Wuxi Urban Area

The "Pearl of Lake Tai," with cherry blossoms at Yuantouzhu, the Lingshan Grand Buddha and the Zen-themed town of Nianhuawan, plus Jiangnan water-town scenery and the intangible-heritage clay figurines of Huishan Ancient Town.

Wuxi lies in southern Jiangsu on the northern shore of Lake Tai, with the Beijing–Hangzhou Grand Canal running through the city. It borders Suzhou to the east and Changzhou to the west, about 130 km from Shanghai, and is one of the core cities of the Yangtze River Delta, known as the "Pearl of Lake Tai." The main areas to visit fall into four groups: first, the Lake Tai shoreline in Binhu District, with Yuantouzhu (cherry blossoms and lake-and-mountain scenery), Li Garden, Lihu Lake Park, the Lingshan Grand Buddha and Nianhuawan (on the Mashan Peninsula); second, the canal and old town in the urban area, including the Nanchang Street–Qingming Bridge ancient canal district, Chong'an Temple, Huishan Ancient Town and Xihui Park (with Jichang Garden and Huishan clay figurines); third, the Wuxi film studios (Three Kingdoms City and Water Margin City) and Lake Tai cruises; and fourth, Yixing under its jurisdiction (bamboo sea, Shanjuan Cave and purple-clay pottery). The climate is subtropical monsoon with four distinct seasons: the Yuantouzhu cherry blossom season from mid-March to early April is the peak of the year, with Cherry Blossom Valley and night blossoms at Changchun Bridge especially popular and crowds enormous; April–May and September–November are comfortable, with ginkgo at Huishan Ancient Town and red leaves at Yuantouzhu in October–November; June–July brings the plum rains and summer is hot and humid (a night visit to Nianhuawan is a good summer choice); winter is damp and cold but has few visitors, and plum blossoms bloom at Meiyuan in January–February. Getting there: Wuxi East Station (Shanghai–Nanjing high-speed line) is about 30–45 minutes from Shanghai Hongqiao and about 1 hour from Nanjing, while Wuxi Station (the old station) is in the city center; Sunan Shuofang Airport is about 20 km from downtown; Metro Lines 1–4 serve the railway station, Nanchang Street, Huishan Ancient Town (Line 1 to Huishan Ancient Town) and Yuantouzhu (Line 1 to Rongxiang, then a bus); the Lingshan Grand Buddha and Nianhuawan are about 25 km from downtown, reached by metro to Meiyuan Kaiyuan Temple Station and then a bus or taxi. Allow 2–3 days: Yuantouzhu + Li Garden + Nanchang Street for one day, the Lingshan Grand Buddha + Nianhuawan for one day (stay overnight at Nianhuawan for the night views), and Huishan Ancient Town + Jichang Garden for half a day. Tips: during cherry blossom season, reserve Yuantouzhu tickets online in advance, travel by metro plus shuttle bus, and avoid weekends; Nianhuawan tickets and rooms are scarce in peak season; Wuxi cuisine leans sweet, and signature dishes include Wuxi braised spare ribs, xiaolongbao (Wang Xingji, Xishengyuan), fried gluten puffs and the "Three Whites of Lake Tai"; Lake Tai cruises and Lihu night cruises are suspended in bad weather.

Top sights

Where to eat

Itineraries