5 Days Heaven on Earth Suzhou Hangzhou High-Speed Train Experience Tour

Summary

Itinerary Highlights
Day 1 Hangzhou: Shanghai to Hangzhou By Train, The hangzhou Westlake(including the boat cruise), Flower Harbor Park, Meijiawu Tea Plantation
Day 2 Hangzhou: Lingyin Temple, Bamboo lined path at Yunqi, Six Harmonies Pagoda, Qinghefang Street
Day 3 Wuzhen: Ancient Bed Museum, The Folk Custom Museum, Sanbai Wine Workshop, Hongyuan Thai dye house, Chinese performing arts - the shadow play show
Day 4 Suzhou: Humble Administrator's Garden, Hanshan Temple, Master of Nets Garden, Suzhou Museum
Day 5 Suzhou: Cruising on the Grand Canal, Lingering Garden, No.1 Silk Market

Day 1. Shanghai-Hangzhou

Today you will take the morning high-speed train from shanghai to hangzhou, upon arrilval our local hangzhou tour guide will pick you up at the Hangzhou train station(Chengzhan) or the Hangzhou East Train Station (Hangzhou Dongzhan) with a welcome sign" China Private Tour", then starts the Hangzhou day tour as below: 

First, taking a boat sailing on the picturesque West Lake. This is an enjoyable and relaxing way to appreciate the beautiful scenery with its islands, causeways, temples, pagodas and ornamental planting. Different from appreciating scenery on the bank of West Lake, you’ll enjoy the heavenly lake view in another angle, closer and closer. It is not surprised that you’ll become a part of this traditional Chinese painting. West Lake has an area of 5.6 square kilometers (2.2 square miles) and is the symbol of Hangzhou which lies on its banks and is a place of tranquility.

Later, move to the Fish Viewing at the Flower Pond(Huagang Park) , This spot is located at the southern end of Su Causeway. A clean stream flows from Huajia Hill to join West Lake here, and many flowers grow where the fresh water flows in, so it called "Flowery Harbor". This area now has been made into a 22 hectare (54 acre) park with many varieties of trees and flowers, featuring a peony garden and a goldfish pond which is the famous site for viewing fish.

Have your Lunch at the restaurant popular with the local people to stay away from the tourists' meals.( In china, do not go to the tourists's restaurants when you are on a tour. You shold go to the right place to have the meals, then you are in real china ). We give you the meal options as below:

Option 1: Lunch at Local Tea Farmer's House, to know the real life of the local people: And we also can organize tea farmers teach you how to prepare, cook local delicaies if you want to. You can learn how to cook: Beger's Chicken, Westlake carp in vinegar source (Do not be scared, no bones!!! Aha), Lotus root, bamboo shoot...and other many tasty vegetables )

Option 2: At the local restaurants which are popular with local people, such as Grandma's Kitchen, Green Tea Restaurants...And also fancy ones as well, 28 Hubin Road(Top 50 Best in Asia, Jinsha Restaurant in Four Seasons Hotel. We are the local, we are the sources. We know many excellent restaurants even not listed on Lonely Planet and some other travel guides.

After lunch, continue on your tour to visit the Meijiawu Tea Culture Village. Meijiawu Teaplantation has long been well known for its Longjing (Dragon Well) Tea tradition. It is a good place to understand the brilliant past and equally bright future of tea in China. Taking tea dates back to several centuries before the birth of Jesus! In the Han Dynasty (206 BC-220), people considered tea to a medicine for curing ailments. But drinking tea as a social function or leisure or cultural purposes date back to the Tang Dynasty (618-907). Drinking tea in China was quite popular around 760 AD. Meijiawu Village in particular is famous for its history of offering exquisite tea. This beautiful village will make you to feel the pleasure of a perfect cup of tea, our guide will show you how to pick the tea leaves, how to fry the tea leaves and how to drink the tea. 

Next, you will visit China National Tea Museum. It is the only one in the country with the tea theme. It has no external walls but is enclosed by vegetation giving the unique impression that the halls and the tea plants inside depend upon each other. Additionally, one hundred distinctive Chinese characters relating to tea are enchased in the road to add color to your trip.

After the tour, you will be taken back to your hotel in Hangzhou.

Day 2. Hangzhou

After breakfast, the first stop for today is the Lingyin Temple & Peak Flying From Afar: Lingyin temple, commonly translated as "Temple of the Soul's Retreat" is one of the largest and wealthiest temples in China. It was originally founded in 326 AD, but has been rebuilt no less than sixteen times since then. Lingyin Temple is one of the ten most famous ancient Buddhist temples in China. It also houses various Buddhist literature and treasures situated in front of the Temple, and is famous for its more than 470 stone carvings of Buddhist figures, which dated from the 10th to 14th centuries.

Later, move to Bamboo lined path at Yunqi: The forest is breathtaking. It really makes you realise how insignificant you are when you stand next to the bamboo trees towering way above you. You are surprised at how hard the bamboo actually was - no wonder Asian builders use it as scaffolding! The thing really liked about the bamboo forest is the light - even though the forest was dense, it still seemed really light and crisp, because of the fact the bamboo's all green (not like normal trees where the trunk is dark brown). It gives the forest a totally different vibe, hard to explain but it was just fascinating.

Have your Lunch at the restaurant popular with the local people to stay away from the tourists' meals.(In china, do not go to the tourists's restaurants when you are on a tour. You shold go to the right place to have the meals, then you are in real china )

In the afternoon, you will pay a visit for Six Harmonies Pagoda,which is a representative ancient pavilion-style tower in China, located on Yuelun Mountain to the south of the West Lake and facing Qiantang River. It is one of the three renowned pagodas in Hangzhou, together with another two around the West Lake, Baochu Pagoda and Leifeng Pagoda.

Your last destination is Qinghefang street, is a good place to experience the life of Old Hangzhou, because it is the epitome of historic Hangzhou. A great place for shopping, eating, and sightseeing. You can see the well-preserved old buildings, explore the interesting boutique stores, and choose your favourite souvenirs.

Drive you back to your hotel in Hangzhou.

Day 3. Hangzhou-Wuzhen-Hangzhou

In the morning, our Hangzhou local guide and driver will meet your at your hotel lobby. It takes around 1 hour drive from Hnagzhou to Wuzhen for one way. 

After arriving in Wuzhen, the first stop is The Ancient Bed Museum which is Chinese first themed museum collecting and exhibiting the ancient beds of Jiangnan regions.There are dozens of different beds of Ming and Qing Dynasties as well as the traditional beds in modern times. See the luxurious carvings and elaborate designs on these antique beds and listen as your expert guide shares stories reflecting this unique cultural account of ancient Chinese civilization. 

Later on visit the The Folk Custom Museum displays scenes from local ceremonies, including weddings, birthday parties and funerals. The main exhibits in the costume hall of the museum are exquisite ceremonial dresses, which vividly reflect the colorful local culture.

Continue the visit to the Sanbai Wine Workshop, the only remaining winery in Wuzhen, built during the Song Dynasty. Brewing liquor was a huge industry in Wuzhen during the Ming Dynasty. There were over 20 distilleries in operation at the time. Witness how wine is made using traditional techniques. 

Afterwards visit the Hongyuan Thai dye house to see the time-honored art of making indigo-dyed printed calico. Wuzhen is one of the principal sources of this flower-printed blue cloth. Elderly women still carry on the folk tradition of carefully weaving this textile. Watch the painstaking method of creating it and marvel at the final product of striking embossed blue cloth. 

After a local Chinese style lunch, engage yourself in a unique display of Chinese performing arts - the shadow play show. This is an exceptional storytelling experience as the characters are handmade leather puppets behind a screen with a cast light upon them forming silhouettes. Accompanied by Chinese traditional instruments, such as the erhu and the flute, shadow play is a universally renowned Chinese cultural spectacle. 

Finally no visit to a water town will be complete without taking a boat ride (optional) down the river. Board a rowboat and relax as you enjoy the sights of the old town and see people going about their daily lives. Float over the calm water and pass under picturesque stone bridges. After your boat ride take a walk around the town and then we will drive you back to your hotel in Hangzhou.

Day 4. Hangzhou-Suzhou

In the morning, our driver will transfer to train station for bullet train to Suzhou. 

Upon arrival, our Suzhou local guide and driver will meet you at train station and start today’s Suzhou Tour.

Your first destination is the Humble Administrator's Garden, it is the largest private garden in Suzhou with a total area of 51,950 square meters (5.2 hectares) in the northeastern part of Suzhou. It has been listed as one of the four most famous national classic gardens together with the Summer Palace, Mountain Summer Resort in Chengde and Lingering Garden of Suzhou. The garden consists of Eastern, Central and Western sections as well as some residences of the former owners. The art of the Humble Administrator's Garden has a prominent position in the history of China's garden creation. It represents the historical characteristics and achievements of south-east China's private gardens.

Next, pay a visit to Hanshan Temple (Cold Mountain Temple) near the town of Fengqiao. Made famous in a poem by Tang Dynasty poet Zhang Ji, this Buddhist temple is known for its large bells, unique black roof and domed bridge. Take a wander around its halls, pavilions, corridors and well-maintained gardens. A good place to let your mind and body rest. 

In the afternoon, move on to The Master of Nets Garden, which is the smallest of the Suzhou residential gardens, yet it is the most impressive because of its use of space which creates the illusion of an area that is much greater than its actual size. The garden is divided into three sections: a residential section, the central main garden and an inner garden.This12th century gem (later refurbished in the 18th century) and UNESCO World Heritage Site boasts an impressive garden and nightly Kunqu opera performances, but it's best known for its architectural splendor. The garden is especially fancied by overseas visitors and is praised as the most ornate and intact private gardens in Suzhou.

At last, you'll visit Suzhou Museum. Suzhou Museum is located in the national historic landmark, Zhong Wang Fu Palace complex, it has been highly-regarded regional museum with a number of significant Chinese art, ancient Chinese paintings, calligraphy, and handmade crafts. The new Suzhou Museum designed by world famous architect I.M.Pei who was Chinese-born American architect noted for his large but elegantly designed urban buildings and complexes. The design of the museum takes its cues from the rich vocabulary of Suzhou's traditional architecture, with its whitewashed plaster walls, dark grey clay tile roofs and intricate garden architecture. However these basic elements have been reinterpreted and synthesized into a new language and order, one that is contemporary and forward looking and hopefully one that is a possible direction for the future of Chinese modern architecture.

After that, drive you to your hotel in Suzhou, our tour guide will help you check in.

Day 5. Suzhou-Shanghai

After breakfast, our tour guide will meet you at your hotel lobby. And drive you to Lingering Garden.

Lingering Garden, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the city's finest classical gardens. It has been listed as one of the four most famous national classic gardens together with the humble administrator's garden, the Summer Palace and Mountain Summer Resort in Chengde are called China's four largest gardens. Landscape architectural space processing is very exquisite, using a variety of artistic techniques, built a unique space system, becoming one of the world civilization examples of architectural space art processing. Wander through the trails and portals of this delicately-planned garden that carefully combines traditional Chinese architecture with natural beauty.A good place to let your mind and body rest.

Then, you will be taken to the dock for your Boat Ride on Grand Canal. The attractions along the canal tour are the old site of Suzhou city gate, the couple’s Retreat Garden, the one-century-old Suzhou University, the longest existing arch bridge in China, Baodai Bridge, the one and only existing ancient water and land city gate in the world and more. On special occasions there are traditional weddings and water based activities like boat racing by the canal. 

The last stop is Suzhou No. 1 Silk Mill. Suzhou has a long and rich history of silk culture, including mulberry tree and silk worm cultivation and turning raw silk into beautiful fabric. Suzhou's climate and soil are perfect for silk production, and the city has been a center of China's silk trade for many centuries. The Suzhou No. 1 Silk Mill has been a proud steward of this heritage for over 80 years. It's more like a museum which shows you how the silk is made from cocoons from the beginning and the whole silk process. Not to be missed.

After the tour, drive you back to your hotel or Suzhou train station and the tour ends.

There are some useful Tips for you to Purchase Train Ticket:

From Suzhou to Shanghai
Option 1: G7119 Depart at 17:56 from Suzhou Station and arrive at Shanghai Hongqiao Station at 18:32
Option 2: G7243 Depart at 18:02 from Suzhou Station and arrive at Shanghai Station at 18:27

Price Per Person in US Dollars