I work in Suzhou and I have no hesitation in saying that it’s an awesome city. One of the advantages of living in Suzhou is its geographical proximity to so many cool travel destinations, such as Shanghai, Wuxi, etc. In fact, I visited Wuxi city in February, 2018. It was my solo trip to the 11th Chinese city. Not to mention, it was yet another memorable trip in China. In this post (Wuxi Travel Review – Part 1), I’ll share some of the general observations about this beautiful city. In the Wuxi review Part 2, I’ll tell you more about the top things to do in Wuxi.
Where is Wuxi?
Well, Wuxi is located in Jiangsu province of China. As mentioned earlier, Wuxi city is located very close to Shanghai, Suzhou, Nanjing, etc. As such, Wuxi is located almost midway between Nanjing and Shanghai.
What does “Wuxi” mean?
Well, at one point of time Wuxi (无锡, Wúxī) used to be famous for tin deposits. However, as time passed, the tin deposits kept depleting. Then there came a time when virtually no tin was left in Wuxi. Soon, Wuxi became devoid of tin production. In fact, 无 (Wú) means “no”, and 锡 (xī) mean “tin”. So “Wuxi” literally means a “no-tin city”. 🙂
Shanghai to Wuxi train station (and Wuxi to Shanghai)
There are so many high and slow speed trains between the Wuxi Train Station and Shanghai. In fact, trains that originate from Shanghai and goes to Nanjing, would pass via Suzhou, and then Wuxi. Similarly, a train from Nanjing to Shanghai would pass through Wuxi, and then Suzhou.
A journey from Nanjing to Shanghai takes roughly 1 hour (by a high speed train). The train fare varies based on the train types. I travelled from Suzhou Station to Wuxi Train Station by a high-speed train and the one-way fare was RMB 19.5 (approximately US $3).
Wuxi, china hotels
Don’t worry about finding an accommodation in Wuxi. There are plenty of hotels and hostels available in Wuxi city- you’d just need to search in Booking.com. Moreover, you can make hotel bill payments using international credit cards. I paid my bills using Alipay.
Wuxi bus and Subway
There are two subway lines operating in Wuxi. You can buy a subway card for RMB 40, and you’ll need to top it up for further usage.
The subway fares vary, however, for RMB 5 you can virtually travel one-way between any two stations. Moreover, there are so many buses running in Wuxi city and the same subway card can be used to pay the bus fares. In fact, the bus fares are fixed at RMB 1.2 if you pay by the card, RMB 2 otherwise.
Wuxi city weather
The February weather in Wuxi was very awesome. The midday temperature hovered around 10’C and I loved walking in the city without ever feeling tired.
Wuxi food
Like any other Chinese city, there are lots of delicious food options available in Wuxi. There are also 24 hour open convenience stores such as Family Mart, 7/11, etc.
The city also has a couple of night markets that you shouldn’t give a miss. My recommendation would be to visit night markets located near Nanchan Temple (无锡南禅寺, wú xī nán chán sì) and Chong’an Temple Night Market Street Vendors (崇安寺市场夜排挡, Chóng ānsì shìchǎng yè páidǎng). As such, you shouldn’t worry about finding food in China, they’re omnipresent- day or night! 🙂
Wuxi apptec & wuxi pharmatech
You should know that Wuxi also pioneers in the field of pharmaceuticals. It hosts a branch of prestigious WuXi AppTec, a leading global pharmaceutical company.
Parks and Gardens, and islands
No matter what your travelling taste looks like, I suppose Wuxi has got something in store for you. For example, you can visit beautiful islands, such as Yuantouzhu (鼋头渚, Yuán tóu zhǔ), or the temples, museums, night markets, etc.
Locals in general are very friendly in Wuxi. So if you don’t know the directions or somewhere feel like lost, don’t hesitate to approach the locals for help, you wouldn’t be disappointed.
Language problems in Wuxi, Jiangsu, China
Now I’m quite okay about navigating and managing basic life processes in China. As such, I didn’t face much language issues in Wuxi and never got lost. Nevertheless, if you are concerned about language in Wuxi, I’d recommend you to go through the Chinese Learning Course.
Love hotels/hostels in Wuxi
Well, Wuxi seems to have a good number of love hotel/hostels. This was the first time for me to see the love hotels in China. As you may know, they charge you on hourly basis. This could be particularly suitable for the couples who otherwise stay in the shared dorms and need some private space for a shorter duration. For example, Starway Hotel in Wuxi could offer you a private room only for RMB 49 for 3hrs. That’s indeed a quite affordable price. I will show you a photo that I clicked in Wuxi to know the pricing details.
top things to do in Wuxi
There are so many top things to do in Wuxi. In any case, I’d recommend you including Qingming Bridge (清名桥, qīng míng qiáo), China Clay Figurine Museum (無錫中國泥人博物館, Wú xī zhōng guó ní rén bó wù guǎn), Donglin Academy (东林书院, Dōng lín shū yuàn), Xihui Park (锡惠公园, Yáng huì gōng yuán), etc. in your itinerary. I’ll share more details along with the photos in the next post about the things to do in Wuxi (Wuxi Travel Review – Part 2).
How much time is enough for Wuxi?
Wuxi is a city with nearly three thousand years of socio-cultural history.
As such, there is simply too much to see in Wuxi. I think you can easily spend 3-4 days wandering over here and it’s going to be absolutely worth it.
That’s all in Wuxi City Travel Review – Part 1. Do check out Wuxi review part – 2 as well.
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Happy traveling in Wuxi city, China.
Cheers!
Last updated: Friday, April 20, 2018