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Putuo Shan is an island located some 200 km south east of Shanghai. Though the island is relatively small (only 12.5 km²) it has much to offer to easily keep you busy 2-3 days which makes it the perfect weekend getaway from the hustle and bustle of the big city.

Getting there

There are several ways to get to the island. The most traditional one is certainly by boat. If you don’t have much time you can also fly. However we decide to take the night ferry which leaves in Shanghai in the evening and arrives in the morning. Getting your hands on tickets is not so easy. The tickets go on sale 3 days prior to the departure day at 7 am. So you need to be quick as tickets are sold out within a few hours, especially the 1^st and 2^nd class tickets. We only could get 2^nd class which is a 4 bunk cabin with shared bathroom for 205 RMB per person (255 if you have to buy from the street vendors). First class is 2 bunk cabins. The lower classes are not advisable to take (as some friends told me) as they are pretty dirty and you have to share with 8, 10 or 12 people. Anyway don’t have illusions; also 2^nd class is not very nice. On top there is no restaurant or shops on the ship so bring some “Fangbian Mian” for dinner. The ship leaves at 20h at the Wusong Pier which is north of downtown at the Huangpu (near where it unites with the Yangzi River) and arrives in Putuo Shan around 7h the next morning. The easiest way is taking a taxi (about 80 RMB) from downtown which takes approx. 1h. If you find any information which says the ferry leaves from Shiliupu Pier, then this information is outdated. The departure place has been changed a few months back.

For the return trip we opted for the speed ferry which takes 4h back to Shanghai. It is advisable to buy the return tickets at the same time otherwise you might get stuck on the island if tickets are sold out. If you buy return tickets in Shanghai you get a receipt and then you need to pick up the actual tickets in Putuo Shan close to the ferry station. The last speed ferry leaves Putuo Shan at 13h and arrives in Shanghai around 17h. When you buy tickets for the speed ferry you can book with bus transfer back to the city (Nanpu Bridge). Plan another 1.5h for the bus ride as the ferry arrives at the southern tip of Pudong (Nanhui).

All tickets you can buy at  a ticket office at the Bund, right next to the “I love Shanghai”.

You can take the slow and the speed ferry in any combination but we think this is the best because you can start right after work, and you have the full next day, while with the speed ferry you arrive around 14h. On the way back you can take the overnight ferry which leaves in the evening but if you don’t have another day off, then you need to go right to work after arriving at 6h in Shanghai.

The third alternative is flying from Hongqiao (SHA) to Zhoushan (HSN). There is an early flight in the morning at 7h and sometimes you can catch a flight back around 22:40h. If you are lucky you can get a discount and pay around 400 RMB. Regular price is 550 RMB.

Staying there

View from outside our Hotel

There are several hotels on the island. All have one in common: they are all way overpriced for the value you get. The best hotel is the Putuoshan Hotel (4 Stars) but you pay up to 800 RMB for a standard room. We went for the Citic Hotel(中信普陀大酒店)which is 3 stars and cost 580 on weekends and 460 during the week. The hotel was clean and quite ok but as I said totally overpriced. Check some of the websites below for hotel info.

What to do

In Putuo Shan you can basically do 3 things: Hiking, Praying and Sunbathing. The island offers perfect spots for all 3 activities:

Basically the whole island is good for hiking. The island is basically a mountain that rises 300m from the ocean and is coved my tranquil forests. You can hike once around the whole island in a day. One spot I particularly liked is Shancai Road. This part of the island is a little secluded and not so overrun buy tourists and pilgrims. On the eastern peninsula you can also visit two caves, Fanyin Dong and Shancai Dong. The trail takes you by both places.

No matter if you are into Buddhism or you just like to visit beautiful Chinese temples you are in the right spot. The island is packed with Temples. The three most important ones are Puji Temple, Fayu Temple and Huiji Temple. You best visit these temples in this order as this is the route for pilgrimage. On the way you can see true believers who get on their knees every 3 steps and pray. The temples are all very old and beautiful, each in its own way.

The island also offers great places for sun and sea lovers. Long sandy beaches, clean water and a light breeze from the ocean are perfect to relax after some temple spotting. Basically all beaches are rather clean, which goes for the whole island by the way; I have never seen such a neat and well cared for place in . However the only beach where swimming is allowed is the "Hundred-Step Beach". You have to pay 25 RMB to get in but for this you get some great beach fun.

General tips

Here I would like to point out some practical tips to take into account before and during the trip:

• Bring some “fangbian mian” (Instant Noodles) as there is no food on the ship and also decent restaurants are scarce on the island
• During summer make sure to bring some sun block and bug repellent
• Make planning for the trip at least a week ahead since boat tickets and hotels are often booked out days before. Book a hotel at least one week in advance, you can still cancel if you are not going
• Check the weather forecast frequently as the weather can change quickly
• Make sure to bring some cache as there are not too many ATMs on the island. However big hotels take credit cards
• If you want to take the mini busses you should go to the stops at the pier or at major sights where many people get off. Then you have a chance to get a space. Otherwise the busses will just pass with out stopping.

Links

Hotels: http://english.ctrip.com/Destinations/DistrictHotelIndex.asp?District=16
Hotels: http://www.putuoshan-hotels.com/en/introduce.html
Travel guide: http://www.travelchinaguide.com/attraction/zhejiang/hangzhou/mt-putuoshan.htm
Weather forecast: http://weather.tq121.com.cn/detail.php?city=%D6%DB%C9%BD
Official Website: http://www.putuoshan.net/english.html
Travel guide: http://www.smartshanghai.com/out-of-town/putuoshan
Zhoushan Website: http://en.3011000.com/
Flights: http://www.elong.net/flights/

This entry was posted on Saturday, August 11th, 2007 at 12:34 and is filed under China, Travel. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.