Travel inside Suzhou City

Suzhou has very convenient modern transportation facilities, and getting around is easy by taking bus, taxi, bicycle, and metro.

Buses

Buses run frequently from 6am to 10pm and is the cheapest public transport. Fares can be paid in cash, or a bus card, which can be pre-paid in almost all bus stations. Almost all major sites and the downtown commercial centers can be reached by buses running from around the campus.

Taxi

Taxis are often available on the street or you can order it on Didi (Chinese Uber). Fares are reasonable; the first 3 kilometers cost 10 RMB and 1.8 RMB per kilometer after.

Bicycle

Suzhou Industrial Park has its own public bike system, with over 70 stations connecting the entire area. Upon a one-off purchase of a bike rental card, you can rent any of the 2,000 green bikes for free for up to one hour (1 RMB hour after) and return to any station after use.

Metro

The Suzhou Metro is a popular and cheap means of travelling around the city. Starting from the campus, the metro can take you to many places in the Industrial Park and more distant destinations such as Mudu ancient town and the scenic Taihu Lake.

Travel beyond Suzhou

Suzhou doesn't have an airport, so most tourists travel via Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport (SHA). Hongqiao Airport is 86 km (53 miles) from central Suzhou. Terminal 2 is connected to Hongqiao High-speed Train Station (15 minutes’ walk). You can get to the Hongqiao Station from Suzhou's two high-speed train stations in 30 minutes.

To make visiting even more convenient, the whole Jiangsu/Zhejiang/Shanghai area is now 6-day visa free for citizens from 51 countries.