A 6-Day Trip to Nanjing During the Year of the Tiger Spring Festival

After barely traveling for two years due to the pandemic, I was unbearably restless. With the Tiger Year Spring Festival upon us, closely watching the COVID situation, and airfare so temptingly cheap, I immediately decided to visit Nanjing—a trip I should have made two years ago.

Starting point: Chengdu

PS1: Unless you’re driving yourself, I strongly recommend getting a Jinling Tong transportation card. It works on buses and the metro, with each ride costing only 1.6 yuan. Transfers within a set time are free (the exact free-transfer rules for buses aren’t clear to me; you can Baidu them yourself). It’s a great deal. I loaded 50 yuan, used it daily, and still had a little over 10 yuan left when I left.

PS2: I suggest taking buses to all the sights. Most stop right at the entrance. They’re not as fast as the metro, but they’ll save you a lot of walking.

1. Confucius Temple Scenic Area (recommended for night visits)

Famous nationwide, but honestly, it’s like similar attractions everywhere—very commercial and nothing special. Visiting at night is more enjoyable than during the day because of the lanterns. I had zero interest in the paid entry spots, including Confucius Temple itself, and only spent 100 yuan on a boat ride just to say I did it. The Qinhuai River is still there, but the enchanting beauties on the water are long gone—what a pity.

2. Zhongshan Scenic Area (Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum, Music Platform, Meiling Palace, Ming Xiaoling Mausoleum, Linggu Scenic Area): Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum is a must; the others are up to you.

My route: Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum → Music Platform → Linggu Scenic Area → Ming Xiaoling Mausoleum → Meiling Palace

Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum is a must-see in Nanjing. Unfortunately, the tomb chamber wasn’t open, and photos aren’t allowed in the memorial hall—another regret. The Music Platform is just out a side gate; a separate ticket costs 10 yuan, but I suggest the 100-yuan combo ticket (Music Platform + Meiling Palace + Ming Xiaoling Mausoleum + Linggu Scenic Area) for better value. The Mausoleum and Music Platform are close enough to walk. From the Music Platform to Linggu Scenic Area, and Linggu to Ming Xiaoling, I recommend using the scenic area shuttle bus—10 yuan per ride, 20 yuan total. It saves a lot of energy; walking the entire route is exhausting and best avoided unless you’re up for it. (I made exactly that mistake and ended up with aching feet.)

3. Linggu Scenic Area (omitted detailed description in original)

3. Memorial Hall of the Victims in Nanjing Massacre by Japanese Invaders (recommended)

The humiliation of Jinling has yet to be avenged. Our nation’s hatred—when will it cease? May the east wind shatter the peaks of Mount Fuji. In ambition, we feast on invaders’ flesh; in jest, we drink their blood.

4. Presidential Palace (recommended)

The Presidential Palace is actually quite large. A thorough visit takes half a day, so leave enough time to savor it. Don’t just rush through.

There, the five-starred red flag flies over the Presidential Palace.

5. Nanjing Museum (recommended)

The crowds were huge, and the museum’s heating was way too strong—I was sweating. The jade burial suit I wanted to see most was out on loan, yet another regret. The much-hyped Republic of China Street is really just a commercial alley.

6. Nanjing Yangtze River Bridge (learned about in primary school texts, recommended)

The bridge park was closed, so I couldn’t take the elevator up. I chose to walk onto the bridge, only to discover I’m a bit afraid of heights... But to fulfill a long-held wish, I pushed through and completed the walk. The entire walk was 5 km, with about 1.5 km across the river. If the elevator is available, I definitely don’t recommend walking the whole way—it’s too far! And e-bikes zip back and forth, making it not very safe.

7. Niushou Mountain (highly recommended)

Absolutely stunning—especially for Buddhists, this is a must-visit. A relic of Sakyamuni’s cranial bone is enshrined here. I suggest walking up the mountain and taking the shuttle bus down (10 yuan per person).

8. Xuanwu Lake (recommended)

The lake is vast and clear; you can rent a boat or simply take a walk.

9. Laomendong (average; recommended for night lantern viewing)

Jam-packed and no different from other imitation-ancient commercial streets across the country. The night view is pretty, so I suggest an evening visit (during Spring Festival there were colorful lanterns; not sure about normal times).

10. Zhonghua Gate (not recommended)

If you’ve been to the Xi’an city wall, there’s no need to buy a ticket and climb Zhonghua Gate. Otherwise, a visit is okay—usually 50 yuan per person. From the wall, you can gaze at the Inner and Outer Qinhuai River and look down over Laomendong.

11. Zhan Garden (Taiping Heavenly Kingdom History Museum)

Ticket: 35 yuan. Worth seeing. I thought it would be small, but it’s actually a garden within gardens. A leisurely stop-and-go visit took 2–3 hours. The original site was the mansion of Ming dynasty general Xu Da; its present scale was expanded in modern times.

12. Xinjiekou (completely not recommended)

A very ordinary commercial street, no different from those everywhere. I didn’t even feel like taking a photo. Maybe it’s a bit better at night with the lights. Of course, if you love checking out trendy shops, you can visit—I’m just not interested.

13. Food: Since it was a Spring Festival trip, aside from eateries near the attractions, many places were closed. So I had to eat near the sights—can’t be helped. Nanjing Da Pai Dang was insanely busy; I didn’t want to queue, so I ordered takeout. The salted duck and roast duck were both good, the rest was acceptable but nothing outstanding.

1. Presidential Palace cultural-creative ice cream: 18 yuan, decent taste.

2. Confucius Temple plum-blossom cake: 10 yuan. It has a filling that’s scalding hot. I burned my tongue because I wasn’t careful.

3. Jiming Soup Dumplings 21-yuan set: 6 soup dumplings + red bean dumplings in sweet broth.

4. Duck blood vermicelli soup: 20 yuan.

5. Sweet taro in osmanthus sugar + osmanthus rice cake? (Forgot the price.)

6. Beef potstickers (5 for 10 yuan) + smoked beef noodles (20 yuan)

7. Rice cakes in Laomendong: 5 yuan for two tiny pieces—not worth it (basically just Chengdu steamed sponge cakes).

8. Nanjing Da Pai Dang: salted duck, roast duck, fermented rice and red bean dumplings in sweet broth, roasted duck dumplings, thousand-layer oil cake, osmanthus sticky rice cake. Total with delivery fee: 100.6 yuan.

14. Jinling Snow

On the day I left, a sudden heavy snowstorm hit. Afraid my flight would be canceled and delay my schedule, I refunded the ticket and switched to a high-speed train, but the train was delayed too. I didn’t arrive in Chengdu until past midnight—an imperfect ending.

Overall: Nanjing is worth a visit. I’ll come back if I get the chance.