Nanjing

Best time to visit

1. Jan
2. Feb
3. Mar
4. Apr
5. May
6. Jun
7. Jul
8. Aug
9. Sep
10. Oct
11. Nov
12. Dec

From the airport or station to the city

Where you land, the ways into the city centre, how long each takes and what it costs.

Getting around

The metro is the easiest way around: Line 1 and Line 2 cross at Xinjiekou, Line 2 runs east to the Purple Mountain (Muxuyuan, Xiaolingwei) and west to the Massacre Memorial (Yunjin Road), Line 3 reaches Fuzimiao. Fares start at ¥2; Alipay and WeChat transit codes work. For the Purple Mountain sites use the scenic-area shuttle buses. Several big sights are free but need a real-name booking, so carry your passport every day.

Book these before you fly

These sights need a reservation with your passport. Walk-ups are usually turned away.

• Nanjing MuseumFree real-name booking up to 7 days ahead; new slots are released daily at 18:00 China time, in morning (09:00–13:00) and afternoon (12:00–16:00) blocks. Chinese ID holders use the official WeChat mini-program; with a foreign passport, book on the official website or WeChat account, then bring your passport and the booking to the staffed window at the History Hall. Weekend and holiday slots go fast.
• Memorial Hall of the Victims in Nanjing Massacre by Japanese InvadersFree real-name booking 1–7 days ahead through the memorial’s official WeChat account; passports are accepted. Slots are released at 08:00 daily (an extra release at 17:00 for the main exhibition). One booking per person per month. Show the booking QR code and your original passport at the gate.
• Sun Yat-sen MausoleumFree timed booking (08:30–10:30, 10:30–12:30, 12:30–14:30, 14:30–16:30) from the day before, with a passport, via the 钟山风景区 WeChat mini-program or the 中山陵园票务中心 WeChat account. Trip.com also lists free booking.
• Presidential PalaceReal-name timed tickets on the 南京总统府景区 WeChat account or Trip.com. If online booking does not accept your passport, ask at the ticket office by the main gate.

Top sights

南京博物院Nanjing MuseumOne of China’s great national museums: bronzes, porcelain, jade burial suits and a recreated Republic-era street, in six halls.Booking required3–4 hours侵华日军南京大屠杀遇难同胞纪念馆Memorial Hall of the Victims in Nanjing Massacre by Japanese InvadersThe national memorial to the civilians and prisoners killed by Japanese troops after they took Nanjing in December 1937, built on a site where victims’ remains were found.Booking required2–3 hours中山陵Sun Yat-sen MausoleumThe tomb of the founder of modern China: 392 granite steps climbing Purple Mountain to a blue-roofed hall with wide views.Booking required1.5–2 hours明孝陵Ming Xiaoling MausoleumThe UNESCO-listed tomb of the first Ming emperor, approached by the Sacred Way lined with stone elephants, camels and officials.Booking recommended2 hours南京城墙·中华门Ming City Wall and Zhonghua GateThe longest surviving city wall in China; Zhonghua Gate is a vast fortified gate with three courtyards and tunnels for thousands of soldiers.1.5–2 hours夫子庙·秦淮河Confucius Temple and Qinhuai RiverThe old heart of Nanjing: a Confucian temple, the Imperial Examination Museum and a lantern-lit canal with painted boats.2–3 hours南京总统府Presidential PalaceSeat of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom and later of the Republic of China government: offices, gardens and 600 years of history in one compound.Booking required2 hours玄武湖Xuanwu LakeA big city lake of islands and causeways under the Ming wall and Purple Mountain, where locals walk, jog and boat.1–2 hours老门东Laomendong old quarterRebuilt lanes of grey-brick houses inside the city wall, full of snack shops, teahouses and small museums.1–2 hours鸡鸣寺Jiming TempleA working Buddhist nunnery on a small hill next to the Ming city wall, with a yellow-walled pagoda and views over Xuanwu Lake; famous for the cherry-blossom avenue below it in spring.1 hour大报恩寺遗址景区Grand Bao’en Temple and Porcelain Tower siteThe excavated remains of the Ming temple whose glazed Porcelain Tower once amazed European travellers, shown under glass walkways, with a modern light-filled pagoda built over the site.2 hours阅江楼Yuejiang Tower (Lion Hill)A tall Ming-style pavilion on Lion Hill overlooking the Yangtze, planned by the first Ming emperor but only completed in 2001; the free Tianfei Palace and Jinghai Temple sit at the foot of the hill.1.5–2 hours牛首山文化旅游区Niushou Mountain and Usnisa PalaceA forested Buddhist mountain south of the city with a vast modern underground palace built to house a relic said to be the Buddha’s skull bone; the interior halls are lavishly decorated.Booking recommendedHalf a day栖霞山Qixia Mountain and Qixia TempleA low wooded hill east of the city with one of China’s oldest Buddhist temples, a 1,400-year-old stone pagoda and cliffs of carved Buddhas; best known for red maple leaves in autumn.Booking recommendedHalf a day灵谷景区Linggu Scenic AreaThe quiet eastern corner of Purple Mountain: the Ming-era Beamless Hall built entirely of brick, the nine-storey Linggu Pagoda and Linggu Temple under tall trees.2–3 hours瞻园Zhan GardenNanjing’s best-preserved Ming–Qing classical garden, famous for its rockeries, with China’s only museum devoted to the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom inside.1–1.5 hours朝天宫（南京市博物馆）Chaotian Palace (Nanjing Municipal Museum)The largest and best-preserved Qing-era Confucian temple complex in southern China, with red walls and yellow roofs, now home to the city museum’s collection.Booking recommended1.5–2 hours六朝博物馆Six Dynasties MuseumA sleek museum by I. M. Pei’s studio on the story of Nanjing as capital of six dynasties (3rd–6th century), built over a stretch of the original palace-city wall.Booking recommended1.5–2 hours中国科举博物馆（江南贡院）China Imperial Examination Museum (Jiangnan Examination Hall)Built on the site of China’s largest imperial examination hall, where candidates were locked in tiny cells for days; most of the museum lies in four levels underground.Booking recommended1.5–2 hours南京长江大桥Nanjing Yangtze River BridgeThe first Yangtze bridge designed and built by China alone (1968), a two-level road and rail bridge; lifts in the south bridgehead tower lead to the deck and a small history museum.1.5–2 hours

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