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Xuanwu Lake with pleasure boats, Purple Mountain rising green behind the far shore

CITY / NANJING

Nanjing

Ming walls, Purple Mountain tombs and the Qinhuai after dark — the other capital, 90 minutes from Shanghai

Suggested days2–3 days
Best forHistory readers, wall walkers
PaceUnhurried — old-capital pace
Getting aroundMetro in town; bus and foot up Purple Mountain

PREPARE

Before you arrive

The Ming Tower of the Ming Xiaoling Mausoleum above its stone terrace, framed by autumn trees at Purple MountainNanjing · PrepareBooking the Ming Tomb and Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum

DO

Use the city well

Xuanwu Lake with pleasure boats, Purple Mountain rising green behind the far shoreNanjing · DoNanjing First Time: The Capital That Isn'tThe broad brick top of Nanjing's Ming city wall, its inscribed parapet bricks facing the modern skylineNanjing · DoNanjing City Walk: Ming Walls and Republic StreetsA covered boat on Slender West Lake, Yangzhou, with the White Pagoda on the left shore and the Five Pavilion Bridge aheadNanjing · DoDay Trips from Nanjing: Yangzhou and the Slender West LakeLengths of Nanjing Yunjin brocade in floral and cloud patterns on display at the Nanjing Folk MuseumNanjing · DoNanjing Souvenirs: Brocade and Tea, Not Just Duck

STORIES

Stories from Nanjing

Nanjing Confucius Temple: The Examination Hall UnderneathStory · Nanjing

Nanjing Confucius Temple: The Examination Hall Underneath

Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum: A Republic in Imperial GrammarStory · Nanjing

Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum: A Republic in Imperial Grammar

PRIVATE TRIP / SAMPLE ROUTES

Build a Nanjing trip around your pace.

We will shape the route with a partner operator after dates, party size and priorities are clear. Priced sample routes live on Tours — an inquiry here is shaped around your dates and must-sees first.

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Ask the way you’d ask a friend who has already been. Answers come from the guides on this site. When a guide doesn’t cover your question yet, Ask says so and links a community thread instead.

Try asking: Do I need to book the Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum in advance? · How much of the Ming city wall can I actually walk? · Is Nanjing worth a night, or just a day trip from Shanghai?