Nanjing in 5 Days on a Budget (Daily Costs)

Heads up: some links here are affiliate links. Book or buy through them and we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. We only point you to things we would actually use.

A 5-Day Nanjing Itinerary on a Budget

Five days keeps the 4-day spine - city core, Purple Mountain, a solemn half-day at the Massacre Memorial, and Qixia Mountain - and adds a genuine day trip out of the city: high-speed rail to Suzhou. This is the priciest day of the trip, since HSR fares and garden admissions cost real money, but it’s the strongest single-day pick for gardens and canal history within easy reach. Running total for the five days on sights, transport, and food, roughly RMB 700-950 per person, plus lodging on top. The 6-day and 7-day versions swap in Yangzhou or add both.

Book these before you go:

Day 1: Confucius Temple and the Qinhuai River

Morning. Confucius Temple (Fuzimiao), Dacheng Hall ¥30, then the Jiangnan Examination Hall Museum (¥50) next door.

Lunch. Duck blood and vermicelli soup, roughly ¥15-25, a few streets back from the temple.

Afternoon. Walk the Qinhuai lanes; skip the paid river-boat to keep costs down.

Evening. Return at dusk for the free lantern-lit river scene, dinner away from the marked-up Fuzimiao stalls.

Day 1 running cost (RMB, per person): Dacheng Hall 30 + Examination Hall Museum 50 + meals ~60 + metro ~10 = ~150

Day 2: Purple Mountain - Sun Yat-sen, Ming Xiaoling, Linggu Temple

Morning. Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum, free main grounds (Music Hall +¥10), passport-ID reservation required ahead of time. Go early - 392 stone steps, zero shade.

Midday. Ming Xiaoling (¥70 standalone, included in the ¥100 Purple Mountain combo with Linggu Temple and Meiling Palace). Walk the full 1,800m Sacred Way.

Afternoon. Linggu Temple, the Beamless Hall, and the climbable Linggu Pagoda, all in the combo. Skip the Toutuo Ridge cable car (¥60/¥100) if you’re holding to a budget.

Evening. Dinner in Xinjiekou; salted duck at an ordinary local restaurant.

Day 2 running cost (RMB, per person): Purple Mountain combo ticket 100 + shuttle 10 + meals ~60 + metro ~10 = ~180

Day 3: The Nanjing Massacre Memorial and Presidential Palace

Morning. The Memorial Hall of the Victims in Nanjing Massacre by Japanese Invaders, shortened after first use to the Nanjing Massacre Memorial Hall. Free entry, roughly 8:30am-4:30pm, closed Mondays; check the official memorial site beforehand for the current reservation status. This commemorates the roughly 300,000 civilians and unarmed soldiers killed after the city fell on 13 December 1937. It is a place of mourning - go with quiet, restrained conduct and budget extra time for the entrance queue.

Lunch. A simple meal nearby.

Afternoon. Presidential Palace (¥40) via the new west entrance, since the historic gatehouse has been closed to entry since December 2024.

Evening. Walk the free Taicheng stretch of the Ming City Wall along Xuanwu Lake, then dinner in Xinjiekou.

Day 3 running cost (RMB, per person): Presidential Palace 40 + meals ~60 + metro ~10 = ~110

Day 4: Qixia Mountain Day Trip

Morning. Bus 194-197, 206-207, or 327 to Qixia Mountain, about 22km northeast, roughly ¥25 entry (rising to ¥40 during peak maple season, November into early December). Thousand Buddha Cliff holds 294 rock-cut shrines and 515 statues.

Midday. Lunch near the mountain, then the Sarira Pagoda and Mirror Lake.

Afternoon. Bus back into the city by mid-afternoon, no overnight needed.

Evening. Dinner in Nanjing.

Day 4 running cost (RMB, per person): Qixia Mountain entry 25-40 + bus fare ~20 + meals ~60 = ~110-125

Day 5: Suzhou HSR Day Trip

Morning. High-speed train from Nanjing South to Suzhou, roughly 40-50 minutes on the same corridor that continues to Shanghai. The exact current fare wasn’t confirmed for this guide, but expect it to land below the ¥140 second-class Nanjing-Shanghai fare given the shorter distance - check on Trip.com’s train tool or 12306 before booking. Suzhou’s draw is its UNESCO-listed classical gardens; pick one or two rather than trying to see them all in a single day.

Midday. Lunch in Suzhou - the city has its own noodle and dumpling traditions distinct from Nanjing’s duck-focused menu.

Afternoon. A second garden, or a walk through Suzhou’s canal streets, before the return train. Each garden charges its own separate admission - confirm current prices before you go, since this wasn’t pinned down for this guide.

Evening. HSR back to Nanjing South, arriving in time for a final dinner.

Day 5 running cost (RMB, per person): HSR round trip (fare unconfirmed, budget it below ¥280 total) + garden admission (confirm on arrival) + meals ~60 = the priciest day of the trip - confirm both fares before you commit to it

Five-day total: roughly RMB 700-950 per person for sights, transport, and food, before lodging - the wide range reflects the unconfirmed HSR fare and garden prices on Day 5.

Five days is the point where Nanjing genuinely starts to double as a base for wider Jiangnan, not just a standalone city trip. If you’d rather swap Suzhou for Yangzhou’s Slender West Lake, or fit in both, the 6-day and 7-day itineraries build on exactly that. For the full free-and-cheap rundown, see our Nanjing budget guide .