Description : A pleasant & lively former capital with a couple of original (as well as horrorginal) sights

Comments : Not really a favorite with backpackers, the historical significance of the place is nevertheless worth a stopover on the way to Suzhou or Qufu

What to do : Feel sad for human nature at the Memorial of the Nanjing Massacre (Bus No7, open 8:30 to 5pm) / Be impressed by the Ming City Wall, the longest ever built in the world (over 33 km)  /  Spend the afternoon at Zijinshan area, for a look at Sun Yatsen Mausoleum, the other historical sights and the green surroundings / Swim in the nearby Zixia lake during summer / Spend the evening around lively Fuzimiao and its Temple of Confucius / Meet foreigners students and decide to stay in Nanjing to learn Chinese

What you may not like : Some characteristic of the human nature / The hot summer / The limited accommodations / Waiting too long for a bus or walking too much (renting a bike could be a good idea) /

How long ? One or two days

Learn about the biggest civilian slaughtering of all time, perpetrated by the Japanese soldiers in just a few weeks between the end of 1937 and the beginning of 1938 : - Around 300,000 civilians killed - Between 20,000 and 80,000 Chinese girls raped Still, most people (including among the Japanese) do not know the story... An excellent book by Iris Chang. Order it via Amazon.com (click on the cover) to save money.

<< Discover the greenery of Nanjing...

Where to stay ?

Hotels  << Get precise info, book online and save money !

As everywhere on the east coast, budget accommodations are not that cheap & limited. The Nanjing University Foreign Students Dormitory, just south of Beijing Lu (Bus No13 from train station) is where most of the backpackers seem to stay. It cost around 70Y for a Dbl without bath to 200Y for a Dbl with bath.

Just south of the above, the Nanjing Normal University Nanshan Hotel offers a nicer environment (inside the campus) and Dbl with bath from around 120Y

How to leave ?  

Trains 

Train is the best, whether going North to Qufu, East to Suzhou & Shanghai or South to Huangshan. There is a train ticket office south of China Eastern Airlines Office on Zhongshan Lu. Some trains to the East below :

 

No		K378/375	1495/1498	K33	1354/1351	5051	T711	T701
Nanjing	0	0400	0508	0541	0612	0633	0748	0839
Suzhou	219	0728	0852	0837	0941	1131	n	n
Shanghai	308	0826	0953	0936	1042	n	1054	1143

Nanjing is also a stop for the Yangzi River cruises between Chongqing & Shanghai.