Ask a QuestionSuzhou is located in Jiangsu Province in the east of China. It only takes about 40 minutes to Shanghai or 1.5 hours to Hangzhou by high-speed train. Suzhou is famous for classical Chinese gardens and water towns, such as Humble Administrator Garden, Lingering Garden, Master of Nets Garden, Tongli Water Town, Zhouzhuang Water Town, etc. But usually you visit those sites in the day. To maximize your time in the city, you may want to join in some entertainment activities, go shop for souvenirs for friends and families or relax yourselves in a bar or club. Here TCT would like to introduce some fun things to do at night in Suzhou for your nightlife guide.
Activities entertainment at night in Suzhou recommended for visitors include taking a boat ride along the Grand Canal to admire the beautiful nigh view along the canal, or watch Kunqu Opera in a local theatre. They are the best way to explore the history look of Suzhou old town and get to know the traditional culture of Suzhou.
It is a highlight to take a boat ride along the Grand Canal in Suzhou at night. Sightseeing on the boat of this fantastic city, you can view the old backyards of Suzhou residents, whitewashed houses with gray-tiled roofs, old bridges and narrow alleys criss-cross the passages. You will be amazed by beautiful night view on the both sides of the Grand Canal, where collects rows of ancient architecture decorated by lanterns and neon lights.
Besides those male boat guides, female boat guides also can be a good company when you join this activity. Sometimes you may enjoy the folk songs that sung by them.
| Grand Canal Night Cruise Schedule | |||
| Pier | Price | Departing Time | Duration |
| 武林门邮轮码头(Chinese name) | CNY 100 | 19:10/ 19:30/ 20:20 | 1 Hour |
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Notice: Same Pier getting on and off; Booking ticket early is advised; Ticket is valided only on the same day it is purchased; Take Hangzhou Metro line 1, get off at wulingmen(武林门站) station then you can walk to the pier through Exit B1. |
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How to get to the cruise pier? and more about Night Cruise on Grand Canal.
Kunqu Opera is famous for its gentle and clear vocals, beautiful and refined tunes, and the perfect combination of dance and acrobatic performances. The music is much softer and the dialogue is more poetic and refined. The dance and movement of a role is gentle and closely connected with singing. Boasting for its time-honored history and all-around skills, Kunqu Opera is considered as the mother of many other traditional operas, influencing Beijing Opera. If you are interested in the traditional Chinese culture, you should not miss Kunqu Opera performance while you are traveling in Suzhou.
There are a few popular places where you can enjoy traditional Kunqu Opera performance. The recommended ones are Kunqu Opera performance and Kunqu Opera House at Shantang Street.
Suzhou Kunqu Opera Museum is a good place to enjoy Kunqu Opera. You can not only watch Kunqu Opera here, but also be able to see the ancient musical instruments and traditional clothing of Kunqu Opera, etc. But the performance is only available every Sunday afternoon, and most of the opera put on are opera highlights, such as “The Peony Pavilion”, “The Peach Blossom Fan”, etc. Before the performance, there will be the interpretation of content of the play, and it is also set with Chinese subtitles (no English). Ticket fare is about 20-40 CNY p.p.
Kunqu Opera House at Shantang Street, the advantage here is that this is the only place in Suzhou that puts on Kunqu Opera every day and it is easily reached by subway as well. Ticket fare is about 60 CNY p.p in daytime between 13:15 to17:15 with tea serving included; 120-150 CNY p.p in evening between 19:45 to 20：45 tea serving, snacks included.
Fuxi Tea house, the tea house is located in one of the most classic traditional area of Suzhou city. The advantage here is that the atmosphere of the Kunqu performance is more alive and the performers have more interactions with the audience, sometimes it's more like a talk show style of Kunqu.
Zhouzhuang History Stage, generally speaking, every evening between 19:00 to 21:00 on Friday, Weekends and most of national holidays, the Zhouzhuang History Stage will put on some classic Kunqu selections such as 《Chance》、《Dream》.The big benefit of here is that they only charge for the tea services while the performances are Free!
As for shopping in Suzhou, you can buy silk, Suzhou embroidery, Suzhou fans or other specialties as souvenirs for your friends or families at Guanqian Street or Shiquan Street.
Guanqian Street——观前街
Guanqian Street, a historical street that is over 150 years old, is known far and wide because of the century-old traditional shops like Daoxaingcun Confectionery Shop, Qiantaixiang Silk Shop, Huangtianyuan Round Dumpling Shop, which were all established here. The street runs approximately 760 meters long and is divided into eastern, middle and western sections. The eastern part is filled with ancient buildings of historical significance. You can find many specialties shops here, as well as little restaurant or stalls selling local authentic snacks. You can buy and taste some local food as you shop around.
Shiquan Street——十全街
Shiquan Street, with its Ming-and-Qing-Dynasty-style architectures including characteristic restaurants and craftwork shops, has become a far-famed characteristic street for its craftworks and restaurants. You can buy some souvenirs, taste some local food and admire the traditional architecture at the same time.
Night market is the best way to witness how local people live their daily life. Night market usually means stalls for food, clothing, and other small wares. There are quite a few famous night markets for you to explore, such as Pingjaing Road night market, Xiang Men Hou Zhuang, Sufu Road
Pingjiang Road——平江路
Pingjiang Road is a popular place for night stroll for travelers. In addition to authentic local snack, here sells small commodity, practical home products, pets, flowers, old paintings and calligraphy, etc. You'll end up with souvenirs that are authentic and budget friendly.
Xiang Men Hou Zhuang Night Market——相门后庄夜市
Here used to be the largest and the most famous night market in Suzhou. There are all kinds of small wares and clothing accessories, as well as a variety of snack stalls. Things are really cheap here, no matter for clothes or snacks.
Meihuawu Street——梅花坞街
There are more than one hundred shops and stalls on both sides of the street selling all kinds of snacks, kitchen supplies, souvenirs, cheap clothing, and so on. The price is very cheap, but you must keep an eye on the quality of goods.
You may want o relax yourself with a cup of drink after a full day city tour. You can walk into a local bar near to your hotel to enjoy your relaxing time. The recommended place to go is Shiquan Street. There are many bar street along the street.
The above are recommended fun things to do at night in Suzhou. Hope this Suzhou nightlife guide info helps you to have a good time while traveling in the city. Except for the things mentioned, you can try out with your way to spend your night time in the city. There are a lot of possibilities to enjoy your evening time here.
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