Independent · first-hand · updated October 2026
The Yangtze Delta
长三角
Four cities, all within two hours of each other by rail. Written on the ground, with what each place costs and when it closes.
Photograph: Lujiazui and the Bund at dusk, from above Suzhou Creek
Where to go
Four cities inside two hours by rail. County towns — Changshu, Yixing, Haining — sit inside their parent city.
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Shanghai
上海 Photograph: Wukang Mansion, Huaihai Middle RoadThe hub. Everything else on this site is a train ride from here.
- Places
- 8
- Routes
- 2
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Suzhou
苏州 Photograph: a pavilion in the Humble Administrator's Garden, SuzhouGardens and canals, and the smaller gardens the guides skip.
- Places
- 5
- Routes
- 1
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Jiaxing
嘉兴 Photograph: Yuehe Ancient Town, Jiaxing, at duskThe Qiantang tide, and water towns without the coach parties.
- Places
- 4
- Routes
- 1
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Hangzhou
杭州 Photograph: Leifeng Pagoda above the south shore of West LakeWest Lake is the postcard. The rest of the city is quieter.
- Places
- 3
- Routes
- 1
Itineraries
One city at a time. The order to walk it in, how long each stop takes, and how you move between them.
Things to do
Four things worth planning a day around.
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Markets and mornings
What a wet market looks like at seven, and what to do with the vegetables you cannot name.
6 places
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Rooftops and views
The places people actually go to look at the city, including the ones that are just a car park.
9 places
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Exhibitions
What is on in Shanghai and Hangzhou now, with opening dates and ticket prices.
Running now
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Buying from the source
Clay teapots in Yixing, silk in Zhenze, spectacles in Danyang.
5 workshops
Free
The Offline Kit
A PDF for each route: the stops in order, what each one costs, when it closes, and the place names in Chinese you can show a driver. One email a month, when we add something.