Bars in Suzhou

Ligongdi has been one of Suzhou’s best-known nightlife clusters since its Bar Street opened in 2007. For years it was the heart of the city’s international nightlife, with Western bars and restaurants packed together and crowds moving from bar to bar or simply hanging out on the street.

After a quieter period, Ligongdi Bar Street is coming back to life. New investment is bringing previously empty units back into use, with new bars and clubs opening and more on the way. It’s one of the best areas in Suzhou for late-night drinking and dancing, and is often where people head after bars elsewhere in the city begin to close. At weekends, some venues keep going until sunrise.

With more new openings on the way, Bar Street looks set to become one of Suzhou’s major nightlife hotspots once again.

At the heart of SIP’s CBD, Xinghai Square and the surrounding area are often considered the centre of Suzhou’s expat universe. The area has been at the heart of Suzhou’s international social scene for more than two decades and is still home to some of the city’s longest-running expat bars and restaurants.

The nightlife extends beyond Xinghai Square into several nearby clusters, including Rainbow Walk and Shihuifang, all within around a 5–10 minute walk of each other.

Between Xinghai Square and Rainbow Walk sit Suzhou Center and the Gate of the Orient, two of modern Suzhou’s most recognisable landmarks. Rainbow Walk sits right on the shore of Jinji Lake, giving its bars and restaurants a very different setting from those around Xinghai Square and Shihuifang. The Gate of the Orient itself is also home to several cocktail bars, many taking advantage of views over the city and lake.

Across the wider cluster you’ll find a good mix of pubs, sports bars and craft beer spots, while Suzhou Center and the surrounding area add a huge choice of international and Chinese restaurants. With so many places within walking distance, it’s one of Suzhou’s easiest areas for combining dinner, drinks and a night out.

Moon Harbour and Times Square form a more relaxed nightlife cluster on the eastern side of Jinji Lake, with a much bigger emphasis on restaurants and sit-down drinks than late-night party bars. The two areas are close enough to explore on foot, with a wide choice of international and Chinese restaurants along the way.

Moon Harbour’s lakeside setting makes it particularly attractive for drinks by the water, while the wider area is also home to several five-star hotels with bars and lounges, including high-floor venues offering impressive views across Jinji Lake and the Suzhou skyline. Drinks here can be on the expensive side, particularly at the lakeside and hotel venues, but the setting and views are a big part of the appeal.

For anyone looking for dinner followed by drinks, a hotel bar, lake views or a more relaxed evening out, Moon Harbour and Times Square offer a very different experience from Suzhou’s more late-night nightlife clusters.

Shiquan Street is one of Suzhou’s oldest nightlife areas and the main walkable nightlife cluster in Gusu Old Town. In the early 2000s, it was virtually the only place to go for nightlife in Suzhou, before new nightlife areas elsewhere in the city gradually began to emerge.

Back then, Shiquan Street had a rather different reputation, with its legitimate bars mixed among some decidedly less conventional establishments. As the area declined, many venues closed, before a major clean-up and redevelopment began to transform the street and surrounding neighbourhood.

In recent years, Shiquan Street and its surrounding alleys have been completely revitalised. Gentrification has turned the area into one of the city’s hippest places for a younger Chinese crowd to eat, drink and hang out. Today you’ll find cocktail bars, craft beer spots and coffee shops, many in small, stylish spaces hidden down alleys and away from the main street. A few echoes of the old Shiquan Street can still be found towards its eastern end.

Exploring is part of the appeal. Some of the most interesting places aren’t immediately obvious, so the area rewards wandering down side streets or knowing where to look. Suzhou Scene can help with the latter, bringing together places you might otherwise never come across.

Elsewhere across Gusu Old Town, you’ll find plenty more bars, cocktail spots and craft beer venues, but they’re spread across a much larger area rather than forming one easily walkable nightlife cluster.