Nanjing travel guide

Describing Nanjing's transport as covering “land, sea and air” (海陆空) is no exaggeration. Its convenient connections make Nanjing a major transport hub in East China.

Nanjing Lukou International Airport is one of the few large airports in China. It is 35 km from the city centre. A shuttle bus costs ¥20 per person, and a taxi costs around ¥100.

Nanjing has three passenger stations: Nanjing Railway Station (南京站), Nanjing South Railway Station (南京南站) and Zhongpingmen (中平门). Most trains departing from Nanjing leave from Nanjing Railway Station, and most trains passing through Nanjing stop there.

The Shanghai–Nanjing Intercity High-Speed Railway officially opened on 1 July 2010. G-series high-speed trains run in both directions between Nanjing Railway Station and Shanghai Hongqiao Station, and intercity trains run between the two cities every day, so you can usually buy a ticket and board soon after. Nanjing South Railway Station mainly serves the Beijing–Shanghai, Shanghai–Wuhan–Chengdu, Yangtze River, Nanjing–Hangzhou, Nanjing–Anqing, Nanjing–Nantong, Nanjing–Hefei and Nanjing–Qidong Intercity lines.

Nanjing is the hub of 83 highways north and south of the Yangtze River, linking seven provinces and municipalities, including Shanghai, Zhejiang, Anhui, Shandong and Jiangxi. Among them, the Nanjing–Shanghai, Nanjing–Hefei and Nanjing–Lianyungang expressways make travel between Nanjing and other places faster.

Buses and taxis are the main means of getting around within Nanjing.

There are currently 12 lines: Lines 1, 2, 3, 4, 7 and 10, and S1, S3, S6, S7, S8 and S9. Line 1 serves Hongshan Forest Zoo, Xuanwu Lake, Confucius Temple (Fuzimiao) and Nanjing South Railway Station. Line 2 serves Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum, Mochou Lake and the Nanjing Massacre Memorial Hall. Line 3 serves the Presidential Palace, Zheng He Park and others. Line 4 serves Gulou, Jiuhua Mountain and others.

Nanjing Metro uses unmanned ticket machines that accept banknotes and coins. The metro card works like an arcade token. Escalators in metro stations run downward. Nanjing's metro is very convenient and well managed.

Nanjing's sightseeing shuttle buses start later and finish earlier. The first bus usually departs at 7:30, and the last bus usually departs at 17:30.

Regular city bus fares in Nanjing are ¥2. D-prefix bus fares are ¥3, and K-prefix bus fares are ¥4.

The city has five dedicated sightseeing buses that pass the main attractions, with staff providing commentary on each site. Attraction tickets purchased on board are also discounted.

Nanjing's attractions all close early. The Presidential Palace Site and Jiming Temple stop selling tickets at 17:00, so plan to visit before then.

Nanjing taxis fall into three categories: standard cabs, mid-range cabs (including all-electric cars), and luxury cabs.

Nanjing cuisine has long been known as Jing-Su cuisine, celebrated for its authentic flavours, careful ingredient selection, and delicate, refined presentation. When it comes to food in Nanjing, duck is a must. Besides salt-water duck, there are Jinling roast duck, dry-cured duck (banya), roast duck, Jinling soy-braised duck, crispy duck, eight-treasure pearl duck and salted duck gizzards.

Nanjing snacks are sold as set meals, with the cheapest at ¥60 per set. Each set includes a dozen or so snacks, and sets are also available at ¥80, ¥100, ¥300 and other price points. As each snack is served, the waiter not only announces its name but also explains the story behind it.

If you want to bring snacks home for family and friends, Nanjing sausages, xiangdu (pork-belly sausage) and vacuum-packed osmanthus salt-water duck are essentials, but make sure to look for the Guihua (Osmanthus) brand for authenticity. Yuhua tea is another option, and spring's new tea is the finest. Specialty goods are best bought at large supermarkets, which offer a fuller range at reasonable prices.

The Qinhuai Eight Delicacies are Nanjing's famous snacks: five-spice tea eggs, five-spice beans and Yuhua tea from Kuiguang Pavilion; shredded dried tofu with dried shrimp and crab-shell yellow flatbread from Yonghe Garden; sesame-oil shredded dried tofu and duck-fat flaky flatbread from Qifang Pavilion; tofu pudding and scallion pancakes from Liufengju; assorted vegetable buns and shredded chicken noodles from Qifang Pavilion; beef soup and beef potstickers from Jiang Youji; thin-skinned dumplings and fried-fish noodles in red broth from Zhanyuan Noodle House; and osmanthus-filled mini glutinous rice balls and five-colour rice cakes from Lianhu Dessert Shop.

Many restaurants around Confucius Temple offer snack set meals where you can sample all the Qinhuai Eight Delicacies in one go; these usually come in ¥20 and ¥40 versions. You can also try them at larger restaurants such as Qinhuai Renjia, Guibin Lou and Zhuangyuan Lou, which guarantee authentic flavours, but expect to spend over ¥100.

The 'Water Eight Delicacies' among aquatic produce are fish, water chestnuts, lotus root, wild rice stem (jiaobai), arrowhead (cigu), water celery, Gorgon nuts (jitougu) and lotus seed pods. All are at their best around the Mid-Autumn Festival.

Nanjing has many snack streets. Besides Confucius Temple, areas such as Xinjiekou, Chaotian Palace, Shanxi Road and Matai Street have gradually developed their own concentrations of snack stalls and eateries.

Nanjing Overview

Nanjing has accommodation at every level, from star-rated hotels to ordinary guesthouses. Luxury hotels include Dingshan Shangri-La Hotel, Hilton International Hotel, Nanjing Centre Hotel and Jinling Hotel; mid-range options include Guorui Hotel and Tianjing Hotel.

For budget or mid-range stays, you can choose a work-unit guesthouse or an affordable ordinary hotel, where prices generally range from ¥100 to ¥200. Backpackers can stay at youth hostels; the rooms are basic, but the service is just as attentive.

Located in the south of the urban area, this is one of Nanjing's centres of folk culture, close to the Qinhuai River, with moderately priced accommodation.

Convenient transport and central location, close to various scenic spots. Accommodation prices here are relatively high.

Also in a busy district, close to the railway station and the famous Hunan Road food street.

The best place to stay for visitors keen on hot springs, with several scenic spots nearby, though prices are rather high.

Nanjing's bustling commercial districts are mainly concentrated in Xinjiekou in the city centre, Hunan Road in the north, Taiping South Road in the south, and the Confucius Temple area. Young women can hunt for little treasures in these places. Zhujiang Road Electronics Street is also quite well known. In addition, Changmao Hand-Painted Shop, Xianfeng Bookstore, Liuxing Tongxin, Tanhua Life and Pufang are also well-known shopping spots among Nanjing locals.

Specialty shops in the Confucius Temple commercial district are expensive and have no clearly marked prices. Around 10 pm, when shops are about to close, many specialty stores will negotiate on price.

Around Confucius Temple (Fuzimiao), you can see life along the Qinhuai River by day and sample Huaiyang snacks by night. Zhonghua Gate, meanwhile, is a favourite spot where locals go to cool off and relax.