Ningbo & Mount Putuo

Take metro line 4 to Nanpu Bridge and leave from Exit 1 to find the Huangpu Tourist Station which is a few yards to the south. Take a coach bound for Xiaoyangshan Wharf there at 08:30 and then transfer to a yacht for Putuoshan Wharf. You will arrive before 13:00 to start your exploration of Mount Putuo.

Route: Southern Heaven Gate - Nanhai Guanyin Statue - Purple Bamboo Woods - Unwilling-to-go Guanyin Monastery - Puji Temple - Take the cableway to Foding Hill - Huiji Temple - Fayu Temple - Take the cableway at Foding Hill Upper Station down to Puji Temple - Southern Heaven Gate

Return to Putuoshan Wharf before 17:30 to catch a yacht to Banshengdong Wharf. Then, take bus no. 318 to Shenjiamen Bus Station and take a coach to Ningbo South Bus Station. The bus is operating until 19:00 and it takes about 2 hours on the way. Upon arrival, find a nearby hotel for one night's stay. 


Highlights of Mount Putuo 

According to local legend, Mt. Putuo was the place where Guanyin cultivated himself and became immortal. There is a bronze standing statue of Guanyin with a height of 33 meters (108 feet) on the golden beach of the island and facing the sea. People consider this mountain a holy place and praise it as the 'Buddhist kingdom among the vast sea'. Numerous believers come there every day to worship the Buddha and pray for blessings. Three renowned temples of the mountain, named Puji, Huiji, and Fayu, are always in a fragrant cloud of incense. 


Cost

Huangpu - Xiaoyangshan bus	CNY 33
Xiaoyangshan - Putuoshan yacht	CNY 258 for standard cabins
Admission fee of Mount Putuo	CNY160 during Feb. ~ Nov. CNY140 during Dec. ~ next Jan. CNY200 during Jan. 1 ~ 5 on Chinese lunar calendar, as well as May 1 ~ 3 & Oct. 1 ~ 5 on solar calendar. Notice: The admission fee doesn’t cover the entrance ticket of Puji Temple, Fayu Temple, Huiji Temple, Purple Bamboo Woods, or Nanhai Guanyin Statue. You need to pay extra money for entry.
Round-trip cableway (Puji Temple - Foding Hill)	CNY 70
Putuoshan - Banshengdong yacht	CNY 28 or so
Banshengdong - Shenjiamen Bus Station bus fare	CNY 2
Shenjiamen - Ningbo coach	CNY 57

Route: Tianyi Pavilion - Moon Lake Park - City God Temple Pedestrian Street - Tianyi Square 

You are suggested to start today's independent Shanghai side trip to Ningbo with the famous Tianyi Pavilion. You can either ask the hotel staff which bus line you should take to reach there, or take a direct taxi ride to the pavilion. Then get out from the southern gate and walk eastwards along Maya Street to visit the Moon Lake Park at the end of the street. After that, follow Liuting Street to the east for about 650 meters (710 yards) and you will arrive see a big arch on your southern side. Walk through the arch to enter the City God Temple Commercial Block, where you can taste various authentic local cuisines. After that, you may go northwards to the modern Tianyi Square to do some shopping.

Your 2-day independent Putuoshan tour package will end at this point. Please walk 750 meters to City God Temple Station and take rail transit line 2 to Ningbo Railway Station to catch your return high speed train to Shanghai. 


Tour Highlights 

Tianyi Pavilion: Built during the reign of the Emperor Jiajin (1561 - 1566), it is the oldest private library of China, collecting nearly 300,000 ancient books and scrolls. You can also admire the beauty of the southern private garden while wandering around elaborately decorated rockeries, ponds, and pavilions.

Moon Lake Park: This park is like an exquisite bonsai in the middle of busy blocks. It was dug in 636 and you can still find some old residences and historical buildings in the park, shaded by lush trees. Some of them have been developed into exhibition halls. You may drop by to admire their interior decorations and get to know their past. 


Cost

Tianyi Pavilion	CNY 30
Moon Lake Park	Free
Tianyi Square - Ningbo Railway Station bus fare	CNY 2
Ningbo - Shanghai high speed train	CNY 110 for a second-class seat