Free things to do in Suzhou

6 places in Suzhou with free entry or no charge, based on guide listings and map data.

Ranked with the travel guide's picks and well-known places first.

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Suzhou Museum
Sūzhōu Bówùguǎn
Designed by I.M. Pei, whose family came from Suzhou. Pei lived most of his life in the US and was a very successful architect there, known for the glass pyramid outside the Louvre in Paris, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, and other landmarks. He came out of retirement in his 80s to return to Suzhou to create a museum that married his modernist sensibility with his sense of the region; as a teenager he lived in Shanghai and often visited family in Suzhou. Do not miss the recreation of the Ming Dynasty scholar's study. You'll need to make a reservation in the museum's website.
Tue-Sun 09:00-17:00Free · Free entry · Limited wheelchair access
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Confucian Temple
孔庙
Established in the Northern Song Dynasty (1035 CE), the Confucian Temple has continually been one of the most important institutes for higher studies in the country. Much of its ground today is still occupied by Suzhou Middle School. Flanked by trees of hundreds of years of age, the main hall includes an impressive portrait of Confucius made of lacquer, and various ceremonial instruments. Ask the guard for the four Song Dynasty Steles (四大宋碑), each standing more than 15 feet tall, which include a Song dynasty map of the city (much of it still works today), a map of China, a sky map, and a lineage of all Chinese emperors till the 13th century when these steles were carved.
Free
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Suzhou Art Gallery
苏州美术馆
Exhibits of painting and calligraphy, especially modern Chinese art and local Suzhou artists.
9am-5pmFree
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Ding Hui Temple
Dinghui Si
A temple on the site of a Tang Dynasty temple. Little more than two huge 300-year-old Ginkgo trees and some stone pillar bases remain from the original complex after it was demolished and a factory built atop in 1949.
Free
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City God Temple of Suzhou
蘇州城隍廟
Closed · opens 7:30 amFree
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柴园·苏州教育博物馆
Free entry · Heritage listed