Wuzhen Water Town
Wuzhen, Tongxiang, CHN
The architecture, infrastructure, and way of life in Wuzhen, one of the six famous ancient water towns south of the Yangtze River, hasn’t changed much over the centuries. Traditional houses, shops, and markets built along canals crossed by ancient bridges make the atmospheric town feel like a living history museum.
There’s plenty to see and do on a visit to Wuzhen Water Town, and it’s best enjoyed as a full day tour. A trip will typically include a ride on a traditional wooden boat, plus a visit to East Street, where many of the town’s attractions are based, such as the Hundred Bed Museum, the Sanbai Wine Workshop, and the Hongyuan Thai dye house. For visitors staying in nearby Hangzhou, evening tours to Wuzhen showcase the water town at its most atmospheric, when its ancient alleys and canals are illuminated in a warm glow.
- Wuzhen is one of the most scenic and accessible water towns on the Grand Canal.
- It takes about two hours to reach Wuzhen from Shanghai, depending on traffic.
- Day trips typically last upwards of eight hours.
The easiest way to reach Wuzhen is on a guided day trip from Shanghai or Hangzhou. If you’re visiting independently, take the bullet train from Shanghai Hongqiao to Tongxiang, then take a taxi.
The best time to visit Wuzhen is between March and May, when the weather is cool and crowds thinner. Avoid visiting on Chinese national holidays, when the town is exceptionally busy with domestic tourists. If you don’t mind bundling up, winter is also a good time to visit.
If you have time during your trip to Wuzhen, be sure to take in a shadow puppetry show, a traditional art form where performers project shadows of handmade figures on a screen to tell stories from Chinese folklore.
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