I'll second the morning market timing, but here's a tip nobody mentioned yet: bring your own container or bag. A lot of the vendors, especially the older ladies selling pickled vegetables and fresh tofu, will give you a small discount or throw in extra if you're not taking their plastic bags. Saved me a few yuan and felt better than the tourist crowd juggling disposable stuff.

Also, if you're into the tea scene, skip the fancy tea houses for one afternoon and hit the wholesale tea market on the east side of town, near the river. It's mostly bulk sellers but a

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the guide's spot on about the taro and pork belly casserole, but honestly the real move is asking for it with extra taro. they'll usually oblige and the taro soaks up all that pork fat way better than the meat does. also, if you're near the East Gate stinky tofu stall, grab the fried dough sticks from the guy two carts down, he does them with a sweet soy glaze that cuts through the chili oil perfectly.

for the tea house on West Street, sit in the back courtyard if it's open. there's a little stone table under a persimmon tree and the owner will sometimes bring out last year's aged white tea if you chat with him a bit. costs the same as the regular pot but tastes completely different, deeper and almost honeyed. also, skip the sesame brittle, the pickled radish is the real star there.

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honestly the guide nailed it with the Songyang Flavor Restaurant, but if you're there around lunchtime ask for the "jiaochang" (fried rice cakes). they're a local staple you won't see on most tourist menus, chewy and smoky from the wok, and the owner's mom usually makes them fresh in the back. also, skip the osmanthus cake near the old theater, it's fine but the one from the lady with the blue cart on Qinglong Street, about 50 meters past the noodle shops, is way better and she'll throw in extra syrup if you smile.

one thing the guide missed: the morning market at Songyin Square is great but go before 8 AM, by 8:30 the good stuff is gone and it's mostly tourists taking photos of the same three piles of greens. grab a bowl of "douhua" (tofu pudding) from the stall closest to the south exit, it's 5 RMB and they top it with pickled mustard and chili oil, perfect with the white tea you'll want to warm up with after.

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these replies already cover the good stuff, so let me add something for the food nerds. the soup dumplings at mama's kitchen are fine but the real move is grabbing a bowl of "xianrou" (the cured pork and rice cake soup) from the stall two doors down, only open before 10 am. it's a breakfast thing locals swear by, smoky and hearty, and it'll set u back like 8 rmb. the old ladies running it don't speak mandarin well but they'll just point u to a stool and hand u a spoon.

also for day 3, skip the pinewood park if it's drizzling, the paths turn to mud and the mosquitoes come out something fierce. instead walk the river embankment east of the night market, there's a stretch of old camphor trees where fishermen set up in the afternoon. u can watch them pull up tiny silver fish and sometimes they'll sell u a handful for a couple yuan to cook at ur guesthouse. way more memorable than another park bench.

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honestly the day 1 plan is great but you're missing the best part of the old town, the side alleys. the main street is fine but if u duck into any lane between the Confucian Temple and the river, you'll find these tiny courtyards where old ladies dry persimmons on bamboo racks. no signs, no entry fee, just knock-friendly vibes if u smile. one of them offered me tea and showed me her great-grandfather's woodblock prints. peak songyang right there.

for the countryside, skip the daji loop if it's rained recently. the path gets slick clay and i saw a guy wipe out hard last year. instead take the lower trail that follows the irrigation channel, it's flatter and ends at a little waterfall the locals call "the dragon's tail." about the same distance but way better when ur not sliding around.

also the high-speed rail station tip is right but add 15 minutes if ur traveling with luggage. the escalators were down when i went in march and everyone was hauling bags up the stairs. one hour buffer is the minimum, trust me.

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This guide is spot on for the old town, but I'd swap the Confucian Temple ticket for a walk up to the Yanqing Temple Pagoda instead. It's about a 15 minute climb from Old Street, the tower itself is a Song dynasty relic, and the view over the black-tiled roofs at golden hour is the best photo you'll get in Songyang without paying admission. The temple grounds are free to wander, you just can't go inside the pagoda.

For the night market, don't fill up on the first skewer stall you see. The vendors nearer the bridge end have been there longer and the rice wine there is brewed in smaller batches, it's noticeably sweeter and has a proper kick. Grab a seat on the low stools by the water and watch the older folks playing chess, that's the real show.

One thing I'd add for day three: check if the county calligraphy association is running a demo at the museum annex. They do most Saturday mornings, and watching a master do the brush strokes on rice paper is worth rearranging your stroll through Pinewood Park for. The pieces they sell afterward are genuine, not the tourist prints you'll see elsewhere.

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