How to Travel from Shanghai to Suzhou by Train

Located in southern Jiangsu Province, around 100 kilometers from Shanghai, Suzhou is one of the most popular cities in China for day trips from Shanghai, and has a wealth of historical and cultural attractions that make it a great place to spend a day out. Divided in half by the Beijing Hangzhou Grand Canal, more than forty percent of the city is covered with water, making it the “Venice of the Orient”. First settled in around 514 BC, this ancient city is a perfect example of the unique characteristics of ancient Chinese cities, with its chessboard layout and streets that run parallel to the waterways.

Getting to Suzhou from Shanghai was used to be a trip by train of around 2 hours each way. Even a bus or car journey would take around 1hour 30 minutes. However, now there is a much faster way to get there, by High-Speed Train from Shanghai.

Fact of Shanghai Suzhou High Speed Train

With more than 100 pairs of high-speed trains running the route between Shanghai and Suzhou daily, it has never been easier to get to the ancient city for a day out. One of the most popular excursions from Shanghai for tourists, the city is well served by high-speed trains that can make the journey in less than 40 minutes.

The trains run from two different stations in both Shanghai and Suzhou, to make it more convenient for travelers to easily get a train to and from Suzhou close to their hotels or homes. In Shanghai, the trains run from the Shanghai Railway Station in Jing’an District and the Hongqiao Railway Station, and from Suzhou, they run from both Suzhou North Railway Station and Suzhou New District Railway Station.

Shanghai Suzhou High Speed Train Route

From Shanghai, both stations run trains to both stations in Suzhou, so you can get the trains for either station in Suzhou from either of the stations in Shanghai. From Shanghai Station, the trains run almost direct to Suzhou North Station, stopping only at Kunshan South Station along the way. The other line from Shanghai Station runs to Suzhou Station via Shanghai West, Nanxiang North, Anting North, Huaqiao, Kunshan South, Yangchenghu, Suzhou Industrial Park, and Suzhou Station, not reaching as far as Suzhou New District Station.

The high speed train from Shanghai to Suzhou is arriving at Suzhou Railway Station.

From Hongqiao Station, trains also run to both Suzhou North and Suzhou New District. The trains follow the same routes as those from Shanghai Station, joining the main line to Suzhou between Nanxiang North Station and Anting Station.

Shanghai Suzhou High Speed Train Schedule

From Shanghai Station, there are around 65 departures a day to Suzhou Station, which do not carry on to Suzhou New District. The trains begin departing at 5:48am, with the last train for the day leaving Shanghai Station at 10:55pm. The trains take from 25 to 44 minutes to make the journey. The route from Shanghai Station to Suzhou North has just five departures a day, the first leaving at 7:00am and the last at 7:55pm.

From Hongqiao, the trains to Suzhou Station run 57 times a day, at short intervals starting at 6:11am, with the last train departing from Hongqiao at 9:42pm. There are also 57 departures a day from Hongqiao to Suzhou North, which run from 6:10am to 8:13pm daily. Hongqiao Station only has one train that runs all the way to Suzhou New District, the D636 which departs at 6:33am and takes just 38 minutes to reach Suzhou.

How to Buy The Ticket of Shanghai Suzhou High Speed Train?

Tickets for the high-speed trains to Suzhou from Shanghai normally go on sale from 30 to 60 days in advance, and you have a choice of how to purchase them. The easiest way to book your tickets is through a travel agent or your hotel. Any of the travel agents will be able to book the tickets for you, though most will charge a fee for doing so. You can also ask your hotel receptionist to make the booking for you, and the hotels will also normally charge a small fee.

It is suggested to book in advance to get the ticket of Shanghai to Suzhou high speed train.

If you want to avoid the fees, and have friends in China, you can use the website for booking, which requires a Chinese-based credit card or payment method to make the booking and the website is only in Chinese. If you do not know anyone in China, you can book the tickets yourself at the booking offices in any of the railway stations in Shanghai. Tickets can be picked up from the ticket window of the train station by submitting your ticket number and passport.

How to Get to The Railway Stations in Shanghai?

Get to Shanghai Railway Station

Shanghai Railway Station is located in Moling Road in Jing’an District, and can be reached by bus, taxi or using the Shanghai Metro. Traveling to the station from the downtown area of Shanghai by bus requires getting one of several buses that run to North Square, South Square, and the Station Bus Terminal. There are around 35 different buses that run to the station, with buses to North Square being the 106, 115, 117, 305, 306, 310, 817, 823, 912, 929, 942, 962 or Xinchuan Special Line, to South Square being the 95, 104, 109, 113, 301, 302, 308, 315, 322, 324, 329, 837, 927, 930, 941, Shenfang Special Line, Tunnel Line 3, and the Tunnel Night Line, and the buses to the station terminal being the 328, 573, 955, Pudong Airport Shuttle Bus Line 5, Nanxin Special Line or Shenfang Special Line.

If you are taking a taxi, then you can only be dropped off at the North or South Squares. From Downtown it takes around 15 minutes and costs from 20 yuan. From Hongqiao Airport, the taxis take around 40 minutes and cost around 60 yuan, while from Pudong Airport, it takes about an hour and costs about 170 yuan.

If you are using the metro, the easiest way to get to the station, you need to take Line 1, Line 3, or Line 4, depending on where in Shanghai you are coming from. These are the only three lines that stop at the Shanghai Railway Station. Traveling by Metro is easy, as the maps and sign boards are also in English, and it is the same as traveling on a subway anywhere in the world.

Get to Shanghai Hongqiao Railway Station

To get to Shanghai Hongqiao Railway Station, which is on Mingui Road in the Minhang District, you can take one of the many buses that run around the city. Buses drop off at the West Traffic Center for Line 5, at the drop off area for the station for line 4, and at the East Traffic Center for the 941 bus, as well as for Lines 4 and 9 and the Pudong Airport Shuttle Bus.

Taxis to Hongqiao take around 50 minutes from Downtown Shanghai, and cost from around 80 yuan. From Hongqiao Airport, you can get the internal shuttle that takes just a few minutes and costs just 2 yuan. From Pudong Airport, it takes around 1 hour and 15 minutes to cross the city to Hongqiao, and costs around 220 yuan by taxi.

Lines 2, 10, and 17 on the Metro stop at the Hongqiao Railway Station, depending on where your departure location is. If you arrive at the station using the Metro, you get off the train in the underground floor -1F, and need to take the stairs to the ground floor to get the train to Suzhou.

Tourists can get to Shanghai Hongqiao Railway Station by subway.

Get to Major Attractions in Suzhou from Suzhou Railway Station

Suzhou has a huge number of attractions across the city that are interesting to tourists, and the station you arrive at can make a difference in what is close to your arrival point. Suzhou is one of the most affluent cities in China, with a population that is mostly educated middle class and a large technology sector and a huge services industry. The largest producer of laptops in the world, the city has the third highest capita income of any city in China. This has resulted in the city being a lot cleaner than most, with modern facilities and a less-polluted atmosphere. For tourists, it is a delightful place to see the stunning gardens and enjoy experiencing more of the unique Chinese culture.

From Suzhou Railway Station to Humble Administrator Garden

The Humble Administrator Garden is the largest and most unique of all the gardens in Suzhou, and is listed as one of the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Sites. Considered to be one of China’s four most famous gardens, this site was first built in 1509 during the Ming Dynasty as a private garden by a retired government servant, the garden lies on the former site of an ancient Taoist temple, and the water features are the main attractions.

It is about 3.5 kilometers away from Suzhou Railway Station. You can either get to there by local bus or by taxi, which takes about 30 minutes to go.

From Suzhou Railway Station to Lion Grove Garden

Lion Grove garden is one of Suzhou’s most famous classic gardens. Built in 1342 during the Yuan Dynasty, it was created by a group of Zen Buddhist monks as a memorial garden to their master, Monk Tianru. The garden once contained many rocks that were shaped like lion heads, hence the name, and the garden was a populyar place for the monks to debate, as well as creating paintings and poetry.

Lion Grove Garden is one of a UNESCO Word Heritage site in China.

It is also about 3.2 kilometers southeast to Suzhou Railway Station. It takes about 40 minutes by foot and 10 minutes by drive from the Station.

From Suzhou Railway Station to Tiger Hill

Tiger Hill, also known as the Surging Sea Hill, is a large hillock that stands around 36 meters tall above the city, and is covered with historical sites, some of which date back more than 2,500 years to the founding of the city. Some of the ancient sites on the hill include the Tiger Hill Pagoda, the Tomb of King He Lu from the 5^th century BC, and the Sword Testing Stone and Sword Pool, where King He Lu would test the caliber of his swords and where they were buried after his death.

Once you arrive at Suzhou Railway Station, you can get to the tourist center to take Bus Line 1 to get to Tiger Hill directly.

From Suzhou North Railway Station

Aside from the city itself, there are very few attractions within walking distance of Suzhou North Railway Station. Most of the attractions that would interest tourists are located closer to the center of the city. North Station lies in a major residential area of the city, though for some, this can be an attraction in itself. This is the main area of the water villages, with canals and streams crisscrossing the area in a network of stunning waterways. To the northeast of the station lies the Shengzedang Lake, set in an area of mainly agricultural land, and to the north is the Zhenzhuhu Park. To the northeast lie the Caohu and E’zhenddang lakes, set amidst an area of beautiful waterways and canals.