Tips for Visiting Shantang Street in Suzhou

Shantang Street is a famous old pedestrian street in Suzhou. If you ever visit Suzhou, Shantang Street is where you don’t want to miss out.

The local Chinese call this street, “Seven-Li Shantang”, whereby seven-li is the measure of distance in old China. Seven-Li is approximately 3.5km.

Yes, Shantang Street is a long street starting from Tiger Hill (Huqiu) to up to Shantang.

As you walk toward Shantang Street, you will come across the main bridge connecting the east and west of Shantang. This photo was taken from the bridge. The view of the old buildings along the river is nice.

This street is popular with tourists because of its old buildings and commercial activities along the river.

Shantang Street was developed during the Tang Dynasty. Back then, the governor started the canal project along the river, and since then, Shantang has become a busy transportation and commercial hub.

The street can be sectioned into 2 parts by the Bantang Bridge. The east part is where you can find the shops and traditional houses, on the west is where you can find natural landscape up to Tiger Hill.

The pedestrian walkway along Shantang Street is busy, with a lot of tourists.

Suzhou and Hangzhou are both popular cities famous for their traditional water towns. You can famous water towns like Zhujiajiao, Wuzhen, Zhouzhuang, and Qibao not too far away from each other.

During the day time, you can take a stroll along the street, do your shopping, and try out some local delicacies. And when night fall, the red lanterns will light up and make Shantang Street a beautiful sight. Don’t forget you can also take a boat ride along the river to enjoy the scene.

Walking in Shantang Street can give you the feeling that you have traveled into China’s past.

How to Get to Shantang Street

Going to Shantang Street is easy. As long as you are able to reach the metro station, you can easily arrive at Shantang.

The Shantang Street Station is just a stop away from Suzhou Railway Station. Take Line 2 and get off at Shantang Street Station, and you just need to walk a few minutes to reach the street.

Look at the map below and you can find your way there in no time:

Tips for Visiting Shantang Street

A lot of shops and plenty of commercial activities along the street. There are many shops selling arts and crafts. You can find the perfect souvenirs here.

Shantang Street opens all year long. Some shops open early and some open until later the day. You can visit any time you like.
There are a lot of local arts and crafts that can be perfect souvenirs. Don’t forget that the silk-related products in Suzhou are famous.
There is a restaurant called Songhelou that serve local Suzhou cuisine, you should try it out. It can be pricier than street foods.
Entering Shantang Street is free but taking the boat ride will require admission ticket.
The street is beautiful and if you are a photographer, try to come super early for a perfect picture without crowd.
The night view of Shantang Street is romantic and gives you a feeling that you’ve walked into the past in China. Don’t miss it.