Yue and Andrew standing in the shadow of a carved stone archway in Florence

Save the date

Yue&Andrew

Sunday 28 March 2027

Crowne Plaza Suzhou
Jiangsu, China

Time to be confirmed

The short version

We're getting married in Suzhou

The canal city an hour west of Shanghai, at its best in late March when the magnolia and the cherry blossom are out. Hold the weekend — everything else follows.

The day

Sunday 28 March 2027Timings to be confirmed

The place

Crowne Plaza SuzhouWest bank of Jinji Lake

Your room

Two nights, on us27 & 28 March

Getting to us

About two hoursFrom Shanghai Pudong airport

This page is the save the date. We'd like your answer now rather than in the new year, so please reply as soon as you know — the printed invitation, with the day's timings and your room booking, follows in late 2026.

The three things worth reading in the meantime: how to get here, what you need to enter China, and where you'll be staying.

Guests are coming from a good few countries, and Suzhou is an easy place to add a few days to. If you're travelling this far, come slightly early.

Between now and then

Plan around this

Now
Hold 27–29 March 2027Wherever you're flying from, land a day or two early. It's a long way, and Suzhou is worth seeing awake.
Now
Tell us if you're comingAn early yes or no is worth far more to us than a late, perfect one. Reply here.
Autumn 2026
Check the entry rulesVisa-free entry for several nationalities is only confirmed to the end of 2026. See Visas & entry.
Late 2026
Book flightsLate March is blossom season and fares climb. Fly into Shanghai Pudong (PVG) if you can.
Late 2026
The printed invitation arrivesWith the day's timings and how to book your room. By then we'll already know you're coming.

Getting there

Shanghai to Suzhou,
three ways

Suzhou has no international airport of its own. Almost everyone lands at Shanghai Pudong (PVG), about 130 km away, and covers the last stretch by train, car or coach.

Yue and Andrew walking hand in hand along a terrace above Florence at sunset

Step one

Get to Shanghai

Pudong is one of Asia's main gateways, so wherever you're starting there is usually a direct option or a single connection. Direct flights run from London, Paris, Frankfurt, Amsterdam, Helsinki, Madrid, New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Vancouver, Sydney, Auckland, Singapore, Tokyo, Seoul, Hong Kong and Dubai, among others. From most of Europe that's about eleven to twelve hours; from the US west coast, twelve to thirteen.

Shanghai Hongqiao (SHA) also works and is the closer airport, sitting on top of the railway station — but it takes mostly domestic and regional flights, so it's usually a connection rather than an arrival.

A note on time. China is UTC+8 all year and does not observe daylight saving. For UK guests that means eight hours ahead through most of March, dropping to seven when British Summer Time begins — which in 2027 falls on 28 March, the wedding day itself. Whichever direction you're coming from, give yourself a day on the ground first.

Step two

The last 130 kilometres

All three land within a short taxi ride of the hotel. Prices are per person unless noted, and are guides for 2027.

Fastest

By train

Time: ~2 hrs
Cost: ~¥100

Take the Airport Link Line from Pudong to Shanghai Hongqiao — 40 minutes, every 15 to 20 minutes, and it puts you inside Hongqiao Railway Station without stepping outdoors. From there a high-speed train reaches Suzhou Yuanqu (Suzhou Industrial Park) in 25 to 35 minutes. Yuanqu is the closest station to the hotel, about 8 minutes by taxi.

Worth knowing: fewer trains stop at Yuanqu than at Suzhou's main station, so reserve a seat in advance on Trip.com or the Railway 12306 app. Suzhou main station is a fine alternative — 20 to 25 minutes from the hotel.

Easiest with luggage

By car

Time: 1h40–2h
Cost: ¥450–600

Door to door, no changes, and split three or four ways it stops being expensive. That figure is per car, not per person. Use the official taxi rank at Pudong or pre-book through Trip.com, Klook or Didi — and ignore anyone who approaches you inside the terminal.

Worth knowing: a cross-province run of this length costs more than the ¥300–500 usually quoted online, and more again at night or in Shanghai traffic. Budget ¥600 and be pleasantly surprised.

Simplest, no changes

By coach

Time: 2.5–3 hrs
Cost: ~¥150

Long-distance coaches leave from the bus station on level 2 between Terminals 1 and 2, roughly hourly through the day, and set down at Suzhou Industrial Park station and the north square of Suzhou Railway Station.

Worth knowing: one bag underneath, no queue if you buy on arrival, and the least demanding option after a long flight. But the last departure is around 20:00, so check your landing time first.

Shanghai Metro Line 11 does technically reach Suzhou, and it is very cheap. It also takes three and a half hours with your suitcase on your lap. We would rather you didn't.

Step three

The last mile

From Suzhou Yuanqu (Industrial Park) station the hotel is about 8 minutes by taxi, roughly ¥15–20. From Suzhou Railway Station, 20 to 25 minutes. If you'd rather take the metro, Dongfangzhimen station is on Lines 1 and 3, about five minutes' walk from the hotel door.

Show a driver the Chinese address from the accommodation page. It saves a great deal of pointing.

Before you fly

Two things that catch people out

Paying for things

Cash is rare in China now. Add a Visa or Mastercard to Alipay or WeChat Pay before you leave — both accept foreign cards, and between them they cover taxis, trains, restaurants and street food. Carry a few hundred yuan as a backstop.

Staying online

Google, WhatsApp, Instagram and most Western apps are blocked on Chinese networks. A roaming eSIM bought before you travel is the simplest fix and routes around it. Download offline maps, and set up Didi (it has an English interface) and Trip.com while you're still at home.

Visas & entry

What you need
to get in

For British passports the answer is currently nothing at all — with one asterisk. Other nationalities vary, and there is a section for you below.

British passports

Today, you need no visa

Since 17 February 2026, holders of ordinary British passports can enter mainland China visa-free for up to 30 days for tourism, visiting family and friends, business or transit. No application, no fee, no appointment — you arrive with your passport. The UK sits alongside around 45 other countries in the same scheme.

As announced, the scheme runs until 31 December 2026.

The asterisk

What that means for March 2027

Nobody can promise visa-free entry yet. China has extended this scheme repeatedly — it began as a trial for a handful of European countries and has been widened and rolled forward each time it was due to lapse — so an extension into 2027 looks likely. Likely is not certain.

Check gov.uk's China entry requirements from around October 2026, once the next announcement lands. We'll update this page the moment we know.

If it's extended, you do nothing at all. If it isn't, you'll need a standard L (tourist) visa, applied for through the Chinese Visa Application Service Centre — there are centres in London, Manchester, Edinburgh and Belfast — with an in-person appointment for fingerprints. Allow six to eight weeks rather than two, and start by January 2027 at the latest.

Everyone else

If your passport isn't British

Rules vary a great deal by nationality, so please check your own foreign ministry's advice rather than ours.

Broadly: most EU countries, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea and Singapore sit in similar visa-free arrangements. The United States, Canada and India do not, and will need a tourist visa arranged in advance — start that in January 2027 at the latest, and tell us if you need an invitation letter. We're glad to write one.

If you're transiting onward to a third country, the 240-hour visa-free transit scheme covers around 55 nationalities at Shanghai's airports, provided you hold an onward ticket out of China within ten days.

Whoever you are

Three things to do

Passport
Six months' validity beyond arrivalSix months' validity after you land, plus two blank pages for stamps. If yours expires before autumn 2027, renew it now rather than in March.
On arrival
Fingerprints and a photo at the borderStandard for all adult visitors. Expect a short queue at Pudong.
Within 24 hrs
Register where you're stayingEveryone must register their address with the local Public Security Bureau within 24 hours of arriving. Your hotel does this automatically at check-in — it only becomes your job if you stay privately with friends or family.

The small print

Questions people ask

What isn't covered by visa-free entry?

Paid work, study and journalism all still need a proper visa, whatever the visa-free scheme says. Coming to a wedding counts as a family visit, which is squarely covered.

How long can I stay?

Thirty days per entry under the visa-free scheme, which is far longer than the weekend needs — plenty of room to see Shanghai, Hangzhou or Beijing while you're here.

Is there anything else to bring?

No vaccination certificates are required for arrivals from the UK, Europe or North America. Bring travel insurance that covers China, and a paper copy of your hotel booking — border officials occasionally ask where you're staying.

Source: FCDO travel advice for China, checked August 2026. This page is our best understanding rather than immigration advice — your own government's guidance is the one that counts.

Where you'll stay

Crowne Plaza
Suzhou

The wedding and the hotel are the same place, on the west bank of Jinji Lake. Two nights are on us.

Yue and Andrew walking arm in arm down a narrow sunlit street

The venue

Crowne Plaza Suzhou
168 Xinggang Street
Suzhou, Jiangsu 215027
China

Show this to a driver

苏州中茵皇冠假日酒店
星港街168号
苏州市

Five minutes' walk from Dongfangzhimen metro station (Lines 1 and 3). Around 8 minutes by taxi from Suzhou Yuanqu station, 20 to 25 from Suzhou Railway Station, and 90 minutes to two hours from Shanghai Pudong Airport.

Our gift to you

The two nights we're covering

We're paying for your room on the nights of Saturday 27 and Sunday 28 March 2027. You check in on the Saturday and check out on the Monday morning, with no bill for the room in between.

Sat 27 Mar
Check in — night one, coveredArrive whenever suits you; standard check-in is from mid-afternoon. Come and find us.
Sun 28 Mar
The wedding — night two, coveredTimings still to be confirmed. You won't need to go anywhere: it all happens here.
Mon 29 Mar
Check outUsually late morning, and nothing to settle for the room.

Please don't book yet. Booking instructions come with the invitation, so your two nights are billed to us rather than to you. If you'd like extra nights on either side of the weekend, just tell us and we'll arrange them with the hotel for you.

If you have a free afternoon

While you're here

On the doorstep
Jinji LakeThe hotel looks straight onto it. A walking loop runs around the water, there's a musical fountain in the evenings, and the Ferris wheel on the far bank gives you the whole skyline at once.
20–30 minutes
The classical gardensSuzhou's reason for being famous, and a UNESCO World Heritage site. The Humble Administrator's Garden and the Lingering Garden are both in the old city, and late March is the best time of year to walk them.
Half a day
Pingjiang RoadA canal-side street of tea houses, noodle shops and old timber buildings in the historic centre. If you only get one free afternoon, spend it here.

Us

Thirty seconds
in Florence

Yue and Andrew in the shadow of a carved stone archway

Yue and Andrew walking along a terrace above Florence

Yue and Andrew walking down a narrow sunlit street

Yue and Andrew leaning against a stone column beside a newsstand

Yue and Andrew on a garden bench in evening light

Yue and Andrew walking at golden hour, her red dress trailing behind

RSVP

Please reply
early

Rooms, tables and our own nerves all depend on numbers, and an early yes or no is worth far more to us than a late, perfect one.

Almost there

Your mail app should have opened with this ready to go — press send and you're done. If nothing opened, copy it below and send it to either of us.

[email protected] · [email protected]

Not sure yet? Say so. A “probably, depends on work” today tells us more than silence until January, and you can always change your answer.

If email isn't how you and we normally talk, reply however you usually would. It all reaches the same place.

What happens next

After you reply

Now
You tell us yes, no or probablyThat's all we need at this stage. No decisions about flights or rooms required yet.
Late 2026
The printed invitation arrivesWith the day's timings and instructions for booking your two covered nights. It goes to the people who have replied.
Early 2027
We give the hotel final numbersThe last point at which changes are easy. After that, tell us anyway — we'll sort it.