The water towns located near south Yangtze river region are reputed as “Venice of China”. Most water towns are located near the city of Hangzhou, Shanghai and Suzhou. There are around 8 popular water towns in this region. The water towns can be visited as a day tour from Shanghai, Suzhou and Hangzhou. Wuzhen water town is situated in between Hangzhou and Shanghai. I had one spare day during my trip to Hangzhou and i decided to visit Wuzhen water town. Spring and Autumn seasons are the best time to visit water towns. I visited the place during the month of April and it was peak tourist season. Most people visit the place as a day tour but i decided to book my stay at Wuzhen because i wanted to explore the place on my own pace.
All the 8 popular water towns are very scenic and there is a unique feel to each water town. It is practically impossible to visit all the water towns around the region. Nanxun, Tongli, Xitang and Wuzhen water towns are rated far above compared to Zhujiajao, Qibao, Luzhi and Zhouzhuang water towns. Qibao, Zhouzhuang and Zhujiajao water towns are located close to Shanghai but these are overcrowded and commercialized. Qibao water town is situated closest to Shanghai and it is the smallest water town out of the 8 water towns. Luzhi water town is a quiet and beautiful water town but it is situated near Suzhou. It is inconvenient to visit Luzhi water town from Shanghai and Hangzhou. Tongli water town is a highly rated water town but it is more convenient to visit Tongli water town from Suzhou. A day trip to Luzhi or Tongli water town shouldn’t be missed if you are visiting Suzhou. Nanxun water town and Wuzhen water town are located near Hangzhou. Wuzhen water town is good choice if you are planning to spend a night because there are lot of good hotels located in the area. Xitang water town is located in between Wuzhen and Shanghai but there are no direct buses from Wuzhen water town to Xitang water town. The direct bus service from Hangzhou to Wuzhen water town takes about 1.5 hours. Wuzhen is a very small town and my accommodation was located just 5 minutes walk from the bus stop.
Wuzhen water town is popular among tourists for its beautiful view during night. I started my water town tour at 2 pm in the afternoon. Entire Wuzhen water town scenic area is divided into East and West section. You can purchase individual ticket if you want to visit only one section of the water town. I would strongly recommend to visit both the sections of the scenic area. East and west sections are not connected to each other. I purchased the combo ticket for both sections of the scenic area. Frequent shuttle buses are available from one section of the water town to another section of the water town. West section of the water town is more commercialized compared to East section of the scenic area. I started my scenic area tour from the east section of the Water town. East section of the scenic area has a more traditional feel to it. It is very well preserved and i saw some locals still living in the houses. Boat ride along the canal is a popular tourist activity in Wuzhen. Stone bridges over the canals connect both sides of the walkway. I tried some local cuisine from the stalls situated along the scenic area. Most of the stalls around the water town were selling local Chinese cuisine. One section of the water town was completely dedicated to shops selling handicrafts, artifacts, paintings, toys, traditional clothes and souvenir items. The canal along the scenic area was very narrow and there was room for only one boat to move along the canal at a time. The canal water was green in color and it was giving perfect complement to the houses around the water town. Black bricks and Grey tiles were primarily used in the construction of the houses around the canal. All the houses were painted in white color. The scenic area was crowded with group tours from Shanghai and Hangzhou. After spending around 1.5 hours at the east section of the scenic area I took the shuttle bus ride to the west section.
West section of the scenic area is far bigger in size compared to the east section of the scenic area. Tourists can stay at the luxury hotels situated inside the scenic area. Shortly after entering the scenic area i was greeted by the beautiful architecture of the Muxin museum.I decided to skip the free boat ride around the scenic area because the waiting time was 2 hours. The canals in the water town are much broader compared to the east section and the stone bridges are larger. Architecture of each stone bridges are unique and it was a popular spot among tourists to take some nice photos. The scenic area also features a Pagoda, Chinese restaurants and bars. I would recommend everyone to not miss the night time scenery of the scenic area. The positioning of lights on the bridges, Pagodas and the houses were perfect and the entire scenic area was looking incredible at night. The scenic area also features number of shops which sell handicrafts, artifacts and local snacks. Most of the old buildings are occupied by shops and local people don’t live inside this section of the scenic area. I spent around 4 hours at the scenic area and it was not overcrowded. The walkways are very narrow at some parts of the scenic area. The stone bridges were overcrowded because you get best view of the surroundings from the top of the stone bridge and lot of people queue up in order to take perfect Instagram selfies. Local authorities have done brilliant work in preserving the ancient town and at the same time developing it into a great tourist attraction. I would strongly recommend everyone to visit a water town if you are coming to Shanghai, Hangzhou or Suzhou.
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