Beach, seafood, burgeoning art scenes, and short hikes
A three-day getaway to Huaniao Island in the height of summer proved to be very enjoyable for dogs and humans alike. We highly recommend it if you and your pooch like the beach, seafood, burgeoning art scenes, and short hikes.
Getting there and around
Huaniao Island (花鸟岛) is located in Shengsi County, Zhoushan Municipality, Zhejiang Province, southeast of Shanghai. It is accessible only by ferry. There is a direct ferry for ¥140 per person from Shenjiawan Ferry Terminal (沈家湾码头). Get your ferry tickets through the WeChat mini program ‘Shengsi Passenger Transport” (just type 嵊泗客运). Direct buses can take you from Shanghai South Railway Station to Shenjiawan Ferry Terminal. We were not sure whether they would allow our dog on the bus, so we took a Didi. It takes almost two hours to get there from central Shanghai.
Dogs do not need a ticket but must travel in a pet carrier all the way through. Our Chino (featured in the photos) was not allowed inside the passenger area. We were asked to leave the pet carrier on the side-deck, to the chagrin of Chino. We did see, however, smaller dogs in smaller carriers inside the passenger area.
Outside vehicles are not allowed on the island since March 2021. There are no taxis or any other private means of transport, only small open-air shuttles (dog-friendly!) that take you around the island. Locals have bicycles and e-bikes that are not available for visitors. Shuttle costs ¥20/person per day. Note that on arrival you must buy a ‘Huaniao Island Scenic Ticket’, which is a one-off visitor pass that costs ¥85.
Activities, dining and accomodation
Beaches
Huaniao is a small island, the northernmost human settlement in Shengsi County. The town center is right on an isthmus that connects the two big bays of the island. It takes less than five minutes to walk from one end to the other. There are two main beaches easily accessible from the town center, one on the ‘North Bay’ (sandy beach), and the other on the ‘South Bay’ (pebble beach). This year’s Shanghai Beach Water Polo Championship was held just off the North Beach last July. The whole island was dog friendly, except for a few establishments (namely wanghong restaurants). We saw plenty of tourists with dogs, as well as local dogs.
Hikes
There are a few hiking trails around the island, well-indicated in bilingual signage. We recommend keeping your doggo on leash inside the village. You can comfortably have them off leash during your nature hikes. The views are quite stunning and the cliffs quite dramatic. We even saw some goats that greeted us from the distance.
One of our friends rented a surf board next to the South Beach. We did see him try and try on that board, but the waves were not the best that day. Most guesthouses will offer sailing trips, fishing trips, sunset watching trips, luminescence sightings, etc. The Huaniao Lighthouse (northwest tip of the island) celebrated its 150 anniversary this year, prompting the island’s first-ever art festival last Spring. Some of the artwork is still visible around the island, and the tourist center by the ferry terminal serves as an art gallery.
Accomodation
There are guesthouses galore and many more under construction. Guesthouses with infinity pools tend to be more expensive, of course. We tried two different guesthouses overlooking the South Bay, one of them with a corgi of their own. Most guesthouses have their own WeChat accounts. I recommend contacting them to confirm whether they take dogs. Breakfast was included. Dining at the guesthouse mostly requires booking in advance. Coffee is a thing in Huaniao. We had very nice coffee in different establishments.
Food was excellent. For local fare (seafood, seafood, seafood… —veg and mainland classics available too—) go to ‘Slow Life Street’, the main semi-pedestrian road of the town. Mussels are the local specialty in all of Shengsi County. They’re very very good. Their crab was finger-licking good too (they explained that in summer the male crab is available and, in winter, the female). We had very good Japanese Chinese fusion (and great homemade fries) in the only Japanese-looking joint, and mouth-watering Chinese dishes just down the road at 今鲜一家.
We also had a very good [f-f-fancy] meal at Won, overlooking the North Beach. The owners at Won make good Italian food with fresh local ingredients. Try their seafood pizza, mussels alla tarantina, carbonara and charred octopus. Their wine list is also good and they have local craft beer. It’s not cheap, but definitely worth a visit, especially for sunset.
