- Nanjing at a glance
- Purple Mountain: tombs, trees and a long climb
- The Ming city wall: walk it, don’t just photograph it
- Confucius Temple and the Qinhuai River: Nanjing’s evening
- Nanjing Museum and the Presidential Palace: two halves of the story
- Xuanwu Lake, Jiming Temple and the Memorial Hall
- Nanjing food: start with duck
- Arriving in Nanjing
- Getting around Nanjing in short
- A sensible 3-day Nanjing plan
- Practical tips and scams to avoid
- Frequently asked questions
Short answer: Give Nanjing three days, stay near Xinjiekou or the Confucius Temple area, and let the city wall and Purple Mountain set the pace. Walk a section of the Ming city wall in the morning, spend an afternoon at the Nanjing Museum or the Presidential Palace, and finish the day at the Confucius Temple quarter on the Qinhuai River, when the lanterns come on. Nanjing is calmer and greener than Shanghai or Beijing, its metro is easy to use in English, and its duck dishes alone are worth the trip — but its sights are spread out, so do not try to cover Purple Mountain, the museum, the wall and the memorial hall in a single day.
Last updated: November 2026. Prices, opening hours and booking rules change — check the official or venue page for your date.
Nanjing at a glance
| Topic | First-timer note |
|---|---|
| Best for | Ming city wall, Purple Mountain tombs, the Confucius Temple quarter, one of China’s best museums, and duck dishes you will not find done this well elsewhere. |
| Days needed | Three full days covers the wall, Purple Mountain, the museum, the Presidential Palace and a Qinhuai evening without rushing. Two days is possible if you skip either Purple Mountain or the museum. |
| Stay | Near Xinjiekou (Lines 1 and 2) for metro convenience and shopping, or near the Confucius Temple for evening food and river walks. Both are central and well connected. |
| Get around | Metro for almost everything, walking inside each sight area, and a taxi or ride-hailing car for Purple Mountain’s spread-out sites. See our How to Get Around Nanjing guide. |
| Language | Mandarin works in hotels, stations and larger restaurants. English is limited in small food stalls and older neighbourhoods, so a translation app helps. |
| Cash and payments | QR payment is normal. Set up a payment app before you fly and keep some small cash for small stalls. See our Alipay guide. |
Purple Mountain: tombs, trees and a long climb
Purple Mountain (Zijin Shan), east of the centre, is Nanjing’s great green lung and its most important historic landscape. The Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum is the headline: a broad stairway of 392 steps climbs through pine and plane trees to a blue-tiled hall honouring Sun Yat-sen, leader of China’s 1911 revolution. The mausoleum itself is free to enter, but real-name booking in advance is normally required, so check the current booking route before you go and arrive early — the steps and the square below get crowded by late morning. Take Metro Line 2 to Xiamafang or Muxuyuan, then walk or take the scenic-area shuttle bus; the area is huge, so budget half a day and wear walking shoes, not sandals.
Nearby, the Ming Xiaoling Mausoleum is the tomb of the Hongwu Emperor, founder of the Ming dynasty, reached along the Sacred Way lined with stone animals and officials. It pairs naturally with the Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum in one morning, and the plane-tree avenue between the sites is one of Nanjing’s most photographed walks, especially in autumn. If you have energy left, the Linggu Temple area further east is quieter and rewards a slow wander, but do not stack all three mausoleum sites plus the museum into one day — Purple Mountain alone can fill a day if you let it.
The Ming city wall: walk it, don’t just photograph it
Nanjing’s Ming city wall is one of the longest surviving ancient city walls anywhere, and walking on top of it is the single most Nanjing experience in this guide. Unlike Xi’an’s neat rectangle, Nanjing’s wall follows hills, lakes and rivers, so each open section feels different. The southern section around Zhonghua Gate is the most dramatic for a first visit: Zhonghua Gate itself is a fortress of layered courtyards and tunnels, once the city’s great southern gate, and you can walk the wall top from there towards the east. Take Metro Line 1 to Zhonghuamen station.
The lakeside section near Xuanwu Lake is the prettiest, especially the stretch from Jiefang Gate to Taiping Gate, with the lake on one side and Jiming Temple on the other — go in the late afternoon for softer light. Note that the open sections are not all connected, and tickets are sold separately for each section, so pick one or two sections rather than trying to walk the whole wall. Check the current ticket and opening hours for your chosen section on the day, as hours vary by season.
Confucius Temple and the Qinhuai River: Nanjing’s evening
Fuzimiao, the Confucius Temple quarter on the Qinhuai River, is where Nanjing goes in the evening. By day it is a busy shopping and snack street around the temple and the former imperial examination hall; after dark the riverfront lights up, painted boats drift past, and the whole area turns into a lantern-lit food crawl. Take Metro Line 3 to Fuzimiao station and arrive in the late afternoon, so you see the area in daylight first and then watch the lights come on.
The temple and examination museum charge a modest entry fee (check the current price on the day), while wandering the riverfront streets and bridges is free. The painted-boat ride is pleasant but short, and it is worth doing once in the evening rather than twice. Eat here, but choose busy stalls with queues of locals over touts pulling you into empty restaurants — the same rule applies in every Chinese tourist street. Nearby Laomendong, a rebuilt old neighbourhood of lanes and courtyards, is a calmer place for dinner and an evening stroll if Fuzimiao feels too crowded.
Nanjing Museum and the Presidential Palace: two halves of the story
The Nanjing Museum, in the former Ming palace area, is one of the largest and most rewarding museums in China, with collections running from prehistory to the Republic of China period, including a much-loved basement street recreating old Nanjing. It is free, but real-name booking in advance is normally required and it is closed on Mondays, so book ahead and do not leave it to a Monday. Take Metro Line 2 to Minggugong station and allow at least half a day; the museum is big enough to tire you out, so see the highlights first and save the rest for a return visit.
The Presidential Palace, near Daxinggong station (Lines 2 and 3), tells the other half of Nanjing’s story: the gardens, offices and meeting rooms of the Republic of China government, set in a surprisingly peaceful compound in the middle of the city. It is a good pairing with the museum on the same day, since both are about Nanjing’s modern history, but together they are a full day — do not add Purple Mountain on top. If you only have time for one, choose the museum for breadth or the palace for atmosphere.
Xuanwu Lake, Jiming Temple and the Memorial Hall
Xuanwu Lake, just north of the centre, is Nanjing’s everyday park: a large lake with causeways, islands and paddle boats, ringed by the city wall. It is free to enter, best in the morning when locals are exercising and the light is soft, and easy to combine with the lakeside wall section. Take Metro Line 1 to Xuanwumen station. Jiming Temple, on the lake’s south-east corner, is one of Nanjing’s oldest temples and famous for cherry blossom in spring; take Line 3 or 4 to Jimingsi station. The temple and the wall above it make a good half-day together.
The Memorial Hall of the Victims in Nanjing Massacre by Japanese Invaders, west of the centre near Yunjinlu station (Line 2), is a sombre, powerful and essential part of understanding Nanjing. It is free, but booking in advance is normally required, and it is not a light afternoon stop — allow two to three hours, go with time to sit afterwards, and keep photography rules and the quiet atmosphere in mind. If you are travelling with young children, read about the exhibits first and decide whether the visit suits them.
Nanjing food: start with duck
Nanjing is a duck city, and duck is where to start. Salted duck (yanshui ya) is the classic: served cold or at room temperature, lightly salted, and eaten as a snack or with rice. Duck blood vermicelli soup (yaxue fensi tang) is the everyday bowl — duck blood curd and offal in a rich broth with vermicelli — and it is sold all over the city, including around Fuzimiao and in small neighbourhood shops. If offal is not for you, order a plain vermicelli or a duck-meat bowl instead; nobody will mind. Soup dumplings (tangbao), Nanjing’s juicier cousin of the Shanghai soup dumpling, are another must-try, best eaten by nibbling a small hole, sipping the soup, then eating the dumpling. For ordering without Chinese, see our food ordering guide.
Beyond duck, try pan-fried buns (shengjian or guotie), beef and vegetable hotpot-style dishes in winter, and sweet osmanthus-flavoured snacks in autumn. The food streets around Fuzimiao and Laomendong are convenient, but the best bowls are often in small shops a few streets away from the main tourist drag — look for queues, picture menus and prices written on the wall. As everywhere in China, check the price before ordering anything that is sold by weight, and keep small cash for the smallest stalls.
Arriving in Nanjing
Most international and domestic visitors arrive at Nanjing Lukou International Airport (NKG), about 35 km south of the city centre in Jiangning District. The airport has two terminals: Terminal 1 (T1) mainly handles domestic flights, while Terminal 2 (T2) handles domestic and international flights. Always check the terminal printed on your ticket or booking, as airlines differ — do not assume T1 or T2. Follow the Metro signs in your terminal to the Ground Transportation Center for the metro station.
The simplest way into the city is Metro Line S1 (the Airport Line): it runs from Lukou International Airport station to Nanjing South Railway Station in roughly 35–40 minutes, for a fare in the region of ¥7–¥9 — check the fare shown at the gate on the day. Trains run roughly from 06:00 to about 22:40, so if you land late at night, check the last train before you rely on it and take a taxi or ride-hailing car instead. From Nanjing South, transfer to Line 1 or Line 3 for Xinjiekou and the city centre; the whole airport-to-centre journey typically takes around 60–70 minutes by metro. Airport buses also run to Xinjiekou and the railway stations, and taxis are metered — allow roughly 40–60 minutes depending on traffic. Full details are in our Nanjing transport guide.
If you arrive by high-speed train, you will almost certainly use Nanjing South Railway Station (南京南站, Nanjingnan), the city’s main high-speed hub, served by Metro Lines 1, 3 and S1. High-speed trains from Shanghai Hongqiao typically take around 1–1.5 hours, from Hangzhou East around 1–1.5 hours, and from Beijing South around 3.5–4 hours — check your train’s actual time when booking, as stopping patterns differ. Ticket-name warning: Nanjing South (南京南站) and Nanjing Railway Station (南京站, Nanjing) are different stations. Nanjing Railway Station, on Lines 1 and 3 beside Xuanwu Lake, is closer to the historic centre but handles fewer high-speed services. When booking, check the Chinese characters on your ticket — 南京南站 versus 南京站 — because going to the wrong station can cost you your train. For booking in general, see our train ticket guide, and for check-in rules, our hotel check-in guide.
Getting around Nanjing in short
The metro is the backbone: Lines 1, 2, 3 and 4 cover the centre and the main sights, Line S1 links the airport, and signs and announcements are in English and Chinese. Buy single-journey tickets at the machines, or ride with an Alipay or WeChat transport QR code — the full steps, the line-by-line table and the metro map are in our How to Get Around Nanjing guide. For door-to-door trips, especially late at night or with luggage, use DiDi in English rather than flagging a taxi and explaining an address. Walking is best inside each sight area, but the sights themselves are spread across the city, so plan one area per half-day and let the metro do the long hops.
A sensible 3-day Nanjing plan
Day 1 — Wall and river. Morning: Zhonghua Gate and the southern city wall (Line 1, Zhonghuamen). Afternoon: Xuanwu Lake and Jiming Temple. Evening: Confucius Temple quarter and a Qinhuai River walk, with duck blood vermicelli soup and salted duck for dinner.
Day 2 — Purple Mountain. Morning: Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum and the Ming Xiaoling Mausoleum (Line 2, Xiamafang or Muxuyuan, then the scenic-area shuttle). Afternoon: rest, then Laomendong for a slower evening of lanes, snacks and shopping. If Purple Mountain tires you out, skip the afternoon and save your energy — the mountain is a half-day at minimum and a full day if you walk everywhere.
Day 3 — Museums and modern history. Morning: Nanjing Museum (Line 2, Minggugong; book ahead, closed Mondays). Afternoon: Presidential Palace (Daxinggong) and the 1912 area nearby. If you still have time, finish at Xinjiekou for shopping, or return to a favourite spot — the wall at sunset, or the Qinhuai at night, rewards a second visit.
If you only have two days, drop Day 3’s museum or palace and keep the wall, Purple Mountain and the Qinhuai evening. The Memorial Hall deserves its own half-day; add it on Day 3 in place of the palace if it matters to you, and do not try to fit it between two cheerful sights.
Practical tips and scams to avoid
Book the free sights ahead: the Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum, the Nanjing Museum and the Memorial Hall normally require real-name advance booking, and the most common first-timer frustration in Nanjing is arriving at a free sight and finding the day’s bookings full. Check the current booking route for each sight a few days before you go, and keep your passport details ready, as bookings usually ask for them.
Watch the station names, not just the city name: Nanjing South versus Nanjing station (see Arriving in Nanjing above) is the mistake most likely to cost you a train. In the same way, check the terminal at Lukou Airport and the last metro time before a late evening out — the S1 airport line stops earlier than the central metro lines. Around Fuzimiao, politely decline unsolicited guides and restaurant touts, agree taxi fares by the meter only, and be wary of anyone offering an unusually cheap “tour” that ends in a shop. For city-to-city travel, Nanjing pairs well with a Shanghai or Hangzhou trip by high-speed train, and it is an easy stop between Shanghai and Beijing.
Frequently asked questions
How many days do I need in Nanjing?
Three full days is the comfortable pace: one day for the wall and the Qinhuai evening, one for Purple Mountain, and one for the museum and the Presidential Palace. Two days works if you skip either the museum or Purple Mountain, but one day will feel rushed.
Which station do I use: Nanjing South or Nanjing?
Most high-speed trains use Nanjing South (南京南站), served by Metro Lines 1, 3 and S1. Nanjing Railway Station (南京站) is a different, smaller station beside Xuanwu Lake on Lines 1 and 3. Always check the Chinese characters on your ticket before you travel.
How do I get from Lukou Airport to the city centre?
Take Metro Line S1 from the airport to Nanjing South Railway Station (roughly 35–40 minutes), then Line 1 or Line 3 to Xinjiekou — about 60–70 minutes in total. Late at night, when the S1 has stopped, take a taxi or a ride-hailing car instead.
Do I need to book the free sights in advance?
Usually yes: the Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum, the Nanjing Museum and the Memorial Hall normally require real-name advance booking, and the Nanjing Museum is closed on Mondays. Check the current booking route a few days before your visit.
What should I eat in Nanjing?
Start with salted duck and duck blood vermicelli soup, then soup dumplings (tangbao) and pan-fried buns. The Confucius Temple quarter and Laomendong are the easiest places to try them all in one evening.