3 Days Private Suzhou and Hangzhou Sightseeing Tour By Train

Day 1 Suzhou

In the morning, our local Suzhou tour guide will pick you up at your hotel in Suzhou or Suzhou train station, you will find a welcome signage "Suzhou Private Tour". And your Suzhou and Hangzhou Tour start as below:

Our Suzhou Pick Up Sign "Suzhou Private Tour"

Your 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.

Enjoy lunch at a local Chinese restaurant, our local Suzhou tour guide will give you best recommendations on spot, feel free to let your personal guide know your special requirement.

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 its halls, pavilions, corridors and well-maintained gardens. A good place to let your mind and body rest.

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 a few traditional Chinese snacks while your guide tells you more about the history of the street.

The last stop is Suzhou No. 1 Silk Mill 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 in Suzhou.

Day 2 Suzhou--Hangzhou by Train

After breakfast, pick you up at your hotel lobby and drive you to Suzhou train station for your train to Hangzhou. You will be greetd by our local Hangzhou tour guide at the exit of train station with a welcome signage "Hangzhou Private Tour". And your Hangzhou tour includes the following activities.

Our Hangzhou Pick Up Sign "Hangzhou Private Tour"

First, take a Boat 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 theTen 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 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 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 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.

Lunch at local restaurant to try the local delicacies (Our local tour guide will give you the best recommendation.)

After lunch, visit the China National Tea Museum. China is the birthplace of tea with the longest history of tea culture. Today tea culture is a bright pearl in traditional Oriental culture. China National Tea Museum is the only museum themed with tea and tea culture in China mainland, so you can know about the culture and history of tea in China, admire exhibits about tea, sample tea, learn tea art, and enjoy pleasing scenery of tea plantations.

Continue your visit to the Leifeng Pagoda, Leifeng Pagoda as an important cultural and historic attraction in the West Lake Scenic Area is quite familiar and well-known both in Chinese folk culture and Chinese literature history. Leifeng Pagoda is one of the ten sights of the West Lake because of the Legend of the White Snake. The legend was existed as oral traditions long before any written compilation. It has since become a major subject of several Chinese opera, films and TV series.

After the visit of Leifeng Pagoda, drive you to your hotel in Hangzhou downtown, our guide will help you check-in and the rest of the day is free on your own to explore the city.

Day 3 Hangzhou

After breakfast, the first stop for today is the Lingyin Temple: 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.

After lunch, move to the Meijiawu Tea Plantation: Drogon Well Tea, also known as Longjing tea, is a variety of roasted green tea from Hangzhou 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.

Next, visit the Six Harmonies Pagoda, 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. Because of the height advantage and special location, Liuhe Pagoda is one of the best places to view the splendid Qiantang River Tide.

The last stop is the Song Dynasty Imperial Street: Has been renamed Zhongshanlu Beiduan, but still leads to the Palace of the Northern Song dynasty (960-1127AD). The road that stretches 400 meters (1,310ft) is lined with snack bars that offer local delicacies and shops that sell antiques, embroidered items and silks among others.

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

Price Per Person in US Dollars