Why these two
Both are a short high-speed hop from Shanghai — Suzhou about 25 minutes, Hangzhou about an hour — and both are gentle after Beijing. West Lake is free. Pingjiang Road is free. Suzhou Museum is free. Lingyin Temple is now free.
The catch is that "free" increasingly means "free, but you must book a timed slot in a Chinese-language mini-program". Read the booking notes below before you go.
Hangzhou
### West Lake
Free, and has been for years — the lake, both causeways, the parks and the lakeside paths have no admission charge at all. It is the single best argument for Hangzhou.
Walk or cycle the Bai Causeway at dawn. By 10:00 in season the lakeside is shoulder to shoulder. Note that the public and shared bikes need a Chinese mobile payment account, so set Alipay up first.
Boats and the individually ticketed sites around the lake are bought on the spot.
### Lingyin Temple and Feilai Feng
Free since 1 December 2025. The old two-ticket system — Feilai Feng scenic area plus a separate temple ticket — is gone.
But it is now a compulsory free timed reservation through the official mini-program in WeChat or Alipay. Two practical warnings from the temple itself: carry the physical passport (photos and photocopies are refused), use the staffed lane rather than the automated turnstiles, and beware counterfeit booking apps charging for what is free.
### Leifeng Pagoda
¥40, with escalators most of the way up the hill, so it is an easy climb. Go about an hour before sunset for the view back over the lake to the city.
### The Grand Canal
Free to walk the banks, the Gongchen Bridge and the Qiaoxi historic block. The bridge was built in 1631, rebuilt in 1885, and is the longest and highest old stone arch bridge in the city at 92 m. A quieter half-day than the lake, and almost no foreign visitors.
### When to come
Late March to early May for peach and willow around the lake, and October to November for osmanthus and autumn colour at Lingyin. July and August are hot and humid.
Suzhou
Suzhou has no airport — use Shanghai's, or come by rail. Suzhou Railway Station is the central one, walkable to Pingjiang Road and the Humble Administrator's Garden; Suzhou North is further out.
### The gardens
- Humble Administrator's Garden — ¥70–90 depending on season; two sources disagreed on the peak price, so budget ¥90. The largest, the most famous, a UNESCO site, and the most crowded. Real-name timed booking is effectively necessary in season; show your passport at the gate and make sure the booking name matches it exactly.
- Lingering Garden — commonly quoted around ¥45 peak, ¥40 off season, though we could not confirm that for 2026. Described as the best-preserved of the classical gardens and noticeably calmer. Its covered walkways make it the good rainy-day choice.
- Tiger Hill — ¥70 in peak season, ¥60 off. The leaning Yunyan Pagoda, built 959–961, is China's leaning tower; you cannot go inside. Take a canal boat back towards the old town instead of walking.
If you only do one garden, make it the Lingering Garden on a busy day and the Humble Administrator's at opening on a quiet one.
### Pingjiang Road
Free — an open canal lane with no gate. Walk it very early or after dark, when the lanterns are lit and the day-trip coaches have gone. A short canal boat from the Pingjiang wharf is cheap and gives you the view the lane cannot.
A crowd-control reservation has occasionally been imposed on peak holiday evenings, so check locally during Golden Week.
### Suzhou Museum
Free, closed Monday, and worth going for the I. M. Pei building as much as the collection.
Booking is a compulsory free real-name timed slot through the museum's WeChat mini-program. The good news, which is rarer than it should be: the booking system accepts foreign passports. Enter your name and number exactly as printed, and carry the passport to the gate.
### When to come
Late March to May for magnolia and wisteria in the gardens, and October to early November. July and August run over 35°C and humid.
How to fit them in
- One day from Shanghai: Suzhou. Two gardens, Pingjiang Road, home by evening.
- Two days: a night in Suzhou, then on to Hangzhou — they are connected directly by high-speed rail.
- Three days: the above, plus a slow second day in Hangzhou for the Grand Canal and the tea villages at Longjing.
Both are far better on a weekday. These are the two places Shanghai goes at weekends.