Nanjing Travel Guide: How Many Days, What to Book, and What Closes on Mondays

Give Nanjing (南京, Nánjīng, "Southern Capital") two full days, or three if you want the museum and the memorial without rushing. Three of its main sights need a booking made in advance: the Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum, the Nanjing Museum and the Memorial Hall of the Victims in Nanjing Massacre. All three are free, all three use real-name booking tied to your passport, and all three are closed on Mondays (except public holidays). So do not plan Nanjing around a Monday, and make the three bookings before you arrive. From Shanghai, take a high-speed train from Shanghai Hongqiao to Nanjing South: about 169 trains are scheduled on the sample day of 5 November 2026, and the fastest takes 59 minutes.

How many days Nanjing needs, and when to go

Two days covers the essentials: one day on Purple Mountain for the Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum and the Ming tomb, and one day in the old city for the city wall, the Presidential Palace and the Qinhuai River at night. Three days adds the Nanjing Museum and the Memorial Hall, each of which deserves a half day of its own. One day is possible if you are passing through on the Beijing–Shanghai line, but you will have to choose between Purple Mountain and the old city. Whatever the length, keep Monday for travel or for the sights that stay open (the Ming tomb, the city wall, Xuanwu Lake).

Nanjing earns the time because it has been a capital more than once. The city's own history counts its start as a capital from 229, when Sun Quan moved his court here; the Eastern Jin and the four Southern dynasties followed, and together these 320-plus years are known as the Six Dynasties. In 1368 Zhu Yuanzhang founded the Ming dynasty here and gave the city the name Nanjing, making it the capital of a unified China for the first time, until the court moved to Beijing in 1421. In the early 20th century it was again the seat of the Republic of China government, which is why Sun Yat-sen, the Republic's founding figure, is buried on Purple Mountain and why the Presidential Palace sits in the middle of town. The Ming layer is the one you will see most: the wall, the gates and the founder's tomb.

When to go: spring (April and May) and autumn (late September to November) are the comfortable months. The city government gives a January average of 3.1 °C and a July average of 28.4 °C, with about 1,144 mm of rain a year. Those averages hide how summer feels: July and August are hot and humid: in 2024 the July average was 30.4 °C, August 31.3 °C, and the hottest day reached 40.2 °C. Plan outdoor climbs for early morning. Before the heat comes the plum-rain season (梅雨, méiyǔ): across Jiangsu it starts around 19 June and ends around 13 July in an average year, with long spells of grey, wet days. Winter is cold and damp but quiet, and the free sights are easier to book. Avoid the first week of October and the May Day holiday if you can — see the Golden Week survival guide — because booking slots for the free sights fill first on holidays.

Nanjing also sits in the middle of a cluster of short train rides. Shanghai is about an hour to two hours away depending on the train, Suzhou and Wuxi under an hour on the fastest trains, and Yangzhou about an hour (details in the getting-there and onward sections). That makes it an easy two-night stop between Shanghai and Beijing on the classic Beijing–Xi'an–Shanghai route, or the western end of a Jiangnan loop.

Getting to Nanjing: Nanjing South or Nanjing Station, the airport, and the 240-hour rule

Most visitors arrive by high-speed train, and the first thing to get right is the station. Nanjing has two main ones, and booking apps list them as separate destinations.

• Nanjing South (南京南站, Nánjīng Nán Zhàn) is the big high-speed hub in the south of the city, on the Beijing–Shanghai high-speed line and three other passenger lines, with Metro Lines 1, 3, S1 and S3, and since 29 September 2026 also Line 6. Every Beijing high-speed train and most Shanghai Hongqiao trains arrive here.
• Nanjing Station (南京站, Nánjīng Zhàn) is the older station north of the centre, on Metro Lines 1 and 3. It handles high-speed trains from Shanghai Station, slow conventional trains, and the intercity trains to Yangzhou Station.

From Shanghai, use Hongqiao. Shanghai Hongqiao to Nanjing South has about 169 trains on the sample day, from 06:09 to 22:05; the fastest takes 59 minutes and the typical trip is about 1 hour 38 minutes, with second-class seats sampled at roughly 98–167 yuan depending on the train. Only about 8 trains run from Hongqiao to Nanjing Station that day, so if you book from Hongqiao you will almost certainly land at Nanjing South. From Shanghai Station (上海站) things are slower: of about 62 trains to Nanjing Station, nearly half are conventional K, Z and T trains or night sleepers, and the typical trip is 2 hours 51 minutes. Shanghai Station to Nanjing South is better, with about 47 trains and a fastest time of 1 hour 9 minutes. If you are staying near Shanghai Station, that pair works; otherwise go to Hongqiao. The Shanghai guide covers getting to Hongqiao.

From Beijing, all high-speed trains go from Beijing South to Nanjing South: about 66 G trains on the sample day, the fastest in 3 hours 14 minutes and the typical one about 4 hours 25 minutes, second class roughly 444–532 yuan depending on the train. Trains from Beijing to Nanjing Station are overnight services of nine hours or more, so do not book them by mistake. From Suzhou, Wuxi and Yangzhou, see the onward section near the end.

These counts and fares come from one day on 12306, China Railway's official booking site; check your own date there or in your booking app, because timetables change with the seasons. A foreign passport is an accepted ID for booking on the 12306 website and app, and Trip.com sells the same tickets in English with foreign cards if you prefer. The high-speed train guide explains seat classes and how boarding works, and how to navigate a Chinese train station walks you through the passport gates at a station the size of Nanjing South.

Flying in: Nanjing Lukou International Airport

Nanjing Lukou International Airport (南京禄口国际机场, NKG) has a real international network, not just regional flights. The city government reported 22 international and Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan destinations in mid-2024, including a direct flight to Melbourne, and for the 2026/27 winter season new routes to Jakarta, Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, Paris, Busan and Da Nang were announced. Check the current schedule with your airline, since routes change by season.

The airport is far south of the city. Metro Line S1 runs from the airport to Nanjing South, and since 29 September 2026 it runs through onto Line 6 without a change of train at Nanjing South; the old express service has been replaced by trains that stop at every station. At Nanjing South you change for Line 1 or Line 3 into the centre. The city government's travel guide puts the trip from the airport to the Jianye district by metro at about 1 hour 15 minutes, and a taxi at about 40–50 minutes for about 70–90 yuan including tolls. With luggage and a late arrival, the taxi is the easier choice.

There is also a tourist bus run by the Purple Mountain scenic area: it links airport Terminals 1 and 2 with the Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum's south square, stopping at Nanjing South on the way. The full trip takes about 80 minutes for 35 yuan, and the mausoleum to Nanjing South leg takes about 40 minutes for 25 yuan; the timetable was announced as provisional, with only a few departures a day, so check the current times before you plan around it.

The 240-hour visa-free transit in Jiangsu

If your nationality qualifies for China's 240-hour visa-free transit and you hold an onward ticket to a third country or region, Jiangsu has four ports where you can enter under it: Nanjing Lukou, Sunan Shuofang (Wuxi) and Yangzhou Taizhou airports, and Lianyungang seaport. You may stay anywhere in Jiangsu province, and travel on to the other permitted provinces — so entering at Shanghai and continuing to Nanjing, Wuxi or Yangzhou also works. Check who qualifies in our 240-hour visa-free transit guide, and see China's 30-day visa-free entry if your country is on that list instead.

Purple Mountain: the Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum and Ming Xiaoling

Purple Mountain (紫金山, Zǐjīn Shān), officially the Zhongshan Scenic Area (钟山风景区, Zhōngshān Fēngjǐngqū), is a large forested hill on the eastern edge of the city. It holds Nanjing's two biggest sights and enough smaller ones to fill a day. Plan a full day here, starting early, and do not come on a Monday if the mausoleum is your main reason.

Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum (中山陵)

This is the tomb of Sun Yat-sen, who led the movement that ended the Qing dynasty and is honoured as the founder of the Republic of China. The main buildings line a central axis of about 700 metres, climbing about 70 metres from the memorial archway, along the tomb path and through the gate and stele pavilion to the memorial hall. There are 392 stone steps and 10 terraces, all built in white granite with blue glazed tiles. The climb is steady rather than steep, and from the top you look back down the steps over the forest. Allow about two hours including the walk up from the shuttle stop.

The rules that matter:

• Free, but booked. Entry is free and uses real-name booking by time slot. You must enter within your slot, and the whole area is a no-noise zone: no loud talking and no speakers or megaphones.
• Hours and Mondays. The area above the main gate (inscribed 天下为公, "the world belongs to all") is open 08:30–17:00 and closed every Monday for maintenance, except on national public holidays and Sun Yat-sen's birth and death anniversaries. The burial chamber itself is closed to the public.
• Where to book. Individual visitors book through the WeChat official account "南京钟山风景区" (Nanjing Zhongshan Scenic Area), the WeChat service account "中山陵园票务中心" (Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum Ticket Centre), the Meituan app, or the self-service machines at the site. Real-name tickets accept a passport as well as a Chinese ID card.

For a foreign visitor, the practical approach is to book in WeChat a few days ahead using your passport number, and bring that same passport on the day. If the form will not accept your passport number, ask your hotel's front desk to help with the booking. Weekends and holidays fill first.

Ming Xiaoling (明孝陵)

Ming Xiaoling is the tomb of Zhu Yuanzhang, the first Ming emperor, and Empress Ma, begun in 1381. In 2003 UNESCO added it to the World Heritage site "Imperial Tombs of the Ming and Qing Dynasties", and it is Nanjing's only World Heritage site. The part most people remember is the Sacred Way (神道, Shéndào), a curving path lined with pairs of stone animals — lions, camels, elephants, horses — and then stone officials and generals. The path is shaded and flat, and in late autumn the trees along it turn yellow and red. Walk the full length to the tomb mound; give it two to three hours.

Unlike the mausoleum, Ming Xiaoling and the other paid sights on the mountain do not need advance booking; you can buy at the entrance. Ming Xiaoling costs 70 yuan, the Linggu Scenic Area (灵谷, Línggǔ, with its pagoda and temple) 35 yuan, the open-air Music Stage 10 yuan, and Meiling Palace (美龄宫, Měilíng Gōng, the villa built for Soong Mei-ling) 30 yuan, or 100 yuan for all four together. The combo already saves money once you visit Ming Xiaoling and Linggu together (70 plus 35 yuan is more than the 100-yuan combo), and Ming Xiaoling plus Meiling Palace costs the same as the combo. Children, students and older visitors get free or half-price entry under the official concession rules, but these are written around Chinese ID documents, so check at the ticket window whether your passport qualifies before you count on it.

Ticket sales at Ming Xiaoling, Linggu and the Music Stage run 06:30–18:30 from February to November and 07:00–17:30 in December and January; Meiling Palace is open 07:30–18:00 with last entry at 17:30. None of these four lists a Monday closure, so Purple Mountain still works on a Monday if you skip the mausoleum. The small museums on the mountain — the Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall, the Ming Xiaoling Museum, the Sun Quan memorial and the Anti-Japanese Aviation Martyrs Memorial Hall — open 09:00–17:00 and close on Mondays.

Getting around the mountain

The sights are spread out, and walking between all of them takes most of a day. The scenic area runs sightseeing shuttles that start from four stations on Metro Line 2 — Muxuyuan, Xiamafang, Xiaolingwei and Zhonglingjie — and from two visitor centres. A single ride costs 10 yuan and a day pass 30 yuan, with a separate guided line inside Ming Xiaoling at 32 yuan; the metro connector shuttles run from about 06:15 to about 17:30 (06:45–17:00 in December and January), and every stop can be found in Amap. The day pass makes sense if you plan three or more hops. A good order: the mausoleum first at opening (its slot is the fixed point), then Meiling Palace or the Music Stage, then Ming Xiaoling in the afternoon light.

The scenic area publishes an English introduction to the mausoleum on its official site.

The Nanjing Museum and the Memorial Hall

These two are the reason for a third day. Both are free, both need a real-name booking in WeChat, and both close on Mondays.

Nanjing Museum (南京博物院)

The Nanjing Museum is one of China's major national museums, with collections from prehistory through the Ming and Qing in several separate halls. It takes at least half a day; the permanent galleries and the exhibitions drawn from its own collection are free, while some commercially run temporary exhibitions and shows charge separately. It is on the eastern side of the old city, close to Zhongshan Gate, so it pairs well with Purple Mountain or the Presidential Palace.

The booking rules are strict:

• Everyone books, and only one way. Every visitor needs a real-name booking, and the only channel is the museum's official WeChat mini program. Tickets are released at 18:00 each day for the next seven days (not for the same day). There is a morning slot, 9:00–13:00, and an afternoon slot, 12:00–16:00, and you must enter within your slot; each ID can enter once per day.
• Foreign passports. Passport holders book in the same mini program. On the day, go to the "Green Channel" (绿色通道) service window on the east side of the main gate with your original passport and booking for a manual check; Chinese ID holders use the face-scan gates instead.
• Hours. 09:00–17:00, last entry 16:00, closed on Mondays; hours during school and public holidays are announced separately.

Set an alarm for 18:00 China time seven days before your visit if your date falls on a weekend or a holiday. On weekdays outside holidays, booking two or three days ahead is usually enough.

The Memorial Hall of the Victims in Nanjing Massacre

The Memorial Hall of the Victims in Nanjing Massacre by Japanese Invaders (侵华日军南京大屠杀遇难同胞纪念馆) is built on the Jiangdongmen mass-execution site of the Nanjing Massacre. It opened on 15 August 1985 and is a national first-grade museum; a branch museum at the former Lijixiang "comfort station" site opened in December 2015. The exhibitions use documents, photographs and survivor testimony, and the grounds include outdoor memorial sculpture. The visit is sombre: people keep their voices low, and silence is expected in the memorial areas. It is not suitable as a quick stop between other sights, and families with young children should think about the content beforehand. Allow two to three hours.

Practical points:

• Free, with booking. Admission has been free since 1 March 2004. Everyone must book by real name through the Memorial Hall's official WeChat account; the three exhibition halls are booked separately, booking opens 1–7 days ahead with tickets released at 08:00, and a passport is an accepted document. Each person can enter once per visit day and make one booking per month, and no third party is authorised to book for you.
• Hours. 08:30–17:30, last entry 16:30, in a morning session (08:30–12:30) or an afternoon session (12:30–16:30); closed on Mondays except public holidays.
• Getting there. Take Metro Line 2 to Yunjin Road (云锦路), leave by Exit 2 and enter at Gate 1 (Exit 3 on public holidays and busy days). Large suitcases must be checked in, at 3 yuan each; backpacks can go in with you.

The three halls are booked separately and you can only book once a month, so decide which halls you want before you book. The Memorial Hall's English visitor guide lists the current rules.

Nanjing has other good museums, including the Six Dynasties Museum near the Presidential Palace; check its hours and booking on its official account before you go. For how these compare with the rest of the country, see China's best museums.

The city wall, the Qinhuai River and the old city

The rest of Nanjing's sights sit inside or along the Ming city wall, and most are an easy metro ride from each other. Since July 2024 most graded sights in Nanjing no longer require a booking; the exceptions are the Purple Mountain mausoleum area, the Nanjing Museum, the Memorial Hall, the Presidential Palace, Niushoushan, the Hongshan Forest Zoo, and Fuzimiao at peak times. Sights that dropped booking must sell same-day tickets at a window that takes mobile payment, bank cards and cash (foreign cards are not guaranteed).

The Ming city wall (南京城墙)

Construction began in 1366 and took 28 years. The main city wall was 35.267 km long with 13 gates, and 25.091 km of it still stands. You can walk on several sections; two are the most rewarding for a first visit.

• Zhonghua Gate (中华门, Zhōnghuá Mén) section, from Dongshuiguan to Jiqingmen in the south. Zhonghua Gate is a huge fortified gate with three inner courtyards built to trap attackers, and the bricks still carry the stamped names of the officials and workshops that made them. A day ticket costs 50 yuan and an evening ticket 90 yuan (50 yuan on nights without a show). Day hours are 08:30–17:00; evening hours are 17:00–21:00 from December to March and 17:00–22:00 from April to November, with evening entry only at Chishiji and Zhonghua Gate.
• Taicheng (台城, Táichéng) section, from Shencemen to Taipingmen in the north, running along Xuanwu Lake behind Jiming Temple. Day and evening tickets are both 30 yuan. Day hours are 08:30–17:00; in the evening (17:00–21:00 from November to March, 17:00–22:00 from April to October) only the stretch from Jiefangmen to Linhuting is open, entered from the Jiefangmen ticket office.

If you only walk one section, take Taicheng in the late afternoon: the lake is on one side, the temple's yellow walls on the other, and it is quieter than Zhonghua Gate. Choose Zhonghua Gate if you want to understand how the gate itself worked. Free entry for under-18s and over-70s, and half price for people aged 60–70 and full-time university students, apply in the day session; ask at the window whether they accept a foreign passport for this. There is little shade on top, so bring water in summer.

Fuzimiao, the Qinhuai River and Laomendong

Fuzimiao (夫子庙, Fūzǐmiào, the Confucius Temple area) is a rebuilt old quarter along the Qinhuai River (秦淮河, Qínhuái Hé) with temples, shops and snack streets. It is busy and commercial, and it looks best after dark when the buildings and boats are lit. Laomendong (老门东, Lǎoméndōng), just inside Zhonghua Gate, is a newer restored block of grey-brick lanes with cafés and small museums, a little calmer than Fuzimiao. Both are open streets you can walk into freely, but on public holidays entry can be reservation-gated at peak hours: during the 2024 National Day holiday visitors had to book between 12:00 and 22:00 through Alipay mini programs named "南京夫子庙" and "门东历史文化街区". On a normal day you just walk in.

The Qinhuai River boats leave from Panchi Pier (泮池码头) at Fuzimiao and generally run every day from 09:00 to 22:00. There is an east route to Bailuzhou Park and back and a west route to Xishuiguan; each takes about 40 minutes, and the busiest time is 18:30–21:00. Tickets are sold at the pier; check the price there, since it differs by route and time of day. If you want the lit-up view without the queue, go just before 18:30 or after 21:00.

The Presidential Palace (总统府)

The Presidential Palace (总统府, Zǒngtǒngfǔ), officially the Nanjing China Modern History Museum, is a large compound in the centre that has served as a Ming prince's residence, a Qing governor's office, the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom's palace, and the offices of the Republic of China government. Today you walk from a classical Chinese garden with ponds and rockeries straight into early-20th-century government offices. Allow two hours. It still requires real-name tickets, which individual visitors buy through the palace's official WeChat account; that account lists the current price and opening hours, so check it when you book, including whether it is open on the day you plan to go. Take the metro to Daxinggong (大行宫) on Line 2 or 3.

Xuanwu Lake and Jiming Temple

Xuanwu Lake (玄武湖, Xuánwǔ Hú) is a big park lake just north of the wall, good for a slow walk between heavier sights. It has been free since 2010, and since 4 July 2024 you no longer need to book — you just walk in, except on major holidays or during big events when a booking may be announced. Jiming Temple (鸡鸣寺, Jīmíng Sì), a working Buddhist temple with a small pagoda, sits on a low hill at the lake's south-west corner, next to the Taicheng wall. It is famous for the cherry trees on the road below it in late March and early April. Entry is by a small ticket bought at the gate; check the current price there. Together with the Taicheng wall, the lake and temple make an easy afternoon.

For more of China's old capitals and walls, see our roundup of historical sites.

What to eat in Nanjing

Nanjing eats a lot of duck. The city is known for salted duck and pressed duck, and the snacks of Fuzimiao are part of the Qinhuai tradition. Food here is lighter and a little sweeter than inland cooking, and rarely spicy.

• Salted duck (盐水鸭, yánshuǐyā) — the city's signature: duck brined and poached, served cold in slices, tender and mild. Shops sell it by weight; ask for half a duck (半只, bàn zhī) to share.
• Pressed duck (板鸭, bǎnyā) — duck salted and pressed flat, firmer and saltier, more often bought as a gift than eaten on the spot.
• Duck blood and vermicelli soup (鸭血粉丝汤, yāxuě fěnsī tāng) — glass noodles, cubes of duck blood, duck offal and fried tofu in a clear broth. It is the standard quick lunch and tastes milder than it sounds.
• Soup dumplings (汤包, tāngbāo) — Nanjing's are thin-skinned and full of broth; bite a small hole and let them cool first.
• Beef potstickers (牛肉锅贴, niúròu guōtiē) — long pan-fried dumplings, crisp on the bottom, often eaten with the duck blood soup.
• Osmanthus sweets (桂花, guìhuā) — osmanthus rice cakes, small taro in osmanthus syrup (桂花糖芋苗, guìhuā táng yùmiáo), lotus root stuffed with sticky rice (桂花糖藕, guìhuā táng'ǒu) and osmanthus drinks, especially in autumn.

Fuzimiao and Laomendong have the most snack stalls, and the Xinjiekou (新街口) shopping district has the big chains and sit-down restaurants. Most places take Alipay or WeChat Pay; menus in English are uncommon, so a translation app with a camera mode helps. Our guide to ordering food with zero Chinese has the phrases and tricks.

Getting around Nanjing: metro, paying and taxis

The metro reaches almost everything in this guide. After Line 6 opened on 29 September 2026, Nanjing Metro has 15 lines, 611 km and 302 stations. Signs and announcements are in Chinese and English. The stations you will use most:

• Purple Mountain: Line 2 to Muxuyuan, Xiamafang, Xiaolingwei or Zhonglingjie, then the scenic-area shuttle; Xiaolingwei is the closest to Meiling Palace and the Music Stage.
• Presidential Palace: Daxinggong, on Lines 2 and 3.
• Laomendong and Fuzimiao: Line 3 from Daxinggong; search the nearest stop in a map app.
• Memorial Hall: Line 2 to Yunjin Road.

One common mistake: Line 2 does not stop at Nanjing South. From Nanjing South to Purple Mountain, take Line 3 to Daxinggong and change to Line 2 eastbound, or use the scenic-area tourist bus from the station.

Paying. The official options are QR codes. Ticket machines on every line have sold single tickets through WeChat Pay scan since November 2023. The official Nanjing Metro app, 与宁同行 (Yǔ Níng Tóngxíng), supports WeChat Pay, Alipay and UnionPay and lets you scan straight through the gate, and since December 2025 a Nanjing Metro ride code in WeChat's 城市通 ("city pass") mini program does the same, taking the fare from your WeChat wallet. The city's 2025 travel guide also mentions the Alipay transit code. Do not plan on tapping a foreign Visa or Mastercard at the gates: there is no official notice that they accept one. In practice, set up Alipay or WeChat Pay with a foreign card before you arrive — see how to use Alipay with foreign cards — and use its transit code or buy single tickets at the machine. Single fares depend on distance; the machine shows the fare before you pay. Our China metro guide covers how gates and transfers work everywhere.

For late evenings, check your line's last train on our Nanjing metro last-train times page before dinner at Fuzimiao. the WaysChina app has an offline Nanjing metro map and a trip planner that groups sights by area, which helps when your day splits between Purple Mountain and the old city.

Taxis and DiDi fill the gaps, especially for the airport with luggage, for groups of three or four, and for getting down from Purple Mountain after the shuttles stop. Use DiDi or the taxi option in Alipay so the destination is typed in Chinese; meters are used for street taxis, and you can confirm the fare on the receipt or in the app. See taxis and ride-hailing in China for setup.

A 2–3 day plan, where to stay, and where to go next

Two days

Day 1 — Purple Mountain. Book a morning slot at the Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum. Metro Line 2 to one of the four scenic-area stations, shuttle to the mausoleum, climb the steps. Shuttle to Meiling Palace or the Music Stage, then lunch near the scenic area's visitor centres. In the afternoon walk the Sacred Way and Ming Xiaoling. In the evening, head to Fuzimiao for snacks and a Qinhuai boat after the 18:30–21:00 rush but before 22:00; check the last boat at the pier.

Day 2 — the old city. Morning at the Presidential Palace (booked in WeChat). Lunch around Xinjiekou or Laomendong. Afternoon at Zhonghua Gate and a stretch of the wall, or — if you would rather end quietly — Jiming Temple, the Taicheng wall and a walk along Xuanwu Lake at sunset. Evening in Laomendong.

Three days

Add a third day for the Nanjing Museum in the morning slot and the Memorial Hall in the afternoon session, or split them across two half days if you want a lighter day after the Memorial Hall. Remember that both close on Mondays, as does the mausoleum, so a Monday works best as Day 2, swapping the Presidential Palace for the wall or Xuanwu Lake, or as your travel day.

Where to stay

Pick the area by what you want to walk to in the evening. Xinjiekou is the centre, with Lines 1 and 2 crossing and the widest range of hotels; it is the safe choice for a first visit. Fuzimiao and Laomendong put you next to the river and the snack streets, good if you want to be out after dark. Nanjing South suits a one-night stop with an early train, but it is far from the sights. You can compare hotels in all three areas on Booking.com. Hotels register foreign guests with the police at check-in, so bring your passport and book a hotel that accepts foreigners; see hotel booking and registration rules.

Where to go next

• Yangzhou is the closest and quietest next stop, known for Slender West Lake, its merchant gardens and morning tea. From Nanjing South about 17 trains go to Yangzhou East on the sample day, the fastest in 58 minutes. From Nanjing Station there are about 16 trains to Yangzhou East, the fastest in 46 minutes, and about 9 cheaper intercity trains to Yangzhou Station, mostly C trains, taking about 50 minutes at about 37 yuan in second class. It works as a day trip or one night — see the Yangzhou travel guide.
• Wuxi is on the way to Shanghai, with Lake Tai, the giant Buddha at Lingshan and the Grand Canal. Nanjing South to Wuxi East has about 71 trains on the sample day, the fastest in 39 minutes; Nanjing South to Wuxi Station, which is closer to the city centre, has about 57, the fastest in 55 minutes. Wuxi East is a stop on the Beijing–Shanghai high-speed line only, while Wuxi Station has the most trains overall. From Nanjing Station about half of the roughly 75 trains to Wuxi are slow conventional trains, so check the train type before you book. See the Wuxi travel guide.
• Suzhou is the garden city. In a September 2026 check of 12306, Nanjing South to Suzhou North had about 79 trains a day with the fastest in 44 minutes, and Nanjing South to Suzhou Station about 63 trains taking 1 hour 7 minutes to 2 hours. Suzhou Station is next to the old town, Suzhou North is further out — the Suzhou travel guide explains which to pick.

Going east, Nanjing, Yangzhou or Wuxi, and Suzhou chain easily into Shanghai, and the Jiangnan water towns route continues from there. Going north, Nanjing South is on the direct high-speed line to Beijing.

In short: plan two or three days, avoid Mondays for the mausoleum, the museum and the Memorial Hall, and book all three in WeChat with your passport before you arrive. Arrive at Nanjing South from Shanghai Hongqiao or Beijing South, set up Alipay or WeChat Pay for the metro, spend one day on Purple Mountain and one in the old city, and add the museum and memorial on a third. Then take the train on to Yangzhou, Wuxi or Suzhou.

Last updated: October 2026