Hotels in Nanjing
Weather, Best Time to Travel
If you look at a map, Nanjing would appear as a small city on the outskirts of Shanghai in China. Many tourists even pass through Nanjing while they are traveling between Shanghai and Beijing. However, the city shouldn’t be a mere blip on the travel itinerary of people. Situated just a couple of hours away from both Beijing and Shanghai by high-speed train, Nanjing, which means ‘southern capital’ in Chinese, was the capital of China till the 1940s. Now, it’s the capital of Jiangsu Province and home to about 8 million people. So, if you’re planning a trip, make sure you do it either between March and April, which is spring, or October and November when the weather is cool and you won’t find yourself dripping in sweat while wandering the streets. In the months from October to November, the temperature hovers between 15C and 32C. During this time, you’ll also find a lot of Osmanthus flowers that leave a fragrant scent all over. Avoid planning a trip during the summer months — June to September — when the city turns into a furnace.
Airport / Nearby Airport
Nanjing Lukou International Airport is the main airport serving Nanjing. It’s located 35km south of downtown Nanjing. Getting to Nanjing from Nanjing Lukou International Airport takes about an hour. To get to the downtown area from the airport, you can take a metro rail, a shuttle bus, or hire a taxi, which includes traditional metered taxi and ride-hailing app-cabs such as Didi Taxi (it’s similar to Uber). A metro ticket costs around S$1.2, while the shuttle bus fares are between S$4.2 and S$7. Taxi fares start from about S$18 for a metered taxi and can go up to S$64 for Didi Taxi, depending on the category that you want to travel in. If you are travelling by a metered taxi, ensure that you have enough local cash in hand. They mostly accept cash or mobile payments through WeChat Pay and AliPay.
Transportation
Nanjing is built for cyclists, with almost every road having bicycle paths. Many people use the city’s orange and blue bikes, called Mobikes and Hellobikes, respectively, as they are one of the easiest ways to get around. You just need to scan the QR code, use the bike, and then leave it once you’ve reached your destination. Metro rail is equally useful for travelling around the city. You can use a rechargeable card, which can be easily obtained or buy a ticket each time you travel, with the average ticket costing less than S$1. The third option could be hiring a Didi cab — download the app, set your location, and soon you’ll have a cab waiting at your doorstep. This apart, taxis, rickshaws, and tuk-tuks are readily available.
How to get to Nanjing
Nanjing is strategically located due to its proximity to Shanghai and the river Yangtze. You can get there either by air, train or road. If you travel by air, you have to book your tickets till Nanjing Lukou International Airport, which is well connected with most Chinese cities, as well as countries such as Singapore, Hong Kong, Macau, Japan, South Korea, Frankfurt, and Thailand. From Singapore, you can board SilkAir, Scoot, and Singapore Airlines. Ticket prices start from approximately S$415 and, on average, a direct flight takes five-and-half hours to cover the distance between the two cities. If you want to travel by train from any part of China, you need to get down at Nanjing Railway Station or South Railway Station. From Shanghai, there are bullet trains to Nanjing as well. Since Nanjing is well-connected by road, you can also travel by car from other cities in China.
Hotel info, prices for different hotel range
There are many types of accommodation in Nanjing. From luxury star hotels to cheaper accommodation such as youth hostels with bed and breakfast, you get everything in Nanjing, and most of the hotels in Nanjing are in the Gulou district in the heart of the city. So, if you’re looking at the best Nanjing hotel deals, here are the room charges.
- At any of the 5-Star hotels, you will have to shell out anything between S$64 and S$124 for a night. There are about 70 such facilities in Nanjing. For the best deals, book Nanjing hotels well in advance.
- For popular 4-Star hotels, located in the downtown area or near Confucius Temple, a one-night stay costs between S$44 and S$60.
- If you are looking at 3-Star accommodation, you can take a pick from about 120 Nanjing hotels. A one-night stay costs around S$28. These rooms feature standard amenities such as Wi-Fi, free parking, and access to restaurants offering a range of Chinese cuisine.
- If you’re hard-pressed for cash and looking at further cheap hotels in Nanjing, you can take a pick from a range of 2-Star facilities. A one-nighter will set you back by just about S$18.
Nanjing Tourist Information
Top tourist attractions in Nanjing
Once you get off the aircraft in Nanjing and reach downtown areas, you’ll feel as if you have stepped into an intoxicating mix of culture that’s steeped in history and tradition. Here are a few of the renowned Nanjing attractions:
- Explore Purple Mountain, which is dotted with scenic locations and many historical relics. Whichever way you walk, you will bump into something interesting. While you are here, visit Dr. Sun Yat-sen’s Mausoleum. Apart from being the most popular attraction here, it offers incredible views.
- Visit Confucius Temple, also known as Fuzimiao, which was once an imperial examination testing center for Jiangsu. Here, the shops are a major attraction where you can buy food, trinkets, paintings among other things. You can also enjoy a boat ride at the nearby Qinhuai river.
- Spend time at the Nanjing Massacre Memorial Hall, which is a memorial museum for the victims of ‘Rape of Nanjing’. Between December 1937 and January 1938, about three lakh people in Nanjing were killed by Japanese troops. At this hall, you will find a few partially excavated burial sites, exhibits, and learn about events leading to the massacre and how the world responded to it.
Top food places in Nanjing
The food in Nanjing is fit for royalty, with the dishes served in the city’s numerous restaurants being among the most delicious and delectable. While deciding on things to do in Nanjing, don’t forget to add these restaurants to your must-visit list:
- Visit Jinling Hotel Plum Garden for a classic Nanjing food — duck soaked in brine. The meat is well-seasoned and marinated in a special brine, juicy and tender. Duck fever rages in the city. From marinated to roasted, blood soup to meat, everything is available.
- If you love beef dumplings, visit Liji Halal Restaurant. These dumplings, filled with minced beef, ginger, and onion, are pan-fried till they turn crispy. For an unforgettable experience, have these with beef soup.
- Snack on delicious soup dumplings called Tangbao at Yinshi Jishi Tangbao restaurant. Inside a thin layer of dough are chicken broth and a ball of tender pork meat — absolute heaven for food connoisseurs.
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