Things to do in Suzhou

Culture · Old town, north-east

The largest of the UNESCO-inscribed classical gardens, laid out in the sixteenth century around a series of ponds and pavilions.

Local tip: Buy the annual garden pass rather than single tickets — it costs less than two visits and covers most of the classical gardens in the city. Then go to the Humble Administrator's Garden on a wet Tuesday morning, which is exactly the weather and the emptiness it was designed for.

Neighborhood · Old town, eastern half

A canal-side lane running the length of the eastern old town, with whitewashed houses, teahouses and pingtan performance rooms.

Local tip: Pingjiang Road itself is busy. The point is the lanes running east and west off it — Niujia Xiang, Datong Xiang — where the same canal grid is ordinary housing, laundry on poles over the water and old men playing cards. This is the medieval city plan still functioning.

Nature · Suzhou Industrial Park

A large lake at the centre of the Industrial Park, ringed by a continuous promenade, parks and the modern skyline.

Local tip: The eastern shore is where the Park's residents actually walk and run, and it is largely empty on weekday mornings. The Ligongdi bar strip on the western shore is where the Park's social life happens in the evening.

Landmark · North-west of the old town

A wooded hill with a leaning brick pagoda from 961 AD, and the traditional burial site of the king who founded the city.

Local tip: Su Dongpo wrote that it would be a lifelong regret to visit Suzhou and not see Tiger Hill, and it is still true. The pagoda leans more than three degrees. Go at opening or an hour before closing; the crowds in between are substantial.

Food · North-west, running from Tiger Hill toward the old town

A 1,100-year-old canal street with restaurants, snack shops and boats, quieter at the western end than the eastern.

Local tip: Suzhou food is sweeter and gentler than anything around it — squirrel mandarin fish, biluochun tea-smoked dishes, and the seasonal hairy crab from nearby Yangcheng Lake in autumn. Walk west from the tourist end and the prices halve.

Neighborhood · ≈20 km south-east, Wujiang district

One of the classic Jiangnan canal towns, with the UNESCO-inscribed Retreat and Reflection Garden at its centre.

Local tip: Zhouzhuang gets the coaches; Tongli is quieter and has the better garden. But the genuine secret is staying overnight — every water town empties completely after the last coach leaves around five, and the canals at night with nobody on them are a different place entirely.