Day trip to 绍兴 Shaoxing, China

We had bought our train tickets (¥12.50 per adult one way) to 绍兴 Shaoxing so we did not have to rush for time this morning. Unfortunately, there was a train delay and we arrived at 绍兴 20 minutes behind schedule. The train station was a big building with no visible cab queue nearby for us to try to get a cab. Finally, we decided to pay a premium (¥15 per pax) for a private car by the driver who offered us a ride to 东湖. According to 百度 Baidu, a 10 to 15-minute cab ride would cost around ¥20.

After getting tickets (¥50 per adult + ¥85 for the boat ride) and a quick toilet break (cleanest toilet so far!), we entered 东湖 East Lake around 9.40am. As we wanted to take the 乌篷船 boat ride from the further Pier No. 2 back to Pier No. 1, we took a very leisurely 1-hour stroll to reach Pier No. 2, with many stops to take pictures and enjoy the view. There was a light drizzle throughout our stroll, and somehow it added a mysterious misty and romantic feel to the visit. Perhaps because of the rain, it was also very quiet.

We took a break at the cafe with a 黄酒奶茶 Milk Tea with Yellow Wine (¥20), where we were customer no. 5 and 6, according to the friendly staff. WiFi here worked well too! We also managed to catch an opera performance (performance at ~11am and ~4pm) at an open stage at the corner where we watched through the large windows of the cafe.

After that, the boatman aka tour guide took us for a lovely boat ride with our ponchos.

Once we were done, we called for a car to bring us to 鲁迅故里 Lu Xun Native Place Scenic Area / Shopping Street for lunch.

After doing some online research, we decided to head to 寻宝记 Xun Bao Ji, a restaurant about 8 minutes’ walk from the entrance of 鲁迅故里. We were impressed by the efficiency of the place! We place our orders via 微信点菜 WeChat App, where we basically scanned the code on the table and browse the menu online. Which meant that the WiFi here was fabulous, and they even had USB charging points.

We had the 绍三鲜 Seafood Soup (¥98) and 梅干菜焖肉 Braised Pork with Bun (¥68). While we thought both items were delicious, I was totally in love with the soup and could not stop drinking it!

After lunch, we spent some time exploring the shopping street before catching bus route 30 back to the train station (¥1 per adult) to catch the 5pm train back to Hangzhou train Station.

The trip to 绍兴 Shaoxing was truly one of the highlights of this trip. Being much smaller than the popular West Lake, 东湖 East Lake has its own charms and we were very glad we made this trip.