Parks and the outdoors in Suzhou

26 parks, gardens, beaches and walks in and around Suzhou.

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

See
Garden of Pleasure (Pleasence)
Yi Yuan 怡园
Very small garden in the heart of downtown. Good place to have a cup of green tea. Usually visited by lots of local elderly people.
See
Ligongdi
李公堤
Li Gong Di is a 1400-meter causeway across Jinji Lake, the largest inner-city lake in China; it was built during the reign of Emperor Guangxu (1874-1908). Some areas near it are being heavily developed. There are metro stations: Ligongdi South on line 5 near the middle of the lake, and Ligondi West on line 3 on the SIP side.
See
Lion Grove Garden
Lion Forest Garden, Shi Zi Lin 狮子林
Has an incredible collection of pitted, eroded rocks that were greatly appreciated by classical Chinese scholars. It was originally part of a Buddhist monastery. The gardens are a reminder of the Buddhist story of the lions. The layout of the garden follows many twists and turns. It is easy to get quite lost in these winding paths.
Closed · opens 7:30 am¥40, ¥30 off-season
See
North Temple Pagoda
Beisi Ta
Viewable from the train station, the peak of the pagoda is Suzhou's most famous. A garden and temples are on the grounds.
¥25
See
Panmen city gate
盘门
This gate is renowned for its unique structure as a combined water and land gate. It was built as a gate in a city wall built in 514 BCE, but the present structure is from a 14th century rebuild. The remaining wall is 300 m long and 5 m high. Visiting Pan Men includes access to a large and rather lovely garden with ponds and pavilions (feed the koi for ¥2), a boat ride, the city water and land gate, and an original foot bridge over the grand canal.
Closed · opens 7:30 am¥25
See
Ping Jiang Road
A beautiful walk along an ancient road paved with hand-cut stones over a thousand years old and lined with shops maintaining traditional architectural styles. It runs from near the Humble Administrator's Garden and Suzhou Museum south into the center of town. There are a surprising number of western-style coffee shops with full English menus, Internet and English books. If you get further north on this road, but south of the museum area, the shops eventually run out and it just becomes a quiet neighbourhood again. This may be the best part of all.
See
Shantang Street
山塘
A restored canal street running from Changmen to Tiger Hill. The southeast end of the street may be mobbed with tourists, but as you walk further north the souvenir shops and restaurants disappear, and you can take a leisurely stroll along the canal through a quiet residential neighborhood.
See
The Couple's Garden Retreat
Ou Yuan 耦园
Built in early 20th century by a couple. Many small garden rooms lead you from view to view. Each window or hall perfectly frames a set of plants, rocks or trees. Every inch of the garden has been carefully thought out. Most of the garden consists of covered walkways, so even though it may rain you will be able to enjoy this garden without getting wet.
¥20
See
The Garden of Cultivation
YiPu Garden
Make sure to go all the way towards the back inside the garden to see the best part.
¥10
See
The Garden of the Master of the Nets
Wang Shi Yuan 网师园
Founded in 1140, and rebuilt in 1770 by the bureaucrat Song Zongyuan. The enclosed complex of house and garden is one of the smallest, most beautiful, and most perfectly proportioned in Suzhou. Don't let the small size deceive you, this garden has enough to occupy you for half a day or more. On certain evenings there are demonstrations of many traditional performing arts.
07:30-17:00(Mar - Oct), 07:30-16:30 (Nov - Feb),¥40
See
The Humble Administrator's Garden
Zhuo Zheng Yuan 拙政园
Said to have cost a boatload of silver and taken sixteen years to build. Free tours through the garden start every 5-10 minutes, though these tours are conducted only in Mandarin. Included in the tour is a "Chinese marriage", a look at carved tree roots, followed by a boat ride through the garden canals. The incredible collection of bonsai trees ('pen cai' or 'pen jing' in Chinese) at the end of the garden furthest from the main entrance is worth a trip all by itself.
Closed · opens 7:30 am¥80, ¥70 off-season
See
The Retreat and Reflection Garden
Tui Si Yuan 退思园
In the township of TongLi (同里) in Wujiang district, about 30 km south of central Suzhou.
See
The Surging Wave Pavilion
Canglang Pavilion, Canglang Ting 沧浪亭
One of the oldest of Suzhou's wonderful collection of private or "scholar's" gardens. More densely forested than other gardens, so ideal for hot days when you want to escape the sun. This garden is best viewed from within its many pavilions, with windows framing different views.
¥20
See
Twin Pagodas
双塔
A pair of brick Northern Song Dynasty pagodas stand sentinel over the stark remains of an Arhat Temple from the same era. Mostly intact stone pillars, gracefully carved with floral designs, at the corners of the foundation, give a sense the invisible halls size and a stone etching at the rear of the garden helps you fill in the rest. The temple was damaged in the Qing dynasty and abandoned totally at the onset of China's republic. The grounds are peaceful but feel like a stone graveyard with fragments of carvings displayed around the outer wall or used as stands for bonsai plants.
Closed · opens 8 am¥8
Do
长江文化节
Yangtze River Culture Festival
An annual cultural extravaganza held in Zhangjiagang, Suzhou. It celebrates the diverse cultures along the Yangtze River basin through five main themes: cultural relics, intangible heritage, arts, travel, and openness. The festival features thematic exhibitions, a vibrant intangible cultural heritage bazaar, and electronic guidebooks for exploring riverside cities[citation:6][citation:8].
通常在秋季举办多数活动免费
Do Not mapped
Cycle
Suzhou is relatively flat, and once past the ring-road, traffic is light and easy-going enough to enable a pleasant ride about town. Jinji Lake, Dushu Lake and a few outlying temples are within casual cycling distance. Many hostels rent bikes for around ¥25 a day.
See Not mapped
Former Residence of Poet and Scholar Yu Yue
Make sure to go all the way towards the back inside the garden to see the best part. This tucked away place is a little tough to find but totally worth the effort if you want to find a quiet, unpretentious place visited mainly by locals.
¥1.5, ¥3-7 for entrance and tea
Eat Not mapped
Rendezvous Restaurant & Lounge
人得福综合软西餐
East of Jinji Hu lake, on Jin Hu Wan business street, Rendezvous brings Western food, comfort and service to Eastern Suzhou. You can enjoy their cold beers, cocktails and snacks on their outdoor patio.
See Not mapped
Tarrying Garden
Wufeng Xianguan
Built in the Ming Dynasty, but many parts of it were rebuilt in the Qing Dynasty. Part of the garden is the Nanmu Hall with a collection of furniture made of nanmu, a wood that is fairly common in China and prized because it looks good and resists both humidity and decay. Mandarin Duck Hall is divided into two parts by a meticulously carved partition.
¥10
Buy Not mapped
Times Square & Modern Plaza
A suburban shopping area on the east side of Jinji Lake. Times Square is an open pedestrian area situated alongside a canal with many restaurants and shops, whilst Modern Plaza is a large mall selling many luxury brands. There is a Times Square stop on metro line 1. Alternately, buses 2 and 47 will get you close - get off at the International Expo Centre and walk 10 minutes to the east. Buses 219 and 168 will also stop by Times Square & Modern Plaza.
Do Not mapped
Weekend cycle rides
Two local cycle shops — Specialized Bicycles and Trek Cycles; see below for contact information — organise one or two day rides to nearby attractions such as Lake Tai (30 km one way), Yangcheng Lake (40 km around the lake), Tongli (20 km one way) and Zhouzhuang (40 km one way). Pace is normally relaxed with regular stops for photos and taking a rest. Joining the tour is free, although you have to bring your own bike or rent a bike from the store for a deposit and small charge. Costs such as meals and accommodation are split between group members. Although most of the riders are locals, foreigners are always welcomed and most members will speak English, and will ride in a safe manner.
Drink Not mapped
Zapata's
Margaritas and view over the lake. Western DJ plays happy tunes from last 4 decades and free tequila pouring on the bar every night.
See
Five Peaks Garden
47 Changmen Xi Street
See
Mountain Villa with Embracing Beauty
Huanxiu Shanzhuang 环秀山庄
Mainly a rock and water garden.
Do
Suzhou Amusement Land
Amusement park in the SND west of downtown.
See
The Lingering Garden
Liu Yuan 留园
One of the largest classical gardens in Suzhou.
Closed · opens 7:30 am¥55, ¥45 off-season

Listings from the Wikivoyage guide to Suzhou (CC BY-SA 4.0).