Nanning travel guide

Nanning is mainly reached by road, rail and air. Waterway travel mostly runs to Guangzhou, Hong Kong and Macau.

Airport shuttle buses run daily between the city and the airport and can be boarded directly at the CAAC ticket office near the railway station. If you prefer not to take the airport shuttle, you can also catch Bus 301 (¥3) from beside Chaoyang Square, though it is very crowded.

The main railway trunk lines include the Xiang-Gui, Qian-Gui, Li-Gui and Nan-Kun lines. The Ningtie Line connects northward with all the national trunk lines, eastward to Zhanjiang and Guangzhou, southward to Qinzhou, Fangchenggang and Beihai, and southwestward to Hanoi in Vietnam. The newly built Nan-Kun Railway now offers services from Nanning to Kunming. The Liuzhou–Nanning Intercity High-Speed Railway, also known as the Liu-Nan Passenger Dedicated Line, is Guangxi's first intercity high-speed railway. It runs from Liuzhou through Laibin City and Binyang County to Nanning, covers 224 km, is designed for speeds of 250 km/h, and opened on 30 December 2013. Journey times are 1 hour 16 minutes from Nanning East to Liuzhou, and 2 hours 21 minutes from Nanning East to Guilin.

Coaches run daily to all cities and counties in Guangxi. The city has five passenger service stations, operating nearly 400 long-distance routes that cover 7 regions both within and beyond Guangxi and 57 counties and cities.

Sail down the Yong River to Guangzhou, Hong Kong, Macau and other destinations.

Within Nanning, the main options are city buses, minibuses, suburban buses and air-conditioned express coaches (known locally as “lengba”, or “cold buses”).

Nanning currently has five operating metro lines: Lines 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5. Metro fares range from ¥2–7.

Nanning taxis start at ¥9 for the first 2 km, then ¥2 per km. At night, the flag-fall is ¥11 for the first 2 km.

Every year in mid-to-late October, Nanning holds a grand Southeast Asia Tourism & Food Festival, featuring snacks from across China as well as Southeast Asian flavours. Food lovers should not miss it.

In Nanning, the best places to enjoy Guangxi folk songs are Nanning Ethnic Minorities Square and the nearby Nanning International Convention and Exhibition Center. Large folk song performances are held here regularly, and it is also the main venue of the Nanning International Folk Song Arts Festival. Address: at the junction of Minzu Avenue and Zhuxi Road. Buses 8, 32, 205 and 704 all serve the area.

Young locals in Nanning are incredibly busy every evening, typically hopping between four or five venues. The first stop is badminton, the second is dinner, and after eating they head to a third stop, a café, to catch up with friends. The fourth stop is a nightclub or bar. Those with exceptional energy add a fifth stop: a tea house near Nanhu Lake or Jinchahua Park for a cup of tea. After that comes a sixth stop on Zhongshan Road for snacks, and those who drink add a few more bottles of beer. They get home at three or four in the morning and still show up for work on time the next day.

The Yongjiang Night Cruise is a water tour recently developed in Nanning. Departing from Minsheng Pier, it passes the city's landmark buildings and attractions, such as the ancient city wall and Changyou Pavilion. Summer is the recommended season. Riding the gentle river breeze, visitors can admire the beautiful scenery of the Yong River and hear stories of Nanning's history and culture.

Guangxi cuisine belongs to the Cantonese family, but its flavours have developed a distinct style of their own. Guangxi cooking excels at preparing chicken, fish, snake and pigeon. The most famous dishes include Huadiao Drunken Chicken, Paper-Wrapped Chicken, Wushi Qichang Fish and Walnut-Fragrant Pigeon.

For most travellers, local snacks are far more appealing than grand local dishes, and much better value. Across Guangxi you'll find all kinds of rice noodles, zongzi (glutinous rice dumplings) and more. Lao You Fen (Old Friend Rice Noodles) may be the snack that best represents Nanning.

Lemon duck, found in restaurants of all sizes, is another dish with a distinctive flavour. Of course, Nanning's fruit is not to be missed: there are many varieties of tropical fruit, and they are cheap. Apart from a few specialty restaurants, Zhongshan Road is also a bustling food street.

Nanning offers a wide choice of accommodation, from budget to upscale.

Specialty shops are concentrated along Chaoyang Road, Xinmin Road and Qixing Road. The shops are generally small, mostly famous-brand outlets and boutiques. There are also many shopping malls, such as Wanda Plaza, Mengzhidao Department Store, Wangfujing Department Store and Jinhu Plaza.

Nanning's nightlife can hold its own against Guangzhou's. There's no need to worry about how to fill your evenings: you can enjoy the rich night-time square culture at the city's many plazas, or head to Donggelu Road and Taoyuan Road, where KTV bars, casual bars, specialty restaurants and fitness centres are concentrated.