Shengsi island (剩四岛) is only a few hours from Shanghai. Hardly any foreigners make it there and not many Chinese people either for that matter. That's a shame because it's got great beaches, fantastic roads for biking, a nice clean ocean, plenty of wonderful seafood and tons of places to stay overnight. It makes a great (and easy) weekend getaway in summer.

Full props to Shanghai's S-Riders mountain bikers for tipping us off to this great find!

The island is in the mouth of the Bay of Hangzhou, somewhere between Chongming Island and Putuoshan. To get there, take a bus from the long-distance bus station underneath the Nanpu Daqiao bridge (corner of Lujiabang Lu and Zhongshan Nanlu). The bus leaves at 8:30 or so every morning. Buy a tongpiao which includes the ferry out to the island (RMB145). The bus will take you directly out to the place where you can catch the ferry. Everybody on the bus is doing exactly that. The ferry over takes about 1.5 hours.

You land on the west side of the island. The most interesting part of the island is the east side. Take the north side and along the way you'll pass through the largest village then the beach most people end up at Jinhu Beach. I don't suggest this beach. There are plenty of other better, more sparsely populated beaches just a bit further down the way (such as the one below):

Or you can keep on to Nanchang beach where you can also have a fresh seafood meal just a step off the sand.

On the far eastern tip of the island are two big scenic areas: Liujingtan and Shangtao. Both are RMB100 entry fee. We didn't bother, but they both look nice with nice wooden seawalks. We were also told that bikes were not allowed in Liujingtan.

We ended up spending the night in the Donghai Yucun (East China Sea Fishing Village) right off the beach (RMB50 a night in a little hostel that had plenty of hot water for showers). The beach across the street was serviceable, the water was clean enough for swimming, and in the morning I took a nice run along the coastal road. The usual set-up is that wherever you stay can arrange a big seafood meal for you. You'll know Donghai Yucun when you see all the buildings with the wild murals painted on them. Pretty cool.

If you want something nicer in way of accommodation, there's a clutch of cabins below the big temple (Dabeishan) you can see from Donghai Yucun. We were quoted RMB600 a night on weekends. Dabeishan isn't finished being built yet, so no sense in trying to get inside.

How to get around the island? There are beige buses which make the rounds. There are also some cabs, though not sure about fares. But if you want genuine mobility, the bike is the best way. Be forewarned about two things though:

First, getting your bike on the long-distance bus is not guaranteed. There's only room for two full-size bikes at most in the compartment beneath the bus and they will only let bikes on if it's not stuffed with other tourists stuff. In other words bikes take last priority. Luckily, we got ours on.

Second, if you do get the bikes on, you have to pay an extra portage fee both on the bus and on the ferry there and back. Fo us it was RMB30 per bike on the bus and RMB25 on the ferry there and RMB25 on the ferry on the way back.

But having a bike on the island is perfect. You don't need to be in top shape to get around the island as the hills are not bad and the island's only like 12 km from east to west.

If we could do anything differently next time, I'd go directly to the fishing village to drop off the backpack, then I would spend some more hours seeking out the hidden beaches in Liujingtan which looked amazing. Also, if you can possibly get a sea kayak there, that would be absolutely perfect. I'd also bring a flashlight next time in case you want to do any exploring at night.

Also, keep in mind that everyone on the island is trying to rip you off price-wise at every turn. Whatever price they quote, it should be 1/3 of what they say. Seriously.

Transport Notes:

Jump on the long distance bus from the station underneath the Nanpu Daqiao. If you're going on a weekend, buy your tickets a day in advance to avoid disappointment day-of.

Take the bus out to the ferry terminal, hop on the ferry.

When you get to the island, buy your return trip ticket immediately (be sure to ask for the ticket which includes the return bus trip to the bus terminal). The last ferry of the day leaves at 2:30pm.