BEIJING TRANSPORTATION
As a major tourist city, Suzhou is easily accessible by road or rail and also has some good boat services operating out of the city port.
Transport tips:
Suzhou is small enough to walk around. A nice way to see the sites is to hire a bike. There are numerous buses and taxis also operating in the city. Stray from the main streets and you'll come across pagodas, temples, lively shopping districts and hectic canal traffic. Avoid taking taxis and buses downtown where possible: Suzhou is in the throes of major reconstruction and traffic is a nightmare in downtown. Distances are too large to rely purely on walking, but cycling is an excellent alternative as the terrain is pretty flat. A nice way to see the sites is to hire a bike. There are numerous buses and taxis also operating in the city.
Taxi of Suzhou City
As economy develops, the number of taxi in Suzhou is growing day by day.Generally, they consist of Santana and Passat and serve consumers day and night. Suzhou Taxi adopts dual charge system which additionally charge 50% of empty-car fare after mileage exceeding 5 km .
Price ：Minimum taxi charge for both Santana and Passat is 10 yuan,while the fare is a respective 1.8 yuan and 2.0 yuan per km after exceeding 3 km.
Nearly all travelers arrive by train, Suzhou being on the main Shanghai-Nanjing rail line and served by frequent trains to and from both cities. Perhaps because Suzhou is a major tourist destination, hotel touts here are much more aggressive than elsewhere in China - the best strategy to shake them off is to ignore them completely. Buses #5 and #26 take you into town from just east of the train station. Some private minibuses also use the train station square as their terminus, for example services to and from Wuxi and points on Tai Hu.
The city's clear grid of streets and waterways makes Suzhou a relatively easy place in which to get your bearings. Renmin Lu , the main street, bulldozes south through the centre from the train station , which is just to the north of the moat. Across the street from the station, along the canal, there's a tourist office (daily 8.30am-5pm) offering brochures and enthusiastic information on day trips and transportation links in the area - although the staff's English is limited. Next door to the office, across from the train station's soft-seat waiting room, is a small jetty where you can sign up for boat tours along the Grand Canal, either south to Pan Men or northwest to Hu Qiu (¥30 per person for groups; entire boat for about ¥150 for lone travelers). Either trip takes about two hours return. For now, there are no trips which combine visits to both Pan Men and Hu Qiu, though the tour operators are thinking about starting a service in the near future. Most facilities for the traveler are located on or near Renmin Lu, including the post office, the Bank of China and the PSB.
By Bus Buses to Nanjing, Shanghai and other major cities are plentiful, but buses may cost slightly more than a comparable train ride for about the same amount of time. The buses to Nanjing pass through Wuxi, Changzhou and Zhenjiang and then on to Nanjing along the Shanghai-Nanjing Highway. Buses to Nanjing cost RMB80 and take about three hours. There are two long distance bus stations in Suzhou, at each end of Renmin Lu.
By boat:
The city of Suzhou is along the Grand Canal and therefore accessible by boat from various cities along the canal including Beijing (Tongxian County), Suzhou, Zhenjiang (in Jiangsu Province) and Hangzhou. Although the boats traveling along the Grand Canal are not always comfortable this can be a nice way to leave the city and to arrive in Suzhou. Ticket Office for Water Carriage
| Company | Address | Telephone |
Ticket Office of Suzhou Steamship Transport Company |
No. 8.Renmin Road , Suzhou City |
65206681 |
Public Transport Tourism Branch of Suzhou Through-traffic Company |
north end of Renmin Bridge,Suzhou City |
65203010 |
No.556, Renmin Road , Suzhou City |
67295523 |
|
Zhangjiagang Public Transport Office of Jiangnan Ship Company |
Hexi Road,Zhangjiagang City |
58223125 |
Ticket Office of Changshu Branch |
No.38, Xinjian Road , Changshu City |
52771947 |
Taicang Steamship Station |
New Passenger Transport Station of Taicang City |
53612705 |
Ticket Office of Kunshan Branch |
Chaoyang Road,Kunshan City |
57306198 |
Train SystemChina’s rail system is the lifeline between the rural areas and the cities and between all major cities. While it is convenient and cheap, it is also for the hardy. Suzhou is an important city on the Beijing-Shanghai Railway line, and everyday, more than 20 trains stop at the Suzhou railway station which is on the northern side of the city. A train to Shanghai takes about one hour and costs between RMB20-50 depending on the type of ticket. There are also regular trains to Nanjing and Wuxi from here (2 hours). Suzhou Living is an oasis compared to the rest of the country, and nowhere is this more evident than a ride on the train. A day trip to Suzhou is not a problem but before you go planning a summer vacation with the folks visiting from home, decide on how much immersion you would like to experience.
Guide for Buying Ticket
| Telephone | Days |
Telephone for team ticket-order: 0512-67534957 |
within 15 days |
Telephone of Inquiry Office of Railway Station: 0512-67532831 |
within 5 days |
Each online and commissioned ticket office presell hard seat ticket and sleeper ticket within 5 days.Ticket office of railway station is in the east of railway station square ,it sells ticket within 3 days. Each online ticket office sells round-trip ticket,railway station ticke office and urban joint ticket office sells round-trip ticket nationwide. Orderly window sells T715 ticket at 7:30 every morning.
Any travel agencies can deliver a train ticket to your door for a fee. However, if you are being spontaneous ad want to just show up and see what’s available, go to the windows marked inside the station most windows will sell same day tickets. Designed windows marked will sell tickets 3-12 days in advance. For tickets more than 12 days in advance, you will have to book through a travel agency. There is also a designated window for foreigners-look for the sign in English.
No Designated Seat-No seat but stand wherever you can find a spot. Even these tickets can be a challenge to buy during holiday travel, when getting any ticket is considered lucky, even for going long distances of 24 hours or more.
Hard Seat—are just what they say-sitting on hard benches, sometimes three to a bench? If the train is from the countryside, chances are those sitting around you have rarely seen a foreigner up close so you will be scrutinized with interest.
Soft Seat—introduced mainly for the tourist trade. These carriages are used for popular tourist stops like Suzhou, Nanjing, and Hangzhou. Soft-seat trains run mostly during the day.
Hard-Sleeper—are not seats at all but bunks, three up on each side of a stall. They are semi-enclosed, with no doors, and bedding is provided.
Soft-Sleeper—a comfortable private cabin with 4 bunks, idea for group traveling. However, if you’re struck with strangers who smoke (if you don’t) or snore (and you don’t), it provides close discomfort.
When all the tickets have been sold, you can still get on the train with a no-seat class ticket. Look for the train steward and get an update to a seat or a better class of seats by paying a charge.
Train Toilets—before booking your 36 hours train ride to enjoy the countryside, a word of warning for those for whom toilet hygiene is basically an opening to the track below.
Train Food—Carts come around everything from water to rice wine and from peanuts to stamps. At every stop, Kiosks on the platform will crowd around the windows looking to sell their soy sauce chicken or sweetened buns. There is also piping hot water in train cars. Everyone will have bought along an empty jar with tea leaves. Stock up on instant noodles if you have an aversion to trying food from unknown origins.
Plane
Suzhou Guangfu Airport is a small airport. It has only a flight to Foshan every Tuesday. Most travelers fly into Suzhou and then take a bus (one hour and forty minutes, RMB50) from the Suzhou Airport or a train to Suzhou (about an hour). China Eastern has an office here and you can book tickets to Suzhou through Ctrip!
Aviation Ticket Office in Suzhou
| Name | Address |
Telephone |
Suzhou Ticket Office of China Orient Airline Company |
No.658, Renmin Road |
0512-65245035 |
Suzhou Ticket Office of China Civil Aviation |
No.194, Renmin Road |
0512-65226400 |
Suzhou Ticket Office of China South Aviation |
No.91, Renmin Road |
0512-65243437 |
Aviation Service Office of China Tourism of Suzhou |
No.658, Renmin Road |
0512-67572882 |
Airport Hotel Service
There are also airport shuttle buses operating from most 5-star hotels. They are not limited to guests and are available to anyone who pays. They are inexpensive, clean, have luggage racks, and are roomy and comfortable .Most does not require reservations, but you should call the hotel nearest you for their schedule and fares.
Hotel Stays
Suzhou is a city geared towards tourists, especially tour groups. As such, finding accommodation here should never really be a problem. At the top end of the market (RMB 500-1500) there are a few great hotels. The newest and most impressive of these is the Suzhou Sheraton, a gorgeous hotel in the heart of the city. The other five star hotels such as the New Suzhou International Hotel are generally centrally located and fairly luxurious.
There are a wealth of mid range (RMB 300-500) places in the south of the city, well located for most of the gardens and the main historic sights. Most of these places offer fairly good value for money and are pretty similar in terms of standard and services.
For those on a budget, the choice is more limited. As this is a city geared towards tour groups, those with less money to spend are usually forced to stay out of the center a little.
As with most other tourist oriented cities in China, it is best to book your hotel in advance whenever possible.
Every year more and more foreigners are coming to Suzhou. While you’re in it, have a personal driver take you where you want to go! Renting a car in Suzhou is definitely more convenient that relying on Suzhou’s public transportation
AVIS Car Rental
安吉汽车租赁
280 Remnin Road人民路280号 Tel:65131118
Suzhou Lotus Parkson Business Travel Co.Ltd
莲花百盛商务旅游有限公司
No8,Liantang SIP 苏州工业园区莲塘路8号 Tel:62600358
Friendly Nation Car Rental
友邦汽车租赁
125 Chang Xu Rd. 阊胥路125号 Tel: 6200 1688/6825 4577
Lu Zhi Jie 路之杰汽车租赁
1381 West Ganjiang Rd
干将西路1381号 Tel: 6866 7138
Wanda 万达汽车租赁
3 F,No1547 Renmin Road
人民路1547号3楼
Tel: 6770 8889
ZhenXing Rental Shop
振兴汽车租赁
Unit 2306,No1156 BingheRd.SND
高新区滨河路1156号2306
Tel: 6701 5298
