Heads up: some links here are affiliate links. Book or buy through them and we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. We only point you to things we would actually use. Get these seven things right before you land in Nanjing and the rest of the trip runs itself: check which visa scheme actually applies to you, install a VPN before arrival, go near-cashless with Alipay or WeChat Pay, and plan around the summer heat.

Heads up: some links here are affiliate links. Book or buy through them and we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. We only point you to things we would actually use. Nanjing comes down to four base options for a first visit: Xinjiekou for the best all-around convenience, Fuzimiao/Qinhuai for atmosphere over pure efficiency, near Nanjing South for HSR-heavy trips, and Purple Mountain only if you’re prioritizing an early start over everything else.

Heads up: some links here are affiliate links. Book or buy through them and we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. We only point you to things we would actually use. Nanjing rewards photographers who chase season and light rather than a checklist. The single most reliably-cited shot in the city is the Qinhuai River at night, but the Ming Xiaoling Sacred Way in autumn and the Ming City Wall’s Taicheng stretch both come close.

Heads up: some links here are affiliate links. Book or buy through them and we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. We only point you to things we would actually use. Nanjing’s best nature spots don’t require leaving the metro network. Xuanwu Lake and Mochou Lake Park sit right in the city, Meihua Shan’s plum blossoms are a five-minute add-on to a Purple Mountain day, and even the offbeat river-island option is reachable without a car.

Heads up: some links here are affiliate links. Book or buy through them and we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. We only point you to things we would actually use. Set expectations before you pack hiking boots: Nanjing’s terrain is low hills and paved park paths, not alpine trekking. Purple Mountain is the main event, a walkable loop connecting several major sights rather than a technical climb, and Qixia Mountain adds wooded slopes with a temple at the center.

Heads up: some links here are affiliate links. Book or buy through them and we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. We only point you to things we would actually use. Once you’ve done the Purple Mountain classics and the Fuzimiao night scene, Nanjing has a second layer worth a half-day: the ruined footprint of the original Ming palace, a Taiping-era garden turned museum, a brocade-weaving tradition most visitors never hear about, and two quieter parks.

Heads up: some links here are affiliate links. Book or buy through them and we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. We only point you to things we would actually use. Nanjing’s calendar runs on flowers and seasons more than ticketed festivals: plum blossom in late winter, cherry blossom and osmanthus through spring and autumn, and Qixia Mountain’s maples closing out the year. Two national holidays are worth planning around rather than into, and one date, December 13, calls for a different kind of visit entirely.

Heads up: some links here are affiliate links. Book or buy through them and we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. We only point you to things we would actually use. Nanjing is nicknamed China’s “duck capital” for good reason, and two dishes anchor almost every meal here: salted duck and duck blood and vermicelli soup. Both are cheap, both are everywhere, and both are worth building your first food day around.

Heads up: some links here are affiliate links. Book or buy through them and we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. We only point you to things we would actually use. Nanjing’s essential first-timer list runs through Purple Mountain (Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum, Ming Xiaoling, Linggu Temple), the Confucius Temple/Qinhuai night scene, a stretch of the Ming City Wall, the Presidential Palace, and one solemn half-day at the Nanjing Massacre Memorial.

Heads up: some links here are affiliate links. Book or buy through them and we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. We only point you to things we would actually use. Nanjing gives you two kinds of day trip, and you should do both. Inside the city’s own limits, Qixia Mountain and Niushou Mountain are half-day escapes reachable by bus or metro plus a short ride.

Heads up: some links here are affiliate links. Book or buy through them and we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. We only point you to things we would actually use. Seven days only makes sense framed honestly as Nanjing plus wider Jiangnan: the 6-day core (Fuzimiao, a full Purple Mountain day, the Presidential Palace and Ming Wall, a solemn Massacre Memorial afternoon, Qixia Mountain, and day trips to Suzhou and Yangzhou), plus a third, lighter rail day out to Zhenjiang.

Heads up: some links here are affiliate links. Book or buy through them and we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. We only point you to things we would actually use. Six days only makes sense framed honestly as Nanjing plus wider Jiangnan: the 5-day core (Fuzimiao, a full Purple Mountain day, the Presidential Palace and Ming Wall, a solemn Massacre Memorial afternoon, Qixia Mountain, and a Suzhou day trip), plus a second high-speed rail day out to Yangzhou.

Heads up: some links here are affiliate links. Book or buy through them and we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. We only point you to things we would actually use. Five days builds on the 4-day core, Fuzimiao and the Qinhuai River, a full Purple Mountain day, a Presidential Palace/Ming Wall morning followed by a solemn Massacre Memorial afternoon, and a day at Qixia Mountain, then adds a fifth day out to Suzhou by high-speed rail.

Heads up: some links here are affiliate links. Book or buy through them and we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. We only point you to things we would actually use. Four days is the 3-day core plus one more: Fuzimiao and the Qinhuai River, a full Purple Mountain day, a Presidential Palace/Ming Wall morning followed by a solemn Massacre Memorial afternoon, then a fourth day out at Qixia Mountain.

Heads up: some links here are affiliate links. Book or buy through them and we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. We only point you to things we would actually use. Three days covers Nanjing’s essential spine: Fuzimiao and the Qinhuai River, a full Purple Mountain day at Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum and Ming Xiaoling, and a Presidential Palace/Ming Wall morning followed by a solemn afternoon at the Massacre Memorial.

Heads up: some links here are affiliate links. Book or buy through them and we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. We only point you to things we would actually use. Nanjing rewards a first-timer with the classic Chinese-capital spine: a full Purple Mountain day (Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum, the Ming Xiaoling Sacred Way, Linggu Temple), the Fuzimiao/Qinhuai night cruise, the Presidential Palace, a stretch of the Ming City Wall, and a solemn half-day at the Nanjing Massacre Memorial.