Suzhou Classical Gardens

Suzhou lies about 215 km (134 miles) southeast of Nanjing in Jiangsu province, and its classical gardens are recognised by UNESCO as masterpieces of Chinese landscape design. The simplest route is a G-series high-speed train from Nanjing South Railway Station to Suzhou Railway Station, which takes about an hour and costs roughly ¥90-100 in second class. From the station, Metro Line 4 or a short taxi ride reaches the garden district in Gusu District. The Humble Administrator's Garden at 178 Dongbei Street is the largest and most famous, with ponds, covered walkways, pavilions and rockeries arranged around water. Next door, the Suzhou Museum, designed by I.M. Pei, is worth a visit for its modern take on the local white-wall and grey-tile style. Other gardens include the Lingering Garden, the Lion Grove Garden with its rock maze, and the smaller Master of the Nets Garden. Because each garden takes about 60 to 90 minutes, most visitors choose two or three. A workable day starts with an early train to reach the Humble Administrator's Garden at opening, when it is quiet, then continues to the museum and a second garden before lunch. Suzhou cuisine is sweet and delicate, with dishes such as squirrel-shaped mandarin fish, crab-roe noodles and Suzhou-style pastries, and the streets around Pingjiang Road offer canal-side restaurants and tea houses. The afternoon can be spent strolling Pingjiang Road, a preserved canal-side lane, before catching an evening train back. March to May and October to November are the best windows, with mild weather and flowering trees. Summer is hot and crowded, and holiday weeks bring long queues. Entry is ticketed per garden, so visitors pay at each site, and booking online for popular gardens during peak periods saves time. Trains between the two cities run every few minutes, so no advance planning of departure time is needed except on public holidays.