Private Day Tour: Suzhou Incredible Highlights from Shanghai by Car or Train
Description
Catch the highlights of historic Suzhou, including the Master of Nets Garden, on this 9-hour private day tour from Shanghai. Visit the striking Panmen Gate, surrounded by historic buildings, enjoy an included lunch on Shantang Street, tour one of China's finest silk factories, and visit the delicate Master of Nets Garden.
Tour Options
Itinerary
See the 14th-century Panmen Gate and surrounding scenic area near the remaining city moat and walls. Feel like your on the Great Wall of Southern China and surrounded by water.
Explore the best of Suzhou’s UNESCO-listed gardens. Savor the exquisite landscapes, created in 1342 by a Buddhist monk, as you wander around the sculpted rocks, ponds, and pavilions.
Learn about the historic art of making silk and browse a wide range of intricate classic and modern Chinese designs
See historic shops and food vendors along cobbled streets. Enjoy an authentic local lunch of your choice (not included in price to give you flexibility to choose)
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
Please note: Languages other than English and Mandarin will require an additional fee of USD 50 per day, payable in cash to the guide on the day of the tour. Please note: Drop off and pickup outside of central Shanghai, such as Pudong International Airport, Hongqiao International Airport, Wusongkou International Cruise Terminal, Shanghai Hongqiao Railway Station, Shanghai Disney Area, Qinpu District, Jiading District, Chuansha District, or Songjiang District, Fengxian District, will incur an extra USD40 for your whole group and includes both pickup and dropoff. You can pay in cash (USD or RMB) directly to your guide when meeting.
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Wheelchair accessible
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Service animals allowed
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Specialized infant seats are available
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Operates in all weather conditions, please dress appropriately
- Please wear comfortable shoes
- Please advise any specific dietary requirements at time of booking
Reviews(53)
I had a day gap in my business trip in Shanghai and my friends suggested I visit Suzhou. Jenny's private tour was excellent. I opted to go by car, because it seemed more efficient and I was lucky that there was no traffic. The guide, Freedom, was very punctual in picking me up at the hotel in Pudong. Jenny had readily agreed that the drop off would be downtown Shanghai at a TBD location to be communicated by my colleagues during the day. This also worked like clockwork. The tour was very pleasant and informative. Freedom is a great guide, his English is excellent and, in fact, so is his French! He seems to even speak a bit of Russian! Apart for the guiding proper, we also had a pleasant conversation about many things, including Chinase culture in the two longish drives. While I did not customize much (other than the return location), i could have easily asked for variations on the theme. The lunch was also included in the fee and was very pleasant in a restaurant with live traditional music. Altogether a very good day in Suzhou!
Hi. Everything was easy. Many trip and payment options, Jenny's Shanghai Tours accommodated different hotel pickup and drop-off locations, car was very clean and comfortable, and my guide Cathy was very charming. I also did the Qiabo day trip but preferred the Suzhou one. The Qiabo watertown was in better condition and less busy but I preferred the numerous historical sites in Suzhou to the stops in Shanghai. June can be the rainy season but we dodged the worst of it. Apparently, July and August get stifling hot so spring and fall are the best times to visit.
Jenny was able to set us up with a last minute day trip booking to Suzhou for 4. She was very responsive and clear with communication, and the trip went really well! I've been to China plenty of times before and am fluent in Mandarin, but wanted an English speaking guide for my wife and in-laws to ease the burden on myself. I was pleasantly surprised to find our tour guide, Alice, to be very knowledgeable on history and culture. I not only got to enjoy the scenery instead of herding cats, but I also ended up learning quite a bit myself! Alice was personable and very entertaining, which I would consider to be going above and beyond. The driver was also very professional and made navigating an unfamiliar city a breeze. We got whisked from location to location in the nice AC, which greatly helped with our group's stamina through the day. My in-laws had a fantastic time, and I can't recommend this enough. Overall, a really well run organization and will definitely use their services again.
My wife, daughter, son in-law and I just got back to our Shanghai hotel after a fantastic 10-hour day in Suzhou with our guide Alice and driver Mr. Wang/Wong. Alice made the day wonderfully special ---> We really enjoyed the ancient gardens, silk factory and Tongli Water Town ---> the gondola ride was one highlight, but Alice's insightful, enthusiastic and knowledgeable presentation of the story behind each place we visited is what made the day extraordinary! The included lunch was unbelievably sumptuous and scrumptious! Mr.Wong's timely and skillful driving is notable ---> He even got us to the hotel a few minutes early despite busy traffic! Thanks to "Jenny's Shanghai Tours" for making our terrific day possible!
This is our second trip to China and both times we have booked incredible experiences with Jenny. She takes the time to understand our needs and personally crafts a trip that provides a truly awesome experience and a very reasonable price. The vehicles, drivers, and guides are always top notch. Our first stop was Shantang Street where we really experienced the current culture of the city. Street foods and markets! We then visited the Lion Grove Garden with is famous for the large grottos of taihu rocks. We took a quick but really nice local lunch before we visited the Master of Nets Garden which was first constructed in 1140. The last stop was the Panmen Ancient Amphibious Gate where we were treated to a small show by local artisans. Just an awesome visit!
The Shanghai tour we booked with Jenny was simply unique and absolutely top. From start to finish everything was excellently organized, it was varied, exciting and perfectly coordinated.We were particularly impressed by the combination of cultural highlights and authentic experiences.Our German-speaking guide was super friendly, competent and made the tour very special.The entire planning of the trip through Jenny was organized to a very high level.This tour was an unforgettable experience for all of us, which we would do again at any time.Clear recommendation!
We traveled to Suzhou by train. We were met by Odynovo guide May and driver Mr Wang. We enjoyed our day by visiting the Lingering Garden, the Humble Administrator’s Garden, boating on the canal and walking along Pingyiang Old Street. We also attended the “Master of Nets” garden show. Our guide was so enthusiastic about all the sights. We learned so much about Chinese history! Thank you, May
The trip was great and enjoyable. Everything was organized properly. Someone picked us up from the hotel and drove us tor the station where our guide was there to take us to Hangzhou. Everything was smooth and communication was great.
I booked a private tour of Suzhou with Jenny China Tours on June 19, 2025. Unfortunately, what was supposed to be a beautiful day turned into a shocking experience. On the highway, our vehicle hit a bird violently. I asked to stop to check on him, but the driver and guide refused, minimizing the impact and joking about the situation. As someone committed to the animal cause, I was deeply shocked and upset. The rest of the day was marred by this event and the team’s total lack of empathy. I reported the incident to customer service. I was given cold answers, denying any responsibility, despite my request for recognition and moral reparation. I share my experience here not to complain, but to raise awareness: an excursion is not limited to an itinerary, it must also reflect human and ethical values. For travelers who, like me, respect life in all its forms, I invite you to learn about the sensitivity and commitment of providers before booking.
We’re genuinely puzzled that TripAdvisor has allowed this review to remain, especially given how unusual—and frankly baffling—the situation was. We expected Tripadvisor’s policy of requiring reviews to be factual would immediately be cause for removal. But here we are and now I feel compelled to respond, which we hesitated to do publicly as it might raise emotions and uncertainty of how this customer might respond. Here are the facts and why we’re a bit shocked and confused by both the situation and Tripadvisor’s stance: 1) While heading to our tour destination on a high-speed freeway, something hit our vehicle—possibly road debris, possibly a bird, though nothing was seen. There was an offhand comment that “maybe it was a bird.” Our guest immediately concluded it was “one or two birds,” became deeply upset and wanted to stop immediately to investigate. Our team slowed down, comforted her, and stopped at the first safe opportunity to check the vehicle and review the dashcam footage. They found no sign of an impact or injured animal and concluded it was likely debris or someone throwing something out a window. 2) The tour continued normally, and our team continued to comfort and reassure our guest. She seemed to recover—chatting with the guide, asking questions, even requesting help beyond the tour. All seemed OK. 3) A day after the tour, however, she contacted us to accuse our team of being uncaring toward her and animals. She demanded a €5,000 personal payment and a €5,000 donation to an animal charity, threatening legal action if we didn’t comply. Although the request felt surreal, and likely extortion, we still issued a full refund—not because we did anything wrong, but because we try to act with compassion, even in strange situations. To suggest we were indifferent toward animals or our guest simply is simply false. Our guides are trained professionals who handled the situation with care, calm, and empathy. We’re proud of the service we provide and the hundreds of glowing reviews from kind, thoughtful travelers. This one-star post stands out—not because it’s a genuine evaluation of our service, but because of how far removed it is from reality. We hope this is the end of a very strange chapter. We’ll continue working with Tripadvisor to prevent such egregious reviews from being published, not just on our behalf, but all service providers. We also trust that future guests will judge us by the experiences we work hard to deliver every day. — Jenny Translated into French by GPT: ======================= Nous sommes sincèrement étonnés que TripAdvisor ait permis à cet avis de rester en ligne, surtout compte tenu de la situation inhabituelle – et franchement déconcertante – que nous avons vécue. Nous pensions que la politique de TripAdvisor, exigeant des avis factuels, entraînerait rapidement la suppression de cet avis. Et pourtant, nous en sommes là, et je me sens désormais obligée de répondre, bien que nous ayons hésité à le faire publiquement de peur d’aggraver les émotions ou d’inciter une réaction imprévisible de la part de cette cliente. Voici les faits et les raisons pour lesquelles nous sommes choqués et perplexes, tant par la situation que par la position de TripAdvisor : Alors que nous roulions sur une autoroute à grande vitesse en direction de notre destination, quelque chose a percuté notre véhicule – peut-être un débris de la route, peut-être un oiseau, bien que rien n’ait été vu. Une remarque a été faite, en passant, suggérant que « c’était peut-être un oiseau ». Notre cliente a immédiatement conclu qu’il s’agissait d’« un ou deux oiseaux », est devenue extrêmement bouleversée et a demandé à s’arrêter immédiatement pour enquêter. Notre équipe a ralenti, l’a rassurée, puis s’est arrêtée dès que cela a été possible en toute sécurité pour vérifier le véhicule et visionner les images de la dashcam. Aucune trace d’impact ou d’animal blessé n’a été constatée. Ils ont donc conclu qu’il s’agissait probablement d’un débris ou d’un objet lancé par un autre véhicule. La visite s’est poursuivie normalement, et notre équipe a continué à rassurer et soutenir notre cliente. Elle semblait s’être remise – elle discutait avec le guide, posait des questions, demandait même de l’aide pour des choses hors du cadre de la visite. Tout semblait bien aller. Pourtant, le lendemain, elle nous a contactés pour accuser notre équipe d’insensibilité envers elle et envers les animaux. Elle a exigé un paiement personnel de 5 000 € ainsi qu’un don de 5 000 € à une association de protection animale, menaçant de poursuites judiciaires en cas de refus. Bien que sa demande nous ait semblé irréelle, voire comme une forme d’extorsion, nous avons quand même accordé un remboursement intégral – non pas parce que nous avions commis une faute, mais parce que nous essayons d’agir avec compassion, même dans des situations étranges. Suggérer que nous sommes indifférents aux animaux ou au bien-être de nos clients est tout simplement faux. Nos guides sont des professionnels formés, qui ont géré la situation avec calme, bienveillance et empathie. Nous sommes fiers du service que nous offrons et des centaines d’avis élogieux laissés par des voyageurs respectueux et bienveillants. Cet avis d’une étoile se distingue – non pas comme une évaluation honnête de notre service, mais par son décalage total avec la réalité. Nous espérons que cela mettra fin à ce chapitre pour le moins étrange. Nous continuerons à collaborer avec TripAdvisor pour éviter que de tels avis abusifs ne soient publiés – non seulement pour nous, mais pour tous les prestataires de services. Et nous faisons confiance aux futurs clients pour nous juger sur les expériences que nous nous efforçons de leur offrir au quotidien. — Jenny
This trip was my first to China and as nervous as I was to travel alone, my guide Mr. Troy made my experience feel special. He was very attendant knowledgeable which made me feel comfortable in a foreign environment. The small details of each trip had me excited for the next day. I did a 3 day tour over 4 different Ancient Water Towns and loved every minute of it. The food, sights, and company made my trip a once in a lifetime experience. I’ll definitely book again with Jenny’s China Tours.
