Two gardens a day, both at opening — five in a day is a mistake

Suzhou's gardens are small and made for slow looking. Visiting five turns them into a corridor of rockeries you cannot tell apart.

Pick two, arrive when the gates open, and give each an hour. The Humble Administrator's Garden uses timed tickets that sell out at weekends, so book it ahead and take the first slot; the Master of the Nets is tiny, exquisite, and better in the late afternoon. Spend the rest of the day on the canals.