Suzhou and Zhouzhuang

If Shanghai's ultramodern skyline has you pining for the China of old kung fu movies, a day trip or weekend in Suzhou or Zhouzhuang might be in order. Both described individually as 'the Venice of China,' the two cities' lantern-lined canals and traditional architecture make them quite photogenic and well worth a visit.

Zhouzhuang, the oldest of China's water villages, sits about a 90-minute bus ride from Shanghai halfway between Shanghai and Suzhou. The village is surrounded by lakes on four sides with canals flowing beneath stone bridges and between the Ming and Qing Dynasty houses lining either side. Stay the night at one of the private guesthouses along the river and you'll have the streets and canals to yourself when you wake before the tour buses roll in.

Much larger Suzhou, the City of Gardens, sits 50 miles (81 kilometers) northwest of Shanghai. While the canals and traditional architecture here are every bit as picturesque as in Zhouzhuang, the classical Chinese gardens are the stars, earning a spot on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Suzhou's oldest gardens date back as early as the sixth century, but most hail from the Ming and Qing Dynasty periods during the sixteenth to eighteenth centuries.