Travel Diary: Half-Day Tour in Nanjing

On the first working day after the 2022 Mid-Autumn Festival holiday, I went to Nanjing for business. I stayed one night, and had half a day free the next day before returning to Shanghai in the afternoon.

I've already visited most of Nanjing's famous sights, so with only half a day I decided to explore the city center and check out some trendy spots.

After planning, my half-day route was: starting from the hotel -> Zhan Garden -> Confucius Temple and Qinhuai River -> Xiao Xihu -> Laomendong (lunch) -> Nanjing Station.

I stayed at the Jinling Hotel, located in Xinjiekou, very close to the metro station. Although it’s a five-star hotel, I was in the old wing, which felt outdated and not too comfortable. The new wing would be different, but I’m sure the price is much higher.

I got up at 8 a.m. The hotel breakfast was sumptuous and up to five-star standards.

After breakfast, I went back to the room to rest for a bit, then took a swim in the hotel pool.

I checked out at 10:30 and took a taxi to Zhan Garden.

Zhan Garden is the number one garden in Jinling (Nanjing), and the largest surviving Ming Dynasty garden in the city.

Today’s Zhan Garden is divided into two parts: one is the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom Museum, and the other is the landscaped garden.

Entering Zhan Garden, you first come to the museum, which presents the history of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom and displays some relics.

After that is the Ming Dynasty garden section. Zhan Garden is much larger than many Suzhou gardens, with rockeries, small lakes, and pavilions laid out harmoniously. You can stroll around and see what a wealthy household’s residence was like.

Leaving Zhan Garden, I walked toward the Confucius Temple and Qinhuai River area.

Just as I arrived at Confucius Temple, it started raining due to Typhoon Muifa.

Due to the pandemic, the area around Confucius Temple used to be packed with snack stalls—the streets were so crowded that even walking was a squeeze, let alone driving. But now, many snack shops and food courts have closed down.

The rain stopped, and I continued on foot to Xiao Xihu.

Xiao Xihu is a newly developed artsy and hip neighborhood, and this was my first visit.

There are many unique cafés, tea houses, and restaurants inside Xiao Xihu, but just like elsewhere, there were no tourists—the places were almost empty.

I then walked on to Laomendong, a more established historic pedestrian street. There were noticeably more people here than at Xiao Xihu.

As I strolled around, occasional showers passed through from time to time.

At 1:30 I had lunch at Nanjing Impressions in Laomendong. The food was just so-so.

Finally, I walked to the metro station and took Line 3 to Nanjing Station.

At 3 p.m., I caught the high-speed train back to Shanghai.

The half-day itinerary was quite tight. I had originally planned to have afternoon tea in Laomendong and enjoy a leisurely afternoon, but didn’t have enough time. Next time I visit Nanjing with more time, I’ll be sure to keep a proper travel diary.