Suzhou and Shanghai Self-Guided Tour

Suzhou and Shanghai are both famous cities in the Jiangnan region of China. Suzhou, known for its ancient charm, has many classic sights worth visiting and admiring. Shanghai, the “Magic City,” offers a modern and sophisticated experience. Here is a guide to a self-guided tour of Suzhou and Shanghai.

People say: “If you have the courage, you can take a five-day holiday.” But I’m a coward, and I only have five days off…

I took leave on Friday, April 28th, and embarked on my journey to Suzhou. We didn’t have classes on Tuesday, so we had this five-day mini-holiday during the May Day holiday.

The train left at 10 am on April 28th, and it took six or seven hours to reach Suzhou. We checked into our hotel, dropped off our luggage, and went out to find some food. Baidu said that Guanqian Street was a famous street for snacks, but when we got there, we found that there weren’t many snacks, just a lot of silk shops. The most delicious snack we found was shrimp and egg, which I thought was really amazing! However, our whole group felt like we weren’t full from eating just snacks, so we went to a restaurant and had a set meal. It was really salty, really salty, really salty! I wanted to ask the boss for a lighter meal, but we had already tasted it… heartbreaking. Then we went to a One Plus One milk tea shop and bought a warm, medium-sized, less sugar, fresh milk, bubble tea with coconut jelly, to quench our thirst…. At that time, there was no bus, so we took a Didi car. It was still quite affordable to split the cost.

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On April 29th, we woke up at 8:00 am and had breakfast at KFC near the hotel at 9:00 am. We took the bus to the Humble Administrator’s Garden. It was a sunny day with bright sunshine. The ticket booth had a long line. Actually, there were more than one ticket booth, but the one at the main gate had the most people and the longest line. The security guard told us there were other ticket booths inside, so we walked further in and found that there were fewer people. The student ticket was half-price, which made me the happiest because we were on a budget trip. Entering the garden, I felt like I was in a scene from the TV show “My Fair Princess,” with its beautiful gardens.

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After visiting the Humble Administrator’s Garden, I went to Shiquan Street for lunch because I heard there were a lot of delicious food there. However, when we got there, the street was empty, sparsely populated, and most of the shops were closed. It was also a sunny day, and we couldn’t walk anymore. We saw a noodle restaurant and went in to eat something quickly. It’s not recommended.

After lunch, we went back the same way because the Humble Administrator’s Garden and the Lion Grove Garden are close to each other. In the afternoon, we went to the Lion Grove Garden. Compared to the Humble Administrator’s Garden, the Lion Grove Garden had more rocks, and a stone boat that I really liked.

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The Lion Grove Garden is smaller than the Humble Administrator’s Garden, so we finished visiting it at 3:30 pm. We rested in the garden for half an hour and then took the bus to Shantang Street, also known as Seven Li Shantang. There are many tourist buses there, making it easy to get around. I fell in love with it as soon as I arrived.

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I not only love the street snacks along the way, but also the scenery and landscape there. There is also a bookstore there, a very lovely bookstore, called Sky Year City, an artistic and refreshing bookstore.

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I especially love the Seven Li Shantang at night. Taking a small boat and enjoying the small houses along the river, with the cool breeze blowing in your face, it’s very comfortable. No more words, just pictures. I highly recommend Seven Li Shantang.

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Then we went back to the hotel. On the morning of April 30th, we went to Jinji Lake. We arrived at the Moonlight Wharf and took a yacht to Peach Blossom Spring. The student ID card is half price. It was sunny and hot that day, and there was a long queue. But when you get on the boat, you will feel very comfortable. All the waiting is worth it.

This is the Moonlight Wharf.

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You can see the “Autumn Trousers Gate” along the way, which is super cute.

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Then we arrived at the shore and came to Peach Blossom Spring. I love the maple trees there.

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Peach Blossom Spring is quite small, and it won’t take too long to visit. Then we went back the same way, found a small restaurant near the subway station for dinner, and took the train to Shanghai Hongqiao.

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We checked into our pre-booked hotel, dropped off our luggage, and then went to the Oriental Pearl Tower. Unfortunately, we didn’t climb up to the top. We just looked at the Oriental Pearl Tower from the overpass.

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However, we did go to the 88th floor of the Jin Mao Tower. It was just so-so… It was pretty boring. I wouldn’t recommend going there…

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This is the view from the Jin Mao Tower looking down…

Then we went back to the hotel to rest and ate dinner around the hotel…

On the morning of May 1st, we went to the City God Temple, also known as Old Shanghai Street. It felt a bit like Seven Li Shantang, but without the small river haha… It is also highly recommended. There are things to eat and things to play, and there is also a snack square where you can eat some local specialties. There are many local specialties to buy there, and Nanjing Road also has many specialties, but they are more expensive…

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Because Nanjing Road, Old Shanghai Street, the Bund, and the Huangpu River are all connected, we went to each one in turn, stopping and starting along the way, enjoying the unique scenery. We also took the sightseeing tunnel…

The Bund:

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Nanjing Road:

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Huangpu River:

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People’s Square:

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Sightseeing Tunnel:

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Then we went to Pudong because our hotel was near Lujiazui. So I went to Lujiazui Green Land, which is near the Oriental Pearl Tower.

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Then we took the bus to eat near the hotel. Our journey for the day was over.

On the morning of May 2nd, we boarded the train back to school…

In these short five days, we were always on the road, stopping and starting along the way. Only those who have experienced this process can understand it.

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May you become the best version of yourself. Just like you, I grew up stumble by stumble, one step at a time. May my words also grow slowly, just like yours.