China Travel Forum

[Wolfer]

Hello all, looking for some assistance of order and optimum method of trasport between locations. I will be arriving in Shanghai and wish to end up in Nanjing a week later (8 nights) though this is flexiable.

Idealy I would like to include

a) shanghai (2 nights)
b) Hangzhou
c) Wuzhen
d) Zhujiajiao
e) Suzhou
f) wuxi

Any assistance with recomended order and best transport means would be much appreciated.

Thanks

[aynor]

Well, I don't think you need to visit them all. Maybe spend an extra day at one of them and cross one off. I have never been to Wuxi, but have not heard that many good things about it. Everywhere else I have been, and I can say that the water towns have become something of a tourist trap, especially on weekends. Wuzhen has fewer tourists but is also more "restored" without as much of a "ancient" feel. Zujiajiao has more tourists, and it does take away from it... really they all have a lot of tourists, I don't what to say, there's a lot of people in the area.

There are 2 ways to do it: the logical way and the way I would do it.

The most logical route is like this:
Shanghai > Hangzhou > Wuzhen > Zhujiajiao > Suzhou [> Wuxi > Nanjing]. Only because you are trying to end up in Nanjing after all is said and done, and this is a nice circle.

I would do it like this:
Spend 3 days in Shanghai, but the 2nd day do a day trip to Wuzhen from Shanghai, this way you stay in the same hotel and don't need to move bags around too much. Then go to Hangzhou. Spend 3 days in Hangzhou, then take an overnight boat to Suzhou (see below) on the night of the 3rd day. Spend 2 days in Suzhou, the first day see the gardens in Suzhou, and the 2nd day take a day trip to Zhujiajiao. Then go to Nanjing the next morning from Suzhou.
However, you may want to spend the night in Zhujiajiao, as the day trippers have left and it's pretty cool on a nice night-- but I am not sure if there are direct buses between Zhujiajiao and Nanjing.

You can take overnight boats between Hangzhou and Suzhou (and I think as far as Wuxi), but I am pretty sure they don't go to Wuzhen from either place. LP is right that this journey is in darkeness, but you do get to go under that one cool Suzhou bridge south of the town early in the morning in daylight, which is nice (if you are doing the Hangzhou - Suzhou boat.)

[lossa]

another consideration is to visit one of the watertown west of Shanghai instead of Suzhou. Suzhou does have canals but the citiy is highly developed and lacks the old China feel.

There are also frequent buses between the cities around Shanghai (particularly those from and to Shanghai, Hangzhou, Suzhou Wuxi and Nanjing.