Suzhou and Zhouzhuang Water Village Day Trip from Shanghai
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Suzhou and Zhouzhuang Water Village Day Trip from Shanghai
By Han Tang Tour Shanghai
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About
The water village of Zhouzhuang can be tricky to reach independently—unless, of course, you speak Chinese. Take life easy on this convenient day tour that includes not only Zhouzhuang but the historic center of Suzhou, a canal city famous for silk. In addition to a gondola ride and a silk museum tour, visit the UNESCO-listed Master-of-Nets Garden and savor a Chinese lunch. Hotel pickup makes for a hassle-free trip.
Lowest price guaranteeReserve now & pay laterFree cancellation
Ages 0-99, max of 999 per group
Duration: 10h
Start time: Check availability
Mobile ticket
Live guide: Chinese, English
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Highlights
- Visit two famous water towns: Suzhou and Zhouzhuang
- Cruise in a gondola, visit a silk museum, and see the Grand Canal
- Explore one of Suzhou’s UNESCO-listed gardens
- Enjoy a Chinese lunch and door-to-door round-trip transportation
- English-speaking tour guide
- Air-conditioned vehicle
- Lunch
- Hotel pickup and drop off in the city center
- Boat tour in the water village
- Admission tickets
- Entry/Admission - Master-of-Nets Garden
- Entry/Admission - Zhouzhuang Boat
What's not included- Gratuities
- After pickup from your central Shanghai hotel, learn about the city known as “the Venice of the East” as you travel towards Suzhou. Your first stop is the UNESCO-listed Master-of-Nets Garden, a masterpiece of Chinese garden design. Visit the ancient city wall, stroll by the Grand Canal, visit a 14th-century silk museum, and savor a delicious Chinese lunch. Hop back in your vehicle and travel to the quaint little town of Zhouzhuang, with its winding waterways and charming houses. Learn how the town’s history dates back almost 1,000 years as you cruise the canals in a traditional Chinese gondola. Finally, your guide will drop you back at your hotel.
- Start:Multiple pickup locations offered.Pickup details
- Tour departs from Shanghai hotels (cruise port pickup not available). Your local operator will contact you a night before the travel date. Please advise your hotel name and your phone number at time of booking.
Hotel pickup offeredDuring checkout you will be able to select from the list of included hotels.End:This activity ends back at the meeting point. - Infants must sit on laps
- Not wheelchair accessible
If you have questions about accessibility, we’d be happy to help. Just call the number below and reference the product code: 2052SIC_03- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Most travelers can participate
- This is a Shared Tour - 3 people are needed as a minimum to proceed with the tour.
- This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund
- This experience requires a minimum number of travelers. If it’s canceled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 999 travelers
- For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours in advance of the start date of the experience.
- If you have questions about this tour or need help making your booking, we’d be happy to help. Just call the number below and reference the product code: 2052SIC_03
From
$135.00
per adult
Select date and travelers
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About the operator
Don’t take it from us – here’s what people have to say about this operator:
- 125clivej0 contributionsExcellent Day Tour - Small GroupExcellent tour with Tom. Very knowledgeable. Just the right amount of commentary then you get some time to explore each location before moving to the next place. Quite a bit of driving between locations which is ok because you get to look at the city. A fair amount of walking so wear good shoes and dress for the season. Very hot and humid in September. Lunch was great. Nothing too scary for a westerner. We started at 8am and was back at hotel around 3.30pm but we were only a group of 3 so larger groups may take a little longer. Silk ‘factory’ at the end is a little bit of a hard sell but you don’t need to buy anything. Don’t feel obligated ! Fantastic clean and safe city.Written September 28, 2024
- yesplease720 contributionsA Great Way To See The CityWe took this boat cruise as part of a China tour. The night we went was particularly hot and the boat was quite full. We paid a few extra dollars and we were able to be in an area that had fewer people and the extra $ gave you a drink and something to nibble on. The cruise takes under an hour and gives a great view of the modernity of buildings and lights in Shanghai. Highly recommended and do your best to get a spot at the side of the boat so you can get great photos.Written September 24, 2024
- jameseW714KK0 contributionsShanghai TourTom was a very good guide. He called us the day before to confirm our hotel and pickup time. He was knowledgeable, and patient. Thank you, Tom.Written September 16, 2024
- katellad0 contributionsZhujiajiao WOW!This was a very action packed half day trip. Saw Kezhi garden and learned about Chinese culture. Then we went on a beautiful boat for a water tour. After the water tour, our guide , Tom, let us stay a little longer to explore , which was very kind of him. It ended with a drive back in classic Shang Hai traffic - four cars in one lane. The driver was a champion at navigating the jumble. A great experience!Written September 12, 2024
- ChandanShirbhayye0 contributionsEnjoyed the Boat Cruise rideVisited for boat cruise ride in Huangpu river during Shanghai trip. There are cruise rides every 20 min in evening for 40-45min of each ride. Place was crowded even on weekday evening. Cruise sails through east - west bank of river with picturesque views of illuminated coastline buildings including TV tower & Shanghai. Tower. Usually cruise have 3floor deck with top most floor with open terrace which is most crowded due View it offers. First floor is AC deck with seating and dining options. Tickets for premium area are different Ticketing centre as waiting area and need to stand in queue of respective rides. Overall a good experience to have though there are similar options in all major cities with RiversWritten June 22, 2024
- itisivanova0 contributionsA memorable trip!loved this tour! we so saw and experienced so much in just one day! tom, the guide, is also very informational! I learned a lot :)Written April 13, 2024
- Roderick T0 contributionsSpectacularThe show was spectacular and our guide very helpful both in transporting us to the venue and after the show in our walking tour of the Shanghai French Quarter.Written March 15, 2024
- ramadurair20160 contributionsGood day tour with decent amount of walkingDecent tour with stops at important landmarks. Our guide Michael was awesome, adding stories where appropriate. Good way to get some introduction behind the history of the city. Stop At Silk factory was purely marketing!Written December 10, 2023
- marklZ766EZ0 contributionsAmazing Shanghai Experience Packed into One Day!Our tour guide, Tom, was amazing! It was a fantastic experience from first pickup at my hotel to the very end. He was extremely knowledgeable on every site we visited, even down to the exact dates and specific details. We visited People’s Square (Shanghai History Museum within), Jade Buddha Temple, The Bund to take some amazing photos overlooking Shanghai, a silk factory with some amazing gift ideas, Yu Garden, and the site of the former French Concession. All of this included lunch and stops to chat about history as we talked along the route when we were out of the van. If you are looking to maximize what you see in Shanghai and for an amazing tour guide, TAKE THIS TOUR!!Written November 19, 2023
- S1670IRjohnp0 contributionsRocky start but good experienceWe were waiting for 30 minutes in airport. The guide was late. It wasn’t a good first impression. But he arrived and he was quite helpful and good english. He explained to us about maglev, shanghai, and helped us with our luggages from airport, maglev and until arrived in airport. He also helped us took pictures with maglev. It’s not cheap but if you want the experience, it’s worth it.Written November 17, 2023
- 411ilseh0 contributionsGreat way to see the highlights of the city in a short timeOur tourguide Tom was wonderfull. He is very professional and knows a lot of facts about Shanghai. His English is very good. The places we stopped by where interesting.Written October 7, 2023
- lebohangd20230 contributionsRocky start, but fun.The place is beautiful but the company’s numbers are all inactive which makes contacting them, especially as a foreigner quite difficult.Written August 12, 2023
- ceciliachink0 contributionsA Cruise You Shouldn't MissNone other than any other cruise as was thrilled over the many attractions of Shanghai's architecture and modern skyscrapers especially in the limelight of the night with the amazing sparkling neon lights while cruising along the bunks on the top deck of cruise enjoying the cooling breeze and the overwhelmed beauty.Written August 7, 2020
- Bev W0 contributionsHoildayMy Husband and I travelled on this incredible train, very fast and convenient. Very clean and Staff very FriendlyWritten March 5, 2020
- MVUppsala0 contributionsBetter take a taxiAfternoon tour: I was positively surprised to be the only person doing the tour, and so I had a private driver, luxury SUV and tour guide for myself. We started at the Yu Gardens, which was quite enchanting, but the French quarter isn’t worth it, and the silk factory is 100% a tourist trap. The Bund is quite impressive too. The tour guide had good English, but was not able to blend the highlights with the history of the city and country. In summary, take a taxi to the Gardens and then to the Bund and you’ll be better off. CheersWritten January 18, 2020
These reviews are the subjective opinions of Tripadvisor members and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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4.0
25 reviews
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Tamara M
Redwood City, CA2 contributions
The day trip was fine in the sense that we saw everything they said we would see. There were a couple of key problems that really detracted from our experience though. 1- the full trip was about 11.5 hours, of which 7 were spent driving, most of which was just in Shanghai picking and dropping people off. We weren’t even the first hotel. We only ended up having 20 minutes free in Zhouzhang because of this, which really was the point of the whole trip. Our time really could have been better spent if they set a central meeting and drop off location or worked out a better system. 2- the driver smoked in the van while we were at the sites. He stopped once we asked, but still this seemed like a pretty basic no no. 3- The pick up/ drop off plan wasn’t clear until the last minute. Our voucher said we needed to call the company to arrange our pick up time but we had a lot of trouble getting through. I was finally able to dig up an email address but when I emailed, they said they would leave a message with the hotel the night before the trip telling us when we’ll be picked up. It would have saved a lot of stress if we’d been given correct information from the start
Written April 13, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Gdiga
Milan, Italy54 contributions
I booked and paid this tour on the phone as the trip advisor payment did go through after trying a couple of times.
In the city of Suzhou we first visited the ‘famous garden’ which is nice but if you’ve already been to You Garden in Shanghai you can easily get bored as this doesn’t add any value to what you’ve already seen. We quickly stopped to enjoy the view of the canal from a nice bridge and we headed off to the silk factory.
The factory was quite interesting as they were actually showing the fully production process but I felt it was pretty quick as the factory staff just wanted to drag us into the showrooms which are actually shops where they sell any kind of goods.
Lunch was in a restaurant next to the factory. Nothing too exciting.
We moved to Zhouzhuang where we had a nice walk and a boat tour (of about 15 mins). The driver picked us up at 15.00
I felt it was quite quick and a bit poor to be a day tour. The guide, Aileen, was a nice girl but not totally fluent in English. She gave us some basic information in the Garden (things I could have easily read on any room descriptions) but she was just leading us not being very informative for the rest of the trip.
It’s a quite comfortable tour that allow you to easily explore two different cities but don’t expect too much out of it.
In the city of Suzhou we first visited the ‘famous garden’ which is nice but if you’ve already been to You Garden in Shanghai you can easily get bored as this doesn’t add any value to what you’ve already seen. We quickly stopped to enjoy the view of the canal from a nice bridge and we headed off to the silk factory.
The factory was quite interesting as they were actually showing the fully production process but I felt it was pretty quick as the factory staff just wanted to drag us into the showrooms which are actually shops where they sell any kind of goods.
Lunch was in a restaurant next to the factory. Nothing too exciting.
We moved to Zhouzhuang where we had a nice walk and a boat tour (of about 15 mins). The driver picked us up at 15.00
I felt it was quite quick and a bit poor to be a day tour. The guide, Aileen, was a nice girl but not totally fluent in English. She gave us some basic information in the Garden (things I could have easily read on any room descriptions) but she was just leading us not being very informative for the rest of the trip.
It’s a quite comfortable tour that allow you to easily explore two different cities but don’t expect too much out of it.
Written January 3, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
travelplans123
Clayton, NC39 contributions
Sep 2018 • Couples
Wonderful little town, must do boat ride. The woman that was navigating through very narrow spaces also sang in native language.
Written October 8, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
geo k
Athens, Greece110 contributions
Oct 2017
might you not make it to Wuzhen take a small trip near the city and feel the unique atmosphere of medieval China
Written August 7, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Maria19860000
Dubai, United Arab Emirates5 contributions
It was amazing cultural experience to those who are looking to do something cultural and I loved that they had a good variety of souvenirs shops that are cheaper than in Shanghai city.
Written April 4, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Bca3
9 contributions
Great time! Joy, our guide, was full of information. The garden in Suzhou was nice, not quite what I was expecting though. I bet it would be more impressive in the spring and summer with more flowers, at least the sun was out! The 900 yo tree was cool too. Then we did the silk factory tour, really interesting to learn the whole process. Had lunch at the silk factory and then went to Zhouzhuang. The water village was definitely the highlight with the boat ride. Very quite, serene, and relaxing ride. The village has lots of shops and food too. Wished we would have eaten in Zhouzhuang instead of at the silk factory though. The whole day wasn’t busy so it was nice to have more time to experience everything. Overall a great experience. Van from Shanghai was comfortable and safe, about 1.5 hr ride each direction though depending on Shanghai traffic. Thanks for a great time!
Written December 27, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Wanderer783934
52 contributions
Jul 2019
Suzhou is an easy 30 minute fast train ride form shanghai. We got a taxi to to Pananmen Gate, a must see. I don’t think many tourists get there as it’s not on travel group routes. A pagoda, Chinese buildings, a lake , gardens and a city wall, fortress adjoining the river. A very old bridge is a great photo . A taxi ride back into the old city centre and easy walks of the administrators garden , lions garden and many other attractions. Many markets to buy at which are vibrant and worth visiting at night time for the lights and activities. Not saying day time is any different.
Zhouzhuang water town is a nice place to visit but if only a day Suzhou is the place to go.
Zhouzhuang water town is a nice place to visit but if only a day Suzhou is the place to go.
Written September 30, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
robhall
Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand13 contributions
Sep 2019
Not much to see in Suzou.Saw ancient house-silk factory and was left by the side of a canal with little information or interesting views.Zhouzuoung was a nice water village,but I felt it was a long day with little reward.The guide didnt seem too enthusiastic.
Written September 25, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Theresaong
Singapore88 contributions
Jun 2019
I most enjoyed my time in Zhouzhuang's Water town. Wasn't crowded this time of the year so we had a nice, leisurely stroll and boat ride through the Venice of the East's canals and sights. There was an hour's free time to even try out the local eats. Guide was friendly and informative. Would recommend this part of the trip over anything else.
Written June 16, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
JFair100
Tampa, FL30 contributions
May 2019
This is am interesting historical place that is now over run with tourists. The orginal life style of this town is long ago gone.
Written May 23, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hi; we are interested in this tour, would we be back in Shanghai by 6pm? We have an appointment at that time. Thanks
Written April 20, 2019
Couldn’t guarantee it, based on how much time you or others on the tour use for shopping at the different places and then the traffic back. I was back before that time but I chose not to shop and I was the only one on the tour that day.
Written April 20, 2019
Do you make the pick up to the jianguo hotel? 439 North Cao Xi Road, Xuhui, 200030 Shanghai
I would like to make the trip on the 13 of april 2019
Written April 3, 2019
If we book, we want Tom as our guide...Is that possible for Thursday, April 4
Written April 1, 2019
Do you make the pick up to the jianguo hotel? 439 North Cao Xi Road, Xuhui, 200030 Shanghai
I would like to make the trip on the 13 of april 2019
Written March 28, 2019
Booked a private tour for Friday in late October. What should we focus on and what shouldn't we waste our time doing?
Written October 3, 2018
Hello, we booked the same private tour as well for Friday, October 26th. We are on a cruise ship and can begin at about 9AM. It costs a lot less with four people than with two people. Are you interested in sharing? We were told not to waste too much time at the silk factory and to try to spend more time in the gardens as well as in the stalls in Zhouzhuang
Written October 3, 2018
If I take a private tour, what should we ask of the tour guide to make this experience better?
Written October 3, 2018
newtraveler404
Shanghai, China
If we take this tour on April 30, how much time will we spend sightseeing versus picking up and stopping off other tourists?
Written April 27, 2018
If you had a choice to visit just one of the cities - which would it be?
Written April 18, 2018
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