The natural scenery in Chongming is fantastic with the cool wind, light clouds, and comfortable climate. It is surrounded by green shades and is extremely beautiful at sunrise and sunset. There is also the migration of migratory birds. In Chongming, all is well. Past the Yangtze River Tunnel and the Yangtze River Bridge, Chongming is right in front of you, where begins our three-day self-driving trip!

Day 1

Morning

Place to Visit: Dongping National Forest Park

Restaurant for Lunch: Wanghu Restaurant (in Dongping National Forest Park)

Afternoon

Place to Visit: Yiqinyuan Resort

Restaurant for Dinner: Uncle Gu’s Agritainment

Night

Accommodation: Yiqinyuan Resort

Early in the morning, you can drive to Dongping National Forest Park, which was formerly a forest farm, with a forest coverage rate of 90%. There are mainly fir forests and camphor tree forests in the park, which are full of green. At present, a variety of interesting activities are held in the park, such as the Shanghai Red Flower Festival and the Forest Camping Barbecue Festival. In this season, the park is full of colorful flowers everywhere. So it is the best time for photographers to come. It is strongly recommended to rent a bicycle for cycling wherever you want and wandering in the forest park. Although the forest park covers a large area, there are signs at most intersections. So, there is no need to worry about getting lost as it is easy to find the exit. Lunch can be served at Wanghu Restaurant, which cooks delicious food with Chongming characteristics.

Dongping National Forest Park

Address: No. 2188, Beiyan Highway, Chongming District

Tel.: 021-59338028

In the afternoon, you can stroll in Yiqinyuan Resort, which is a forest oxygen bar, with green metasequoia forest and fresh air. There is a complete set of supporting facilities in the hotel, including tea rooms, restaurants, and conference rooms. There are also many entertainment activities, including angling, table tennis, golf, and nearly everything you expect. If you are too lazy to go to the park, it feels good to walk around the hotel. As the hotel is next to Dongping National Forest Park, you can go there on foot.

Yiqinyuan Resort

Address: No. 2089, Beiyan Highway, Chongming District

Tel.: 021-59338811, 021-59338800

You can have dinner in an agritainment restaurant near the park. Uncle Gu's Agritainment, which is cost-effective and full of Chongming characteristics, is recommended. You can order a plate of shredded gold melon salad, which is a traditional Chongming dish. The stir-fried river snails and steamed hemiculter clupeoides (a river fish) also taste good as the ingredients are very fresh. If you like meat, you can order a bowl of braised diced pork and sliced beancurd with brown sauce, which tastes not greasy but delicious. Each piece of braised pork and sliced beancurd in brown sauce goes very well with rice.

Uncle Gu's Agritainment

Address: No. 301, Hongqiao Village, Jianshe Town, Chongming District

Tel.: 15800905099, 15900567894

After dinner, you can walk back to Yiqinyuan Resort, watching the stars in the sky and listening to the birds and frogs singing. What a gift from nature! Wake up naturally the next day, and leave for Gaojiazhuang Ecological Park after breakfast in the hotel.

Day 2

Morning

Place to Visit: Gaojiazhuang Ecological Park

Restaurant for Lunch: Piaoxiang Local Restaurant (in Gaojiazhuang Ecological Park)

Afternoon

Places to Visit: Chongming Academy, Yingzhou Park

Restaurant for Dinner: Yizhicai

Night

Accommodation: Yurts in Gaojiazhuang Ecological Park

The next morning, let’s drive from Yiqinyuan Resort and check in at Gaojiazhuang Ecological Park, where there are yurts with folk customs. Gaojiazhuang Ecological Park, as a national AAA scenic spot, has all kinds of food, drink, and entertainment. Currently, it is the season for eating crawfish. The crawfish here has been advertised on CCTV. Can't you help going to the Fragrant Local Restaurant in the park to have a try? You can also have lunch here. There is also a children's playground, a pond for angling, and a tea room, etc. for you to relax all day.

Chongming Gaojiazhuang Ecological Park

Address: No. 999, Gangdong Highway, Gangxi Town, Chongming District

Tel.: 021-59670788

In the afternoon, you can drive to Chongming Academy (also known as Chongming Museum), which is located in the bustling old town center. Chongming Island History and Ancient Ships Exhibition, Chongming Folk Custom Exhibition, and a temporary exhibition are held in the museum, which systematically introduces the long history and cultural heritage of Chongming. The answers to the historical changes of Chongming from ancient to modern can be found here. There are also displays of old cultural relics for you to appreciate.

Chongming Academy

Address: No. 696, Aoshan Road, Chengqiao Town, Chongming District

Tel.: 021-69696501

Or you can go for a walk in Yingzhou Park opposite the Chongming Academy to experience the leisurely slow life of Chongming people. Maybe you will see some old people practicing boxing and swords, or see families with their children playing. Or you can just listen to the sound of river water and ships, which is a different kind of leisure life.

Yingzhou Park

Address: No. 679, Aoshan Road, Chongming District

Tel.: 021-69691116

After strolling around the park, you can walk to the Yizhicai Restaurant for dinner. It is not far from the park and will take you about 5 minutes on foot. This restaurant, with a history of 13 years, adheres to the concept of "enjoying an original and natural life". So, it uses the distinctive seafood in the Yangtze River and the original ingredients from Chongming. When the raw materials are already good enough, the difference will lie in cooking skills. Yizhicai can make dishes of their original nature when cooking. The dishes are constantly innovated and diversified, but the essence of Chongming cuisine remains unchanged.

Yizhicai

Address: No. 117, Dongmen Road, Chengqiao Town, Chongming District

Tel.: 021-69697979

Day 3

Morning

Place to Visit: Jiangnan Sanmin Cultural Village

Recommended Restaurant for Lunch: Haishang Huadao Restaurant

Afternoon

Place to Visit: Qianwei Ecological Village

Return Home

On the third day, after breakfast, drive to the destination Jiangnan Sanmin Cultural Village, which is an important base for the excavation, display, and inheritance of intangible cultural heritages. It features the themes of traditional folk, folk customs, and ethnic cultural elements in Jiangnan (regions south of the Yangtze River), which is further classified into clothing, food, housing, transportation, art, play, and business. There are four major exhibition halls, namely, the Chinese Loong Palace, Chongming Folk Cloth Museum, Longevity Museum, Sanmin Art Museum, and 56 series of exhibition halls that boast Jiangnan style. The Loong (Chinese dragon) in the Chinese Loong Palace is impressive. Do remember to visit it.

Jiangnan Sanmin Cultural Village

Address: No. 2201, Linfeng Highway, Chongming District

Tel.: 021-59649400

If you get tired and hungry, you can enjoy Chinese food at the restaurant of Haishang Huadao Ecological Resort. The restaurant is decorated in the style of an original forest, with such elements as flowers and green leaves. The ingredients in the restaurant are very fresh and the dishes taste unique and rich in flavor. According to the introduction, most of the food ingredients are self-produced by the resort, including chickens, ducks, geese, sheep, and other poultry, as well as various fruits and vegetables. In the nobly elegant private room, you can taste a cup of rose tea served by the waiter. The fragrance of the flowers wafts in your taste buds, and your appetite will be greatly increased in a moment. Then you can taste delicious food slowly, and feel the ecological Chongming on the tip of your tongue.

Haihai Huadao Ecological Resort

Address: No.805, Qianwei Village, Shuxin Town, Chongming District

Tel.: 021-57231111

In the afternoon, you can go to the Qianwei Ecological Village, where there is a sea of a thousand mu (a unit of area, which is equal to 0.0667 hectares) of roses. You can catch chickens, play with geese, pick seasonal fruits and vegetables with your children, play real CS with your friends, ride off-road vehicles, DIY succulent plants, and experience flower arrangement and gardening. I believe that friends who have been here once will love this place. Though the trip is over, you can return home with a full sense of happiness.

Qianwei Ecological Village

Address: Qianwei Village, Shuxin Town, Chongming District

Tel.: 021-59649261

I don't know if you like this route recommended by us. If you think it's not too bad, why not have a three-day self-driving trip in Chongming during the May Day holiday, to enjoy the beautiful rural natural scenery?