Photo/China Daily

If you go

From Shanghai: Take Shanghai subway line 11 to Jiadingbei stop, get out and take the Jiakuai line bus to Taicang. There is also a shuttle bus that leaves every 15 minutes from Taicang bus station for Shaxi town. From Taicang, you can also take Bus numbers 204, 205, 206, 113 or 210 to Shaxi town. The town is 50 km southwest of Shanghai's Hongqiao airport and is therefore reachable with a 200 yuan, 30-minute taxi ride from the airport.

From Suzhou: The Suzhou North Bus Stop is next to Suzhou Railway Station. A shuttle bus between Suzhou and Taicang leaves the bus station every 15 minutes. From Taicang bus station, there is also a shuttle bus that leaves every 15 minutes. From Taicang, you can also take Bus No 204, 205, 206, 113 or 210 to Shaxi town. It takes about 200 yuan to ride a taxi from Suzhou to Taicang, or to Shaxi.

You don't have to buy tickets to enter the old town. But the museums in the town charge tickets.