Go in one direction: Shanghai, then Suzhou, then Hangzhou, and finish with a single train back to Shanghai for your flight. Each city gets a sensible stay, and you ride each stretch once, apart from the final train back. It is a gentle first look at East China.
It is natural to worry that three famous cities in six days will turn into a blur of stations. This plan holds the hotel moves to two and keeps the afternoons light.
Who is this plan for?
It suits first-timers and travellers who like gardens, canals, lakes and history more than shopping. It also works for families with older children. If you prefer less moving about, the Shanghai and Hangzhou five-day plan drops Suzhou.
What does the route look like?
- Day 1 and 2: Shanghai, two nights
- Day 3: train to Suzhou, one night
- Day 4 and 5: train to Hangzhou, two nights
- Day 6: train back to Shanghai and fly home
Day by day
Day 1: arrive in Shanghai
Settle in and keep the evening gentle. A walk along the Bund and an early dinner is enough after a flight. Carry your passport at all times, since hotels and train gates both ask for it.
Day 2: Shanghai at an easy pace
Spend the morning in the old town and the afternoon in the Former French Concession. Rest after lunch. If you want more depth, read the first-timer Shanghai plan.
Day 3: Suzhou and the gardens
Take the morning train to Suzhou, leave bags at the hotel and visit the gardens. The Classical Gardens of Suzhou were inscribed in 1997[1], and a slow walk in one or two is better than a rush through four.
Walk along the old canal in the evening. It is the quiet reward of staying overnight.
Day 4: on to Hangzhou
Take the train to Hangzhou after breakfast. The fastest Shanghai Hongqiao to Hangzhou East trains take about 45 minutes, but the station pair matters, and Hangzhou West to Hongqiao is about 78 minutes[2]. From Suzhou the legs differ, so ask your quote or check 12306 for the actual timing.
In the afternoon, walk around West Lake. Most areas around it have been free to enter since 2002[3], though some sites inside charge.
Day 5: West Lake properly
West Lake Cultural Landscape was inscribed in 2011[4]. Walk the Su Causeway, built in 1089 under the prefect Su Shi[5], and take a boat or a slow bike ride. Leave the evening free.
Day 6: return and fly
Take the train back to Shanghai and continue to the airport. Expect X-ray bag checks at station entrances, and arrive 30 to 40 minutes before departure at major stations[6]. If your flight is early, stay near the airport the night before.
How long are the travel legs?
Each leg between cities is a short high-speed rail ride, but add the metro to the station, the security check and the walk to the platform. Count each move as half a day, not an hour. Foreigners need a passport to buy a ticket and to pass the gates[7].
Rail tickets usually go on sale 15 days before departure[8]. The official luggage limit is 20 kg for adults, though bags are rarely weighed[9]. Pack light for two hotel moves.
Where should you stay?
In Shanghai, choose an area near a metro line. In Suzhou, stay close to the old town. In Hangzhou, see the West Lake hotel areas guide to choose between lakeside and a station base.
How can you adapt it?
- Seniors: add taxis between station and hotel, and skip the second garden.
- Children: replace the second garden with a boat on West Lake.
- Muslim travellers: Phoenix Mosque in Hangzhou no longer hosts Friday prayers, which moved to the Hangzhou Mosque[10].
- Sabah travellers: AirAsia is listed with about seven weekly Kota Kinabalu to Hangzhou flights as of August 2026[11]. It is an aggregator listing, so confirm with the airline.
What do people get wrong on this route?
The usual slip is booking the last night in Shanghai to save a train, then missing the connection. Another is carrying too much for two hotel moves.
A third is choosing the wrong Hangzhou station. Decide your last night by your flight time, pack one carry-on plus one bag each, and confirm station names in writing before the day.
What goes into the budget?
List flights, five nights of hotels, three high-speed rail legs, garden and lake entry, local transport, meals and insurance. Enter current quotes in the budget planner, since prices move with the season. A package that looks low may leave out rail tickets or entry fees, so ask which lines are in and which are not.
What should you book ahead?
Book the flights and the first and last hotel nights early. Leave the train tickets until the sale window, or let the package arrange them. Ask whether the quote is one-way into Shanghai and out of Hangzhou, which can save the last train.
Use the rail versus flight tool to compare options, and read the guide for first-timers on this circuit. Whether to change hotels at all is covered in keeping one base or moving. More plans are on the itineraries topic page.