Suzhou.

Student life gathers around the two lakes of the Suzhou Industrial Park. Dushu Lake, ringed by campuses including Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University, is the student heartland, while Jinji Lake's promenades and restaurants are the mainstream night out. For something quieter and more local, Pingjiang Road's canal-side teahouses still host traditional storytelling and ballad singing performances, a world away from a normal evening out. Suzhou is calmer than the surrounding megacities, so plenty of exchange students treat Shanghai, less than half an hour away, as the go-to for a bigger night.

• Base your social life around Dushu Lake, ringed by universities including XJTLU.
• Head to Jinji Lake's promenades and restaurants for the mainstream night out.
• Catch a traditional storytelling performance in a Pingjiang Road teahouse for something different.

Suzhou runs noticeably cheaper than Shanghai while staying prosperous. A lunch at an inexpensive restaurant costs around 4 dollars, and a cheap one bedroom flat away from the centre runs roughly 170 dollars a month, though the Industrial Park around the lakes costs more. Total living costs for one person, rent included, average close to 800 dollars a month. Metro fares are distance based, from 2 yuan for a short trip up to a maximum of 8 yuan, and mobile payments cover nearly everything, so set up Alipay or WeChat Pay before you arrive.

• Expect a cheap flat outside the centre for around 170 dollars a month.
• Budget close to 800 dollars a month in total, rent included.
• Set up Alipay or WeChat Pay before arrival, since cash is rarely used.

Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University and Soochow University dorms are the simplest starting point, and applying through your host university's office secures a room before term starts. If you go private, the Suzhou Industrial Park around Dushu Lake and Jinji Lake is the most popular area, prized for its schools and lakefront parks, so rents there run higher than elsewhere in the city. Platforms such as Lianjia and Ziroom list flats, though almost all listings are in Chinese, so bring a Chinese speaking friend or agent to view before you commit to anything.

• Ask your host institution, XJTLU or Soochow University, about dorm options well before term.
• Expect higher rents around Dushu Lake and Jinji Lake than elsewhere in the city.
• Bring Chinese speaking help to view private flats, since listings are rarely in English.

The Suzhou Metro covers the city well, nine lines and more than 340 kilometres of track across 277 stations, linking the old town, the Industrial Park and the university campuses around Dushu Lake. Fares are distance based, starting at 2 yuan for trips under 6 kilometres and capped at a maximum of 8 yuan for the longest journeys, with a 5 percent discount if you pay by Suzhou Tong card rather than single tickets. The flat old town is also easy to cross by bike or on foot once you know the canal-side lanes.

• Load a Suzhou Tong card for a 5 percent discount on every metro trip.
• Fares run from 2 yuan up to a capped maximum of 8 yuan.
• Cycle or walk the flat old town rather than relying only on the metro.

Suzhou combines a historic Chinese university with a major English-taught joint venture, giving exchange students real choice. Soochow University, founded in 1900 and ranked among the world's top 150 research universities, keeps a classical campus with a long research tradition. Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University, a partnership between Xi'an Jiaotong University and the University of Liverpool, teaches close to 26,000 students mostly in English and awards dual degrees recognised by both China's Ministry of Education and the University of Liverpool. Its main campus sits inside the Suzhou Industrial Park, close to the international companies that recruit from it.

• Soochow University, founded in 1900, ranks among the world's top 150 research universities.
• XJTLU teaches close to 26,000 students mostly in English and awards dual degrees.
• XJTLU's campus sits inside the Industrial Park, close to international employers.

For a full semester you need an X1 student visa; anything under 180 days uses the X2. Your host university sends an admission letter plus a JW201 or JW202 form, and you take both to a Chinese embassy or visa centre back home. Requirements and fees swing a lot by nationality, so check your own local embassy rather than trusting a mate from another country.

The bit people forget: an X1 visa only gets you in the door. Within 30 days of landing you must convert it into a residence permit at the local Public Security Bureau (Entry-Exit office), which means a health check and passport photos. Miss the deadline and the fines are real.

• X1 visa, stays over 180 days, needs JW202 + admission letter
• Residence permit, apply within 30 days at the local PSB
• Medical exam, required for the permit, budget €50–80
• Rules vary by nationality, always check your own embassy

Suzhou cooking is gentler and sweeter than the rest of Jiangsu province, built around careful ingredient selection and soup-based flavour rather than heavy spice. The finest Biluochun green tea, grown in the hills above nearby Lake Tai, is worth trying in a proper garden teahouse. For an evening out, Pingjiang Road's canal-side teahouses still stage traditional storytelling and ballad singing, a slower, more local alternative to a normal bar night. The old town rewards slow wandering rather than a checklist, so leave time to sit by a canal rather than rushing between sights.

• Try Biluochun green tea, grown in the hills above nearby Lake Tai.
• Catch a teahouse storytelling performance on Pingjiang Road for something local.
• Leave time to sit by a canal instead of rushing between sights.

The old town of Gusu, the modern Industrial Park and the residential New District each feel like a different city. Gusu keeps the canals, the classical gardens and the traditional street grid, and is the most atmospheric place to be based. The Suzhou Industrial Park, planned with Singapore around Jinji and Dushu lakes, is the international, corporate side of town, with the best schools and the lakefront parks. The Suzhou New District, to the west, is more industrial and residential, and generally the least central choice for a student.

• Choose Gusu, the old town, for canals, gardens and the most atmosphere.
• Pick the Industrial Park around Jinji or Dushu Lake for a modern, international base.
• Expect the New District to the west to feel more residential and less central.

Suzhou sits at the centre of the classic water town day trips. Zhouzhuang, about 30 kilometres away, is the most famous and most visited, with canals and courtyards dating back centuries. Tongli, reachable by Metro Line 4 or a half hour bus, keeps 55 bridges and a UNESCO-listed garden with fewer crowds. To the west, Lake Tai, China's third largest freshwater lake, borders neighbouring Wuxi and offers open water, islands and hills for a change of pace from canal towns. Shanghai and Nanjing are both within about an hour by high-speed rail for a bigger city fix.

• Visit Zhouzhuang, about 30 kilometres away, for the classic water town scene.
• Take Metro Line 4 to Tongli for 55 bridges and a quieter atmosphere.
• Head west to Lake Tai, China's third largest freshwater lake, for open water and hills.

Suzhou is calm and lovely, so most of the prep is the same as anywhere in China plus a little patience with the pace. Google, Wikipedia and most foreign apps are blocked, so set up a VPN before you fly rather than after landing. Visit the Humble Administrator's Garden and the other classical gardens right at opening time, since tour groups fill them fast later in the day. Set up Alipay or WeChat Pay immediately, since cash is barely used, and treat Shanghai, less than half an hour away, as your outlet for a louder night out.

• Install a VPN before arrival, since Google and Wikipedia are blocked locally.
• Visit the classical gardens right at opening time to beat the tour groups.
• Treat nearby Shanghai as your louder weekend when Suzhou feels too quiet.