City line · Chongming · about 100 km
Chongming — the island loop
A hundred kilometres of reclaimed land, diked fields and migratory birds. The only place in Shanghai municipality where the horizon is empty in every direction.
Chongming is the third-largest island in China and the one part of Shanghai that feels nothing like Shanghai. No towers, no continuous city — fields, dykes, and a horizon.
It is also the youngest landscape here in geological terms. The northern half was reclaimed within the last century, and the routes cross land that was mudflat when your grandparents were alive.
Budget a full day for the crossing before you budget any walking time.
What the loop is
About 100 km following the island’s river edge: dyke roads, polder fields, and the wetland margins where the birding happens.
The east end, at Dongtan, is the serious wetland. The rest is agricultural, and the appeal is scale and emptiness rather than specific sights.
Getting across
Take Line 6 to Wuzhou Avenue and then a Shen-Chong coach, or take a ferry from Baoyang Road or Shidongkou if you want to arrive by water. A metro line to Chongming is under construction but not open.
Whichever you choose, assume two hours each way from the centre. This is the reason most visitors never come.
Is it worth it
If you have three or more days in Shanghai and have already done the city, yes — it is the single biggest change of scene available inside the municipality.
If you have two days, no. Spend them on Line 3 to the Wusong mouth instead.
Getting there without a car
Line 6 to Wuzhou Avenue then the Shen-Chong coach, or a ferry from Baoyang Road or Shidongkou.
The honest part
This is one of the city’s official countryside routes, not a ShanghaiWalk route. Distances are as published.
FAQ
Questions
Everything on this site is written and re-checked on the ground. When something changes, this page changes.
How long does the crossing take?
Plan two hours each way from the centre by coach or ferry. Check the timetable the night before — services thin out.
Can I cycle the 100 km?
People do, and it is flat. Take your own bike across on the ferry, or rent on the island. Wind is the main difficulty, not hills.
When is the birding good?
Spring and autumn passage. Check the current access rules for the eastern wetland before you go — it is a managed reserve.
Is there food and lodging?
Yes in the main towns, thinly outside them. Do not assume a shop every few kilometres.
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