Ningbo / 宁波
Ningbo is a vibrant coastal city in Zhejiang Province with a history of over 7,000 years and one of China's oldest port cities. Renowned for its rich cultural heritage, picturesque waterfronts, and modern urban development, Ningbo is also home to one of the world's busiest ports, offering a unique blend of historical charm, maritime culture, and contemporary city life.
Highlights:
Home to the Port of Ningbo-Zhoushan, one of the world's busiest seaports.
Best Time to Visit:
- Spring Season (March - May)
- Autumn Season (September - November)
- Winter (December)
Ideal Stay:
2 Days
Suitable for:
- Culture lovers
- Seafood lovers
- Nature seekers
- Travelers looking to experience a blend of coastal scenery, maritime heritage, and modern city life.
Airport Name (distance to city centre):
Ningbo Lishe International Airport (NGB): 15 km in 27 minutes
Train Station Name (distance to city centre):
- Ningbo Railway Station: 3.9 km in 14 minutes
- Yuyao North Railway Station: 60 km in 1 hour and 8 minutes.
Where to go
Ningbo City God's Temple / 宁波城隍庙
Tianyi Square / 天一广场
Tianyi Pavilion Museum / 天一阁博物院
Ningbo Museum / 宁波博物院
Zhou Yao Insect Museum / 周尧昆虫博物馆
Moon Lake Park / 月湖公园
Dongqian Lake Scenic Area / 东钱湖风景名胜区
Catholic Church / 天主教堂
Nantang Old Street / 南塘老街
Southern Song Dynasty Stone Carvings Park / 南宋石刻公园
Ningbo Hankyu Department Store / 宁波阪急
Ningbo Drum Tower / 宁波鼓楼
Laowaitan/The Old Bund Ningbo / 老外滩
Dongyu Night Market / 东裕夜市
What to eat
Feast Modern Restaurant / 美宴餐厅
An upscale Ningbo restaurant combining Ningbo cuisine with Cantonese, seafood and other contemporary influences. Its menu includes dishes such as selected beef tenderloin, durian pastry, Buddha-jumps-over-the-wall, wine-aroma foie gras, steamed shad, black-truffle prawns, crispy duck and Ningbo-style tangyuan.
Ala Mingzao / 阿拉名灶
A casual, traditional Ningbo restaurant focused on authentic local flavors and old-style Yongbang dishes. Popular choices include red-paste crab, salted shrimp, Dongpo pork, scallion-oil clams, crispy bean-curd-wrapped yellow croaker, white-cut chicken, drunken shrimp, crab with rice cakes and Ningbo-style vegetables.
Yongwei Restaurant / 甬味餐厅
A Ningbo seafood-focused restaurant specializing in fresh local seafood and traditional Ningbo preparations. Popular dishes include scallion-oil crab, mixed seafood, braised assorted fish, scallion-oil clams and Ningbo-style seafood dishes.
Hua Fu / 华府
A modern Zhejiang restaurant presenting contemporary interpretations of Zhejiang cuisine. The brand originated in Shanghai and expanded to Ningbo as its Zhejiang-market entry.
Zhuangyuan Lou Restaurant / 宁波状元楼酒店
A historic Ningbo restaurant specializing in traditional Yongbang cuisine. It is associated with classic dishes such as crispy bean-curd-wrapped yellow croaker, Ning-style eel, Ningbo glutinous rice balls, Ningbo salted crab, yellow-croaker soup, and the restaurant's signature Zhuangyuan pastries.
Yong Shang Ming Zao / 甬上名灶
A Ningbo-style restaurant focusing on fresh local seafood and traditional Yongbang dishes. Signature dishes include fermented green crab, taro pork casserole, sea-urchin tofu, braised fish with rice cakes, white crab with rice cakes, Ningbo crab paste, and drunken shrimp.
Ninghai Restaurant / 宁海食府
A long-established Ningbo cuisine restaurant specializing in traditional Yongbang cuisine and fresh local seafood. Popular dishes include fried glutinous rice balls, scallion-oil crab, home-style pomfret with rice cakes, Ningbo-style vegetables, crab sauce, and assorted seasonal seafood. It is particularly known for its strong local Ningbo flavor and traditional seafood dishes.
Niao Izakaya / 楢鸟围炉居酒屋
A Japanese-style izakaya specializing in grilled skewers and Japanese drinking-house dishes, with a distinctive high-rise/night-view dining atmosphere. Recent Douyin content specifically describes it as an izakaya where diners can enjoy grilled dishes while viewing Ningbo's night scenery
Banana Leaf / 宁波世纪蕉叶
A Thai and Southeast Asian restaurant known for Thai-style seafood and classic dishes such as curry prawns/crab, Thai tom yum, Malaysian curry beef brisket, grilled pork neck, pineapple seafood fried rice, mango sticky rice and durian pastries.
Gutian Village / 古田村
A Quzhou cuisine restaurant specializing in the distinctive fresh-spicy flavor of southern Zhejiang. Popular dishes include green tomato with cured meat, purple perilla frog, pickled-vegetable potato slices, pork-lard cabbage, and fish-head vermicelli. The restaurant is known for presenting Quzhou-style dishes with different spice levels.