Nanjing in 6 Days on a Budget (Daily Costs)

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A 6-Day Nanjing Itinerary on a Budget

Six days only makes sense framed honestly: this is Nanjing plus wider Jiangnan, using the city as a base for two rail day trips rather than inventing a sixth day of city-only sightseeing. It keeps the 5-day spine - city core, Purple Mountain, the Massacre Memorial, Qixia Mountain, a Suzhou HSR day - and adds Yangzhou. Running total for the six days on sights, transport, and food, roughly RMB 900-1,200 per person, plus lodging on top. See the 2-day through 5-day versions if you’re working with less time, or the 7-day plan if you want both Suzhou and Yangzhou plus a slower pace.

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 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.

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

Afternoon. A second garden, or a canal-street walk, before the return train. Each garden charges its own separate admission - confirm current prices before you go.

Evening. HSR back to Nanjing South 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 so far

Day 6: Yangzhou HSR Day Trip

Morning. Train from Nanjing to Yangzhou on the Nanjing-Qidong line - two stations serve the city, the older Yangzhou Railway Station (west) and Yangzhoudong (east, opened 2020). The exact Nanjing-Yangzhou journey time wasn’t confirmed for this guide, but the line’s 2016 electrification cut the much longer Nanjing-Nantong run to roughly 1h50, so this shorter segment should run well under an hour. Slender West Lake, styled after Hangzhou’s West Lake, costs ¥120 to enter.

Midday. Lunch in Yangzhou, a city known within Huaiyang cuisine (Jiangsu’s most prestigious culinary branch) for its own specialties distinct from Nanjing’s duck dishes.

Afternoon. Daming Temple (5th-century origins, rebuilt after damage in the Taiping Rebellion), or one of the classical gardens He Yuan and Ge Yuan - each charges separate admission, confirm current prices before you go.

Evening. Train back to Nanjing for your last night in the city.

Day 6 running cost (RMB, per person): HSR round trip (fare unconfirmed, budget below the Suzhou fare given the shorter distance) + Slender West Lake 120 + meals ~60 = budget roughly ¥250-300, confirm the train fare before you commit

Six-day total: roughly RMB 900-1,200 per person for sights, transport, and food, before lodging - the range reflects the two unconfirmed HSR fares.

Six days is genuinely Nanjing-plus-Jiangnan, not a stretched-out city trip: two rail day trips, both under two hours each way, built around the same five-day city spine. If you want to slow the pace down and add a rest day, or fit in a third rail trip, the 7-day itinerary is the next step up. For the full free-and-cheap rundown, see our Nanjing budget guide .