The Grand Canal passes directly through Wuzhen, and the town's entire character as a water community grew from its position on this arterial route between northern and southern China. Stone bridges arc over the canal at intervals — some old, some reconstructed — and the view from any of them gives a sense of how the town once functioned as a node in a vast trading network.
Boat tours run along both the main Grand Canal stretch and the narrower internal waterways threading through the residential quarters. The evening boat trip along the canal, when the wooden buildings are reflected in the lit water and the day crowds have thinned, is the most atmospheric way to see the town. The boats are traditional wooden vessels, shallow-drafted, propelled by a single oarsman standing at the stern.