Short answer
Book Xinjiekou unless you have a reason not to. It is the centre, Line 1 and Line 2 cross underneath it, and most of what you came to see is a few stops away. Fuzimiao, the Confucius Temple area, is the atmospheric alternative — best at night, busiest at night too.
Two other areas earn their place: Xuanwu Lake for quiet and early trains, and Nanjing South for a late arrival or a 07:00 departure. Hexi and Gulou suit repeat visitors and business trips.
The rule that ruins bookings is not price. Every hotel in China must register foreign guests with the local police within 24 hours, and some properties cannot process a foreign passport at all. Confirm before you pay.
The five areas, compared
Price bands below are indicative and move sharply with the season.
| Area | Character | Metro | Per night |
|---|---|---|---|
| Xinjiekou | City centre, malls, bars | Lines 1 and 2 | ¥350–900 |
| Fuzimiao / Confucius Temple | River, lanterns, pedestrian streets | Line 3 | ¥300–700 |
| Xuanwu Lake / Nanjing Railway Station | Park and city wall, calmer streets | Lines 1 and 3 | ¥250–600 |
| Nanjing South Station | Modern transport district, chain hotels | Lines 1, 3, S1, S3 | ¥200–500 |
| Hexi / Olympic Sports Centre | New CBD, wide roads, few tourists | Lines 2 and 10 | ¥350–800 |
Xinjiekou: the default choice
Xinjiekou is where Nanjing shops, eats and stays up late, and the 1912 district near the Presidential Palace handles the after-dinner hours. Line 1 and Line 2 cross here, so one change reaches almost everything. Rooms are the priciest in the city, and the noise is real — ask for a room away from the junction.
Fuzimiao: the postcard
The Confucius Temple district along the Qinhuai river is the Nanjing that appears in photographs: a temple gate, stone bridges, painted boats and alleys of street food. Crowds are heavy at weekends, rooms can be smaller than the photos suggest, and the metro here is a Line 3 station rather than an interchange.
Xuanwu Lake and the north
The quiet option. Xuanwu Lake park and the city wall are on the doorstep, the streets are wide, and Nanjing Railway Station is one stop away if you leave early going north. Rooms cost less than Xinjiekou for more space. What you lose is density: the main sights sit 20 minutes south, so you ride the metro twice a day rather than walk out the door. Fair for three nights, poor for one.
Nanjing South: convenience, not charm
Chain hotels and restaurants built for people passing through. Arriving late at Lukou or leaving on a morning high-speed train, it removes an hour of stress from both ends of the trip. Evenings are thin, and the nearest riverside district needs a metro ride.
Hexi and Gulou
Hexi, west across the river from the old centre, is the new city: the Olympic Sports Centre, office towers, conference hotels. Line 2 connects it to Xinjiekou in a handful of stops. Gulou, north-west of the centre, mixes university streets with older residential blocks. Both reward a visitor who already knows Nanjing.
The rule that catches foreign guests
Chinese law requires every hotel to register foreign guests with the local public security bureau within 24 hours of check-in. That obligation sits with the hotel, not with you — but it explains the awkward conversation at the desk.
Properties that rarely see foreign passports may lack the registration workflow, the software or the staff training to file it. National guidance since 2024 has pushed hotels and booking platforms toward accepting foreign guests more consistently, but implementation remains uneven, and a small guesthouse or a residential apartment is where it goes wrong most often. Check the official channel for the current wording of that guidance.
How to book so nobody turns you away
- Use a platform with the foreigner filter. Trip.com runs a filter for properties that accept foreign guests. Booking.com and Expedia do not.
- Prefer chains. International brands and established Chinese chains — Atour, JI Hotel, Hanting, JinJiang Inn and similar — have standardised passport workflows and staff who have done this many times.
- Stay within 500 m of a Line 1 or Line 3 station. This one habit decides whether your trip runs on metro fares or on taxi receipts.
Price bands in plain terms
| Type of room | Nightly rate | What it looks like |
|---|---|---|
| Hostel bed | Well under ¥200 | Dorm, shared bathroom |
| Budget chain | Roughly ¥150–300 | Hanting, JinJiang Inn, Home Inn |
| Mid-range and four-star | Roughly ¥350–700 | Atour, JI Hotel, international four-star |
| International five-star | From around ¥800 up | Full service, English front desk |
Treat these as rough bands. Rates shift with the season and the event calendar, and the number on the booking page is the only one that counts. Peaks can double them.
Frequently asked questions
Which area of Nanjing is best for first-time visitors?
Xinjiekou. It is the city centre, Line 1 and Line 2 cross there, and most of the sights are within a few metro stops. Fuzimiao is the better choice if you want the Qinhuai riverfront outside your window and do not mind the crowds.
Do Nanjing hotels accept foreign guests?
Most do, but not all. Every hotel must register foreign guests with the local police within 24 hours, and some small or budget properties cannot process a foreign passport. International chains and established Chinese chains usually can.
What do I need at check-in as a foreigner in Nanjing?
Your original passport, not a copy or a photo. The hotel scans it and files the registration for you. A booking confirmation helps if the front desk cannot find the reservation under your name.
How much does a hotel in Nanjing cost?
Rough bands: hostel beds well under ¥200, budget chain rooms roughly ¥150 to ¥300, mid-range and four-star roughly ¥350 to ¥700, and international five-star properties from around ¥800 upward. Rates climb steeply during Chinese public holidays.
Is it better to stay near Nanjing South Railway Station?
Only if you are arriving late or leaving early. The station area is convenient and cheaper, but it is a modern transport district with little to walk to in the evening. Central Nanjing is 20 to 30 minutes away on Line 1.
Can I stay in an apartment booked on a Chinese-only platform?
It is a risk. Private apartments sometimes cannot register foreign guests, and a host who cannot file the registration may cancel on arrival. If the host confirms in writing that they can register a foreign passport, the booking is safer.
Where do I stay to see the Qinhuai riverfront at night?
Fuzimiao, also called the Confucius Temple area. The lanterns, the boats and the pedestrian streets are all on foot from the hotels there, and Line 3 connects it to Nanjing South and Nanjing Railway Station.
Is Xuanwu Lake a good base in Nanjing?
Yes if you want quiet. The lake and the city wall are outside the door, and Nanjing Railway Station is one stop away. The trade-off is that the main sights are a 20-minute metro ride south.
Related reading
Two pages pair well with this one: the Nanjing travel guide for setup before you arrive, and the China Travel hub for other cities.
Compiled from Chinese accommodation registration rules for foreign guests, national guidance to hotels and booking platforms, hotel platform policy pages and traveller reports, cross-checked 30 September 2026. Prices, foreigner acceptance at individual properties and the wording of the registration guidance change — the booking platform and official channel at the time you book are the authoritative version. Nothing on this page is financial or legal advice.