Top 20 Best Things to Do in Nanjing
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Top 20 Best Things to Do in Nanjing

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  • Niushou Mountain Cultural Tourism Zonetop_1
    󰺂8.7
    76.51
    Nanjing.Niushou Mountain/Ginkgo Lake Park15.7 km from downtown
    trip best TravelHotspot logoTwo Attractions, One Ticket: Niushoushan and Nan Tang er Ling
    trip best small logoFeatured in 2026 China 100 - Best Things to Do
    Highlights:
    󱨜The Reclining Buddha statue wall in Usnisa Palace is breathtaking
    󱨜Breathtaking Buddha statue wall
    󱨠Saved by 2103 users󱨠23262 positive reviews
    4.7/5
    Anonymous userAnonymous user

    The park is quite large. Entering from the east gate, you can take a shuttle bus up to the halfway point and walk down. The Buddha Palace and Buddha Pagoda are the main tourist attractions. The Buddha Palace is magnificent; you can visit the first floor first, then go to the underground palace, especially the fifth and fourth underground floors, which are well worth a visit. The Buddha Pagoda offers panoramic city views. Ticket prices are relatively high.

  • Nanjing Hongshan Forest Zootop_2
    󰺂8.3
    31.66
    Nanjing.Nanjing Railway Station/Hongshan Forest Zoo5.8 km from downtown
    trip best TravelHotspot logoCapybara Dongzhi Begins Independent Life
    trip best small logoAchieved a 2-year streak on the annual lists
    Highlights:
    37 exhibits & diverse animals
    󱓊Close encounter with Dudu (Monk monkey)
    󱨠Saved by 601 users󱨠13464 positive reviews
    4.6/5
    _We***34_We***34

    Buying tickets through Ctrip was very convenient. When I went the next day, it happened to be during a primary and secondary school autumn outing. The entire zoo was full of primary and secondary school students. They were so cute, even cuter than the animals.

  • Zhongshan Mountain National Parktop_3
    󰺂7.8
    Nanjing.Zijin Mountain Scenic Area/Sun Yat-sen's Mausoleum Area6.2 km from downtown
    trip best TravelHotspot logoNanjing Fall Hiking Guide | Nov 2025-Nov 2025
    trip best small logoFeatured in 2026 Global 50 - Fall Viewing Attractions
    Highlights:
    Unique astronomical observation experience
    󰋄Overlooking Jongsan (Ropeway)
    󱨠Saved by 952 users󱨠6744 positive reviews
    4.6/5
    Anonymous userAnonymous user

    1. Ming Xiaoling Mausoleum Scenic Area offers popular photo spots, a deer park, and a lake, making it a relaxing destination. 2. Meiling Palace is recommended to be visited when there are fewer crowds. Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum is a must-see, as you must climb to the top. 3. Don't buy unofficial pigeon feed at Yinjietai. They overcharge and may harm the pigeons. The official price is 1 yuan per bag. 4. Linggu Pagoda is a must-see; the scenery is beautiful. 5. I recommend the official 30 yuan unlimited sightseeing bus. It's very tiring on your legs (around 30,000 steps), but the bus is well-organized, arrives quickly, and the queue isn't long.

  • Grand Baoen Temple Heritage and Scenic Area
    4
    󰺂7.5
    41.68
    Nanjing.Confucius Temple/Qinhuai River Scenic Area3.6 km from downtown
    trip best small logoNo. 2 of Night Attractions in Nanjing
    Highlights:
    󱨜78.2m-high Glass Pagoda
    󱓊China's second Buddhist temple
    󱨠Saved by 889 users󱨠6382 positive reviews
    4.7/5
    yxj003yxj003

    The entrance fee to the Great Bao'en Temple Ruins Scenic Area is 79 yuan. It is a magnificent architectural complex built by Emperor Yongle of the Ming Dynasty to commemorate his birth mother. The temple mainly displays the ruins of halls, galleries, scripture rooms, and a glazed pagoda, offering an immersive experience. The pagoda's exterior is protected by modern thick glass, which I personally feel doesn't quite match the ancient ruins.

  • Fuzimiao (Confucius Temple) Qinhuai Scenic Area
    5
    󰺂7.5
    Nanjing.Confucius Temple/Qinhuai River Scenic Area2.4 km from downtown
    trip best small logoAchieved a 3-year streak on the annual lists
    Highlights:
    󱨜Confucius Temple & Academy Complex
    󱓊Chinese Imperial Examination Museum in Nanjing
    󱨠Saved by 1469 users󱨠4710 positive reviews
    4.7/5
    Anonymous userAnonymous user

    Nanjing Confucius Temple is located on Gongyuan Street on the north bank of the Qinhuai River in Qinhuai District, Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, China, west of Jiangnan Gongyuan. It is located in the core area of ​​the Nanjing Confucius Temple-Qinhuai River Scenic Belt. It is also known as Nanjing Confucius Temple, Nanjing Confucian Temple, and Wenxuanwang Temple. It is a place dedicated to Confucius and is China's first national highest institution of learning, one of China's four major Confucian temples, a hub of ancient Chinese culture, and a gathering place for the history and culture of Jinling. It was not only the cultural and educational center of Nanjing during the Ming and Qing dynasties, but also the most prestigious cultural and educational architectural complex in the southeastern provinces.

  • Nanjing Museum
    6
    󰺂7.3
    Nanjing.The Ming Palace and Nanjing Museum Area3.9 km from downtown
    trip best small logoFeatured in 2024 Asia 100 - Family-friendly Attractions
    Highlights:
    󱓊Nanjing Museum stamp & street view
    󱓊The Silver Witch Hazel (Treasure-holding)
    󱨠Saved by 900 users󱨠1892 positive reviews
    4.6/5
    yxj003yxj003

    The Nanjing Museum effectively functions as the Jiangsu Provincial Museum. It is one of the earliest museums established in China, comprising a history hall, an art hall, a special exhibition hall, a digital hall, a Republican era hall, and an intangible cultural heritage hall. Admission is free and by reservation only; audio guides are available for a fee. The exhibition showcasing the Republican era is quite unique and unlike any other provincial museum I've seen.

  • Nanjing Presidential Palace
    7
    󰺂7.2
    Nanjing.Xinjiekou Area/Presidential Palace1.3 km from downtown
    Highlights:
    Classical garden beauty & tranquility
    󰋄Combines Chinese & Western elements
    󱨠Saved by 804 users󱨠31271 positive reviews
    4.7/5
    少年无知,但我老了也无知少年无知,但我老了也无知

    The Presidential Palace, a grand palace, feels like home. The location is excellent. Metro lines 2 and 3 run through the area. The Presidential Palace 1912 is right next to it. The Jiming Temple and Xuanwu Lake are also nearby. Nanjing is truly stunning. [Scenery]

  • The Oriental Metropolitan Museum
    8
    󰺂7.1
    14.25
    Nanjing.Xinjiekou Area/Presidential Palace1.5 km from downtown
    trip best small logoNo. 4 of Family-friendly Attractions in Nanjing
    Highlights:
    󱨜Designed by Mr. Bei Jianzhong | 4 exhibition halls
    󱓊Archaeological excavation activities
    󱨠Saved by 252 users󱨠3180 positive reviews
    4.6/5
    两轮+四轮两轮+四轮

    The fastest high-speed train from Shanghai takes 90 minutes, followed by a 10-minute subway ride from the station. It's near the Presidential Palace! The exhibition hall has three floors. Luckily, I happened to catch a free 2-hour guided tour by volunteers. There were adults, elementary school students, and middle school students. I learned a lot about the Six Dynasties and benefited greatly. There are also vending machines and shops on the first floor, some with special commemorative items!

  • Jiming Temple
    9
    󰺂7.0
    Nanjing.Xuanwu Lake Scenic Area/Jiming Temple2.4 km from downtown
    trip best small logoNo. 10 of Fall Viewing Attractions in Nanjing
    Highlights:
    󱓊Cherry blossoms & lotus views
    󰋄Filming site of Legend & White Snake
    󱨠Saved by 520 users󱨠656 positive reviews
    4.3/5
    yxj003yxj003

    Jiming Temple, located on the south bank of Xuanwu Lake, was first built in the Western Jin Dynasty and is one of the oldest and most popular Buddhist temples in Nanjing. The temple is small, with a very elegant environment and a constant flow of incense smoke. To the left is an altar for offering food, in front of which is the Maitreya Hall, above which are the Mahavira Hall and the Guanyin Pavilion. The temple is primarily inhabited by nuns, and it is said that the old version of the TV series "The Legend of the White Snake" was filmed here. Currently, some areas are under renovation.

  • Qixia Mountain Scenic Area
    10
    󰺂6.9
    Nanjing.Xingang Development Zone21.4 km from downtown
    trip best TravelHotspot logoFree ticket event for the Nanjing vs. Suzhou City Competition kicks off | Nov 22, 2025-Nov 29, 2025
    trip best small logoAchieved a 2-year streak on the annual lists
    Highlights:
    󱓊Famous for maple views (Autumn)
    󱨜Birthplace of Sanlun Sect of Buddhism
    󱨠Saved by 450 users󱨠4648 positive reviews
    4.7/5
    小洁洁mm小洁洁mm

    The maple leaves on Qixia Mountain have turned red, and autumn is in full swing! Qixia Temple on Qixia Mountain is the birthplace of the Sanlun School of Buddhism in Jiangnan and is known as "one Qixia Mountain, half the history of Nanjing." Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty visited Jiangnan six times, staying at the Qixia Qianlong Imperial Palace five times. Qixia Mountain is one of China's four major maple viewing spots, and "Qixia Red Maple" is listed among the new forty scenic spots of Nanjing. The Qixia Mountain Scenic Area is a comprehensive scenic area integrating natural landscapes, red leaf scenery, stone forest landscapes, and historical and cultural elements. In 2008, the Qixia Mountain Scenic Area was rated as a National 4A-level scenic area in China.​​

What Best Things to Do are there in Nanjing?
These are all Best Things to Do in Nanjing:Niushou Mountain Cultural Tourism Zone, Nanjing Hongshan Forest Zoo, Zhongshan Mountain National Park, Grand Baoen Temple Heritage and Scenic Area, Fuzimiao (Confucius Temple) Qinhuai Scenic Area
What are some highly-rated Best Things to Do in Nanjing?
Some highly-rated Best Things to Do in Nanjing include:Niushou Mountain Cultural Tourism Zone:4.7, Nanjing Hongshan Forest Zoo:4.6, Zhongshan Mountain National Park:4.6, Grand Baoen Temple Heritage and Scenic Area:4.7, Fuzimiao (Confucius Temple) Qinhuai Scenic Area:4.7
At what locations in Nanjing can Best Things to Do in Nanjing be found?
The Best Things to Do in Nanjing are mainly located in:Niushou Mountain Cultural Tourism Zone:Nanjing, Nanjing Hongshan Forest Zoo:Nanjing, Zhongshan Mountain National Park:Nanjing, Grand Baoen Temple Heritage and Scenic Area:Nanjing, Fuzimiao (Confucius Temple) Qinhuai Scenic Area:Nanjing
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