We toured China from 10 to 18 March 2018 (Early Spring Season) for 9 days 8 nights with 2 children (9 yrs old & 2 yrs old). Here’s a summary of our China Shanghai | Suzhou and Hangzhou Itinerary. The Airline we took was Singapore Airlines and the flight hours was about 5.5 hours.
We visited 3 main locations: Shanghai, Suzhou and Hangzhou and a total of 38 places. Our Accommodations were SSAW Boutique Hotel Shanghai Bund, Pace Hotel Suzhou, Westlake 7 Service Apartment.
What We Achieved for Our First China Trip to Shanghai, Suzhou and Hangzhou:
- The longest overseas trip with the two children
- Climbed up a historical pagoda for the first time!
- Visited three classical Suzhou Gardens, renowned for their beauty
- Ticked 4 UNESCO Heritage Sites off the list! (3 Suzhou Classical Gardens & West Lake)
- Visited a Chinese Watertown
- Ate many famous & delicious China dishes to the region.
- Ate Shanghai’s Xiao Long Bao!
- Tasted and bought two Chinese Tea – Longjing Tea and Oolong Tea
- Visited many China’s museums and learnt so much!
- Looked at many Chinese artifacts and historical buildings
- Saw large number of fossils in the Natural History Museum
- Went up the World’s second tallest building – Shanghai Tower
- Went to a Disneyland for the First Time!
- Took a Maglev Train for the First time!
- Took high speed rail (bullet train) to Suzhou and Hangzhou and back to Shanghai
- Took boats rides through canal in old town
- Took boat rides on West Lake
Read: Why China, Travel Tips & Experiences in China:
- China 2018: Travel Prelude
- Essential Tips for Safe Family travel in China
- China’s Timing is the same as Singapore’s Time.
- Our Conversion was 1 SGD ~ 4.8 CNY
9 -DAY TRAVEL ITINERARY FOR SHANGHAI | SUZHOU | HANGZHOU
**CLICK ON THE LINKS FOR DETAILED TRIP EXPERIENCE OF THE PLACES **
DAY 1 (Shanghai)
- 0735 – Flight to Shanghai with Singapore Airlines
- 1235 – Arrived in Shanghai Pudong International Airport
- 1335 – Taxi Transfer to SSAW Boutique Hotel Shanghai Bund
- 0235 – Arrived at SSAW Boutique Hotel Shanghai Bund 上海中星君亭酒店
- 0350 –Classical Yu Yuan Garden 豫园
- 1700 – Late Lunch/Snack at Nanxiang Xiao Long Bao 南翔小笼包
- 1830 – The Bund 外滩
- 1920 – Nanjing Rd East Pedestrian Walk / Shop 南京路步行街
- 2030 – Dinner at Shun Feng Restaurant in Shun Feng Grand Hotel 顺风大酒店
DAY 2 (Shanghai)
- Shanghai Natural History Museum
- Lunch in Shanghai Natural History Museum‘s Food Court 上海自然历史博物馆
- Jing An Sculpture Park 静安雕塑公园
- Shanghai Museum 上海博物馆
- Back to Hotel/Rest
- Reached Oriental Pearl Tower but too crowded and changed plan
- Visited Shanghai Tower 上海中心大厦
- Dinner at Paradise Dynasty 樂天皇朝 in Shanghai Tower
DAY 3 (Shanghai)
- 0946 – Reached Shanghai Disneyland
- 1030 – Entered & Start Tour of Shanghai Disneyland 上海迪斯尼
- 0815 – Left Disneyland
DAY 4 (Shanghai / Suzhou)
- Transport to Suzhou
- 0820 – Taxi to Shanghai Railway Station
- 0836 – Reached Shanghai Railway Station
- 0955 – Boarded Shanghai Express Train to Suzhou
- Arrival at Suzhou
- 1025 – Arrived at Suzhou Railway Station
- 1040 – Taxi to Pace Hotel 沛喜酒店
- 1100 – Check-in Pace Hotel
- Sight-seeing Suzhou
- 1155 – Walk along Suzhou Street
- Reached Panmen Scenic Area 盘门景区 – explored Ruiguang Pagoda 瑞光塔
- Canglang Pavilion 沧浪亭
- Back to Hotel/Rest /Lunch/Snack
- Suzhou Silk Museum 苏州丝绸博物馆
- Explore Guanqian Street 观前街
- Dinner at De Yue Lou Restaurant in Guanqian Street 得月楼 （ A restaurant which was founded in the Ming Dynasty)
DAY 5 (Suzhou)
- Stroll at Lingering Garden 苏州留园 （Liu Yuan)
- Admired ancient artifacts at Suzhou Museum 苏州博物馆
- Humble Administrator’s Garden 拙政园 （Zhuo Zheng Yuan）
- Lunch at Pingjiang Road 平江路 Restaurant – 苏馆农家菜 （Su Guan Nong Jia Cai）
- Back to Hotel/Rest
- Boat Ride in Shantang Street 山唐街
- Dinner at Song He Lou Restaurant 松鹤楼 in Shantang Street
DAY 6 (Hangzhou)
- Transport to Hangzhou
- 0800 – Taxi Ride to Hangzhou Railway Station (Rain and Jam during peak hours)
- 0920 – Boarded Train at Hangzhou Railway Station
- Arrival at Hangzhou
- 1054 – Arrived at Hangzhou Railway Station
- Arrived at Westlake 7 Service Apartments
- Sight-seeing Hangzhou
- Lunch at Qu Fu Ji Chuan Tong Xiao Chi 全福记传统小吃
- Motorised Boat-Ride on West Lake 杭州西湖
- Stroll & Explore Three Pools Mirroring the Moon – San Tan Ying Yue 三潭印月
- Reached One of the Pier of West Lake
- Leifeng Pagoda 雷峰塔 – Climbed up for views and learnt the history
- Taxi Ride to Shi Feng Tea Plantation (originally wanted to visit City God Pavilion)
- Shi Feng Tea Plantation 狮峰茶园 / Qian Long Pathway 乾隆走道
- West Lake Scenic Area Music Fountain China for Musical Fountain Show
- Dinner at Lao Tou Er Restaurant (recommended by local taxi driver)
- Hefang Street 河坊街 – pedestrian street with shops and street hawkers selling artistic souvenirs or food
DAY 7 (Hangzhou)
- Sight-seeing Hangzhou
- Hangzhou China National Tea Museum 中国茶叶博物馆
- Village outside the Fei Lai Feng Scenic Area (Lingyin Temple) 飞来峰 / 灵隐寺 – for Lunch
(Originally wanted to walk to Lingyin Temple and explore but cancelled due to rainy cold weather)
- Back to Hotel/Rest
- Walk in Bai Ta Park 白塔公园 with Old Railway Train and Tracks
- Dinner at Mi Hai Railway Restaurant 觅海轨道火车主题餐厅 in Bai Ta Park 白塔公园
*Weather was bad the entire day – rainy and cold, so had to cancel some Hangzhou itineraries.
DAY 8 (Hangzhou / Shanghai)
0815 – Reached Hangzhou Railway Station
*Deposit Luggage at Hongqiao for sight-seeing first as it is nearer to Zhujiajiao than our hotel.
- Transport to Shanghai Hongqiao Station
- 1105 – Reached Shanghai Hongqiao Station
- 1120 – Deposited Luggage At Lockers in Airport
- Sight-seeing Shanghai
- 1155 – To Zhujiajiao Ancient Watertown
- Reached Zhujiajiao Ancient Watertown
- Lunch at Hong Lou Restaurant in Zhujiajiao Watertown
- Boat-Ride at Zhujiajiao Watertown
- Shopping & Explore Zhujiajiao Watertown
- Transport to Shanghai Hongqiao Station
- 1600 – To Shanghai Hongqiao Station to collect luggage
- Collected Luggage at Shanghai Hongqiao Station
- Check-in SSAW Boutique Hotel Shanghai Bund
- Superbrand Mall for Japanese Dinner & Toys R Us
- Walk around Lujiazui Pedestrian Bridge
DAY 9 (Shanghai)
- Visited Shanghai Maglev Museum
- 1028 – Boarded Maglev Train Ride to Shanghai Pudong International Airport
- Reached Shanghai Pudong International Airport
- Lunch at Airport – Burger King
- 1350 Flight back to Singapore
- 1940 Arrived in Singapore
Our Train Ticket Timings For Reference (2nd Class Seat):
1. Shanghai —> Suzhou
From Shanghai Station to Suzhou Station
Departure : G7008 | 10.00am – 10.25am
2. Suzhou —> Hangzhou
From Suzhou Station to Hangzhou Dong (East) Station
Departure: G7587 | 09:19am – 10.54am
3. Hangzhou —> Shanghai
From Hangzhou Station to Shanghai Station
*Note that this departure station is different from the previous arrival station.
Departure Timing: G7392 | 09:39am – 11:01am
Maglev Train Ride
- Ordinary Single Trip: CNY 50
(We took it from Longyang Road Station to Pudong Airport – 8 mins ride)
Travelling with A 2-year old in China
This was Ling’s 4th Overseas Trip by plane and I’m less of a worrier since she was generally well-behaved during our 5 hours flight. She still had some wailing moments when she insisted on walking out of her seat to her Daddy across the aisle, but it was quite minimal and manageable. She enjoyed the child’s meal and wanted to open and try everything, though she hardly finished her main meal.
Half-Day Breaks
Based on our experience in South Korea and subsequently, in Thailand, we specially planned breaks during the day where we would head back to the hotel for a rest or afternoon nap and head out again for the evening/night. This gave her some rest-time and she had less tantrums due to tiredness.
Exploring in Cold Weather
However, the weather was still too cold for us (8-12 degrees Celsius sometimes), so she would often cry for me to carry her. She disliked the cold wind blowing onto her face while seated in the stroller. I insisted that she remained though as we were also too tired to carry her always. We had no choice but to ignore her cries to proceed quickly to our sheltered destination. Sometimes, we do give in and I would end up with sore arms, carrying her all over the place.
Fortunately, we took taxis majority of the time, so we didn’t need to walk much from one destination to another, only while exploring the place of interest. The stroller became our bags transporter then, with no child in it.
Adding to this, Ling enjoys the exploring of the places and often insisted on walking by herself. Hence, there were plenty of protesting when we tried to hold her hand to guide her from dangerous pathways. Still, the fun of exploring new places together as a family outweighs all these unhappy moments and we were glad we managed to pull through to see China places this year.
Food in China
Food-wise, she was happy to share our restaurant meals but would stop after a few mouthfuls. She ended up snacking quite a bit on baby snacks I brought along or bought in Family Marts (convenience store in China). Fortunately, she loves fried rice so she would eat quite a bit if we ordered it.
Toilet Needs in China
Before going China, I managed to toilet-train my 2 year old during the day, so she was off diapers and in training pants. That made my job much easier as there are seldom baby changing facilities in old town areas and majority are squatting toilets.
It was still a challenge holding her over the squatting toilet (which I had to occasionally) so I try to find sitting toilets (which are handicapped toilets) as much as possible. I discovered sitting toilets are often cleaner/seldom used as many Chinese prefer using squatting toilets.
They also would not use a handicapped toilet unnecessary (which often have a baby changing table too) so we usually get to use it. I was really surprised by this, about how everybody queues up orderly, and how clean the majority of the toilets are.
Travelling with an almost 10-year old in China
Speaking Mandarin
Dar has an inclination towards English as he does not speak Mandarin in conversations with us, except in school lessons. During the trip, he started appreciating Chinese cultural things and communicated with us in Mandarin! He had such a great time tasting Chinese tea and asking questions (in Mandarin!) to the staff, in the Hangzhou Tea Museum.
Model Collection
He fulfilled his dream of standing in Shanghai Tower and collecting his Tower Model, even though we didn’t go to the highest observatory. He also bought several souvenirs such as a high-speed rail train model, a Whale Shark model from a museum, a Pirates of the Caribbean – Black Pearl Metal Model and an SIA plane model.
Transportation Love
He loves transportation and was so happy to be taking so many different types of transport throughout our trip – bullet trains, boats, China metro, taxis and Maglev.
Speaking Mandarin to the Chinese
When the Chinese heard that we were from Singapore, they immediately exclaimed, “Wow, you speak Mandarin really well!”. （你们的中文讲的多好啊！）
We were really surprised! Had they encountered many Singaporeans who did not speak Mandarin well?
They even praised my potato boy who speaks Mandarin like a China Chinese that his speech was really great! (^_^”) I guess it was because he learned Mandarin mostly from his teachers who are China Chinese and native speakers! ( We speak English to him).
When compared to a number of Singaporean kids, Dar’s communication in Chinese was better. We took the opportunity to tell him that learning Chinese in school is important and to do well for it. Besides being a language of our roots, it is also useful for communicating with Chinese all over the world.
Different Chinese Wordings used in China compared to what we used in Singapore
Even though we were praised by some Chinese, we were still corrected by several people on the terms we used, because we used a different Mandarin term for certain words.
- Taxis (出租车)
- Lift (无障碍电梯 )
- Toilets (卫生间或洗手间) 不是”厕所”
- Spoon (勺子）not “汤匙”.
- When they call a guy, they would say,“帅哥” （handsome),
- When they call a woman, they would say, “美女”。
- Dar was called,“Xiao Shuai Ge 小帅哥”！*chuckled.
Our sentence constructions are also sometimes not the same and the people took some time to understand us.
It was really a cultural immersion trip for all of us, travelling in China!
Travel.Snap.Stories 
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