Nanjing in 3 days

China's old southern capital: Ming walls, a mountain of tombs and heavy history. Best time to visit: March-May, September-November. Average daily budget: $40 to $110 USD.

Day 1, Get oriented

Base: Confucius Temple / Qinhuai, Lantern-lit canal, Jiangnan Examination Hall, snack streets and boat rides.

Morning: Ming City Wall. Walk the ramparts near Zhonghua Gate or Jiefang Gate, the longest ancient wall standing.

Afternoon: Explore Confucius Temple / Qinhuai, Lantern-lit canal, Jiangnan Examination Hall, snack streets and boat rides.

Evening: Confucius Temple at night. Qinhuai River lanterns, snack lanes and a slow boat under the bridges.

Eat: Salted duck, the city's signature, sold by the half at any deli

Day 2, Go deeper

Base: Xinjiekou, The commercial core: hotels, malls, metro interchanges and easy bases.

Morning: Ming Xiaoling Mausoleum. The first Ming emperor's tomb, with the Sacred Way's stone elephants and camels.

Afternoon: Explore Xinjiekou, The commercial core: hotels, malls, metro interchanges and easy bases.

Evening: Nanjing Massacre Memorial. A sober, superbly designed museum of the 1937 atrocity. Free, allow two hours.

Eat: Duck blood and vermicelli soup, better than it sounds

Day 3, Hidden side

Base: Purple Mountain, Ming Xiaoling, Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum, Linggu Temple and forest trails.

Morning: Qixia Temple in late November for the best red maple in eastern China.. A local favourite most visitors miss, worth the detour.

Afternoon: Explore Purple Mountain, Ming Xiaoling, Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum, Linggu Temple and forest trails.

Evening: The Beamless Hall and Linggu Pagoda, quiet even on Purple Mountain weekends.. A local favourite most visitors miss, worth the detour.

Eat: Soup dumplings and pan-fried buns in the Confucius Temple lanes

Hidden gems

Qixia Temple in late November for the best red maple in eastern China.
The Beamless Hall and Linggu Pagoda, quiet even on Purple Mountain weekends.
Presidential Palace gardens, the Republic-era seat of government.
Yihe Road's 1930s villa quarter, empty and leafy.

Getting around

High-speed trains reach Shanghai in about 70 to 90 minutes, Beijing in 3.5-4.5 hours and Hangzhou in around an hour, arriving at Nanjing South. The metro has ten-plus lines and reaches the airport, Purple Mountain and all main sites for well under a dollar a ride, payable by Alipay or WeChat QR. DiDi is cheap for cross-town hops. Purple Mountain itself needs a sightseeing bus or a lot of walking.

Safety

Nanjing is very safe, with petty theft rare and streets active late. Set up Alipay or WeChat Pay before arrival because cash is barely accepted, and install a VPN in advance if you rely on Google or Western apps. Summer is famously one of China's furnaces, regularly above 35C with high humidity, and January can drop below freezing. Book the massacre memorial and popular museums through their WeChat mini-programs, which often require ID and same-week reservations.

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