Suzhou Travel Guide

Suzhou (苏州; Sou-tseu in Wu, Sūzhōu in Mandarin, old romanization "Soochow".) is a city in Jiangsu province, famed for its beautiful gardens and traditional waterside architecture. A group of gardens form a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The town has many canals; Marco Polo called it the Venice of the East.

Suzhou does not have a civilian airport. The closest airports with flights of use to most travellers are the two in nearbyShanghai. The airport inWuxiis closer, but it is relatively small and serves mostly domestic flights.NanjingandHangzhouare other alternatives; both are large airports with a range of flights and easily reached from Suzhou.

Suzhou is a safe place on the whole but there are a few things to watch out for.Pickpocketingis common on crowded buses, and around the north bus station and the train station. Pan-handlers andbeggarsaround the old town can become a real nuisance although they are not dangerous. Watch out for incredibly pushy hawkers operating on Guanqian Jie shopping street - they generally charge ridiculous prices for counterfeit goods.