"Suzhou - Gardens and Canals" Top 5 Page for this destination Suzhou by SLLiew

Suzhou Travel Guide: 346 reviews and 1,113 photos

Suzhou - Gardens and Canals - Suzhou



Dubbed the Venice of the East, most of the canals have been replaced by roads. Yet the gardens are still there to lure tourists like me to go into the inner worlds that rich Chinese merchants and retired officials have created to soothe the soul and contemplate the world.

Suzhou - Gardens and Canals - Suzhou



A great way to understand Chinese architecture, landscaping and fengshui through guided garden tours. If you tried to visit all the gardens, the admission fees can add up but if you are in Suzhou, do not miss visiting as many gardens as you can. But more important is besides taking the photos, to just sit in the gardens and see the world goes by as the minutes ticked (turn off your mobile) and the day goes by.

Suzhou - Gardens and Canals - Suzhou



Most people do a day trip to Suzhou, if you stay overnight, do visit one of the gardens at night and see the garden world in a different light with Chinese classical music in the background and the moon smiling above.

  • Intro Updated Feb 1, 2007
  • Add to Trip Planner (?)
  • Report Abuse

Reviews (20)

Are the rocks natural? - Suzhou Are the rocks natural? Favorites (6)

Large convulated rocks with holes and curves are used in many Suzhou gardens. These fascinating rocks of varying... more travel advice

Amazing detailed figurines on rooftops - Suzhou Amazing detailed figurines on rooftops Favorites (6)

One of the roofs of the Suzhou gardens has a shape of the flowing body of a dragon. Many of the roof tops have... more travel advice

Disappearing farmlands - Suzhou Disappearing farmlands Favorites (6)

While most of the farmlands along the highway have been replaced by factories and apartment buildings, if you take the... more travel advice

Venice of the East - Suzhou Venice of the East Favorites (6)

Suzhou has been dubbed as Venice of the East. But as many canals have been filled up and replaced by roads, there are... more travel advice

Comments (21)

  • Reply
    mikelisaanna's Profile Photo
    Sep 15, 2009 at 9:44 AM

    Unfortunately, we did not have enough time to visit Suzhou during our trip to China last year. It looks like we missed an interesting city.

  • Reply
    anoum's Profile Photo
    Jun 18, 2008 at 1:35 AM

    I'm going to Shanghai and the surrounding cities in Nov. I'll be armed with info from your pages and other VT members. Thanks a lot!

  • Reply
    victorwkf's Profile Photo
    Jan 14, 2008 at 6:23 AM

    Hi SL, Suzhou is a famous place in China which I hope to visit one day, perhaps with Hangzhou and Nanjing :)

  • Reply
    traveldave's Profile Photo
    Dec 31, 2007 at 10:09 AM

    Suzhou looks like the typical Chinese traditional town. And it's especially nice with all its gardens and parks.

  • Reply
    tpal's Profile Photo
    Nov 25, 2007 at 9:57 AM

    Next year we plan to visit China but, like the US, it is a very big country. For now I am just trying to understand the geography and some areas of interest for up. Carol and I are avid gardeners so this has possibilities. Thanks...Tom

  • Reply
    Rumi-fan's Profile Photo
    Nov 7, 2007 at 3:30 AM

    I really like japanese gardens SL but i dont think it would be "fun" to watch the silk worms being killed for our pleasure. :((

  • Reply
    bijo69's Profile Photo
    Oct 16, 2007 at 4:08 AM

    Must be a beautiful place!!!

  • Reply
    xaver's Profile Photo
    Oct 15, 2007 at 2:44 PM

    Nice, hope to explore China deeper in the near future.

  • Reply
    madamx's Profile Photo
    Sep 23, 2007 at 12:40 PM

    Interesting tips, SL, especially the one about Tiger Hill. One of my wedding dresses was made of brocade silk from Suzhou, and it's nice to see where it came from ~ Helen

  • Reply
    Cristian_Uluru's Profile Photo
    Feb 25, 2007 at 1:46 AM

    I have wonderful memories of this town! Great page!

SLLiew's Related Pages

Suzhou Travel Guide

 
Explore the World
Travel Destinations
SLLiew's Profile Photo

SLLiew

“Enjoy the moment. Send me a postcard from every country.”

Online Now

Male

Top 1,000 Travel Writer
Member Rank:
0 0 0 3 5
Forum Rank:
0 0 1 7 2

Badges & Stats in Suzhou

  • 20 Reviews
  • 23 Photos
  • 1 Forum posts
  • 21 Comments
  • 2,693PageViews
  • See All Stats
  • See All Badges (65)

Have you been to Suzhou?

  Share Your Travels  

Latest Activity in Suzhou

Photos in Suzhou

See All Photos (23)

Top 10 Pages

See All Travel Pages (166)

Friends

See All Friends (203)

Latest Suzhou hotel reviews

Sheraton Suzhou Hotel & Towers
105 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: May 15, 2013
Xinhu Great Hotel
1 Review & Opinion
New City Garden Hotel
17 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: Dec 16, 2012
Mercure Suzhou Park Hotel and Suites
16 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: Apr 20, 2013
Friendship Hotel
3 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: Jan 12, 2009
Nanlin Hotel Suzhou
19 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: Apr 4, 2013
Mingtown Suzhou Youth Hostel
36 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: Apr 23, 2013
Holiday Inn Youlian Suzhou
25 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: May 16, 2013
Traveler Inn Gusu Hotel
12 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: Apr 10, 2013
Garden View Hotel
32 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: Apr 26, 2013
Gentleman International Hotel
1 Review & Opinion
Sofitel Suzhou
45 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: May 11, 2013
Holiday Inn Jasmine
60 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: May 7, 2013
Renaissance Suzhou Hotel
69 Reviews & Opinions
Latest: May 10, 2013