls and black tiles, and classical flower windows. Inside the museum, a series of long and square compartments form a multi-corridor architectural layout.

Currently, the Suzhou Art Museum is hosting the “Scenery – 2023 Contemporary Qinglu Landscape Painting Academic Invitational Exhibition (Handscroll Exhibition).” The exhibition aims to inherit the essence and style of classic masterpieces from various dynasties, such as Wang Ximeng’s “A Thousand Miles of Rivers and Mountains” and Ren Weichang’s “Ten Thousand Volume Album,” and to showcase the new era’s atmosphere and style in the context of contemporary culture.

Address: No. 2075, Renmin Road, Gusu District

Opening Hours: 9:00-17:00 (Entry stops at 16:00, closed on Mondays)

Ticket Price: Free

Suzhou Celebrity Hall

The Suzhou Celebrity Hall is also located within the Suzhou Public Culture Center. It showcases 447 Gusu (Suzhou) sages, including historical figures from Suzhou, top scholars and prime ministers, and academicians of the two academies, serving as a testament to the rich natural resources and talented individuals of Suzhou.

Address: No. 2075, Renmin Road, Gusu District

Opening Hours: 9:00-17:00 (Entry stops at 16:00, closed on Mondays)

Ticket Price: Free

Peach Blossom Dock Historical and Cultural District

Continue along Xiaochangqiao Road and you can go to the Peach Blossom Dock Historical and Cultural District. Recently, the Tang Yin Residence Cultural District, located in the core of the Peach Blossom Dock Historical and Cultural District, has officially opened. It includes the Tang Yin Residence Site, the Tang Yin Shrine, the Wenchang Pavilion, and a cultural and industrial complex.

Here, you can experience the carefree life of Tang Yin, the talented scholar of Jiangnan, and appreciate the unique charm of Jiangnan gardens. “Peach Blossom Dock, Peach Blossom Temple, Peach Blossom Temple, Peach Blossom Immortal,” walking here, you feel like you’re meeting this “Peach Blossom Immortal.”

Address: No. 28, Liaojiaxiang, Gusu District

Opening Hours: 9:00-17:00 (Tang Yin Residence)

Ticket Price: Free