Discover Zhouzhuang Water Town and Suzhou City on a Shanghai Water Town Tour

Tour Itinerary

Your unforgettable day begins with Your Way Holiday, where professional service and cultural immersion are seamlessly combined. In the morning, your private English-speaking guide and experienced driver will meet you at your hotel lobby in Shanghai. Holding a clear “Your Way Holiday” welcome sign, your guide ensures a warm and worry-free start. You’ll board a comfortable, air-conditioned vehicle and set off on a scenic ride toward Suzhou and Zhouzhuang.  As we depart the bustling streets of Shanghai—leaving behind skyscrapers like the Shanghai Tower and the Bund—your guide will set the stage for the day ahead with engaging stories about the Yangtze River Delta’s cultural tapestry. They’ll explain why Suzhou is dubbed the “Venice of the East” (home to over 30,000 waterways and 400+ ancient bridges) and introduce Zhouzhuang’s unique place in Jiangnan’s “water town trio” (alongside Tongli and Wuzhen). You’ll also learn fun previews: how Zhouzhuang’s residents once used “gondola-like” wooden boats called wu peng chuan for daily errands, and why Suzhou’s silk was once reserved for emperors. The 1.5-hour drive flies by as we transition from Shanghai’s urban energy to the lush, canal-laced countryside of Jiangsu Province.

Upon arriving in Zhouzhuang’s west entrance in the morning, where your guide will handle all entry tickets (pre-booked to skip long lines) and lead you through a quiet stone archway into the town. Instantly, the noise of the outside world fades—replaced by the gentle lapping of water against stone docks, the clatter of a woodworker’s chisel, and the distant call of a boatman. Zhouzhuang, founded in the Northern Song Dynasty (1086 AD) and flourishing in the Ming and Qing Dynasties, is often called “China’s No.1 Water Town” for its unspoiled layout: over 14 stone bridges crisscross 7 main canals, and 60% of its buildings date back to the 16th–19th centuries. Unlike overly commercialized heritage sites, this is a living community—where elders sit on doorsteps peeling lotus roots, children chase each other along canal banks, and artisans weave bamboo baskets in street-side workshops. Your guide will hand you a small map marked with hidden gems (like a 200-year-old teahouse) and explain the town’s “river-first” design: houses were built directly along canals, with back doors opening to private docks for easy access to boats.

Our first stop is the Twin Bridges—the iconic symbol of Zhouzhuang, and one of China’s most photographed architectural pairs. Built in 1573 during the late Ming Dynasty, the bridges consist of two interconnected structures:
Shide Bridge: A single-arch stone bridge (round in shape), spanning the Nanbeigang River. Its arch mirrors perfectly in the water, forming a full circle—representing “heaven” in ancient Chinese cosmology.
Yongan Bridge: A beam bridge (square in shape), crossing the Shuitou River. Its flat, rectangular structure symbolizes “earth.”
Together, they embody the Confucian ideal of tian di he yi (“heaven and earth in harmony”)—a philosophy that guided traditional Chinese design. The bridges gained global fame in 1984 when renowned Chinese painter Chen Yifei featured them in his oil painting Memory of Hometown. The work was exhibited at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and later purchased by a private collector for a record sum, putting Zhouzhuang on the international tourism map.As you cross the worn stone steps (smoothed by 450 years of footsteps), your guide will point out details: the moss-covered stone railings carved with lotus motifs (a symbol of purity), the small stone niches holding statues of river gods (once worshipped by boatmen), and the faint indentations left by wooden boat poles. Locals still believe the bridges bring good luck: newlyweds walk across them after their water weddings, and elders visit on festivals to pray for longevity. Pause here for photos—your guide will suggest the best angle (from the nearby “Shuangqiao Viewing Platform”) to capture both bridges and their reflections at golden hour.

Next,we walk 5 minutes along a willow-lined canal to Shen House—the former residence of descendants of Shen Wansan, China’s first “commercial tycoon” of the early Ming Dynasty. Covering 2,000 square meters and divided into 7 courtyards, the mansion is a masterpiece of Huizhou-style architecture, with black-tiled roofs, whitewashed walls, and intricately carved wooden beams.Your guide will paint a vivid picture of Shen Wansan’s legendary Life: Born into a poor farming family, he made his fortune by trading silk, tea, and grain along the Grand Canal, then expanded into overseas commerce (trading with Southeast Asia via the Yangtze River). At his peak, his wealth was said to equal the imperial treasury—he even donated 3 million taels of silver to help build Nanjing’s city walls (the capital of the Ming Dynasty). However, his success aroused the jealousy of Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang, who accused him of treason and exiled him to Yunnan in 1382.Inside the mansion, highlights include:
The Grand Hall: Once used for family ceremonies, it features 8-meter-tall cypress pillars and a ceiling painted with dragons (a rare luxury for a merchant, as dragons were reserved for royalty).
The Silk Room: Displaying replicas of the silk fabrics Shen traded, alongside a vintage loom used to weave them.
The Treasure Cellar: A underground vault where Shen stored his silver—your guide will explain how he used a secret code to protect it.
The Garden Courtyard: A small, tranquil space with a lotus pond and rockery, designed to reflect Shen’s desire for peace amid his busy business life.As you wander, you’ll notice contrasts: opulent carved screens next to simple wooden furniture, grand courtyards leading to intimate bedrooms—all echoing the fragility of wealth and power that defined Shen’s story.

Your Zhouzhuang experience continues with a dive into local Jiangnan cuisine. Signature dishes such as Wansan Pork Shank, braised until tender in soy sauce and rice wine, are directly tied to Shen Wansan’s legacy. Sweet lotus root stuffed with glutinous rice and crystal-clear river shrimp reflect the subtle sweetness and artistry of the region’s cooking. During lunch, your guide will share stories about Zhouzhuang’s food culture: how families once used canal water to cook (before modern filtration), why fish is served whole at festivals (to symbolize “wholeness and prosperity”), and how locals still make rice wine in clay jars in their backyards. You may even spot a wu peng chuan gliding past your table, carrying tourists or locals delivering vegetables to nearby shops.

After lunch,we depart Zhouzhuang for Suzhou—a 45-minute drive through fertile farmlands where you’ll see fields of mulberry trees (the main food for silkworms) and rice paddies. Your guide will introduce Suzhou’s identity as the “Garden City of China”: during the Ming and Qing Dynasties, wealthy officials and scholars built over 200 private gardens here, designed as “microcosms of nature” where they could escape the stress of court life. Today, 9 of these gardens are UNESCO World Heritage Sites, with the Humble Administrator’s Garden being the largest and most famous.We arrive in Suzhou’s old town , where the pace slows—tree-lined streets give way to canals, and traditional shikumen (stone-gated) houses stand alongside small silk shops.

As your journey continues, Our first Suzhou stop is the Humble Administrator’s Garden—12 acres of meticulously designed landscapes that embody the essence of Jiangnan garden art. Built in 1509 by Wang Xiancheng, a retired Ming Dynasty official, the garden was named after a quote from the ancient Chinese scholar Zhuangzi: “I am just a humble administrator, tending to my garden and living simply.” Wang’s goal was to create a space that mirrored the natural world—mountains, rivers, forests, and lakes—all within the confines of his estate.Your guide will lead you through the garden’s three main sections, pointing out how each element was chosen for its symbolic meaning:
Eastern Section: The most open area, with vast lawns, a large lotus pond, and the “Hall of 36 Pairs of Mandarin Ducks.” The pond is filled with lotus flowers (symbolizing purity) and goldfish (symbolizing wealth), and the hall’s windows are carved with duck motifs (representing marital harmony).
Central Section: The garden’s heart, featuring winding corridors, zigzag bridges, and the “Hall of Distant Fragrance”—a pavilion overlooking the pond where visitors can smell lotus blossoms from across the water. The corridor walls are lined with stone tablets inscribed with poems by ancient scholars who visited the garden.
Western Section: A more intimate space, with a rockery made of Taihu stones (known for their porous, “grotesque” shapes) and the “Studio of Quiet Meditation.” The rockery is designed to look like a mountain range, and the studio’s windows frame views of the garden like living paintings.
Your guide will also explain the garden’s “borrowed scenery” technique—where distant landmarks (like the nearby Pagoda of the North Temple) are framed by windows to make the garden feel larger than it is. As you walk, you’ll notice how light and shadow shift through the lattice windows, and how the sound of water (from small waterfalls and fountains) creates a sense of calm. It’s easy to see why this garden has inspired poets and painters for 500 years—every corner feels like a work of art.

Then,we head to a traditional silk workshop (not a tourist trap—this is a working studio that supplies silk to high-end brands worldwide). Suzhou’s silk history dates back over 4,000 years: archaeological sites in the area have found silk fragments from the Neolithic Age, and during the Tang Dynasty (618–907 AD), Suzhou silk was a key export along the Silk Road, sent as far as Rome and Constantinople.After the tour, you’ll have 20 minutes to browse the workshop’s shop—where you can purchase authentic silk products at factory prices (your guide will help you distinguish between real silk and synthetic imitations).

As the day comes to a close, your guide will escort you back to your private vehicle for the return journey to Shanghai. Along the way, you can reflect on the contrasts you’ve experienced—the rustic charm of Zhouzhuang’s canals and bridges, and the refined sophistication of Suzhou’s gardens, silk, and cuisine. With Your Way Holiday, you’ve not only seen the landmarks but also immersed yourself in the living traditions, flavors, and stories that make this region so enchanting. By the time you arrive back at your hotel, you’ll carry with you not just photos, but lasting impressions of Jiangnan’s timeless beauty, completing a memorable Shanghai day tour to Suzhou filled with depth, comfort, and discovery.

Price Per Person in US Dollars