Suzhou Transportation

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Suzhou has a new railway station. During my visit in 2010, the new building was started in operation with new ticketing machines, chairs, counters, and etc. This giant building was built with wooded like roof top, which is unique in China.

You can take the speed rails to/from Shanghai (30 minutes) and Nanjing (1 and half hours). It becomes an important and busy transportation hub in China.

In Chinese: 苏州站 (Su Zhou Zhan)

Getting to Tongli is relatively simple from Suzhou. Buses depart every 15 minutes or so from outside the train station (over on the left hand side as you look at the station). They cost about Y8 and take about 45 minutes. You can also purchase the Tongli entrance ticket on the bus for Y80 which saves you the cost of the bus fare.

On the way, you'll follow the Grand Canal and if you sit on the right hand side of the bus, you'll get the chance to see the 53 arches of the Tang dynasty Precious Belt Bridge which is located a few kilometres outside Suzhou.

The bus station in Tongli is on the main road. To get into the old part of Tongli simply follow the road back towards Suzhou for about 100 meters and then turn right and you'll see a big archway. This road then leads to the old town.

The train station is located in the north of the city. I took a train to Suzhou from the main railway station in Shanghai on the new Japanese bullet-train looking CRH trains which you should really try out as they are amazing. I then left Suzhou by train to go to Zhenjiang. Check out the website below for train times and destinations:

I got the cheapest tickets for the train trip to Suzhou from Shanghai. My ticket was a standing train. On the way it cost 13yuan on then on the way back 15yuan.

The standing train was an adventure. Crowded beyond belief with people carrying giant bags and all sorts of other things. Add to that the train staff trying to get through to sell noodles and other snacks. It's cheap, but not my preferred means of travel, particularly seeing as though on the return leg I was up against the toilet door and I had to keep one hand on the door handle to stop it from openning and me from falling in as the train rocked. Stick, cramped and uncomfortable, I laughed it off and was sure to pay extra for a seat on my next train trip.

It is very easy to get to Suzhou from Shanghai by train. Trains depart from Shanghai's main station hourly and the journey time varies between 35-50 minutes. Tickets cost RMB31 (that's GBP2 or USD4!) one-way for first class. Second class is even cheaper!

It may sound surprising but there is no Suzhou airport!
It's b/c Suzhou is only an hour ride from Shanghai and there are shuttle bus from both Shanghai airports to Suzhou. The bus departs from Pudong airport and will pick up more passages in Hongqiao airport before it heads to Suzhou. There are two stops in Suzhou, one stop is the Suzhou industry zone and the final stop is at Sanxiang Road in middle of Suzhou.
For more detailed information about bus time schedule:
http://www.shairport.com/travel/airport_pd.jsp
This page seems only available in Chinese version. Currently, the bus departs from Pudong Airport at: 10:40, 11:20,11:50,12:50,13:50,14:40,15:20,16:10,16:50,17:50,18:50,19:40
The price is 82RMB.

Used to be a lot of fun riding a bicycle around Suzhou. Crossing the bridges and stopping for a photo or two. But in my recent trip, the traffic is getting too heavy and would recommend being driven around in a hired car. Suzhou is still small enough to do part by foot by then there will be the annoyance of "tour guides for hire" if you are easily seen as tourist from a kilometer.

Suzhou is close enough to Shanghai for a day trip from there.

There is no airport.

There is an excellent train service between Suzhou and Shanghai. The Shanghai Train Station can be reached easily by Shanghai metro train.

Another alternative is by road. However the highway and trunk road between Suzhou and Shanghai has been under reconstruction and was causing traffic delays. I have not been there this year but hopefully it has been mainly completed by now. Check the status - train is always an alternative.