Nanning Travel Guide: A Detailed Version for a Three-Day, Two-Night Trip

This is my recent experience traveling to Nanning, which includes various travel details to avoid any pitfalls. Without further ado, let's get straight to the good stuff! day1 High-speed train: Guangzhou South Station - Nanning Station Accommodation: Staying near Nanning Railway Station is convenient for getting around, especially for taking the high-speed train later. Transportation: We took taxis or electric bikes, but the outdoor temperature was between 3-6 degrees when we arrived. We mostly took taxis, which were not expensive. Route: Shuijie (Water Street) - Sanjie Liangxiang - Yongjiang Riverside - Changyou Pavilion - Tingzi Wharf - Nanning Night - Pingxi Night Market Entering Water Street, turn right at the herbal tea shop, and a few steps away is a Vietnamese rice noodle shop. The rice noodles were soft and smooth, and we didn't encounter any issues. The owner was nice and offered free extra noodles. As expected in Guangxi, there are many popular shops along the way. We visited a beef offal shop but found the owner to be somewhat cool and not very attentive. Later, we realized that the owner seemed more enthusiastic towards those who spoke Mandarin. But I'm not from Guangxi; I'm an outsider from Guangdong too! However, recently many tourists have been coming to Guangxi. After a satisfying meal, we wanted something sour and met a very enthusiastic local at the crossroads who offered to guide us. It turned out to be the owner of a sour wild fruit shop. We chatted with the owner in the store, and he claimed their shop was very impressive, even the largest sour wild fruit shop in China, with celebrities like the Rain God visiting! We recommend the sour green mango, which was quite tasty. The other items were just average. Also, for those taking a taxi to Water Street, make sure to check the route. Note: Don't let the driver take shortcuts through small alleys, as there are many stalls and it can get very congested. Sanjie Liangxiang is a commercial street similar to Beijing Road in Guangzhou, with many arcaded buildings. The Nanning Night iron flower performance and shows were quite good, but the food prices at Pingxi Night Market were a bit high, so we don't recommend eating there. day2 Route: Qingxiu Mountain day trip - Langxi Night Market Qingxiu Mountain is a 5A scenic area. We bought tickets online the day before for a discount. Despite researching many guides, we were still confused when we entered. After a day of exploring, here's a lazy person's guide to avoid any missteps, with a route that doesn't require much walking: North Gate - Orchid Garden - Mengsheng Botanical Garden - Take the sightseeing bus from North Gate - Guanyin Zen Temple - Peach Blossom Island - Take the mini-train from North Gate to Yezi Flower Garden Station - Monet Garden - Metasequoia First, understand that the sightseeing bus and mini-train have different ticket prices: the bus is 5 yuan, and the train is 10 yuan. We took three rides in total, spending 20 yuan per person. We took a taxi from the hotel to the North Gate for about 15 yuan. After entering, you'll find the mini-train ticket office, but the sightseeing bus stop is about 100 meters to the right. We headed left to briefly visit the Orchid Garden. There weren't many flowers this season, and the orchids weren't particularly stunning. Then we followed the signs to the right towards Mengsheng Botanical Garden, which is worth visiting. It has a tropical rainforest feel, especially after the misting, but don't set your expectations too high as there are fewer flowers in winter. Then head to Guanyin Zen Temple, which requires returning to the North Gate to catch the sightseeing bus. You can buy bus tickets on the Qingxiu Mountain official WeChat account. There's a bit of a slope and the walk is somewhat long, so it's recommended to take the bus. Once there, you can check in at the Fearless Coffee. Be sure to ask whether the drinks are hot or cold, as the mini-program order doesn't provide an option and it's not clearly stated. After coffee, you can visit the temple, then follow the direction of the sightseeing bus towards Peach Blossom Island. Along the way, there's a spot for a popular photo op that I couldn't find. I just followed the map, and the peach blossoms were bare this season. I wanted to visit the Phoenix Pavilion, but seeing the steep slope, I decided to give up. We then took bus line 2 back to the North Gate because we wanted to go to the East Gate. We heard from the small shop owner that the West Gate is newly developed and doesn't have as many sights, while the East Gate is better. If you take the bus to visit the West Gate and then the East Gate, you'll need to take the mini-train twice, so it's more cost-effective to return to the North Gate. We spent 5 yuan on the sightseeing bus to quickly see 80% of the attractions. The Sino-Thai Friendship Building was quite nice to see, and Huan Shan Xiuping is a place to feed koi, suitable for children. There were also some small rides, but due to the cold weather, we quickly returned to the North Gate to take the mini-train to the East Gate. We got off at the last stop, Yezi Flower Garden Station, where Monet Garden and the nearby areas are close together and quite scenic. It would be very photogenic in sunny weather. They are preparing many Spring Festival lanterns there, so it should be fun to visit the East Gate area during the festival. In the evening, we went to Langxi Night Market, which felt much better than Pingxi Night Market we visited the previous day. We recommend going here for better prices and value. day3 Route: Breakfast at Chaoyang Square near the train station - Sanjie Liangxiang We wanted to check out Quan Jie's fried rice noodles, but it was closed recently, so we turned right into a residential area and randomly chose a rice noodle shop. The prices were affordable, and the taste was decent.