Two Days Suzhou and Hangzhou Heaven Tour by Bullet Train

Day 1

Pick you up at your hotel lobby in Suzhou downtown or Suzhou train station, you will be greeted by our local Suzhou tour guide with a welcome signage "Suzhou Private Tour".

Our Suzhou pick up sign"Suzhou Private Tour"

Your day tour starts at the 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.

Next agenda is Panmen Gate. The history of the Panmen Gate dates back to 514 AD. Built by Wu State during the spring and autumn period, Panmen is the only ancient city wall still intact in Suzhou.  It is famous for its numerous historic relics and abundant human landscapes. Now, Panmen Scenic Area has become a tourist resort showing the unique historic and cultural features of Suzhou. The scenery area centered on Panmen City Gate consists of many scenic spots. Amongst them, Ruiguang Pagoda, Panmen City Gate and Wumen Bridge are praised as 'three fine sceneries'.

Enjoy lunch at a local Chinese restaurant

After lunch, 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 halls, pavilions, corridors and well-maintained gardens in Hanshan Temple, Suzhou. A good place to let your mind and body rest in Suzhou

For an authentic taste of city life in old Suzhou, a stroll down Pingjiang Historic Street, which is a great way to get acquainted with the local vibe. Quiet, leafy and slow-paced, the street is lined with old Chinese houses as well as restaurants and teahouses serving traditional foods and drinks. What’s more, there are a variety of upscale cafes catering to the chic crowd at each corner. You can taste some Suzhou local food or the food from all China while your Suzhou tour guide tells you more about the history of Pingjiang Historic Street.

The last stop is 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 ends drive you back to your hotel.

Day 2

In the morning, our Suzhou local driver will drive you to Suzhou train station for your train to Hangzhou. Upon arrival, our local Hangzhou tour guide will pick you up at the exit of Hangzhou train station with a welcome sign" Hangzhou Private Tour", then you will start the Hangzhou day tour as below: 

Our Hangzhou pick up sign" Hangzhou Private Tour"

First, take a bost cruise in the westlake,The Westlake Hangzhou (including boat cruise on westlake): 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. On the boat you can see one of the Ten Best Views of West Lake--Three Pools Mirroring the Moon.The occasional pagoda and Chinese-style arched bridges add atmosphere to the tree-lined walkways, verdant islands and hills make West Lake a very special part of any China experience.

After that, visit theFish 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 which blooms in April and a goldfish pond which is the famous site for viewing fish. 

Later, drive to the Guo Garden: Completed in 1861, this elegant garden villa was built as a private retreat for a wealthy Qing Dynasty silk merchant. Guo's Villa (Guo Zhuang, ??) is a fine example of Chinese aesthetics in which the manmade and natural blend in harmonious balance.The Villa opened to the public in 1991, after being restored. It faces Spring Dawn, by the Sudi Causeway which crosses the West Lake, and has a distant view of the serene Southern Screen Hill and the Baochu Pagoda. The villa has two sections (1) Living in Quietness, where the owner lived (2) the Sky in the Mirror garden, with a pond surrounded by roofed corridors (lang), bridges, rockwork, trees and flowers. 

After visiting the Guo's villa, drive to a village in the mountain side, our guide will pick a nice place for you for lunch!

Lunch at the local Tea Farmer's House to try the local delicacies

Lunch at the local Tea Farmer's House to try the local delicacies

Enjoy 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:

1) Lunch at Local Tea Farmer's Tea 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 )

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, move to the Meijiawu Tea Plantation: Drogon Well Tea (simplified Chinese: ???; traditional Chinese: ???), also known as Longjing tea, is a variety of roasted green tea from Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China where it is produced mostly by hand and has been renowned for its high quality, earning the China Famous Tea title. Meijiawu Tea village is seated at the hinterland of West Lake Park and it boasts the most important Dragon tea production basis. Here you are in an original natural environment, just relax your feelings and enjoy the special tea culture, taste the fragrant tea while appreciating the beautiful village scenery. And our guide or Tea Farmer will show you how to pick the leaves, how to fry the leaves and how to drink the best tea in China.

After tea testing, 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.

The last stop is The Hangzhou Qianjiang CBD, located in the southeast side of downtown Hangzhou, next to the Qiantang River. It is 4.5 km away from the West Lake Scenic Spot. The central area of the Hangzhou CBD (total area 3.29 km2) will serve as Hangzhou’s future business, political and cultural center. Overall development plans include 650m2 of Grade-A offices, hotels, shopping malls and luxury residences. This place will give you a different impression about Hangzhou and show you the future of Hangzhou.

After the tour, our tour guide and driver will drive you back to your hotel in Hangzhou or Hangzhou train station and your tour ends. 

There are some useful tips from Suzhou to Hangzhou
From Suzhou to Hangzhou
Optional: G7581 Suzhou Station to Hangzhou East Station: Depart at 08:25AM and arrive at 09:54AM
From Suzhou to Hangzhou
Optional: G7584 Depart at 17:55 from Hangzhou East Station and arrive at Suzhou Station at 19:53
You can ask your hotel help you book it or you can book it online by yourself. (website:www.ctrip.com)
Note: Plz book the train ticket in advance in case sold out, especially on weekend or public holiday.

Price Per Person in US Dollars