We (4 adults) would like to visit Suzhou from Shanghai for a day on our own (October 2005). I think the way to go is the train and then cabs. Can someone help me with the train schedule (time for both ways), cost of the tickets, etc. Thanks for the help.

Trains from Shanghai to Suzhou is extremely frequent. You can search for it on travelchinaguide.com, and click on the locomotive icon on the top right.

I found over 40 express trains (K/T/N) going that way a day, so you can basically just jump on any. Can't find the fare, but since it's only 84km, it should be just a few US dollars even for the Soft Seat (1st class).

Having said that, for a day trip, you may find it easier and faster to just hire a car/van from Shanghai. Save you time to commute between your hotel and the train station, and to find cabs in Suzhou.

rkkwan - great idea on the driver! How much would this cost? How long would I want to have the vehicle for or is this not part of the negotiation? Do you recommend an english speaking driver who doubles as a guide or is that not necessary?

suzanne - I don't have specifics for you. But if you want to do the day trip to Suzhou by car, it'll have to be whole-day, a long one, to make it worthwhile. There are quite a bit to see in Suzhou, and you may want to visit one of the watertowns between Suzhou and Shanghai.

As for English-speaking drivers, well, those will definitely cost more. But if you've done enough homework and know exactly where to go, I don't think you'll really need one. Just have the places you want to go to planned out and their names written in Chinese by someone for you.

rkkwan - I know you are absolutely right! I think a long day is fine. It would be great to stop at one of the watertowns but I need to do my homework on which one as well as what I really want to do in Suzhou. What would I do without you?!