Beijing to Shanghai
We’ve compiled the best of the best in Beijing to Shanghai - browse our top choices for the top things to see or do during your stay.
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1. Ming Tomb
One of the largest and most important burial mounds in China, this is the final resting place of Emperor Hong Wu, the founder of the Ming Dynasty. Born a peasant and orphaned at a young age, he became a monk and eventually led the army that overthrew the Yuan Dynasty, making Nanjing his capital in 1368 and building its mighty walls. You approach the tomb along the Spirit Way, flanked by auspicious stone lions, elephants, camels, and mythical beasts. Winding paths make the area around the tomb perfect for strolling.
Mingling Lu, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 210029, ChinaSight Details
Rate Includes: Y70 (includes Plum Blossom Hill and Sun Yat-sen Botanical Park), Daily 8–6 -
2. Confucian Temple
Overlooking the Qinhuai River, a tributary of the Yangtze, a Confucian Temple has stood on this spot for 1,000 years, give or take. The present incarnation dates from the 1980s, rebuilt a few decades after it was destroyed by the Japanese in 1937. The surrounding area is the city's busiest shopping and entertainment district, festooned with neon at night and packed with tourists. The alleys behind the temple, once home to China's most famous district of courtesans, now house a market and curio shops. Boat rides along the Qinhuai River leave from in front of the temple every evening.
Zhongshan Lu and Jiankang Lu, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 210029, ChinaSight Details
Rate Includes: Y25, Daily 8:30–6 -
3. Drum Tower
First built in 1382, the Drum Tower (Gulou in Chinese) gives the central city district its name. In ancient times, drums housed inside were used to signal important events, from the changing of the night's watch to an enemy attack or the even greater threat of fire. Today just one drum remains.
1 Dafang Xiang, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 210029, China025-8663–1059Sight Details
Rate Includes: Y20, 8:30 –5 -
4. Lingu Temple and Pagoda
Close to the Sun Yat-sen Memorial, this temple commemorates Xuan Zang, the roving monk who brought Buddhist scriptures back to China from India. Seek out the Beamless Hall, a magnificent 14th-century structure built entirely from bricks without wood or nails to help bear its roof. Today it has been given over to propagandistic Republic-era displays. Farther up the hill is an impressive nine-story granite pagoda built in 1929 as a memorial to fallen revolutionaries. Vendors sell balloons to toss from the upper balcony.
Lingusi Lu, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 210029, ChinaSight Details
Rate Includes: Y80 (includes Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum), Daily 8–5 -
5. Nanjing Massacre Memorial
In the winter of 1937, Japanese forces occupied Nanjing. In the space of a few days, thousands of Chinese were killed in the chaos, which became known as the "Rape of Nanjing." This monument commemorates the victims, many of whom were buried in mass graves. Be advised, this is not for the squeamish. Skeletons have been exhumed from the "Grave of Ten Thousand" and are displayed with gruesomely frank explanations as to how each lost his or her life. The memorial also displays artifacts from the Sino-Japanese reconciliation after World War II, which ended the conflict between the two countries on a less strident, more hopeful note. To get here, take the subway to Yunjinlu (Line 2).
418 Shui Ximen Da Jie, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 210029, China025-8661–2230Sight Details
Rate Includes: Free, Tues.–Sun. 8:30–4:30 -
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6. Nanjing Museum
This huge museum has a vast collection of artifacts, a whole host of dinosaur fossils, and a colorful exhibition on the Republic period after 1911. Note, too, that the Ming and Qing Imperial porcelain collection is one of the world's largest. Also, keep an eye out for what might be the museum’s singular treasure—a full-size suit of ceremonial armor made from jade tiles threaded with silver; it dates from the Eastern Han Dynasty.
321 Zhongshan Dong Lu, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 210029, China025-8480–2119Sight Details
Rate Includes: Free (bring passport), Daily 9–4:30 -
7. National Dr. Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall
This enormous memorial to Dr. Sun Yat-sen, the founding father of the Republic of China, contains displays on the revered leader’s life and revolution. The grounds are also home to a multipurpose social, cultural, and education center as well as a 300,000-title library.
Xuan Wu, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 210000, ChinaSight Details
Rate Includes: Y100 for combo ticket to Open-air Music Hall, Xiaoling Mausoleum of Ming Dynasty, Linggu Temple, and Meiling Palace, Closed Mon. except holidays and Nov. 12 and Mar. 12 (anniversary of Dr. Sun Yat-sen\'s birth and death) -
8. Plum Blossom Hill and Sun Yat-sen Botanical Gardens
March and April are the best months to visit Plum Blossom Hill, when peach, pear, plum, and cherry trees explode with color and fragrance. The rest of the year it's probably not worth a special trip, though exhibits at the botanical gardens, established in 1929, are a rewarding experience year-round for those interested in the country's flora.
1 Shixiang Lu, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 210029, ChinaSight Details
Rate Includes: Y70 (includes Ming Tomb), Daily 7–6 -
9. Rain Flower Terrace and Martyrs Memorial
This scenic area gets its name from the legend of Yunzhang, a 15th-century Buddhist monk who supposedly pleased the gods so much with his recitation of a sutra that they showered flowers on this spot. It was put to a grim purpose in the 1930s, when the Nationalists executed thousands of their left-wing political enemies here. In 1950, after the founding of the People's Republic of China, it was transformed into a memorial park furnished with statues of heroic martyrs, soaring obelisks, and a museum.
215 Yuhua Lu, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 210029, ChinaSight Details
Rate Includes: Free, Daily 8–5 -
10. Shou Jia Massage
This health center is serious about traditional Chinese medicine. The center trains and employs the visually impaired for therapeutic massage treatments, and the friendly staff brings you endless cups of medicinal tea.
136 Chang Jiang Lu, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 210009, China025-5871–7600 -
11. South Gate of City Wall
Built as the linchpin of the city's defenses, this is less a gate than a complete fortress, with multiple courtyards and tunnels where several thousand soldiers could withstand a siege. It was rarely attacked; armies wisely avoided it in favor of the less heavily fortified areas to the north. Today, bonsai enthusiasts maintain displays in several of the courtyards.
Southern end of Zhonghua Lu, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 210029, ChinaSight Details
Rate Includes: Y25, Daily 8–6 -
12. Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum
Acknowledged by both the Nationalist and Communist governments as the father of modern China, Sun Yat-sen (also known as Zhong Shan) lies buried in a delicately carved marble sarcophagus, reached by a broad set of concrete steps rising up the hillside. His final resting place is the center of a solemn and imposing monument to the ideas that overthrew the imperial system. Steep trails wind around the pine-covered scenic area, which feels a world away from Nanjing's hyperkinetic buzz. The mausoleum gets crowded on weekends, so try to come during the week.
Lingyuan Lu, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 210029, ChinaSight Details
Rate Includes: Y80 (includes Linggu Temple and Pagoda), Daily 8–5 -
13. Swallow Rock
North of the city, this small park overlooking the Yangtze River is worth the trip for stirring views of Asia's longest waterway. The "rock" refers to a huge boulder jutting out into the water, a spot where Tang Dynasty poet Li Bai found inspiration. To get here, take Bus 8 to the last stop.
3 Linjiang Jie, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 210029, ChinaSight Details
Rate Includes: Y10, Daily 7:30–6 -
14. Taiping Heavenly Kingdom Museum
Commemorating a fascinating period of Chinese history, this museum follows the life of Hong Xiuquan, a Christian who led a peasant revolt in 1859. He ultimately captured Nanjing and ruled for 11 years. Hong, who set himself up as emperor, claimed to be the younger brother of Jesus. On display are artifacts from the period. After browsing through the museum, stroll through the grounds of the surrounding Ming Dynasty garden compound, once the home of high-ranking Taiping officials. In the evening there are performances of opera and storytelling.
128 Zhanyuan Lu, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 210029, China025-5220–1849Sight Details
Rate Includes: Y30, Daily 8:30–5 -
15. Xuanwu Lake Park
More lake than park, this pleasant garden is bounded by one of the longer sections of the monumental city wall, which you can climb for a good view of the water. Purple Mountain rises in the east, and the glittering skyscrapers of modern Nanjing are reflected on the calm water. Causeways lined with trees and benches connect several large islands in the lake. Pedal-powered and battery-powered boats can be hired by the hour at a number of jetties.
1 Xuan Wu Xiang, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 210029, ChinaSight Details
Rate Includes: Y30, Daily 9–9 -
16. Yangtze River Bridge
Completed in 1968 at the height of the Cultural Revolution, this bridge was the first truly great engineering project completed solely by the Communists, touted as a defining symbol of the spirit and ingenuity of the Chinese people. Decorated in a stirring Socialist-Realist manner, huge stylized flags sculpted from red glass rise from the bridge's piers, and groups of giant-size peasants, workers, and soldiers stride forward triumphantly. The Great Bridge Park lies on the southern side; from here you can take an elevator up to the top or browse a gallery of old photographs. Bus No. 1 from the Confucian Temple takes you to the bridge.
End of Daqiao Nan, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 210029, ChinaSight Details
Rate Includes: Y15, Daily 7:30–5 -
17. Yuejiang Lou
Ming Dynasty founding emperor Hongwu wrote a poem describing his plans to have a tower built atop Lion Mountain, from where he could gaze out at the Yangtze River. Other imperial business got in the way, and, for several centuries, the building remained on paper. In 2001, his dreams were realized; a gargantuan, historically accurate, and slightly sterile tower arose. The views, though, are terrific.
202 Jianning Lu, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 210029, China025-5880–3977Sight Details
Rate Includes: Y40, Daily 7–5
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