Suzhou Travel Guide: Explore the South of the Yangtze River Without Breaking the Bank

### 🌸 **Suzhou Travel Guide: Gardens, Food, and Affordable Accommodation—Explore the South of the Yangtze River Without Breaking the Bank!** 🌸 --- **First Stop: The Mother of Chinese Gardens—Humble Administrator's Garden** 🌿 Humble Administrator's Garden is the "top dog" of Suzhou gardens. Once you swipe your ticket and enter, you'll instantly feel like an ancient nobleman or lady, wanting to compose poetry at any moment (if you can't, it's okay, just take photos and post them). With water as its center, the pavilions and terraces are scattered in a well-organized manner. It's recommended to enter the garden after 4 PM. The twilight light paired with the garden's silhouette will get your social media posts over a hundred likes! **Nearby Recommendations:** 1. **Suzhou Museum**: Master I.M. Pei's "ink wash box." The architecture is more eye-catching than the exhibits. Remember to book 7 days in advance! After visiting, you can also visit the adjacent Prince Zhong’s Mansion for a free attraction. 2. **Lion Grove Garden**: A must-visit for stone maze lovers. Be careful not to get lost in the rockeries (don't ask, someone took three laps to get out). 3. **Pingjiang Road**: Walk through the Tang, Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties on one street. The combination of small bridges, flowing water, and trendy milk tea shops is a double delight for literary youths and foodies! --- **Food Near the Mother of Gardens: You Need to Eat Well to Have the Energy to Stroll Through the Gardens!** 🍜 1. **Dumb Shengjian** (Pingjiang Road): The soup gushes out with one bite. It's recommended to slurp the soup first before eating the meat, otherwise your clothes might taste Suzhou before you do. 2. **Zhu Hongxing Noodle Restaurant** (Guanqian Street): An "old driver" in the world of Suzhou-style soup noodles. The braised meat noodles melt in your mouth, and the crispy fried fish noodles are fresh and fragrant. You'll want to settle down here after eating. 3. **Xiehe Restaurant** (Fenghuang Street): A local's hidden gem. The environment is so retro that it feels like time travel. The sizzling eel paste and stir-fried shrimp are must-orders, and your wallet won't cry! 4. **Qian Yu Man Nostalgic Restaurant**: A trendy Suzhou cuisine restaurant. The sweet and sour squirrel mandarin fish is appetizing, and the peach blossom fruit wine is just right for a tipsy feeling. You can eat until you're full for an average of 50 yuan per person. --- **Accommodation Recommendations: Experience the Charm of the South of the Yangtze River Even on a Budget** 🏠 1. **Pingjiang Road Homestay**: Open the window to see small bridges and flowing water, and fall asleep to the sound of oars at night. The price is 150-300 yuan/night. The downside is that you might not want to get up. 2. **Guanqian Street Budget Hotel**: Chains like Home Inn and Hanting. The transportation is so convenient that you're downstairs from the snack street. It costs 100 yuan/night per person, suitable for "foodie special forces." 3. **Shiquan Street Youth Hostel**: A gathering place for literary youths. A bed costs from 50 yuan. You can also team up with other travelers for a night tour of Shantang Street (remember to bring mosquito repellent). --- **Humorous Three-Day Tour Route:** 🗺️ **Day 1: Garden Marathon** Morning: Humble Administrator's Garden (ticket 88 yuan) → Suzhou Museum (free, but requires reservation) Afternoon: Lion Grove Garden (ticket 40 yuan) → Pingjiang Road (free, but your wallet will cry for the food) Evening: Guanqian Street Night Market (recommended Suzhou-style mooncakes, sweet and savory parties shake hands and make peace) **Day 2: Ancient Town and Water Village** Morning: Tiger Hill (ticket 70 yuan, remember to find the angle for photos of the leaning tower) → Hanshan Temple (listen to the bell, pretend to be a poet) Afternoon: Shantang Street boat ride (more beautiful at night, lights + red lanterns = time-travel script killing scene) **Day 3: Literary Ending Day** Morning: Eslite Bookstore (photo holy land, you don't necessarily have to buy books, but the stairs are a must-see) → Jinji Lake (free, pretend to be in the "Venice of the East") Afternoon: Suzhou Center shopping and eating (take a photo with the "big pants" Gate to the Orient, post with the caption: "Today's urban beauty") --- **Tips to Avoid Pitfalls:** 🚨 1. **Transportation**: Use the "Su e Xing" App for the subway and Alipay for the bus; traffic is restricted near the Humble Administrator's Garden, so it is recommended to take subway line 6 directly. 2. **Tickets**: Attractions close at 17:30, don't be slow like a turtle! Make reservations for the Humble Administrator's Garden and the museum in advance. Queuing on-site may be more "twisting" than the gardens. 3. **Avoid Scams**: The "Suzhou embroidery" at the entrance of the scenic spot may be Yiwu goods. If you really want to buy it, go to Zhenhu Embroidery Street (but your wallet will cry). --- **Final Soul Summary:** Suzhou is a place that makes your camera memory explode, your stomach capacity run out, and your wallet tremble, but your soul shouts "one more time"! Remember to bring a 256G stomach and phone, and a pair of shoes that are not afraid of walking (after all, the garden's cobblestone road specializes in treating high heels) ~ 🌟