Suzhou/Hangzhou Tour Groups? AVOID! (Seriously, Just Don't.)
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Oh, what a reckless move! In the middle of the night, browsing Douyin (a Chinese mobile video-sharing app similar to TikTok), I impulsively signed up for a guided two-and-a-half-day tour of Hangzhou and Suzhou. The results, however… let me slowly tell you!
Planning an organized tour to Hangzhou and Suzhou? Share my bitter experience and give you some advice!
**Day 1: Tricked from the very beginning at Wuzhen 'free walk'
- Around 2 pm, we gathered at Hangzhou East Railway Station (a major train station) without any place to sit and in sweltering heat.
- Warning! We were immediately required to purchase a travel insurance policy for 60 CNY per person, with a coverage amount of only 100 thousand RMB (frankly, this coverage is pretty low). We were told that it was a mandatory regulation of Hangzhou, and must be purchased on-site. (I sensed something dodgy right then!)
- After that, we were driven to Wuzhen, a famous water town known for its numerous rivers and small bridges, somewhat like the "Venice of China" if you didn't know.
- On our way there, the guide began his performance: boasting about his achievements, saying he had escorted Ma Yun (founder of Alibaba, the large e-commerce company) and high-ranking officials. We were so fortunate for even meeting him, and that he was working despite fever, for which we were 'taking advantage' even though he didn't make any money from this trip.
- We ate dinner at four o'clock in the afternoon! The food was terrible... There were nine people per table, with dishes like stir-fried Chinese cabbage, Napa cabbage, broccoli, steamed tofu, a bland steamed fish, a half piece of dry roasted duck, a small plate of frozen egg dumplings, and cucumber salads. The taste was so bad that I don't even want to talk about them. (Friendly tip: don't expect good meals from such tours, just prepare yourself to buy your own food somewhere else.)
- After dinner at five o'clock, the guide dropped us off at Wuzhen scenic spot entrance and disappeared after saying "everyone can do as they please, just get back to the hotel themselves."
**Day 2: A cursory look at Nanxun, and the 'forced freedom' in Xitang
- At seven o'clock in the morning, we ate a breakfast worse than pig food (an idiom describing truly awful taste), departing from the hotel at half past seven to the scenic town of Nanxun, which is another well-known water town.
- On our way to Nanxun, the guide announced the planned shopping visit for Day 3, which had been mentioned in the contract.
- In the morning, we visited a few old houses in Nanxun. Again, the same terrible food of Day 1. The lunch was utterly disgusting.
- Midday when it was scorching hot, the guide led us to Fuyan temple. He began to strongly emphasize the benefits of the "Píxiū" and jade to prepare us for the shopping destination in Day 3. Píxiū is a mythical creature believed to bring good luck and wealth according to Chinese folklore, mostly seen as decorative articles made from jade.
- We arrived in Huzhou's ancient town of Xitang at five o'clock in the afternoon (still a water town!). He sent us directly to the hotel but disappeared again after giving some instructions at random. (By the way, there's no entrance fee in late afternoon at Xitang, so the travel agency saved money this way.)
**Day 3: Torturous shopping marathon, a fleeting gaze at West Lake
- At 7:30 in the morning, we were directly escorted to a place named "Yupin Jiangfang," probably selling arts and crafts or jewelry, special in jade sales with no seat to sit.
- Key alert! Forced buying warning!
- I went out midway to fetch something on the bus, and the guide immediately called me back harshly, asking me to return to admire precious jades and ordered us to stay for at least 90 minutes! There was a lot of sales pitch aimed at making old people buy those high-priced jade items.
- As soon as we left, we were immediately dragged to a silk quilt factory. There were long propaganda-like pitches about the product, forbidding us from leaving. There were silk quilts priced at 3 thousand, 7 thousand, or even 10 thousand RMB!
- Warning! Limited person freedom alert!
- Because we didn't buy anything, plus how hot and exhausted we were, my female companion and I wanted to go back to the bus to wait. But the guide was adamantly refusing and said we must stay seated inside and couldn't leave until 90 minutes had passed. Some of us argued with him fiercely, and he even threatened us of not complying with China's Tourism Law (《旅游法》), and would bear the consequences.
- Eventually, after hours of arguments, the guide let us go back to the bus but… refused to turn on the air conditioning! It was already one o'clock in the afternoon, at the peak of summer! We could do nothing but spend those 90 minutes in the sweltering silk factory.
- Next, we were hurriedly led to a place called "Chá Wù," which supposedly sells tea products. We were subjected to a 90-minute lecture on tea polyphenols (bioactive compounds in tea) and some health-related claims, with tea prices ranging from 600 CNY. Those who didn't buy the product were forced towait there and couldn't leave.
- One family couldn't tolerate all these shenanigans and just walked away from the tour straight away.
- Finally, after going through all the shopping spots, we reached Hangzhou's most known scenic spot of West Lake by 5:30 pm. We hastily sat on a cruise for over 20 minutes and then… ended the day. What a ridiculous journey I had!
My major complaints (warnings for all of you):
- On guides: They tend to make moral blackmail by saying they don't make any money from their work or that they escort us despite being sick without consideration for passenger safety. (Sigh, please stop this kind of manipulation.)
- On itinerary planning and meals: They stated that each person got a budget of 30 CNY per day for breakfast and lunch contractually but provided meals not even worth 10 CNY! According to Douyin, it included only two shopping spots with up to 2.5 hours altogether. Actually? We endured more than three shops, excluding traveling time. Over 4.5 hours were spent inside those shops!
- On booking platform: After paying the money, that Douyin customer service representative ignored me completely. If I wanted to ask for help, forget it.
To sum up, if you wish to visit Hangzhou and Suzhou, which are popular tourist destinations, I genuinely recommend you to choose independent travel or seek a reputable licensed travel agency with good reputation. Be super careful about cheap tours on Douyin! Hope my story can help you all!
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You're calling this a Hangzhou tour, but it seems like most of the places you visited aren't even in Hangzhou. Sounds like you got tricked by a shady travel agency. Which one was it? You should expose their contract!
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I signed up with Shanghai Dakang International Travel Co., Ltd. The thing is, many of these tour companies operate out of Hangzhou station for Suzhou-Hangzhou trips, starting and ending in Hangzhou. That's why these tours pop up when people search for 'Hangzhou.' I mentioned Hangzhou specifically to warn everyone and help them avoid this kind of trap.
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Which agency was it? Did you find them on Xiaohongshu (Little Red Book)?
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Yes, I did. I'm on day two of the tour now.
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Just got off a 20-minute boat ride on West Lake. I'm so upset. It was the part I was most looking forward to, and we didn't even get a full hour there. It's infuriating! What a painful lesson.
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Exactly! I'm furious.
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It's exactly the same experience for me, right down to those awful egg dumplings that taste like pig slop... Tomorrow is the third day of shopping stops. This afternoon, he spent the whole ride giving us a brainwashing lecture, claiming it's not mandatory to buy, but constantly hinting we should buy 'just a little something.'
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I'm speechless. Whatever you do, don't buy anything. There aren't even any chairs in the jade shop; they make you stand for a solid 90 minutes.
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Hi, can anyone help? I bought a 'peace pendant' (Píng'ān kòu) at a shop called 'Yupin Jiangfang' today. I had an online appraiser look at it, and they said it's basically worthless. How can I get a refund now?
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You can call the 12345 consumer hotline. You should be able to return it within 30 days.
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How much was the three-day tour? These types of tours are often just rip-offs.