Nanjing's hills and Qinhuai lanes
Contrast the solemn memorial landscape of Sun Yat-sen's Mausoleum with the lively Qinhuai streets around the Confucius Temple. Alternatives in case of closure are listed in the daily plan.
Classic Jiangnan: 6-Day Tour
Price on request
Overview
This 6-day, 5-night route covers Nanjing, Wuxi, Suzhou, Zhouzhuang, Hangzhou, Xitang, Wuzhen and Shanghai. Nanjing memorial sites, Wuxi's Three Kingdoms City and Suzhou's Couple's Retreat Garden lead into Zhouzhuang, West Lake, Xitang and Wuzhen East before Shanghai. It suits travellers seeking gardens, water towns and big-city scenery who are comfortable with frequent road travel and old-town walks.
Highlights
Courtyard details at Couple's Retreat
Explore Suzhou's Couple's Retreat Garden through its courtyards, planting and waterside spaces, adding a garden-focused pause to the journey.
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.
Day-by-day itinerary
Day 1Arrive 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.
Day 2Confucius Temple and Sun Yat-sen's Mausoleum / Nanjing to Wuxi
After breakfast, enjoy morning free time, then meet to visit the Confucius Temple–Qinhuai River area and Sun Yat-sen's Mausoleum. Drive to Wuxi, have dinner and check in. If the mausoleum cannot be reserved, the group visits Yuhuatai or another site instead; during closures, visit only the open areas. The mausoleum-area shuttle is at your own expense.
Stops: Confucius Temple–Qinhuai River scenic area · Sun Yat-sen's Mausoleum
Day 3Three Kingdoms City, Couple's Retreat Garden and Zhouzhuang by night
After breakfast, visit Three Kingdoms City in Wuxi, watch the Three Heroes Fight Lü Bu performance and cruise Taihu Lake on a replica warship. The performance and boat ride may be cancelled due to weather or site operations. After lunch, visit Couple's Retreat Garden in Suzhou, then Zhouzhuang for evening scenery. Complimentary Hanfu dress-up is omitted on public holidays or in rain or snow. The entry shuttle costs extra. A Suzhou Grand Canal cruise with Pingtan and refreshments is optional and paid separately. Dinner is at your own expense. Stay in the Zhouzhuang area, or possibly an equivalent hotel elsewhere in Suzhou if full.
Stops: Three Kingdoms City · Couple's Retreat Garden · Zhouzhuang Ancient Town
Day 4West Lake and Xitang / Hangzhou to Jiashan
After breakfast, drive to Hangzhou and walk around West Lake, Su Causeway and Viewing Fish at Flower Harbour. Lunch is a Longjing tea-themed meal; tea may be sold at the restaurant, with purchases optional. The West Lake cruise, Songcheng and Romance of the Song Dynasty show are optional paid activities. Scenic-area public-bus transfers during traffic restrictions cost extra. Continue to Jiashan to explore Xitang and its covered riverside walkway. Stay in Xitang or Jiashan; dinner is at your own expense.
Stops: West Lake walk · Xitang Ancient Town
Day 5Wuzhen East / Continue to Shanghai
After breakfast, travel to Tongxiang to visit Wuzhen East, then continue to your Shanghai hotel. The Jin Mao Tower and Huangpu River evening cruise package is optional and paid separately; it is not included in the base tour price.
Stops: Wuzhen East Scenic Zone
Day 6The 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
Included and not included
Included
- Five nights: one each in Nanjing, Wuxi, Zhouzhuang or another part of Suzhou, Xitang or Jiashan, and Shanghai. Equivalent hotels may substitute when old-town rooms are full.
- Meals: Day 2 breakfast and dinner; Days 3, 4 and 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 are optional paid activities. Hangzhou traffic-restriction transfers 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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