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.
Pure Jiangnan Journey: 6-Day Tour
Price on request
Overview
This 6-day, 5-night route covers Nanjing, Yangzhou, Wuxi, Suzhou, Zhouzhuang, Wuzhen, Hangzhou, Nanxun and Shanghai. From Nanjing, visit Yangzhou's Slender West Lake, Wuxi's Nianhuawan, Zhouzhuang at night and Suzhou gardens, then continue through Wuzhen, Hangzhou and Nanxun to Shanghai. It suits first-time Jiangnan visitors drawn to water towns and gardens who can manage daily destination changes, road travel and old-town walking.
Highlights
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.
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, transfer to the hotel and enjoy free time. Pickup from Nanjing Lukou Airport, Nanjing South Station and Nanjing Station operates from 08:00 to 23:00. Combined pickups may involve waits of about two hours. Outside these hours, travel to the hotel independently or pay for a transfer.
Day 2Confucius Temple and Sun Yat-sen's Mausoleum / Continue to Yangzhou
After breakfast and morning free time, meet to visit the Confucius Temple–Qinhuai River area and Sun Yat-sen's Mausoleum, then drive to Yangzhou for the night. If the mausoleum cannot be reserved, the group visits Yuhuatai or another site instead; during closures, visit open areas. The shuttle costs extra.
Stops: Confucius Temple · Sun Yat-sen's Mausoleum
Day 3Slender West Lake, Nianhuawan and Zhouzhuang by night
After breakfast, visit Slender West Lake in Yangzhou, then Nianhuawan in Wuxi with a complimentary Zen-style sutra-copying experience. Continue to Zhouzhuang for evening sightseeing; the 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 full.
Stops: Slender West Lake · Nianhuawan · Zhouzhuang
Day 4Lion Grove Garden and Wuzhen East / Longjing tea meal in Hangzhou
After breakfast, visit Lion Grove Garden in Suzhou and Wuzhen East, then continue to Hangzhou. Lunch is included and dinner is a Longjing tea-themed meal. Tea may be sold at the restaurant; purchases are optional. The Suzhou Grand Canal cruise with Pingtan, Songcheng and the Romance of the Song Dynasty show are optional paid activities.
Stops: Lion Grove Garden · Wuzhen East Scenic Zone
Day 5West Lake and Nanxun / Continue to Shanghai
After breakfast, walk around West Lake, Su Causeway and Viewing Fish at Flower Harbour. Visit Nanxun, with a complimentary water-town wedding show omitted on public holidays or in rain or snow. Continue to Shanghai for the night. Lunch is included; dinner is at your own expense. West Lake cruises and the Shanghai Jin Mao Tower or World Financial Center/Huangpu River cruise package are optional paid activities. Hangzhou scenic-area public-bus transfers during traffic restrictions cost extra.
Stops: West Lake walk · Nanxun Old Town
Day 6The Bund and Nanjing Road / Shanghai departure transfer
After breakfast, visit the Bund and enjoy free time on Nanjing Road Pedestrian Street, then take a coordinated Shanghai station or airport transfer. Services include an early hotel shuttle and a noon shuttle from the Bund car park. Guests departing before noon transfer directly from the hotel and miss Nanjing Road. Shared transfers may arrive at the station or airport 2–3 hours early.
Stops: The Bund · Nanjing Road; free time
Included and not included
Included
- Five nights; an equivalent hotel elsewhere in Suzhou substitutes if Zhouzhuang-area hotels are full.
- 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 and Hangzhou traffic-restriction transfers 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.
- Single-room supplements, meals not listed as included, and personal spending such as shopping, hotel laundry and drinks.
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