The Huangpu River cruise has a new route – a one-day Chongming Island tour that will set off from Qinhuangdao Road Cruise Dock every Saturday after its first trial run today (Tue 21).
Setting off at 8am, the three-and-a-half-hour journey will take you through the scenery on both sides of the Huangpu River before reaching the Xinhe Cruise Dock on Chongming Island at 11.30am. Local dishes will be provided on board as breakfast.
Photograph: Zhang Kaiyv via Unsplash
After landing on the island, the tour takes visitors on a 20-minute bus ride to Kainong Market for lunch, where they'll get to try some of Chongming’s fresh seasonal bites – think chicken, beans, fish and shrimp.
Activities after lunch depend on the season – in May and June visitors will head to Zihai Luyuan Park to see the lavender and verbena fields, followed by a trip to Dongping National Park; July and August is a trip to the Lotus Expo Park, Qianwei Village and Ruihua Orchard for fruit picking; September and October is Dongping National Park once again, then a stop by Mingzhu Lake to try Chongming’s famous crabs.
Photograph: courtesy Chongming Tourism Bureau (Zihai Luyuan Park)
Photograph: courtesy Chongming Tourism Bureau (Dongping National Park)
Photograph: courtesy Chongming Tourism Bureau (Mingzhu Lake Park)
Island activities wrap up around 4.30pm, with the cruise departing an hour later. For the journey back, organisers will serve a buffet dinner on board while guests take in nighttime views of the Huangpu and buy fresh Chongming produce. The cruise will arrive at Qinhuangdao Road Cruise Dock around 9.30pm at the latest.
Photograph: @浦东发布 via weibo
Tickets are 398RMB during the trial operation period. Call 136 3655 0898 for more information or reserve tickets online
here. Tickets for May are already sold out but be on the lookout, as the organisers will be releasing new slots for June very soon.