Located in the center of Yangtze River delta area, Suzhou has been the transportation hub of East China since ancient China. The Sui Dynasty constructed Grand Canal is still busy with boats transporting daily goods as well as construction material. Suzhou is located 80km away from Shanghai; therefore you can access Suzhou by flying to Shanghai Pudong and Hongqiao airports. The Wuxi airport is also very close to Suzhou (only 23km). As to the land transportation, the Su-Jia-Hang Highway, Hu-Ning Highway, and Hu-Ning Railway make Suzhou one of the most accessible destinations in the Yangtze River Delta Region. As to the waterway, the Grand Canal crosses Suzhou from north to South and provides convenient waterway transportation.
Getting to Suzhou by Air
There is no airport in Suzhou. However, Suzhou can be reached by Wuxi Airport and Shanghai Pudong International Airport and Shanghai Hongqiao Airport. The distance between Suzhou and Wuxi Airport is 23 km, about 30 minutes by driving. The distance between Shanghai Pudong International Airport and Suzhou is 146 km while it is 88 km from Shanghai Hongqiao Airport to Suzhou.
Getting to Suzhou by Train
Ever since Qing Dynasty, Suzhou had been equipped with the railway station. It was originally built in 1906 and opened to public in 1908. At that time, the main building in this station only covered 205 square meters. Then in the following years, the station was destroyed and rebuilt for several times. The current station was built in 1979 and became a first class railway station under the jurisdiction of Shanghai Railways Bureau.
Getting around Suzhou by City Bus
Most of the buses in Suzhou are automated collection buses. Usually, the ordinary buses will charge 1 yuan per person, while the air-conditioned buses will charge 2 yuan. As a hot tourist city, the tour buses in Suzhou almost cover all the beautiful sightseeing places, such as Humble Administrator’s Garden, the Tiger Hill, the Master-of Nets Garden, Baoen Temple and so on.
Getting around Suzhou by Taxi
During years of development, Suzhou has become more and more prosperous; hence, the number of taxi in Suzhou is growing day by day. Generally, the types of taxi consist of Santana and Passat, which serve consumers day and night. Suzhou Taxi adopts dual charge system which additionally charges 50% of empty-car fare after mileage exceeding 5 kilometers.