Short answer
Three days splits cleanly: Day 1 on Purple Mountain, Day 2 on the city wall, the Presidential Palace and the old city, and Day 3 at the memorial halls plus the Nanjing Museum or Niushoushan.
The reservation system catches people out. The Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum is free but needs a passport-based timed reservation, the Nanjing Museum is free with a capped daily quota, and most headline sights close on Mondays.
Base yourself near Xinjiekou for Lines 1 and 2, or near Fuzimiao for the evenings. Everything below is 20–40 minutes away by metro.
The three days at a glance
| Day | Morning | Afternoon | Evening | Metro |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum, Purple Mountain | Ming Xiaoling Mausoleum, mountain road | Old town for dinner | Line 2 |
| 2 | Presidential Palace | Zhonghua Gate, city wall, Laomendong | Qinhuai River, Fuzimiao | Lines 2 and 3 |
| 3 | Massacre Memorial Hall | Nanjing Museum or Niushoushan | Xuanwu Lake sunset | Lines 1 and 2 |
Swap Days 2 and 3 if the weather turns. Day 1 is the one to protect: the strictest slot system and the longest walk.
Day 1 — Purple Mountain
Purple Mountain rises east of the city and holds the mausoleum, the Ming tombs and several gardens. Metro Line 2 runs to its edge at Minggugong, and shuttle buses inside the park link the main sites — worth the small fare, since the distances walk longer than they look.
The Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum is the centrepiece: a long stairway climbing to the sacrificial hall. Entry is free, but access runs on a real-name timed reservation made with your passport through the official website or WeChat account, with on-site machines for same-day slots. Opening is generally 08:30 to 17:00, and it closes on Mondays outside public holidays and the two anniversary dates in November and March. Take a morning slot — the stairway is fully exposed.
Ming Xiaoling Mausoleum, down the mountain, is the tomb of the first Ming emperor and a separate ticketed site. A combination ticket covering several Purple Mountain attractions is normally sold at the gates and costs less than buying singly — confirm the contents and price when you buy.
Day 2 — the wall, the palace and the old city
Start at the Presidential Palace (Zongtong Fu), the seat of the Republic's government until 1949 and now a museum complex of gardens and offices. Tickets run around ¥35, hours run in two seasonal bands — roughly 08:30 to 18:00 in the warmer half of the year — and it closes on Mondays outside holidays. Metro Daxinggong (Lines 2 and 3) puts you at the gate; our Nanjing history guide explains what you are looking at.
Ride one stop to Zhonghua Gate, the largest surviving gate of the Ming city wall, where the wall walk gives the best view across the old city roofs. A combined city-wall ticket is usually on offer — check the official channel.
The afternoon belongs to Laomendong, the restored lane district beside the gate, then the Fuzimiao temple area on the Qinhuai River. The temple ticket is around ¥30 and the streets are free. The Qinhuai boat trip leaves from the same district — buy a slot before dusk.
Day 3 — the memorial, then a museum or a mountain
The Memorial Hall of the Victims in the Nanjing Massacre is the most affecting hour and a half in the city, and it is free. It needs a reservation with limited daily numbers and closes on Mondays; Metro Line 2 stops nearby. Self-guided, and it needs time.
For the afternoon, pick one of two:
- Nanjing Museum — free, with a passport-based reservation because the daily quota is capped. Hours are broadly 09:00 to 17:00, last admission around 16:30, closed Mondays, Line 2 to Minggugong.
- Niushoushan — the Buddhist complex south of the city, with the Usnisa Palace as its centrepiece. Ticketed, large, and a half day rather than a stop.
Either way the evening is free: Xuanwu Lake, on Line 1 at Xuanwumen, is good at sunset.
Booking the timed-entry sites
Nanjing's free sights are not walk-up any more: each runs its own quota, so do this the evening you arrive.
- Book Purple Mountain firstOpens ahead of the visit date; take a morning slot.
- Reserve the Nanjing Museum separatelyA different system, and it fills fast at weekends.
- Reserve the memorial hall tooFree, quota-limited, closed Mondays.
- Use your passport number exactly as printedA mismatch at the gate makes the slot worthless.
- Have the confirmation readyScreenshot it and keep your passport in hand.
- If a system will not take you, ask your hotelSome mini-programs want a mainland phone number.
- Do not book and skipRepeated no-shows can block future bookings.
Getting around and paying
Every site here is on the metro: lines 1 and 2 for the wall, palace and memorial, with the S1 airport line meeting the network at Nanjing South. Gates take QR codes from Alipay and WeChat Pay, and stations sell single tickets. Entry is free at the mausoleum, museum and memorial halls; the Presidential Palace is around ¥35 and the Fuzimiao temple around ¥30. For anything else, check the official channel.
What to cut
- Short on time? Day 1 and Day 2, drop the museum.
- Only two days? The 2-day Nanjing itinerary keeps the mausoleum.
- Never cut: the mausoleum booking and the Monday check.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to book the Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum in advance?
Yes. Entry is free but the site runs a real-name timed reservation, booked with your passport through the official website or WeChat account, with machines on site for the same day. It is closed on Mondays outside public holidays. Book the day before, and pick a morning slot.
Is three days enough for Nanjing?
Enough for the core: Purple Mountain, the city wall and old city, and the memorial sites. Two days covers the highlights at a push, and four days lets you add Niushoushan and a day trip. Three days is the comfortable minimum.
Which Nanjing sights close on Mondays?
Most of the headline ones. The Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum, the Nanjing Museum and the memorial halls all close on Mondays outside public holidays, and the Presidential Palace follows the same pattern in most seasons. Build Monday around the city wall, Xuanwu Lake and the old town streets, which stay open.
How do I pay for the Nanjing metro?
The metro takes QR codes from Alipay and WeChat Pay, and every station has machines selling single-journey tickets that accept cash and cards. Lines 1 and 2 cover almost everything in this itinerary, with Daxinggong as the useful interchange.
What can I cut if I only have one day in Nanjing?
Keep Purple Mountain in the morning and the city wall with the old city in the afternoon, then eat in the Fuzimiao area in the evening. Drop the museum and the memorial hall rather than trying to squeeze them in — both need two hours each and neither works as a rushed stop.
Is the Nanjing Museum free, and does it need a reservation?
It is free, and it needs a passport-based reservation because daily numbers are capped. Opening hours are roughly 09:00 to 17:00 with last admission around 16:30, and it closes on Mondays. Check the museum's official channel for the current booking window before your trip.
Related reading
Compiled from official Nanjing visitor pages, the reservation systems for the Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum, the Nanjing Museum and the memorial halls, and recent visitor reports, cross-checked 30 September 2026. Hours, Monday closures, ticket bands and booking windows change with the season — the official channel for each site is authoritative on the day.