Nanjing layers 1,800 years of history — Ming city walls, Republic-era villas and memorials, and a lively food-and-riverside old quarter — all stitched together by fast metro and easy by high-speed rail from Shanghai.
“City wall, memorial stairways and Qinhuai lanterns sitting low on the water.”
2 days in Nanjing
The same sights, spread over 2 days rather than one; Mar–May & Sep–Nov is the friendliest window; room for a day trip and one unplanned afternoon.
Use this planWhat to bring home
Handicrafts from this region, shipped with your trip. Browse the shop →
Best time to go
Mar–May & Sep–Nov. Shoulder weeks are quieter and cheaper.
Getting there & around
High-speed rail links most of this from the majors. Rail guide · Auto privata con autista
Visa & entry
Transit and visa-free rules change often — check the current list against your passport before booking.
Best time to visit
March–May and September–November are the sweet spot (spring blossoms, then Qixia’s red autumn maples). July–August is hot; winter is cold but atmospheric and uncrowded.
How many days
- 2 giorni — Purple Mountain, city wall and Fuzimiao.
- 3 giorni — add the museums, Presidential Palace and Yihe Road.
Getting there & around
High-speed rail: Shanghai ~1–1.5h, Beijing ~3.5h. Lukou Airport (NKG) connects by metro. The city metro reaches the main sights; the old lanes around Confucius Temple are best on foot.
Top things to do
- Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum on Purple Mountain, plus the Ming Xiaoling Sacred Way.
- The Nanjing Massacre Memorial Hall (moving and essential).
- Fuzimiao (Confucius Temple) and a Qinhuai River night cruise.
- The Ming City Wall and majestic Zhonghua Gate.
- Nanjing Museum and the Presidential Palace.
- Jiming Temple and Xuanwu Lake; Yihe Road’s plane-tree villas.
A 2-day Nanjing itinerary
- Giorno 1 — Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum + Ming Xiaoling → city wall / Zhonghua Gate → Fuzimiao at night.
- Giorno 2 — Nanjing Museum → Presidential Palace → Laomendong and the Qinhuai.
What to eat
Nanjing salted duck, duck-blood-and-vermicelli soup, pan-fried soup dumplings and a deep street-snack culture around Fuzimiao and Laomendong.
Domande frequenti
- How many days do you need in Nanjing? — Two days covers the mausoleum, city wall and Qinhuai old quarter; add a third for the excellent museums and Yihe Road’s tree-lined villas.
- When is the best time to visit Nanjing? — March–May for spring and September–November for autumn foliage (Qixia Mountain maples). Summer is one of China’s furnace-city heats; winters are cold.
- What is Nanjing famous for? — It was a dynastic capital and the Republic’s seat — Sun Yat-sen’s mausoleum, the longest city wall in the world, the Nanjing Massacre Memorial and the lantern-lit Qinhuai River.
Pianifica il resto del tuo viaggio
Il periodo migliore per visitare la Cina · Ho bisogno del visto? (verifica) · Weekend in Cina · Planner di viaggio con intelligenza artificiale · Calcolatore dei costi · Tour della Cina · Autista privato · eSIM per la Cina
Altre destinazioni in Cina
Chengdu · Chongqing · Hangzhou · Sanya · Lijiang e Shangri-La · Monte Huangshan · Suzhou · Xiamen e Gulangyu · Wuhan · Dali ed Erhai · Qingdao · Pingyao · Luoyang · Monte Wuyi · Dunhuang · Hongcun · Zhangjiajie · Lago Qinghai · Fenghuang · Guilin · Xi’an · Shanghai · Pechino