This ‘runseeing’ tour of Suzhou Old City makes for a nice exploration of the Gusu Historic District. This is an area within the Gusu District that preserves the traditional grid of canals and streets, several UNESCO World Heritage Classical Gardens, and historic gates & city walls. The area also has an absence of skyscrapers, though there are lovely boutiques hotels, cafes, and shops. NOTE: Jogging is not permitted in the historic gardens, but you can run to them and walk around!
We recommend creating your own route, though we’ve mapped one to use as a guideline. The area is laid out in a grid system, and runs ~5 km north-south between the N Ring & S Ring Expressways, and ~5 km east-west between the Xiangmen Ancient City Wall and W Ring Rd., though the heart of it is 3.5 km west to the Garden of Cultivation. PRO TIP: Go early to beat the crowds and explore the longer north-south & east-west streets.
A good place to start is at the east end @Xiangmen Ancient City Wall or the Dongyuan Park North Gate. There’s ~2.2 km of nice running on a continuous ‘moat path’ through Dongyuan Park and along the Waicheng River, Then, take Ganjiang Rd. east for 0.6 km to Pingjiang Rd. This is a lovely pedestrian street along a canal with teahouses, shops, and old homes that runs for 2.8 km north to Suzhou Gardens. You can’t run in these gardens, but it’s worth taking a break to explore. There’s also a running track between the north end of Suzhou Gardens and Beiyuan Rd. For more, it’s fun to run Qimen Rd./Lindun Rd.
Also Worth Exploring: At southwest end of the historic district, there’s good exploring around the Suzhou City Moat/Panmen Area, with remnants of the old city wall and a double water–land gate. There are a couple of km of paths in this area. Then you can run on paths along the Waicheng River through Baihuazhou Park. Note: Not a continuous path. Wind your way to the historic Garden of Cultivation. Just north of there, at the Chaozong Pavilion, pick up Shantang St., a a lively historic canal street dating to the Tang dynasty that runs northwest for 1.5 km.
This ‘runseeing’ tour of Suzhou Old City makes for a nice exploration of the Gusu Historic District. This is an area within the Gusu District that preserves the traditional grid of canals and streets, several UNESCO World Heritage Classical Gardens, and historic gates & city walls. The area also has an absence of skyscrapers, though there are lovely boutiques hotels, cafes, and shops. NOTE: Jogging is not permitted in the historic gardens, but you can run to them and walk around!
We recommend creating your own route, though we’ve mapped one to use as a guideline. The area is laid out in a grid system, and runs ~5 km north-south between the N Ring & S Ring Expressways, and ~5 km east-west between the Xiangmen Ancient City Wall and W Ring Rd., though the heart of it is 3.5 km west to the Garden of Cultivation. PRO TIP: Go early to beat the crowds and explore the longer north-south & east-west streets.
A good place to start is at the east end @Xiangmen Ancient City Wall or the Dongyuan Park North Gate. There’s ~2.2 km of nice running on a continuous ‘moat path’ through Dongyuan Park and along the Waicheng River, Then, take Ganjiang Rd. east for 0.6 km to Pingjiang Rd. This is a lovely pedestrian street along a canal with teahouses, shops, and old homes that runs for 2.8 km north to Suzhou Gardens. You can’t run in these gardens, but it’s worth taking a break to explore. There’s also a running track between the north end of Suzhou Gardens and Beiyuan Rd. For more, it’s fun to run Qimen Rd./Lindun Rd.
Also Worth Exploring: At southwest end of the historic district, there’s good exploring around the Suzhou City Moat/Panmen Area, with remnants of the old city wall and a double water–land gate. There are a couple of km of paths in this area. Then you can run on paths along the Waicheng River through Baihuazhou Park. Note: Not a continuous path. Wind your way to the historic Garden of Cultivation. Just north of there, at the Chaozong Pavilion, pick up Shantang St., a a lively historic canal street dating to the Tang dynasty that runs northwest for 1.5 km.
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