By Raphael M., a travel photographer and writer based out of New York City

Last Updated on October 21st, 2026

The capital of Jiangsu Province is Nanjing, a city along the Yangzte River rich in history and culture. The city offers a multitude of experiences, with night-markets, Dr. Sun Yat-Sen's Mausoleum, and mountainous Buddhist temples.

About an hour from Shanghai is Nanjing, the former capital of the Republic of China (Kuomintang) and modern day capital of Jiangsu Province. While most may recognize the name from the Rape of Nanjing (romanized to Nanking), the city has endless cultural sites, nature parks, and street-markets to roam around and enjoy.

Nanjing does have Nanjing Lukou International Airport, so it is possible to fly into the city. However, you're most likely going to get the best rates and accessibility from Shanghai, the closest Tier-1 city in China. From Shanghai, the best transport is high-speed rail. However, there are slower commuter trains that may be slightly more affordable.

I recommend using Trip.com to book pretty much anything in China, including train fares. They give updated times, seamless translations, and easy booking without having to hassle with agents at the stations.

Located 30 minutes outside the main city is Niushoushan Buddhist Park, a stunning complex that holds the world’s only Buddha's Parietal Relic, the skull of Shakyamuni. The complex is relatively new, but holds the only surviving Parietal Relic (a fragment of the Buddha's Skull) in the world.

There is also Foding Pagoda, which provides stunning arial views of the complex and the surrounding landscape.

How to get there:

Nanjing is a pretty large city, and there are tons of places to base your accommodation out of. There are plenty of hotels along the Yangzte River that give spectacular nighttime views of the water, along with the city skyline. These tend to be higher in price, and not my preferred accommodation.

There's 6 places you have to visit, with some located outside of the main city: Dr. Sun Yat-Sen's Mausoleum, Niushoushan Buddhist Park, Donglu Mountain Guanyin Temple, Fuzimiao, Nanjing Museum, and Nanjing Massacre Memorial.

While the last two stops may be better known than this one, Donglu Mountain Guanyin Temple is the reason I came to Nanjing. While scrolling on Instagram, I saw a picture of this white Buddha on a mountaintop, and I needed to see it for myself. 8 months later, I was here.

Where to stay:

Why Nanjing?

This temple is well-outside the city, almost an hour depending on traffic. I would advise you to get a DiDi and negotiate with them to stay and bring you back to the city, or you might be out of luck.

This was one of the most surreal parts of my trip, as standing in that courtyard watching the sunset practically alone at a mountainside temple with this statue felt unreal. I did visit the temple in the evening (and barely caught the last bit of light) and descended the mountain in darkness. While I'm not religious, this experience did feel immensely spiritual, and out of all the Buddhist temples I've visited, felt the most special.

The main downtown area of Nanjing is Fuzimiao, a pedestrian street district filled with vendors, stores, and night-time boat rides. While most pedestrian streets mirror each other across different cities in China, Fuzimiao felt different.

Nanjing Museum:

Nanjing Museum with extensive collections of pottery, art, and historical artifacts. Spanning across 17 acres, the museum is most well known for its extensive imperial era porcelain collection, one of the largest in the world.

However, the standout feature for me is the Republic of China Street, a replica-town located in the lower level of the museum. The town is incredibly immersive, and brings you back to the past with its visuals, sounds, and smells. There are several boutique stores, restaurants, a complete replica train station, old cars, propaganda posters - it feels like walking through a movie set.

Nanjing Museum is truly a world-class museum, and definitely worthy of a visit. Note that it is completely free, but does require a passport to access. It was a hassle with the APP, and a tip for foreigners is to go to the small booth located by the lockers at the front of the museum, they can process you a ticket right there.

The Rape of Nanjing (romanized as Nanking) is one of the most tragic events in Chinese history, resulting in the death of over 200,000 civilians, soldiers, and prisoners of war. The Imperial Japanese Army destroyed the city during the battle of Nanjing, and then proceeded to rampage, rape, and kill their way through the remnants. They had 'killing contests,' raped women, children, even infants, and murdered any man who looked of military age. Japan has 'apologized' for the atrocities committed during combative periods of war, but never specifically the Rape of Nanjing nor offered any reparations.

Top places to visit:

Niushoushan Buddhist Park:

To get here, take a short taxi-ride or DiDi, and it should take about 30-40 minutes from the city center.

I chose not to photograph the Relic Hall myself, but it was a amazing visual experience, and one that needs to be seen in-person. This is a must-visit when coming to Nanjing.

Nanjing Massacre Memorial:

Nanjing is known for 'Nanjing Salted Duck,' a dish that dates back hundreds of years in Imperial China. You can find tens of vendors selling thousands of ducks every night, with the city consuming over 100 million ducks a year. The entire street smelt like fresh duck, and while it may not be to the taste of some, it was a delightful experience.

The Confucious Temple at the center of the district was nice, but not anything special. The Qin Huai River runs through the town, and many people choose to take a night-time cruise.

Right outside my hostel is this fried rice restaurant (my favorite dish) that was truly the best fried rice I've ever had. It is a family run business, and in my 3 day visit, I visited them 5 times, as the generous hospitality and good food kept coming back. I'll have the sign of their restaurant below, and while I can't get an address for it, it is located 2 blocks from this address: 5th Floor, No. 199 Pingjiangfu Road, Qinhuai District, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China. Might be my favorite place in Nanjing.

Dr. Sun Yat-sen's Mausoleum:

On the top of Purple Mountain is Dr. Sun Yat-sen's Mausoleum, the resting place for the father of Modern China. The Mausoleum itself is located in the northeastern part of the Zhongshan Scenic Area, a massive park filled with a variety of temples and greenery. There's multiple sections within the scenic area, but for me, I focused on just the Mausoleum.

From the Muxuyuan subway station, I walked into the scenic area and along the Mausoleum road, where I found a small Cypress Lake that was just hitting peak fall colors. This was one of the most stunning scenes of my entire trip; the orange leaves resting on the standstill lake, the textures, and unreal color.

The road to the Mausoleum is about 2 miles, and while there is a shuttle bus that drives you up directly to the foot of the gate, I opted to walk. There is a nice boardwalk that gets less crowded the further you go down, and has much better photo ops.

I stayed in the Fuzimiao District, a downtown area with a ton of restaurants and vendors, as well as the Nanjing Confucius Temple. I stayed at the Xiying Youth Travel Hostel, which was incredibly affordable at $7 USD a night. It included bed (which is in a 4-bed dormitory but I had the entire room to myself), an amazing outdoor rooftop, and helpful staff. This was the cheapest hostel I stayed at in China, and while it wasn't the nicest, it was definitely the best value, being only a 5 minute walk from the main downtown area.

The Mausoleum grounds consists of a narrow walkway all the way to the top of Purple Mountain, where the Mausoleum itself exists. On the way up, you pass by 2 gates, each covered with stunningly vibrant blue tiles contrasted with the white granite.

The Sacrificial Hall was designed by Lu Yanzhi, who won the design competition for the Mausoleum. It was completed within 3 years, and Sun's remains have been there ever since. The monument was designed by Paul Landowski, a French sculptor famously known for his design of Christ the Redeemer in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil.

Dr. Sun Yat-sen ended Imperial China, traveled the world, and made the blueprint for the future of the nation. Both Taiwanese and Mainland Chinese tourists flock to his final resting place to pay their respects for his admirable contributions.

On top of its spiritual importance, the Buddhist park provides one of the best visual and architectural masterpieces in the nation, with the main Buddha Hall being the crown jewel.

Donglu Mountain Guanyin Temple:

Known as the home of Lishui Buddhism, Guanyin Temple is carved right into the mountainside, comprising of several layers of corridors, prayer halls, and courtyards. At the foot of the main temple is a stunning half Buddha, adorned in a pure white color.

Fuzimiao (Confucious Temple):

This memorial stands as a memory of those who lost their lives at the hands of war, and is one of the most sacred, and protected places in the city. There is no photography allowed outside or inside the memorial, and it is guarded 24/7 by military soldiers.

Final Thoughts:

Nanjing is a city that stays with you, not because of its immense skyline, vast shopping districts, or cutting-edge technology, but its history, religious temples, and grounded nature. From standing at a Buddhist temple at the top of a mountain, to walking through 1930's Nanjing, the city is worthy of a visit.