Only 3 hours by car! Lesser-known destinations for self-driving trips around Shanghai

What to do during the holiday? Of course, go out and have fun! But looking at various travel websites, traveling abroad is expensive, and staying in Shanghai is not satisfactory. I have listed some inexpensive day trips for everyone, just a little over 3 hours by car, so that your social circle will no longer be lonely and lonely.

Gongmu Village

Why go to Yunnan or Sichuan to see terraced fields? Not many people know about Gongmu. It is far from the hustle and bustle of the world and is known as the 'Shangri-La of East China.' Gongmu Village is divided into Shangping Village and Xiaping Village, both of which are small villages located on mountains at an altitude of 600 meters. Among them, the most famous attraction is Gongmu Rock, a giant cliff running east to west, 1200 meters long and 150-200 meters high, resembling an elephant. Every time the morning or evening light shines on it, Gongmu Rock glows with a golden hue, looking like a golden elephant.

Kingdom of Big Trees - West Tianmu Mountain

West Tianmu Mountain is a kingdom of big trees far from the hustle and bustle. At the top of the mountain, there are 'King Trees' that require several people to encircle them. It is renowned for its 'canopy of big trees'. The natural vegetation coverage here exceeds 95%, making it a true forest oxygen bar. Taking a few deep breaths of the fresh air, one wishes to pack the air and take it away. This is a mountain with a soul, with the deep forest, majestic ancient trees, misty clouds, and babbling streams creating a unique natural environment. Coupled with the scarcity of tourists, it feels like another world.

Nanhai Guanyin of Putuo Mountain

Many aunties and mothers from Shanghai like to visit Putuo Mountain during the New Year and festivals to pray and calculate their fortunes for the coming year, which is also a kind of expectation for the future. Putuo Mountain is a small island in the Zhoushan Archipelago of Zhejiang Province, known for its blue sea and sky, unique scenery, and is reputed as the 'First Mountain of the Sea.' Here, you can find numerous Buddhist attractions, bid farewell to the glitz and noise, seek a sense of tranquility and peace, and also experience the magnificent scenery of the Buddhist kingdom by the sea and sky.
When visiting Yangzhou, one must experience the rich Huaiyang culture. A visit to the typical private garden of Jiangnan, Ge Garden in Yangzhou, is highly recommended. The garden features four seasonal rockeries representing spring, summer, autumn, and winter, made from bamboo stones, lake stones, yellow stones, and Xuan stones. The rockery art is exceptional, with unique stone arrangements that integrate garden design principles and landscape painting techniques, leaving visitors in awe.

Huzhou Mogan Mountain

Winter is often the off-season for mountain vacations, but Deqing's Mogan Mountain is an exception. Everyone knows that Mogan Mountain Scenic Area is a great place to escape the summer heat, with its vast bamboo forests and cool flowing streams. But have you ever visited Mogan Mountain in the winter when it snows? It is truly a place of solitary and serene beauty. Before the sun rises, you can come to Mogan Mountain to see the rime. It feels like being in a fairy tale world, with a crystal-clear white scene surrounding you.

Xiazhu Lake Wetland Scenic Area

The largest natural wetland in Jiangnan, Xiazhu Lake is magical with its interlaced lake surfaces, vast reed fields, clear waters, flocks of wild birds, and abundant aquatic flora and fauna. It still retains the natural, rustic, and primitive charm of the Jiangnan water town. Over 600 islets are scattered across the lake, with more than 1,000 interwoven channels and over 800 species of flora and fauna thriving here.
Opened on July 1, 2015, the Hello Kitty theme park is located in Anji and includes various facilities such as hotels, dining, and entertainment. It is a theme park that harmonizes with nature, featuring warm, dreamy, eco-friendly, and creative concepts throughout the entire park. Here, every girl can freely dream of being a princess, and it's also great for adults to bring their children to play together.
Set against the backdrop of lush mountains and Tianchi, the resort features a massive automatic snowmaking machine that continuously creates beautiful snowy scenes. Additionally, you can visit the Anji Bamboo Sea, the filming location of 'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,' to experience the endless joy of returning to nature.
The hot area covers approximately 0.2 square kilometers, with an underground heat storage temperature of 40-50 degrees Celsius and a surface water temperature of 30-32.5 degrees Celsius, classified as low-temperature hot water. This hot spring is colorless, odorless, slightly astringent, and transparent, with low mineralization and bicarbonate type water. Soaking in the Bali-style hot spring in the forest during winter is incredibly refreshing.

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