Nanjing

Highlights

• Ming Xiaoling Mausoleum (UNESCO World Heritage Site)
• Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum (Zhongshan Ling) on Purple Mountain
• Nanjing Massacre Memorial Hall
• Ancient City Wall (longest surviving Ming-era city walls)
• Confucius Temple (Fuzimiao) and Qinhuai River district
• Purple Mountain (Zijin Shan) parks and cherry blossoms
• Presidential Palace (former Republic of China seat of government)

Getting Around

Nanjing Lukou International Airport (NKG) serves direct routes from all major Chinese cities and a growing list of international destinations. Nanjing South Railway Station is one of China's busiest high-speed rail hubs — Shanghai Hongqiao in approximately 1 hour, Beijing South in approximately 3.5 hours, and Hangzhou in approximately 1.5 hours. Metro Line 2 connects the airport to Nanjing South station and continues through the city centre to Xinjiekou.

Food

Nanjing is celebrated across China for its salted duck (盐水鸭), a cold-served delicacy with pale skin and intensely flavoured meat that is sold vacuum-packed at every train station as the quintessential take-home gift. Duck blood and vermicelli soup (鸭血粉丝汤) is the essential street breakfast; pan-fried pork buns (生煎) appear at canteens throughout the city. The Fuzimiao night market along the Qinhuai River offers the widest variety of Nanjing snacks in a single atmospheric location.

Stay

The Xinjiekou district in the city centre offers the best selection of business and mid-range hotels with direct metro access to Confucius Temple, the Presidential Palace, and the city wall. The Fuzimiao (Confucius Temple) riverside area has boutique hotels and guesthouses in a more atmospheric setting, particularly pleasant in the evening when the lanterns are lit. The Purple Mountain district suits visitors who prioritise quiet surroundings and easy access to the UNESCO heritage zone. Budget hostels cluster around the older Nanjing Railway Station in the north of the city, not at the modern Nanjing South high-speed rail hub.

Budget