East China · 7 days
Shanghai, Suzhou & Hangzhou: The Classic 7-Day Jiangnan Route
The three cities that first-time visitors to China should see, in the right order, with the trains between them already worked out. This is the route we run most often, and the one we recommend for a first trip if the traveller has a week.
The route
What this trip actually feels like
- The Bund at 6am, before the tour groups and the day-trippers
- The classical gardens of Suzhou with a private guide and an early opening slot
- West Lake at dawn from the West Lake Causeway, before the crowds build
- Two high-speed rail journeys and one night in a Song-dynasty village above Hangzhou
Best for
- First-time visitors with a week or more
- Travellers interested in classical gardens and historic towns
- Anyone who wants the classic China itinerary done properly
Along the way
The places this route passes through
Day by day
The plan, as it would actually run
Arrive Shanghai, the Bund at first light tomorrow
Arrive at Shanghai Pudong (PVG) or Hongqiao (SHA). The Pudong airport express reaches the Bund in about an hour. Check in and keep the afternoon light — a short walk along Suzhou Creek, the Rockbund and the elevated walkway. Eat early; the first dinner in Shanghai sets the tone.
- Morning
- Airport arrival and transfer
- Afternoon
- Check in, Suzhou Creek and the Rockbund
- Evening
- First dinner — Shanghainese cuisine
- Meals
- Dinner included
Night 1 Aman Yangyun
Note. If you land late, swap the walking route to Day 2 rather than compressing it. Shanghai in a rush is the wrong city to rush.
The Bund, the Yu Garden and the old city
Be on the Bund promenade before 7am. Then cross to Yu Garden and the surrounding bazaar lanes, walk the old city walls at the Old City God Temple, and finish in the French Concession with the Wukang Road and the Shikumen lanes. Shanghai has its best street-level texture in the alleys, not on the main sights.
- Morning
- The Bund at dawn, Yu Garden and the bazaar
- Afternoon
- Old City God Temple and the city wall
- Evening
- French Concession, Wukang Road, Shikumen alleys
- Meals
- Breakfast included
Night 2 Aman Yangyun
Note. Hire a private guide for the old city and Shikumen alleys for three hours. The lanes are easy to get lost in and the guide will take you to workshops where the craftspeople actually work.
Museums, coffee and the high-speed rail to Suzhou
A slower morning at the Shanghai Museum or the Long Museum, and a proper stop for coffee in the former French Concession. Take the afternoon high-speed rail to Suzhou. Check in near Lake Tai and walk the lakeside after dark.
- Morning
- Shanghai Museum or the Long Museum
- Afternoon
- High-speed rail to Suzhou, check in by Lake Tai
- Evening
- Lake Tai walk and dinner
- Meals
- Breakfast included · Dinner included
Night 3 The Ritz-Carlton Suzhou
Note. The train station in Shanghai for high-speed services is Hongqiao, not the main station. Allow 40 minutes from central Shanghai to reach it.
The Suzhou gardens, opened early
The Humble Administrator’s Garden opens at 7:30 and is empty for the first hour. Take a private guide to two gardens — the Humble Administrator’s and either the Lion Grove or the Lingering Garden — and finish with lunch on a canal boat. The afternoon is for the Pingjiang Road canal and the silk industry.
- Morning
- Humble Administrator’s Garden at opening
- Afternoon
- Lion Grove Garden and the canal
- Evening
- Pingjiang Road by night
- Meals
- Breakfast included · Lunch included
Night 4 The Ritz-Carlton Suzhou
Note. Enter through the Humble Administrator’s Garden first and leave via the Suzhou Museum, which sits inside the same complex and has the best small modern art in the region.
Suzhou to Hangzhou, West Lake at dawn
Train to Hangzhou in the late morning. Check in and go straight out to West Lake — the Broken Bridge, the Bai Causeway and a boat out to the Three Pools Mirroring the Moon. The lake is best at dawn, but if you arrive mid-afternoon, walk the West Lake Causeway at sunset instead, which is the second-best hour.
- Morning
- High-speed rail to Hangzhou
- Afternoon
- West Lake: Broken Bridge, Causeway and a boat
- Evening
- Dinner on a lakeside restaurant terrace
- Meals
- Breakfast included · Dinner included
Night 5 Amanfayun
Note. Didi and Alipay both work for the short taxi rides around the lake. Public bicycles line the causeway if you want a slower circuit.
Lingyin Temple and the tea hills
Early to Lingyin Temple in the Feilai Feng grottoes, then into the Longjing tea fields above the lake. Most travellers have never tasted longjing properly — arrange a tea house visit with a proper gongfu ceremony rather than a tourist tasting counter. Afternoon free in the lakeside lanes.
- Morning
- Lingyin Temple and the Feilai Feng grottoes
- Afternoon
- Longjing tea fields and a tea house visit
- Evening
- Free evening, lakeside dinner
- Meals
- Breakfast included
Night 6 Amanfayun
Note. Book the tea house for the morning and skip the tea market. The difference in quality and in the explanation is enormous for a small premium.
Departure, or an overnight in a Song-dynasty village
A last morning by the lake, then transfer to Hangzhou Xiaoshan (HGH) or Shanghai Hongqiao (SHA) for your flight. If you have the time, extend by a night at a water village — Zhouzhuang, Wuzhen and Tongli are all reachable from Suzhou, and overnight is when they are at their best.
- Morning
- Last morning at West Lake
- Afternoon
- Transfer to the airport
- Evening
- Departure
- Meals
- Breakfast included
Note. Wuzhen is the most photogenic and the most commercial of the three. Zhouzhuang is the best preserved. Tongli is the quietest.
In pictures
Scenes from the Shanghai · Suzhou · Hangzhou route
Where you sleep
Handpicked stays on this route
Aman · Ultra Luxury
Aman Yangyun
A relocated Ming-dynasty camphor tree and a collection of antique villas set inside a forest in Jing’an. Forty minutes from the Bund, and the most quietly spectacular hotel in Shanghai.
- Daily breakfast for each bedroom
- US$100 dining credit
- Room upgrade
- Early check-in and late checkout
From US$960 per night
Valid to 2026-12-31
Fairmont · Luxury
Fairmont Peace Hotel
The 1930s Sassoon House on the Bund, with the legendary Jazz Bar and a rooftop terrace facing the Pudong skyline. History is the selling point here, and it delivers.
- Stay 3, pay for 2
- Daily breakfast for two
- Room upgrade
- US$100 dining credit
From US$970 per night
Valid to 2026-12-31
Ritz-Carlton · Luxury
The Ritz-Carlton Suzhou
On the southern shore of Lake Tai, with the classical garden district on one side and the water on the other. The best-placed hotel for the Suzhou gardens.
- Stay 3, pay for 2
- Room upgrade
- Daily breakfast for two
- US$100 hotel credit
From US$1,060 per night
Valid to 2026-12-31
Aman · Ultra Luxury
Amanfayun
A restored hillside village of Song-dynasty dwellings in the tea fields above West Lake. Twenty-seven houses, one village — and no two rooms alike.
- Daily breakfast for two
- Room upgrade
- US$100 dining credit
- Early check-in and late checkout
From US$960 per night
Valid to 2026-12-31
Practicalities
The things to get right before departure
Visa and entry
A mainland visa is required for all three cities. Shanghai, Suzhou and Hangzhou are in the standard visa-on-arrival eligible country list for most Western passports, with a 30-day allowance.
Getting between the cities
Shanghai Hongqiao to Suzhou is 25 to 40 minutes; Suzhou to Hangzhou is about 1 hour 40 minutes. Book on 12306 with your passport number, and use the Hongqiao and Suzhou stations rather than the older Shanghai Railway Station — they are closer to the centre and faster to navigate.
Questions
Asked by travellers on this route
How many days do you need for Shanghai, Suzhou and Hangzhou?
Seven days is the comfortable minimum for this route — five nights in Shanghai, one in Suzhou and one in Hangzhou. Five days works if you drop either Suzhou or Hangzhou, but then you lose the gardens or West Lake, which is the point of coming.
Is the Shanghai to Hangzhou high-speed rail worth it versus flying?
Yes, clearly. The journey takes about an hour and the trains run every 20 to 30 minutes, versus a minimum of two hours in the airport for a one-hour flight. The train also arrives downtown.
Do I need a guide for the Suzhou gardens?
For the two big gardens, yes. They are large and the signage is minimal, and a guide with a garden-specific background changes the visit from a walk to an understanding of the planting and symbolism.
Which is better for a first visit, Suzhou or Hangzhou?
Suzhou for gardens and classical architecture; Hangzhou for the lake and the tea country. If you only have room for one, Hangzhou is the more complete experience for most first-time visitors.
Can I buy a China rail pass for this route?
For this itinerary, booking individual high-speed tickets is usually cheaper and far more flexible. A pass makes sense if you are doing a long multi-city loop with fixed dates.
Is English-speaking guide service available in these cities?
Yes, and we strongly recommend it in Shanghai, Suzhou and Hangzhou. All three are used to international visitors and English-speaking guides are readily available through the hotels.