China Guide
Jiangsu and Zhejiang
Arrival
Nearly all travellers arrive by train, Suzhou being on the main Shanghai– Nanjing rail line. Buses #1 and #20 take you into town from just east of the train station. Some private minibuses, for example services to and from Wuxi and points on Tai Hu, also use the train-station square as their terminus.
Suzhou has two main bus stations. The north bus station, which has half-hourly connections with Shanghai and Wuxi, is directly east of the train station. The south bus station, which sees arrivals from points south including Hangzhou and Zhouzhuang, is on Nanyuan Nan Lu just south of Nanhuan Dong Lu.
Just east of Renmin Lu on the southern stretch of the city moat is the passenger dock for canal boats to and from Hangzhou. A nightly boat service operates between Suzhou and Hangzhou in both directions, taking around 10hr, with a bar and karaoke on board (¥80–150).
There's no airport at Suzhou; the nearest is at Shanghai, accessible in about an hour by coach.