I like travelling in China and I had a trip from Suzhou to Nanjing in March, 2018. Later, I also went to Hefei and Changzhou. I have already written Nanjing City, Jiangsu, China Travel Review – Part 1. In this post I’ll be sharing further details about the top things to do in Nanjing city. I am adding pinyin and Chinese names of Nanjing’s top tourist attractions so that you can find the places using Baidu Map. If you feel uncomfortable dealing with the Chinese characters, you’re welcome to check out my Learn Mandarin Chinese fast course.
Let me now list down the top Nanjing attractions with brief details. As always, there are relevant photos attached in the blog-post that I clicked in Nanjing – hope you’d like them. 🙂
Keep in mind that most of the museums, shops, vendors, etc. in Nanjing. would accept payments (e.g. for tickets, food) using Alipay and WeChat.
Related post – Nanjing Nightlife near Fuzimiao Confucius Temple – China Tours and Travel Attractions.
Nanjing Massacre Memorial Hall
If you have to visit only one Nanjing tourist attraction, then I think you can visit the Massacre Museum. In Mandarin Chinese, the museum is written as 侵華日軍南京大屠殺遇難同胞紀念館 (Qīnhuá rìjūn nánjīng dà túshā yùnàn tóngbāo jìniànguǎn) which means the Memorial Hall of the Victims in Nanjing Massacre.
Here you’ll see the photos, crafts, and remains from Nanjing massacre that took place in 1937. Since I like Chinese and world history, this museum has a special place in my heart. Can’t emphasize more- please stop by here. Free entry. Allow 2-3 hours.
Outside the museum, there are statues depicting the wartime conditions. Let me show you one of those statues-
Fuzimiao street
This is one of the most famous scenic streets in Nanjing that’s located close to the Confucius Temple (夫子庙, Fūzǐ miào). Next, I’ll be telling you about some of the things to do in Fuzimiao street.
Confucius temple
There is a beautiful Confucius temple located just by the road side on Fuzimiao street. The temple used to be the center for conducting Chinese civil service examination for the entire Jiangsu province. The system continued for a period spanning nearly 1500 years.
Don’t forget to get a photo clicked with the sculpture of Confucius. Entry- RMB 50. The temple looks very beautiful in the night. Let me show you a photo-
Civil service examination center
Right in front of the Confucius temple, there is the former Imperial Examination Center. Walk in the center and you’ll feel the hard work of the previous civil services aspirants. They used to come here to attend a nearly 9-days long examination. The candidates had to study in the nigh under lamps and they were isolated in a single room during the examination. The selected candidates were appointed to high government job posts. The center has well preserved replicas of the examination related materials, such as lamps, pen, clothes, etc. The ticket for the examination center is RMB 50, which also includes entry to the examination museum.
Imperial Examination museum
The museum is located completely underground across the road to the Examination Center and offers a further elaboration about the development of civil services in China. A visitor need to start the museum trip from the ground floor and gradually go up to the roof top.
The museum is very huge and you can conveniently spend nearly 4-5 hours exploring Chinese history and evolution of Chinese civil services.
Wende Bridge
The bridge (Chinese – 文德桥, Wén dé qiáo) constructed on Qin Huai River is part of the famous Fuzimiao scenic area. It’s a very famous scenic spot for taking beautiful photos in Nanjing for the vagabond travelers. The night view of the bridge is an absolutely worth checking out. Lots of eateries nearby.
Qin Huai River cruise
If you are in Nanjing, then a night boat trip in the Qin Huai River (秦淮河, Qínhuái hé) is a virtually a must. RMB 80. The journey starts (and ends) near the ferry terminal located close to the Confucius temple. The highly scenic journey lasts nearly 40minutes long and takes you through many beautiful spots. You will appreciate the sites along the river narrating Nanjing’s cultural heritage. Highly recommended.
Btw, there was a live commentary in the cruise explaining the sites, but the language used was only Mandarin Chinese. Nevertheless, the boat trip was a great experience.
Street food
A highly popular Confucius Temple Market (丛信立公司夫子庙市场, Cóngxìnlì gōngsī fūzǐ miào shìchǎng) is located by the each side of the road. There are so many varieties of delicious and unique Chinese food. Don’t forget to try Nanjing snacks and sweet deserts. There are also KFC and McDonald’s outlets.
Taiping Kingdom History Museum
From 1851 to 1864 there existed a Taiping Kingdom, a group of rebels lead by Hong Xiuquan, that ruled a huge geographic span with its capital in Nanjing. They posed threat to the Qing government in Beijing. The war between Qing dynasty and Hong Xiuquan group is known as Taiping rebellion. The Qing government overpowered the rebellion with the help of western powers (mainly Britain and France).
The museum is dedicated to explain the historical developments revolving around Taiping Rebellion. The museum also explains China’s evolving relationship with the western countries. The Zhanyuan Garden surrounds the museum.
The Gate of China (Zhonghuamen) City Wall of Nanjing
Well, the Ming Dynasty’s gigantic gate is very scenic and a highly preserved historical site. The wall gives you a glimpse of the defensive mechanism developed during the Chinese kingdom. Not many people around. You can walk on the top of the wall for an hour or so. I had to look for people to click my photos. There is also a small cafeteria on top of the wall. Entry – RMB 50.
Here is the entrance to the Gate of China-
Presidential Palace
I was little surprised to see the flag of Taiwan flying on the former presidential palace. This a great place to see the offices of previous Chinese government and emperors.
You should check out the offices of Sun Yat-sen (and his home), Chiang Kai-shek, etc. RMB 40. There are beautiful gardens surrounding the palace.
Btw, I came to the Presidential Palace twice- first time on Monday, and it was closed. Then I came again on Tuesday to explore the palace. Let me show you the official timings-
Jiming Temple
This is one of the most beautiful temples in Nanjing city, and its located in the city center area. You need to do some easy climbing to reach the temple top. Entry -RMB10. There is a namesake subway station (鸡鸣寺, Jī míng sì) at 3-4 minutes walking distance from the temple.
You can find many scenic areas nearby the temple, such as the Xuanwu Lake Park (玄武湖公园, Xuánwǔ hú gōngyuán).
Zifeng Tower
Nanjing’s tallest tower (紫峰大厦, Zǐfēng dàshà) – obviously looks very huge as it has 89 floors. You can have an expensive meal on the 78th floor (there is also a bar).
Ruins of the Ming Dynasty Imperial Palace
Well, the palace (明故宫遗址, Míng gùgōng yízhǐ) was constructed during the Ming dynasty following inspiration from the Forbidden City in Beijing. In later years the place was virtually destroyed during the Qing dynasty. Nevertheless, now it’s a lush garden that you can cover in 10-15 minutes. A nice place for beautiful photos. Free entry.
Nanjing Museum
A great museum (南京博物院, Nánjīng bówùyuàn) to explore China’s culture, history along with the handicrafts. The museum has a good collection of porcelain and silk products. You can spend nearly a full day here. The entry ticket is free, but you’ll need to get the ticket before entering the museum. ID card (e.g. Passport) is required to obtain an entry ticket.
Nanjing Yangtze River Bridge
The bridge (南京长江大桥, Nánjīng chángjiāng dàqiáo) is quite far from the downtown. I went to see the bridge, but the nearby area is not very inspiring and could be skipped if you are running out of time.
Nanjing Yuejiang Lou
This scenic spot if quite far from the downtown as well (it’s very close to the Yangtze River Bridge). RMB 40. You have an option to climb the hill or take the escalator (additional RMB 10).
Here is a video of Chinese senior citizens dancing Yuejiang Lou-
Purple Mountain 紫金山(Zǐjīn shān)
A visit to Nanjing’s Purple Mountain (紫金山, Zǐjīn shān) is highly recommended. Although it’s not near the city center, you can take a bus to get to the mountain. In fact, you can plan a day long trip to explore the mountain. Let me list down some of the top places to visit in Nanjing’s yet another scenic zone. 🙂
Ming Xiaoling Mausoleum
This is the tomb of the very first emperor of Ming Dynasty (明孝陵, Míng xiào líng). You won’t be able to see the actual tomb as its somewhere in the mountain, but you can see the memorial.
Dr. Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum
This is the mausoleum of the Dr. Sun Yat-Sen (中山陵, Zhōng shānlíng), the first president of the Republic of China. You need to climb the stairs to reach the Mausoleum. Free entry.
While coming down, I saw a guy dressed like Dr. Sun Yat-Sen, you can take a photo with him for RMB 10.
The tomb of Sun Quan
This is the tomb (孙权墓, Sūnquán mù) from the Three Kingdoms period. There are lots of sculptures of elephants and camels along the way. It was a rainy day when I reached the Purple Mountain and I initially struggled to find the mausoleum. But some locals helped me to find it and clicked photos for me.
Plum blossom hill
This is another beautiful place worth checking out. The hill is located very close to the tomb of Sun Quan in the Purple Mountain. There were lots of flowers in March and a nice place to stroll around.
Nanjing dance halls
I tried to find the Dance Halls in Nanjing, but most of them were closed. The KTV looked expensive and I’m not into KTV and singing. Anyways, I think Suzhou dance halls are your best bet.
Related post- MeiMei Dance Hall, Suzhou.
In summary, Nanjing is a city that I thoroughly enjoyed travelling across and would recommend to anyone to spend 5-6 days exploring the historic and cultural attractions.
That’s all in this post about travelling in Nanjing city 🙂
Do check out my other posts about the former capital city (Nanjing City, Jiangsu, China Travel Review – Part 1).
If you have any question about the top things to do in Nanjing city, feel free to post in our forum so that others could also contribute and learn. For regular updates like us on Facebook, or follow on Twitter!
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Happy travelling in Nanjing.
Cheers!
Last updated: Saturday, May 5, 2018