Day Trip to Suzhou
Thursday, July 3rd 2008
Author: ajbacacia
On a Sunday morning in October, our family took a morning train to Suzhou. We bought our tickets at the station; one booth in the ticket office is designated for English speakers. After asking a number of people to direct us to the appropriate platform, we eventually arrived at the right waiting area. The gate closes 5 minutes before the train leaves, so it was worth getting there in good time. We had a very good journey, and the spacious first class seats were excellent. The train looked quite futuristic, but our little boy was more interested in whether Thomas the Tank Engine pulled us or Percy?
“Up there, you have heaven. Down here, you have Suzhou and Hangzhou.”
No doubt this proverb was true in a bygone era, but our family found today’s big city a far cry from living up to the old saying. We found the walk between the railway station and the town centre fairly dingy, and many of the fabled old canals have been paved over. Walking through a typical Suzhou neighborhood provided many interesting sights, and served to remind us that the vast majority of China bears no resemblance to the privileged bubble where we live in Shanghai. However, in terms of seeing the famed gardens, walking was not ideal. The gardens sprawl across the city in widespread directions. The Garden of the Master of the Nets, one of the most famous and smallest ones, is 4 or 5 km from the station, hidden away down a series of alleys. We would have been better served with a driver and guide to ferry us from one sight to the next.
After walking the neighborhoods and gardens of Suzhou, we enjoyed a buffet lunch and a pedicab ride back to the station. We purchased our return at the last minute, and so our choices were limited. We returned on the 5:30 train, which took about an hour. This time we rode without first class, on bench seats with padded covers. The three of us bumped along with 4 Chinese men in our little stall, and really enjoyed the train journey. As ever, the passengers were hugely indulgent of our son’s desire to jump, climb and generally make a commotion. They never stopped smiling.
In hindsight, a better Suzhou itinerary is to ride the train in the morning, bring a picnic lunch, and hire a driver and guide to show us the main sights of Suzhou and transport us back to Shanghai later in the afternoon. We had a problem with crowds, but we toured on a fairly dull and cloudy day in late October - perhaps not prime tourist conditions.
Essentials:
Transportation:
10:36 am train from Shanghai Railway Station to Suzhou.
Purchased tickets at the English language ticket booth at the station
First class tickets cost RMB31 per adult and provides spacious, comfortable seats.
The gate closes 5 minutes before the train leaves.
The journey rode 40 minutes with only one stop en route
5:30 pm train return to Shanghai
Purchased tickets at Suzhou Train Station from an onsite booking agent.
Tickets cost RMB10 per adult, and another 10 for the booking fee.
The journey rode 1 hour
Lunch:
Sheraton Suzhou Hotel and Towers, brunch buffet for RMB198
259 Xin Shi Road, 86.512.6510.3388
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