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China Rail Travel
Lit-up houses along the Qinhuai River

Pure Jiangnan: 6-Day Tour

Price on request
Duration
6 days · 5 nights
Route
Nanjing → Yangzhou → Wuxi → Suzhou → Zhouzhuang → Wuzhen → Hangzhou → Nanxun → Shanghai

Overview

This 6-day, 5-night route covers Nanjing, Yangzhou, Wuxi, Suzhou, Zhouzhuang, Wuzhen, Hangzhou, Nanxun and Shanghai. Starting in Nanjing and finishing in Shanghai, the route links Slender West Lake, Suzhou gardens and the water towns of Zhouzhuang, Wuzhen East and Nanxun. It suits first-time Jiangnan visitors keen to compare several cities and towns, with frequent changes of scene, intercity drives and substantial walking.

Highlights

Yangzhou along Slender West Lake

Winding shores, gardens and bridges shape the visit to Slender West Lake, adding a walking-focused stop to the multi-city journey.

Yangzhou along Slender West Lake · Illustrative landscape from Zhangjiajie

An evening in Zhouzhuang

Explore Zhouzhuang after dark, when canals, lanes and bridges take on a different atmosphere. This stop suits travellers who enjoy old-town walks and waterside photography.

An evening in Zhouzhuang · Illustrative landscape from Zhangjiajie

Rockery paths at Lion Grove

Follow the paths of Suzhou's Lion Grove Garden to see how rockeries, courtyards and water create changing views in a Jiangnan garden.

Rockery paths at Lion Grove · Illustrative landscape from Zhangjiajie

Day-by-day itinerary

Day 1Arrive in Nanjing / Arrival transfer and free time
Arrive in Nanjing / Arrival transfer and free time

Make your own way to Nanjing from elsewhere in China or abroad. Arrival transfers operate from 08:00 to 23:00 from Nanjing Lukou Airport, Nanjing South Station and Nanjing Station. Transfer to the hotel and enjoy free time. Combined pickups may involve waits of up to about two hours. Outside the service hours, travel to the hotel independently or pay for a transfer.

  • MealsMeals not included (at your own expense)
  • TransportIndependent arrival in Nanjing from elsewhere in China or overseas · Hotel transfer from Nanjing airport or station; locations and service hours follow the daily plan
  • StayNanjing
Day 2Confucius Temple and Sun Yat-sen's Mausoleum / Continue to Yangzhou or Zhenjiang
Confucius Temple and Sun Yat-sen's Mausoleum / Continue to Yangzhou or Zhenjiang

After breakfast, enjoy morning free time before meeting to visit the Confucius Temple–Qinhuai River area and Sun Yat-sen's Mausoleum. Continue by road to stay in Yangzhou or Zhenjiang. If the mausoleum cannot be reserved, the group visits Yuhuatai or another site instead; during closures, visit only the open areas. The entry shuttle costs extra. Lunch and dinner are at your own expense.

Stops: Confucius Temple–Qinhuai River scenic area · Sun Yat-sen's Mausoleum

  • MealsBreakfast
  • TransportLocal air-conditioned tour vehicle, one seat per person; vehicle use during free time is excluded
  • StayYangzhou or Zhenjiang
Day 3Slender West Lake, Nianhuawan and Zhouzhuang by night
Zhouzhuang water town

After breakfast, visit Yangzhou's Slender West Lake, then Nianhuawan Zen Town in Wuxi, with a complimentary sutra-copying experience. Continue to Zhouzhuang for evening scenery and complimentary Hanfu dress-up, which is not arranged on public holidays or in rain or snow. Zhouzhuang's entry shuttle costs extra. Lunch is included; dinner is at your own expense. Stay in the Zhouzhuang area, or an equivalent hotel elsewhere in Suzhou if rooms are full.

Stops: Slender West Lake · Nianhuawan · Zhouzhuang

  • MealsBreakfast · Lunch
  • TransportLocal air-conditioned tour vehicle, one seat per person; vehicle use during free time is excluded
  • StayZhouzhuang area; equivalent hotel elsewhere in Suzhou if full
Day 4Lion Grove Garden and Wuzhen East / Continue to Hangzhou
Lion Grove Garden and Wuzhen East / Continue to Hangzhou

After breakfast, visit Lion Grove Garden in Suzhou, then Wuzhen's East Scenic Zone. Continue to your hotel in Hangzhou. The Suzhou Grand Canal cruise and Romance of the Song Dynasty show are optional paid activities. Lunch and dinner are included today.

Stops: Lion Grove Garden · Wuzhen East Scenic Zone

  • MealsBreakfast · Lunch · Dinner
  • TransportLocal air-conditioned tour vehicle, one seat per person; vehicle use during free time is excluded
  • StayHangzhou
Day 5West Lake and Nanxun / Continue to Shanghai
West Lake and Nanxun / Continue to Shanghai

After breakfast, walk around West Lake, Su Causeway and Viewing Fish at Flower Harbour. Continue to Nanxun Old Town, with a complimentary water-town wedding show, omitted on public holidays or in rain or snow. Travel to Shanghai for the night. Lunch is included; dinner is at your own expense. The West Lake cruise and Shanghai tower-viewing/Huangpu River cruise package are optional paid activities. During Hangzhou traffic restrictions, transfer to scenic-area public buses at your own expense.

Stops: West Lake walk · Nanxun Old Town

  • MealsBreakfast · Lunch
  • TransportLocal air-conditioned tour vehicle, one seat per person; vehicle use during free time is excluded
  • StayShanghai
Day 6The Bund and Nanjing Road / Shanghai departure transfer
The Bund and Nanjing Road / Shanghai departure transfer

After breakfast, visit the Bund and enjoy free time on Nanjing Road Pedestrian Street, then transfer together to a Shanghai railway station or airport. Departure transfers include an early hotel service, a noon service and one at about 15:00. Guests leaving before noon transfer directly from the hotel and do not join the Nanjing Road activity.

Stops: The Bund · Nanjing Road Pedestrian Street

  • MealsBreakfast
  • TransportLocal air-conditioned tour vehicle, one seat per person; vehicle use during free time is excluded · Shanghai departure transfer, according to the day's meeting arrangements

Included and not included

Included

  • Five nights: one each in Nanjing, Yangzhou or Zhenjiang, Zhouzhuang or another part of Suzhou, Hangzhou and Shanghai.
  • Meals: Day 2 breakfast; Day 3 breakfast and lunch; Day 4 breakfast, lunch and dinner; Day 5 breakfast and lunch; Day 6 breakfast.
  • Local air-conditioned group-tour vehicle, one seat per person. Pickup/drop-off points, departure times and attraction transport follow the scope specified each day; vehicle use during free time is excluded.
  • Local Chinese-speaking guide; transfers and free time do not include guide service.
  • Main admission to the sights explicitly included each day. Reservation failures, closures and other conditional changes are described in the corresponding daily plan.

Not included

  • Guests arrange their own flights, trains and other transport to and from the destination city.
  • If you buy optional-activity tickets independently but use group transfers or guide services, the corresponding transport and guide charges still apply. Confirm costs and meeting arrangements in advance.
  • Sun Yat-sen's Mausoleum and Zhouzhuang entry shuttles cost extra. West Lake cruises, Suzhou Grand Canal cruises with Pingtan, the Romance of the Song Dynasty show and Shanghai tower-viewing/Huangpu River cruise packages cost extra. Transfers required by Hangzhou traffic restrictions are at your own expense.
  • Single-room supplements, meals not listed as included, and personal spending such as shopping, hotel laundry and drinks.

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