Shanghai is one of the most electric cities I’ve ever spent time in. But after a couple of days of dodging crowds between the skyscrapers, I needed a break.
Fortunately, while planning my visa-free layover, I discovered plenty of easy day trips from Shanghai that’d get me out of China’s second-biggest city. Many of the best ones were only a couple of hours away by high-speed train, making my escape hatch easier than I ever imagined!
Suzhou hooked me, with its canals and gardens pulling me into a completely different pace than anything Shanghai offers. I’ll walk you through the rest of the cities and water towns worth your one free day, too, from ancient city walls to lakeside pagodas, so you can pick whichever side trip fits what you’re after.
Here are the ones I’d prioritize if I had an extra day or two free on a Shanghai trip…
Suzhou
I set off to Suzhou looking for a slower version of China, and it delivered almost immediately. But not in the small-town way I expected.
Sure, Suzhou is much smaller than Shanghai, but it’s still home to millions of people. The gardens and canal streets you see in every photo sit inside a large city, not a quiet village like its “Venice of the East” nickname implies.
The second I stepped off the train to start my first 24 hours in Suzhou, though, the pace still changed. Compared to busy Shanghai, there were fewer horns, fewer skyscrapers, and more people just sitting by the water.
My first stop was the Humble Administrator Garden, one of Suzhou’s most famous tourist attractions. And I think it earns its reputation.
At 52,000 square meters, the Humble Administrator Garden plays more like five or six gardens stitched together than one. The bamboo groves and covered walkways make it easy to lose your bearings.
I’d get to the Humble Administrator Garden right at opening, if I could. Tour groups fill every path by mid-morning, and the crowds change its entire feel.
The Couple’s Retreat Garden is a quieter alternative I kept hearing about, just a short detour west of its more famous sibling. I’d happily choose it over Humble Administrator Garden if I wanted to escape the dense crowds.
From the garden, I’d walk over to Pingjiang Road for lunch and a wander.
Pingjiang Road is Suzhou at its most photogenic, with whitewashed houses leaning toward the canal, stone bridges arching overhead, and tea shops spilling onto the lane.
I spent a ton of time wandering around Pingjiang Road aimlessly en route to Guan Qian Shopping Street, ducking into alleyways and watching locals paddling along the canal.
Order the Su-style noodles at one of the canalside spots if you get the chance. Suzhou’s food runs lighter and sweeter than Shanghai’s, which caught me off guard after several days of chowing down on heavier Shanghainese dishes.
In the afternoon, the Suzhou Museum sits close enough to the garden district to fold in easily. I’d make time for it just for the building itself.
The Suzhou Museum was designed by I.M. Pei, who grew up playing in the nearby Lion Grove Garden. He built it as a tribute to the local classical gardens he loved as a kid.
I’d save Shantang Street for the late afternoon and early evening. It runs busier and more commercial than Pingjiang Road.
(By the time I got to Shantang Street, I was more interested in finding a bench and another snack than another souvenir stall.)
Grab the mandarin fish for dinner if you spot it along Shantang Street. Carved into a pine-cone shape and finished in a sweet-and-sour glaze, it seemed to show up on nearly every menu I sat down at.
How to get there
High-speed trains run from Shanghai Hongqiao Railway Station to Suzhou Railway Station in about 25 to 35 minutes, with tickets running 40 to 60 RMB one way. This route fills up fast, so I’d book ahead for a specific morning departure, especially on weekends.
Hangzhou
Hangzhou sits just 45 minutes from Shanghai by high-speed train. And it’s the easiest escape I’ve put on this list if you only have a few free hours to spare. The city is home to more than nine million people, but it feels much calmer than Shanghai.
West Lake is Hangzhou’s main draw, and most of the stops I’d squeeze into a day trip here sit somewhere around its edges.
I’d start my first day in Hangzhou on Hefang Street. This pedestrian lane dates back more than 800 years to the Southern Song Dynasty. Shop owners still work the crowd the old-fashioned way, calling out to passersby and pouring free samples of Longjing tea grown in the hills nearby.
(Yes, it’s touristy, but the old storefronts and cobbled paths earn the hype, in my opinion.)
From here, I’d walk west from Hefang Street to Liulang Wenying Park. Willow trees canopy the paved trails here. I’d slow down through this stretch rather than rushing straight to the lake views ahead.
The park paths lead to Leifeng Pagoda. The current structure is a 2002 rebuild of the original, which collapsed in 1924, but the views from the top hold up regardless.
Time your visit about an hour before sunset if you can. Leifeng Pagoda faces west, and the light hits West Lake and the surrounding hills hard at that hour.
The site also carries the legend of Bai Suzhen, a white snake spirit trapped beneath the original pagoda for loving a human.
If I had more time left, I’d spend it circling the rest of West Lake. Jingci Temple and Three Pools Mirroring the Moon both sit along the shoreline. The latter is famous enough in China to appear on the one-yuan banknote.
How to get there
High-speed trains from Shanghai Railway Station reach Hangzhou in just under 40 minutes on the G-train. Regular trains run cheaper but take two to three hours. Unless you’re really watching your budget, the G-train is totally worth the extra cost for a day trip.
Linhai
Linhai gets skipped by most Shanghai day-trippers, and that’s exactly why I think it’s worth checking out if you’ve already tackled a few other day trips here.
The city built its reputation around the Jiangnan Great Wall and an old town that feels more lived-in than staged for tourists, unlike others in China.
The Jiangnan Great Wall dates back to the Jin Dynasty, somewhere around 317 to 420 AD. That’s over a thousand years older than the Ming-era sections most people picture when they hear “Great Wall.”
Locals nicknamed it “Jiangnan Badaling” because a stretch of the northern section closely resembles Beijing’s famous wall. The wall originally ran about 6,000 meters. Roughly 5,000 meters of it still stand today.
I’d budget two to three hours to walk the whole stretch. (Oh, and the steps get steep and uneven in places, so I’d wear real shoes here instead of sandals.)
East Lake of Linhai sits close enough to the wall to fold into the same afternoon. The suspended walkway and waterfall give it a completely different pace than the wall’s climbing and stairs.
I’d treat East Lake of Linhai as the reset before tackling Ziyang Old Street.
Ziyang Old Street runs about a kilometer, lined with two-story wooden houses that look plain on the surface. It’s considered one of the best-preserved examples in China of the old Lifang urban planning system from the Northern Song Dynasty, where cities were split into walled residential and commercial blocks with gates that opened and closed on a fixed schedule.
PRO TIP: Linhai actually has two streets named Ziyang, running perpendicular to each other. I’d double-check which one you’re on before committing an hour to it.
I’d save the food for this stretch, too. Haiyou cakes and sweet glutinous rice balls are the local snacks I’d hunt down along the street.
How to get there
Bullet trains from Shanghai reach Linhai in about three hours. Buses are cheaper but take four to five hours. Given the distance, this is the one trip on the list I’d only do with a full day free, not a half day squeezed around other plans.
Zhujiajiao
Zhujiajiao is one of several water towns ringing Shanghai, and it’s the one I’d pick if you only have time for one. The town dates back some 1,700 years, and unlike many “ancient” attractions near big Chinese cities, it hasn’t been rebuilt beyond recognition.
Metro Line 17 gets you to Zhujiajiao Station, though I’d budget a 20-minute walk from there to the town entrance since it isn’t right at the exit.
Fangsheng Bridge is the first thing worth seeing, and it’s the most recognizable landmark in Zhujiajiao Water Town.
A monk raised the funds to build Fangsheng Bridge in 1571. At 71 meters with five stone arches, it’s the largest bridge of its kind in Shanghai. The name translates to “releasing life,” a nod to the old practice of releasing rescued fish and turtles into the river below.
I’d expect Fangsheng Bridge to be packed with tourists taking photos, so I wouldn’t plan on lingering long at the center.
From the bridge, I’d wander both Dongjing Street and Xijing Street along the canal. These are lined with shops and food stalls rather than open water. The pace here slows down considerably compared to the bridge crowds.
Grab a zongzi, sticky rice wrapped in a bamboo leaf, from one of the street vendors here. This local snack keeps coming up in every account of the town.
Kezhi Gardens sits near the end of Xijing Street. I’d set aside a bit more time for it than a quick walk-through.
Built in 1912, Kezhi Gardens blends traditional Chinese garden design with Western architectural touches, split across a residential section, a rockery, and the garden proper. A five-story pavilion here is the tallest structure in the old town.
The Qing Dynasty Post Office rounds out the day if you’ve still got the energy. Built in 1892, it’s said to be the first Western-style post office in eastern China. The restored building now works as a small museum of early Chinese postal history.
How to get there
Zhujiajiao isn’t served by the high-speed rail network, so you’ll need Metro Line 17 direct to Zhujiajiao Station, or a bus from Shanghai Stadium or the Hu Zhu Line stop at Chongqing and Dagu roads.
Nanjing
Nanjing carries the weight of being a former capital for six different dynasties, and it doesn’t try to hide it.
I’d start a day in Nanjing at Xuanwu Lake, where a series of small islands connected by bridges gives first-time visitors an easy walking loop before the history-heavy stops later on.
From Xuanwu Lake, the Ming City Wall is a short walk away. I’d enter through Zhonghua Gate specifically, since it’s the largest surviving castle-style gate complex in China. It makes for a proper starting point rather than just climbing up wherever’s convenient.
Workers stamped roughly 350 million bricks in the Ming City Wall with their names and hometowns centuries ago. It was an ancient quality-control system the government could use to trace any bad brick back to whoever made it.
I’d walk the wall slowly just to spot a few of these inscriptions.
The Presidential Palace comes next, and it’s worth the visit for the range of history packed into one site. The complex moved through the Ming aristocracy, the Taiping Rebellion leadership, and finally the Republic of China’s government offices before the capital shifted to Taipei in 1949.
The courtyard gardens are the quiet payoff after the more clinical museum rooms inside.
I’d spend the afternoon in Xinjiekou. The skyscrapers and neon here look almost like a smaller Times Square. It’s a strange contrast after a morning spent inside a 14th-century wall.
If you miss the last train back to Shanghai, Xinjiekou also has some of Nanjing’s best hotels if you’d rather stretch the trip into an overnight.
How to get there
High-speed trains from Shanghai Railway Station reach Nanjing in one to two hours. Regular trains take twice as long and cost less. A taxi or rental car works too, though you’ll lose exploring time either way.
Ningbo
Ningbo built its identity on a mix most cities can’t pull off: a modern skyline right next to some of China’s oldest surviving buildings.
I’d start a day trip to Ningbo from Shanghai at Asoka Temple, since it sets the tone for everything cultural that follows. The temple traces back roughly 1,700 years. It’s the only temple in China named directly after the Indian emperor Ashoka.
From Asoka Temple, I’d head into the center of Ningbo to Tianyi Square. Grab lunch here and shop a bit before the afternoon’s more history-heavy stops. Tianyi Square is surrounded by more than 20 buildings packed with restaurants and international brands, and the musical fountain out front draws a crowd most evenings.
Tianyi Pavilion sits nearby, and I’d budget real time here rather than rushing through. Built in the 1560s by the Fan family, it’s the oldest surviving private library in China,
Over 300,000 ancient books and scrolls still fill the shelves at Tianyi Pavilion, including early examples of Chinese woodblock printing. The attached garden is worth a slow walk on its own before you head back out.
Ningbo Wulong Pond makes for a good pace change after two dense historical stops back to back. The concrete paths here wind past natural ponds and small waterfalls. Ningbo Wulong Pond is the kind of spot where you can just sit for ten minutes without another attraction competing for your attention.
I’d end my day in Ningbo at Zhongshan Road. The city’s main shopping street, Zhongshan Road, is lined with large department stores. It’s the natural spot to grab dinner before heading back to the train.
How to get there
High-speed trains from Shanghai Railway Station reach Ningbo in about two hours, making this one of the more comfortable full-day trips on the list despite the distance.
