Boats on a canal in Tongli · Jonathan Suh, CC BY-SA 4.0Retreat & Reflection Garden (Tuisi Yuan), Tongli · Zossolino, CC BY-SA 4.0Humble Administrator’s Garden, Suzhou · King of Hearts, CC BY-SA 4.0Highlights
Moments to look forward to
Lingering Garden or Humble Administrator’s Garden
Tongli canals
Retreat & Reflection Garden
Itinerary
Your day, unhurried
一Morning
Suzhou garden
Humble Administrator’s or Lingering Garden, both inscribed in 1997.
SeeThe Humble Administrator’s Garden or the Lingering Garden. Both are part of the Classical Gardens of Suzhou, a UNESCO property inscribed in 1997 and extended in 2000, with nine gardens in total.
PlanWe choose the garden with you according to what you like: water and pavilions, or rockeries and corridors. Your guide explains how the garden is laid out as you walk.
二Midday
Lunch
A table chosen with you.
PlanWe choose a table with you beforehand, so that you do not queue or search with a hungry group. Meals are paid by you and are not included in the price.
三Afternoon
Tongli
The canals and the Retreat & Reflection Garden, then the drive back to Shanghai.
SeeThe canals of Tongli and the Retreat & Reflection Garden there (built 1885 to 1887), then the drive back to Shanghai.
PlanWe keep time for you to wander the lanes before the drive.
Each tip names the page it comes from. These are published facts, not our own trip reports, and they can change; we re-check them before your date.
The Humble Administrator’s Garden is at 178 Northeast Street, per Wikipedia. We did not find a current opening-hours or ticket page for Suzhou’s gardens, so we confirm both for your date. Wikipedia, Humble Administrator’s Garden
Wikipedia says some trains from Suzhou to Shanghai take only 24 minutes. That refers to the Shanghai–Nanjing intercity line and is not a current timetable, so we confirm journey times for your date. Wikipedia, Suzhou railway station
From US$410 per private group of up to 2 travellers, with driver, guide and vehicle (estimate). Entry tickets and meals are extra. We confirm the final price in writing within 12 hours.
How far is Tongli from Suzhou?
About half an hour, according to Wikipedia’s Tongli article.
Sources for the facts on this page
The places and figures named here were read from these pages on 2026-11-09. The route, timing and inclusions are our own plan.
