Autumn in Nanjing! A Stay Guide for the Jiangsu Garden Expo Park
Listening to the morning news, the plane trees in Nanjing have shed their leaves, and the red leaves on Qixia Mountain are gradually turning crimson—the most charming season of Jinling City has arrived. The overwhelmingly vibrant colors sweep away the bleakness of autumn, and nature's brilliance is on full display here.
When we usually talk about Nanjing's autumn charm, we mention Qixia Mountain with its sky of red maples, or the "Most Beautiful 600 Meters of Nanjing" on the Ming Xiaoling Mausoleum's Shixiang Road... But today, let's set those aside. I visited Nanjing not long ago and want to share with you the Jiangsu Garden Expo Park, which officially opened at the end of September.
Photo source: Xiaohongshu @江苏园博园
I'd known earlier that the Garden Expo Park was built for a horticultural expo, and when I dropped by to explore, it was truly extraordinary. The entire park has a massive footprint, built on a former abandoned mining area in Tangshan, covering over 5,000 mu. Surrounding it are four major scenic spots: Zijin Mountain, Qixia Mountain, Baohua Mountain, and Tangshan. It's perfect for a two-day getaway—spend one day exploring the park and the next visiting the surrounding areas.
The Garden Expo Park is divided into four zones: "Cliffside Flower Valley," "Time Art Valley," "Jiangsu Charm Valley," and "Cloud Pool Dream Valley." Shuttle buses are available inside, with three circular sightseeing routes continuously looping around. I'd recommend buying a shuttle pass. The sightseeing cable car is another experience worth trying, offering a 60-meter-high bird's-eye view of the autumn colors. Personally, I really enjoyed the vintage-style train that chugs leisurely through the park—you can hop on and off at the main stops.
"Cliffside Flower Valley" is the first stop in the park. Beneath a nearly 100-meter-high cliff lies a large expanse of green, where many park activities are held, such as wild-camping tent courses, global food trucks, and handicraft workshops. Many families with children like to spend time here.
"Time Art Valley" is the zone that has gone viral. Once a cement factory, the old workshops and cement silos have been transformed into a cultural and creative art space.
Image 2/3 source: Genbentang Architectural Photography
The widely shared online Pioneer Bookstore is located inside a cement silo. The large clock tower at the entrance was designed by the same company that designed London's Big Ben. Inside, the architect cleverly arranged the bookshelves in a spiral, turning the silo into a true book silo. Visitors can follow the stairs to the top or wander between the cement silos.
In the Dark Horse World Comics Museum, there's a whole wall of comic art, along with merchandise and figurines from the three giants Marvel, DC, and Dark Horse. Even if you're not a comic fan, it's a lot of fun to explore.
Don't miss the Coca-Cola Brand Hall and the Camera Art Museum, especially the latter. It displays over 300 cameras dating from 1913 onward, many of them classic models. On the second floor, there's an exhibition of classic Chinese and foreign photography originals, with staff available to explain.
Photo source: Xiaohongshu @江苏园博园
"Jiangsu Charm Valley" features 13 classical gardens, each named after one of the 13 cities in Jiangsu Province. One city, one scene, blending the garden characteristics of each city—finally, the "Thirteen Guardians of Jiangsu" are united in this way.
Photo source: Xiaohongshu @江苏园博园
Strolling through, you'll find the scenery familiar: pavilions, terraces, water features, and little bridges over flowing streams are all hallmarks of Jiangnan gardens.
At the highest point sits Nanjing Garden, modeled after the Hualin Garden of the Three Kingdoms period, fully showcasing the subtle beauty of classical Chinese gardens. Climb to the top building, Jingyang Tower, and you can take in a panoramic view of the entire Garden Expo Park.
"Cloud Pool Dream Valley" is the former site of Nanjing's largest quarry. A cliff over 130 meters high has been turned into a screen for an immersive theater, where light shows are staged. Another focal point of this area is the Nanjing Garden Expo Park Banyan Tree, embedded into the cliffside—we'll get to that later.
At the deep end of the valley, there's also an underwater botanical garden, where a variety of rare plants are gathered. When you're tired, there are indoor areas like restaurants, cafés, and libraries to rest—quite considerate.
For those coming from Shanghai or Hangzhou, trying to see this vast Garden Expo Park in just one day is obviously tiring. Within the park, there are seven different resort hotels: Nanjing Garden Expo Park Banyan Tree, Marriott's Nanjing Junmao Hotel, Autograph Collection and The Westin Nanjing Hot Spring Resort, IHG's Hotel Indigo Nanjing Garden Expo Park, Radisson Collection Resort Nanjing, Nanjing Huanghua'an Hotel, and VOCO.
Click on the map to see the general locations of the hotels
As you can see from the map, Nanjing Garden Expo Park Banyan Tree and Huanghua'an Hotel are closer to Gate No.3 Dongningmen, VOCO Hotel is near Gate No.2 Beianmen, and the other four hotels are relatively clustered together near Gate No.4 Jinxiumen. This time I visited five of them, and I'll talk about each for your reference.
**Nanjing Garden Expo Park Banyan Tree**
As mentioned earlier, Nanjing Garden Expo Park Banyan Tree is in the "Cloud Pool Dream Valley" area, built against a cliff on the abandoned limestone quarry—a rare mining-valley resort hotel in China.
Photo source: @月伊
The hotel's rooftop is level with the quarry slope top road. Once the misty waterfall at the top of the cliff is completed, from the public area restaurant you'll see the interplay of the mistfall and the mist in the gardens. We had afternoon tea in the restaurant and witnessed a spectacular sunset over the cloud pool and cliff.
For the interior design, it's once again by the well-known CCD (Cheng Chung Design), ranked number one in Asia-Pacific for global top 100 interior design this year. In the lobby, layered single wood planks form a "cocoon" shape, with the surroundings downplayed; your eyes are naturally drawn to this cocoon as soon as you enter. This shape symbolizes "rebirth," with light streaming through the cocoon, creating a natural charm.
The entire hotel structure follows the terrain in a "stepped-back" layout, so every room offers excellent views. The hotel has 115 rooms, all featuring independent viewing balconies and hot spring soaking tubs with views of the mine valley.
The base room type, the Dream Valley Cliff Room, starts at 60 sqm. From the balcony, you can enjoy views of the nearby garden and the distant cliff. In autumn and winter, you can soak in the warm waters without even leaving your room—the thought is simply blissful.
In addition to the private onsens in the rooms, the Banyan Tree has eleven indoor and outdoor public hot spring pools, spacious and open. The hot spring water comes from the renowned Tangshan Hot Springs nearby, the only hot spring in China to have received dual quality certification from both Japan and Europe, with notable therapeutic benefits. A special reminder: the waters are wonderful, but don't soak too long!
**Hotel Indigo Nanjing Garden Expo Park**
When we talk about Indigo, we often say: "Just as no two leaves are identical, no two Indigo hotels are alike." I'm not sure who first coined this, but it's true. As IHG's premium boutique brand, Indigo is youthful and stylish, each property infused with local character, each with its own personality and distinctiveness.
The hotel stands on the former mining site, perched at the highest point in the hotel cluster, easily enjoying the best views thanks to its elevation.
In front of the entrance, behind the waterfall, stands a low, sculpted pine tree—immediately evoking the essence of Jiangnan. After passing through a shimmering, iridescent door into the lobby, you'll find ore-inspired elements everywhere.
The colorful glazed stone wall behind the front desk is quite eye-catching, inlaid with blue ore pieces.
Step into the elevator, and the backdrop wall displays tools once used by miners, making you feel like you're visiting a miniature mining museum.
Each Indigo is small but exquisite, and this one is no exception. The 86 rooms are spread across seven courtyard villas, every room with a balcony overlooking valley and garden views. The bed design reminds you of little miners, and the washstand in the bathroom is shaped like a small mine cart—really playful.
The most memorable part here is the afternoon tea called "The Miner's Quest," which is great fun. The server brings a rock and hammer, sets up the afternoon tea platter on this base, and tells the story of "Little Bear Miner's Adventure." The treasures Little Bear finds along the way are the dozen or so desserts you're about to eat—kids especially will love this afternoon tea.
**Radisson Collection Resort Nanjing**
Radisson Collection Resort Nanjing is currently the most popular hotel in the Garden Expo Park on TikTok (Douyin). Located in the center of the park, it's very convenient for visiting all the attractions.
The interior design is by the Hong Kong firm LWK+Partners. The main pillar of the lobby resembles a giant banyan tree, with pale brown log brackets supporting the entire lobby; the front desk and lobby lounge nestle beneath this tree. Large floor-to-ceiling windows and overhead glass maximize natural light, making the lobby bright and airy, and offering a wide-open view all the way to the park's iconic Jingyang Tower in the distance.
The interior design incorporates Nanjing's local features, and you'll find elements of Nanjing cloud brocade throughout both public areas and rooms, giving you a unique Jinling-style resort memory.
The hotel has 151 rooms, accessed from the public area via a connecting corridor, with base rooms starting at 46 sqm. Upon entering any room, you first face a "stone" screen, then turn right to pass the shower, toilet, and bathroom before reaching the bedroom—a layout that ensures privacy.
The pool here is also the top photo spot trending on TikTok, with a 270-degree curved window design allowing you to take in the park's dramatic mountain scenery—very photogenic. Downstairs is the outdoor hot spring pool, also fed by Tangshan's hot spring water.
**Nanjing Junmao Hotel, Autograph Collection**
Autograph Collection is a premium luxury brand under Marriott, just below The Ritz-Carlton. Each Autograph Collection hotel embodies the vision of its founder, utterly unique and distinctive.
Located in the "Time Art Valley" area, Nanjing Junmao Hotel, Autograph Collection occupies the site of a century-old cement factory. You can combine your stay with visits to nearby Pioneer Bookstore, Camera Art Museum, and other attractions.
The architecture and interior design draw inspiration from its historical context, sparking a dialogue between industry and nature. The architectural design is by Cui Kai, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, while the interiors were entrusted to the renowned Thai firm PIA. According to the hotel, the husband-and-wife design team split the work: the wife designed this Autograph Collection, while the husband designed The Westin next door.
The hotel has 110 rooms, seven of which are suites. We visited on a Saturday, and it was nearly fully booked. Rooms start at least 60 sqm, with cement as the signature color, blended with softer materials like wood, frosted glass, and fabric to soften the industrial edge. The king bed faces a terrace garden, and some rooms have private hot spring bathtubs.
I really liked the three dining venues here. QINGTAI · Coffee Gallery has a mechanical-industrial-chic style, with perpetually moving installations everywhere. When we walked into the café, everyone instinctively reached for their cameras—well, it's just that photogenic.
From QINGTAI · Coffee Gallery, you can walk down to SILO · Bar, where wood and marble elements create a relaxed vibe. The signature cocktail here is called "Cement," which looks like stirred cement and tastes sweet, with not much alcohol flavor.
We also tried the all-day dining restaurant, Qieshe that day—maybe it's a play on the Chinese idiom "qie er bu she" (persistence). The restaurant's design was inspired by the hollows left by mining operations, and sitting by the floor-to-ceiling windows, you can enjoy the park scenery.
The restaurant mainly serves Western cuisine, though the choices aren't extensive; the quality is on point. The cod left a deep impression—cooked just to the point where the center was barely done, so it was still juicy and tender.
The hotel's indoor heated pool is absolutely the finishing touch—one of the most beautiful pools I've seen recently, and forgive my poor photography skills. The cave-like design and warm, gentle tones remind me of a Turkish bath. You need to shower first in the changing area before entering, and you can also soak here.
**The Westin Nanjing Hot Spring Resort**
This Westin is right next to the Autograph Collection. As soon as we walked in, we exclaimed that this Westin is very "Westin." The high-ceilinged lobby design, the waterscape platform, and the sunken garden connecting the scenery, along with abundant use of natural wood materials, elevate the texture. Here, I'd recommend a Private Garden View King Room with a private hot spring—outside your window is the Garden Expo Park scenery, and while soaking in the hot spring, you can enjoy the view, which is extremely relaxing.
That's all for today's sharing. Here are a few final tips:
During our visit, we learned that many visitors come from Shanghai and Hangzhou. Only hotel guests are allowed to drive inside the park. Starting from the entrance, there are multiple checkpoint inspections for hotel reservation proof, and both room key and QR code are required for entry and exit—plan ahead.
If you arrive in Nanjing by high-speed train and take a taxi to the park, you can contact your hotel in advance; they also provide shuttle service.
