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A truly beautiful garden, a UNESCO world heritage site, it is billed by China as one of the four most famous gardens in the country. The vegetation, the stonework of bridges and the pavilions, the ponds and the canals - all leads to a mood of deep inner reflection. What kills it all is overcrowding - and that is even in an environment where COVID-related precautions kept many families at home. The credit of the authorities, they limit the intake to a certain amount of tickets per day to prevent the problem from getting worse. Best to pre-purchase tickets online. I used trip.com (an English version of a popular Chinese travel app), since the official app of the Suzhou Parks will only allow Chinese residents to purchase tickets. On the logistical side - plenty of bathrooms through the garden. Also, if driving a car (as opposed to taking taxi or public transit), keep in mind that the "parking lot" in the Chinese GPS app (Amap) is not at the garden itself. Rather it is a giant lot about 6km from the garden that lets you leave your car and to take a shuttle bus to any of the Suzhou's main parks or attractions. The bus costs RMB3 per person per segment and runs between all attractions and back to the parking lot. Basic facility with reading and spoken Chinese is required as there are no bus signs in English.…
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Date of experience: October 2020
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One of the larger gardens available to visit. This is an elaborately laid out garden with meandering water ways threading themselves amongst fruit trees and planted flowering areas surrounding beautiful buildings designed for meditation and relaxation. The land itself is contoured to represent both low and high ground regions. There is an extensive bonzai collection comprising many different tree types with complex shapes designed into them. Definitely a picture worthy place.…
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Date of experience: January 2020
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There are multiple traditional Suzhou-style Chinese gardens in Suzhou, and 9 of these gardens have been inscribed in World Heritage list. The most famous and notable one is the Humble Administrator's Garden. It will take you about two to three hours to finish the walk throughout most of the places of interest. It's mandatory to make a reservation of your arrival time during a busy time like summer. It is recommended to join a tour guide service to further understand the background history and trivia behind this garden and the story of the founder. The complimentary tour guide service lasts for half an hour, guiding you through some of the most crucial buildings in the garden. You can understand more by requesting for a paid tour guide service. There are lots of photo opportunities in the garden, and you get to experience more when the history of these incredible buildings is revealed. The current price is RMB$70 in the off-peak season and RMB$80 in the peak season.…
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Date of experience: January 2020
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We had some issues finding this garden - if you turn on the pedestrian street signposted for the suzhou museum & continue walking past the museum then you will reach the garden ticket booth and entrance. We visited on a Sunday which was very busy, probably a less crowded experience if you can visit on a weekday. Despite the crowds a very enjoyable half day was spent looking round the garden.…
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Date of experience: October 2019
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This garden has an extraordinary air of peace about it, even though it is in the middle of a city and has a lot of visitors. It is easy and pleasant to amble around and very photogenic.
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Date of experience: December 2019
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