Nanjing
Nanjing was the capital six times and keeps the scale of one: a thirty-kilometre city wall, boulevards under plane trees, and Purple Mountain rising at the east gate. An hour from Shanghai, and a different tempo.
- Region
- Jiangsu, East
- Best months
- Mar–May, Oct–Nov
- Airports
- NKG
- Suggested stay
- 2–3 days
Overview
The Ming built their first capital here in the fourteenth century and the wall they raised is still mostly standing, the longest city wall in the world. Inside it the city is green and low, its avenues planted with plane trees by the Republican government in the 1920s, and the old villa quarter around Yihe Road is one of the pleasantest places to walk in China.
Purple Mountain holds the Ming tombs, Sun Yat-sen's mausoleum and a forest of paths between them. Give it a full day and take the cable car or a bus back down.
Nanjing is also where the 1937 massacre happened, and the memorial is a serious, well-made place that most visitors should see. Summers are famously hot; spring and autumn are the seasons.
Getting there
Nanjing South is the high-speed hub on metro lines 1, 3 and S1: Shanghai in about an hour and a quarter, Suzhou under an hour, Hangzhou about an hour and a quarter, Beijing three and a half to four hours. The older Nanjing station on Xuanwu Lake also takes some fast trains. Lukou (NKG) airport is 40 kilometres south; metro line S1 to South station takes about 35 minutes.
Rail tip. Your passport is your ticket. Book on 12306 or Trip.com, then go straight to the gate. See Getting around.
Where to stay
Gulou and Yihe Road
鼓楼·颐和路Republican villas, plane trees, cafés. The quiet choice.
The 1930s embassy and villa quarter north-west of the centre. Boutique hotels in old houses, small restaurants, and metro lines 1 and 4 a few streets away.
Xinjiekou
新街口The commercial centre. Every metro line, every hotel chain.
Busy, central and practical. Walking distance to the Presidential Palace and a short ride to the Confucius Temple.
Confucius Temple and Qinhuai
夫子庙·秦淮Lantern-lit canals and the old south city. Lively at night, touristy by day.
The old pleasure quarter along the Qinhuai River. Guesthouses in the lanes of Laomendong, the restored south-city district, are the nicest here.
Things to do
Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum
中山陵A blue-tiled hall at the top of 392 steps, with the city below. Free, but book.
Ming Xiaoling
明孝陵The first Ming emperor's tomb: a spirit path of stone animals under plane trees.
City Wall at Zhonghua Gate
中华门城墙The largest gate of the Ming wall, with three courtyards to trap an enemy. Walk the wall from here.
Nanjing Massacre Memorial Hall
侵华日军南京大屠杀遇难同胞纪念馆The memorial to 1937. Sober, well done and free. Allow two hours.
Yihe Road
颐和路Republican-era villas behind walls, under plane trees. An evening stroll.
Xuanwu Lake
玄武湖The big lake under the north wall, with lotus in summer and islands to walk.
Eat
Duck, in every form: salted duck cold with a beer, duck blood and vermicelli soup at any hour, duck-oil pastries. Tangbao soup dumplings and pan-fried guotie for breakfast, pidu noodles with pork rind, and sesame cakes from the ovens around the Confucius Temple. Nanjing food is gentle and a little sweet, Jiangsu style.
From travellers in Nanjing
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