Hong Qiao airport bus to Suzhou

My family will be trying to get from Hongqiao to Changshu in March.

It seems there might be buses driving from the airport (in parking lot 2?) departing once per hour for Suzhou. From there, it seems we could hire a taxi to drive to the hotel in Changshu.

Does anyone know

-is there space on/under the bus for luggage? We would have 2 22'; suitcases and a duffle bag. (And some small knapsacks that could rest on our laps.)

-where do you buy the tickets for the bus?

We thought about hiring a car and driver, but we do not know which agency to use. There are some websites, like

http://www.shanghaicarservice.net/rates.htm

but I don%26#39;t know how reliable they are.

Any ideas are welcome.

Hong Qiao airport bus to Suzhou

Hi Betcrooks,

There was this thread the other day about car/driver hire

tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g308272-i2804-k259鈥?/a>

I posted an option but CuteMinMin posted a better one;)

Hong Qiao airport bus to Suzhou

There is a bus and yes, you could use it. But considering that you then only arrive in Suzhou and still need to find a taxi there bringing you to Changshu (which is still a bit of a distance from Suzhou) you would be better off to hire a driver and a Buick Van (6 seater) picking you up at the airport and drive you and your family there. Surely you could save some RMB by taking bus/taxi but even me living here would not do it as it is just too inconvenient.

There are two Chinese ladies in this forum which are very well connected and you might want to contact them directly.

Thank you both! Great advice!

There%26#39;re actually buses direct from Hongqiao airport to Changshu. I think my schedule is from late 2007, but the fares and schedules shouldn%26#39;t have changed too much.

Departures at 1000, 1145, 1300, 1430, 1545, 1745 and 1930. Fare is 65 RMB/pax, journey time 2 hours.

If you need a direct airport transfer to Changshu, I have a good regular driver who might be able to help you out. Just yesterday he drove another TravelChinaGuide traveller to Sanmen in Zhejiang province (5 hours!) and the traveller was really pleased with it. :) (Note that I%26#39;m NOT a tour agent looking for business!)

Thanks and sorry for the delay responding.

I think we%26#39;ll try for the bus, as we may be meeting with friends at the airport and that would make it confusing to pick a time to meet a driver.

thanks again!