Shanghai, Suzhou & Hangzhou: 7-Day East China Loop

From PVG, take Metro Line 2 (¥7, ~70 min to city centre) or the Maglev to Longyang Rd then transfer (¥50 Maglev + ¥4 metro). From Hongqiao, Line 2 or 10 gets you downtown in 30 minutes.

The former French Concession (near Hengshan Rd or South Shaanxi Rd metro) is Shanghai's most walkable neighbourhood — tree-lined lanes, boutique cafés, and art deco architecture. Good 3-star hotels run ¥300–500.

Wander Wukang Road, Anfu Road, and Yongkang Road. Pop into a local coffee shop — Shanghai has one of the world's densest café scenes. This is low-key exploration to shake off jet lag.

Walk the 1.5 km riverside promenade as Pudong's skyscrapers light up across the Huangpu River. This is Shanghai's signature view and it's completely free.

This 400-year-old Ming dynasty garden is a beautiful pocket of classical China amid the urban chaos. The surrounding Yuyuan Bazaar is touristy but great for xiaolongbao at Nanxiang Steamed Bun Restaurant (the original, upstairs — skip the ground-floor queue).

Walk west along Nanjing Road from the Bund to People's Square. It's China's most famous shopping street — overwhelming but worth a stroll. Duck into side streets for better food and prices.

At 632 m, Shanghai Tower is China's tallest building. The 118th-floor observation deck offers vertigo-inducing views over Pudong and beyond. On a clear day you can see for 40+ km.

A 1-hour evening cruise along the Huangpu shows off both the Bund's colonial architecture and Pudong's sci-fi skyline. Basic boats start at ¥80; VIP decks run ¥150.

Take the Huzhu Express bus from Pu'an Road (¥12, ~60 min). This is the most accessible ancient water town from Shanghai — arched stone bridges, gondola rides, and zongzi (sticky rice wrapped in leaves) vendors lining the canals.

Try the local speciality zha rou (braised pork in rice wine) and freshwater shrimp at any canal-side restaurant. Portions are generous and cheap.

Back in Shanghai, explore Tianzifang's maze of shikumen (stone-gate) lanes repurposed as galleries, studios, and cafés. It's compact — allow 1.5 hours. Good for unique souvenirs.

Yunnan South Road near Tianzifang is lined with affordable restaurants serving cuisines from across China. Try Yunnan rice noodles or Xinjiang lamb skewers.

Trains depart every 10–15 minutes from Shanghai Hongqiao or Shanghai Station. The G-train takes 25 minutes; D-trains take 30–40 minutes. Second-class seats are perfectly comfortable.

The largest and most famous of Suzhou's nine UNESCO-listed gardens. Rock formations, lotus ponds, winding corridors — a masterclass in Chinese landscape design. Allow 2 hours.

Suzhou's main pedestrian street has branches of famous local restaurants. Try songshugui yu (squirrel-shaped mandarin fish) — Suzhou's signature dish — at Songhelou, operating since 1757.

Much smaller and more intimate than the Humble Administrator's. Evening performances of kunqu opera are held here in summer (March–November, ¥100). Even without the show, it's exquisite.

This 800-year-old canal-side street is Suzhou at its most photogenic. Wander past tea houses, silk shops, and pingtan (Suzhou ballad) performers. Morning light is best for photos.

Free and fascinating — it covers 5,000 years of silk production. You can watch silk being reeled from cocoons in real-time demonstrations. The gift shop sells genuine silk scarves at factory prices.

Grab a quick noodle lunch near the station. Suzhou's tangmian (soup noodles) are a regional speciality — light, clean, and delicate.

Direct G-trains take about 1.5 hours. The route passes through the flat, green Yangtze Delta — watch the landscape shift from urban sprawl to rice paddies.

Check in to your Hangzhou hotel, then walk to West Lake. The Su Causeway and Broken Bridge are the classic vantage points. West Lake is free to enter and stunning at golden hour.

Rent a public bike (first hour free with Alipay) and ride the 10 km loop around West Lake. Stop at Leifeng Pagoda (¥40) for elevated lake views and the Yue Fei Temple (¥25) for Song dynasty history.

Take bus K27 to Longjing village. Walk through terraced tea fields, visit the China National Tea Museum (free), and taste Longjing (Dragon Well) tea at its source. Buying directly from farmers is the best deal.

This lakeside restaurant has served Hangzhou cuisine since 1848. Order dongpo rou (braised pork belly), West Lake fish in vinegar sauce, and Longjing shrimp. Touristy but the food is genuinely good.

This restored Qing-dynasty pedestrian street has traditional pharmacies, tea shops, and street food. Visit Huqingyu Tang — a 140-year-old Chinese medicine hall with a small museum.

One of China's largest and most important Buddhist temples, founded in 328 AD. The surrounding forest is dotted with hundreds of rock-carved Buddhist statues from the 10th–14th centuries. A genuinely special place.

The vegetarian restaurant inside the temple complex serves excellent Buddhist cuisine — tofu, mushrooms, and seasonal vegetables prepared with surprising finesse.

G-trains from Hangzhou East take 45–60 minutes to Shanghai Hongqiao. From there, connect to metro or the airport. If flying out, Hongqiao station is literally attached to Hongqiao Airport T2.

If your flight is later, use the time for last-minute shopping at Nanjing Road or a final xiaolongbao session at Jia Jia Tang Bao (Huanghe Road) — the best in the city.