The Pingjiang Historic District covers the northeast quadrant of the old city, and it is here that the traditional urban landscape of Suzhou — canals, stone bridges, whitewashed walls, and dark-tiled roofs — is best preserved. The grid of streets and waterways dates from the Song dynasty, and while many buildings have been restored rather than original, the scale and rhythm of the neighbourhood feel genuinely old. Walking slowly through the district in the morning, before the tourist activity picks up, is one of the better experiences in Suzhou.
The district contains a concentration of cultural sites: the Suzhou Museum and Humble Administrator's Garden at the north end, the Kunqu Opera Museum, several old temples, and the stone tablet inscribed with the 1229 Map of Pingjiang that documents the city's medieval street plan. The neighbourhood also has the highest density of guesthouses and small hotels in traditional buildings, which makes it the natural base for a stay of more than one night.