Avoid the Crowds at Suzhou Gardens: A One-Day Tour of Beautiful, Lesser-Known Autumn Spots

Only autumn in Suzhou can beat Suzhou itself.
The Suzhou Gardens are at their most beautiful in autumn.
It's said that the gardens open at 7:30 am,
but there are already about 100 people queuing at the entrance by 7:00 am. 😱
But there's only one chance a day to take photos of the gardens without people in them.
It's too difficult.
.
So this time, I avoided the gardens in the ancient city,
and went to Yangcheng Lake and Kunshan instead.
I wasn't disappointed.
There were far fewer people,
most of the attractions were free,
and the scenery was amazing!
It's about a 1-hour drive from Suzhou or Shanghai.
I just took some photos, so I'm sharing them now.
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♾️ "My One-Day Tour Route"
Yangcheng Lake Red Maple Avenue ➠ Shuize Road ➠ Little Kamakura ➠ Kunqu Opera Museum ➠ Tinglin Park ➠ Huiju Temple ➠ Baodao Youyicun
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🔆 "Attraction Highlights"
1️⃣ Yangcheng Lake Red Maple Avenue
A 400-meter path lined with red maple trees. Especially beautiful after sunrise, when it looks like a tunnel.
📍 Search for "Putian Ecological Organic Farm". There's a free parking lot 500 meters away.
2️⃣ Shuize Road
A leisure lawn along the water of Yangcheng Lake, perfect for camping. 🏕️ There are many autumn scenes 🍁 to photograph.
3️⃣ Little Kamakura
This spot is a little out of the way, but it's great for taking photos. There are beautiful reed marshes along the way. Choose according to your preferences.
📍 Search for "Yangcheng Lake Ecotourism Distribution Center".
4️⃣ Kunqu Opera Museum (closed on Mondays)
An opera-themed museum. The pure white color scheme is great for photos. There's currently an exhibition on Mr. Mei Lanfang.
5️⃣ Tinglin Park 💰20
A garden-style park that will amaze you. Pavilions, mountains, and water, all in autumn colors. It's much bigger than I imagined.
👇🏻 Recommended autumn spots
✔️ Tongxie
✔️ Suiyuan
✔️ Weiyiting
✔️ Gu Yanwu Memorial Hall
✔️ Jiuqu Bridge
✔️ Luzhuzhu
✔️ Cuipingxuan
6️⃣ Huiju Temple
A thousand-year-old temple dedicated to Mazu. It's a "Fujian-Taiwan" style temple, which is very unique.
7️⃣ Baodao Youyicun
Next to Huiju Temple, there's a Taiwan-style street. It's not big, but it's great for taking photos. 📸