Atlas of China
Shanghai to Suzhou 上海 – 苏州
Door to door, the high-speed train comes out ahead: about ½ hour, counting about 20 minutes to board a train and 2½ hours of airport time for a flight. A standard-class seat is ¥40. The stations are in or near the city centres, which is what tips it.
| Way | Time | Door to door | Fare | A day |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| High-speed trainShanghai Hongqiao 上海虹桥 → Suzhou North 苏州北 | 21 minG2, fastest | ½ hour | ¥40standard class | 23405:45–23:40 |
| By road96 km | 1 h 40 min | 1½ hours |
By train
234 direct high-speed trains a day run from Shanghai Hongqiao to Suzhou North, between 05:45 and 23:40. The fastest, G2, takes 21 min, and a standard-class seat is ¥40. Coming back, 244 trains a day, the fastest 20 min (G7247, 05:17 to 23:34).
Shanghai: Hongqiao station adjoins Hongqiao Airport (SHA); most international flights use Pudong (PVG). Suzhou: No airport of its own: flights use Sunan Shuofang Airport in Wuxi, about 30 km away, and Shanghai is about half an hour by high-speed train.
By road
96 km by road, about 1 h 40 min of driving: routed on OpenStreetMap, with speeds calibrated on measured trips.
At the other end
Featured places around Suzhou.
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Classical Gardens of Suzhou 苏州园林
Whole landscapes of rock, water and pavilion folded into a city block
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Zhouzhuang 周庄古镇
Jiangnan's most famous water town, famed for its Twin Bridges and merchant halls
Around Shanghai: The Bund & Lujiazui Skyline, Shanghai Disney Resort, Lujiazui, Shanghai Museum, Yu Garden & City God Temple.
On the map
Open either city on the illustrated map, or put both in a trip and let the planner lay out the days and the legs between them, with the same tables these numbers come from.
Book
About Shanghai · About Suzhou · Where Shanghai reaches in a day · All routes
Trains are every direct train on 2026-10-28 or 2026-11-11 in the 12306 timetable, with standard-class fares; one weekday, so weekend and holiday services differ, and the fastest train may not run every day. Flights are the airlines' schedules for 2026-10-28, plus routes Wikipedia lists for small airports. Drives are routed on OpenStreetMap roads (extract of 2026-10-21) where the pair was routed, else estimated from the distance. Door-to-door times add about 20 minutes to board a train and 2½ hours of airport time to a flight. How to book is in the guide to trains and 12306; the rail times are open data on the data page.