City walls, Sun Yat-sen's mausoleum, the Nanjing Massacre memorial — history on the Yangtze
China's southern capital squeezed into five full days: the Ming wall and Purple Mountain mausoleums, the Qinhuai river lanterns at Fuzimiao, the Presidential Palace of the Republic era, the world-class Nanjing Museum and the moving Massacre Memorial — plus lake evenings at Xuanwu.
HSR from Shanghai Hongqiao (1–1.5 h) or fly into Lukou (NKG). Evening at Laomendong for lantern-lit lanes and duck-skin pancakes.
Morning climb to the Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum, then the Ming Xiaoling sacred way and autumn gingko avenue. Cable car down for the Purple Mountain observatory.
The Presidential Palace in the morning, then the Nanjing Massacre Memorial Hall (book ahead, allow 2 hours). Evening at Xuanwu Lake's wall-side promenade.
Nanjing Museum's 400,000-piece collection until mid-afternoon, then Fuzimiao and the Confucius Temple market for lantern-boat dinner.
Morning at Niushoushan's jaw-dropping Buddhist palace complex, then the HSR or airport out.
Travel in China