Jiangsu Province Attractions
Jiangsu Province Articles
Railway Stations 火车站
Being an important regional economic hub and the capital of Jiangsu Province, Nanjing is easy to access by rail. For example, a trip to Beijing can be made overnight on a standard train, or faster on the bullet train. A trip to or...
Being an important regional economic hub and the capital of Jiangsu Province, Nanjing is easy to access by rail. For example, a trip to Beijing can be made overnight on a standard train, or faster on the bullet train. A trip to or from Shanghai takes 2-4 hours depending on the type of train taken.
Nanjing Railway Station (南京火车站)
Phone: +86 (0)25 8582 2222, 9510 5105
The majority of passenger train traffic coming in and out of Nanjing runs through Nanjing Railway Station. From Nanjing Station it is possible to travel in any direction within China to cities including Beijing, Shangahi, Xi’An and Guangzhou to name a few. The station itself is new, spacious and conveniently located just north of Xuanwu Lake and on a subway line. Click here to see the map.
The majority of passenger train traffic coming in and out of Nanjing runs through Nanjing Railway Station. From Nanjing Station it is possible to travel in any direction within China to cities including Beijing, Shangahi, Xi’An and Guangzhou to name a few. The station itself is new, spacious and conveniently located just north of Xuanwu Lake and on a subway line. Click here to see the map.
Purcashing Tickets
Tickets can be purchased in the main hall in the middle of the first floor of the station. If you’re lucky, you may find a staff member at one ticket booth that can speak English. The ticket booth for the CRH trains is to the East of the main hall which is on the bottom right of the above picture. Tickets can also be purchased at travel agents or Gulou (鼓楼) Post Office for an extra 5 yuan fee.
Getting To and From Nanjing Railway Station
Nanjing Station is located 1 kilometer east of Zhongyang Men (中央门) Long-Distance Bus Station and 3.5 kilometers west of Xinzhuang (新庄) Long-Distance Bus Station.
If you are entering the station from the subway, take exit number 4 which is on the south side of the subway station. When you arrive at Nanjing station, you can go directly to the subway without having to go above ground first. It is fairly easy to take baggage onto the subway, because the train doors are flat and wide. Most subway exits do not have escalators, however, each subway station does have one elevator.
There are two locations to get a taxi: on the 2nd floor outside the station and underground next to the subway station. The taxis underground are for leaving the station only. Please note that if taxi drivers give you a price up-front or try to barter with you then you are probably getting ripped-off. Always use the taxi meter and you will get the standard rate.
There is one local bus station on the west side of Nanjing Station and one on the east side. The west side station has buses that go into the city. The other side has buses heading east into Xianling.
Inside the Station
The station was just finished in 2005 and it shows. The ticket room is spacious and well ventilated and the layout of the station is very convenient. The inside of the 2nd floor is clean, with a high roof and nifty architecture.The signs that help you find your way around the station are labeled in English, but signs that display ticket prices or availability are not in English. Therefore it may be difficult for a person that does not speak Chinese to purchase a ticket.
If you need to put your bags down in a safe place for a few hours, they can be placed in the baggage lockers inside the station. There are also two small stores outside the station on the west side that will watch small items of luggage.
Downstairs there are food vendors, a small convenience store, and a KFC.
The Other Railway Stations in Nanjing
Nanjing West Station is smaller and older in comparison with Nanjing Railway Station. There is no subway access, but it can be reached by bus or taxi easily. Moving around the station, whether you are inside or outside, is quite chaotic like most Chinese train stations. Sometimes it can be difficult to find a taxi from this station as well.
Nanjing South and East Railway Stations receive very little traffic.
Also See
Climate
Located in the subtropical climatic zone and surrounded on all sides by mountains which keep heat in，Nanjing is known as one of the three “furnaces of China” (the other two are Wuhan and Chongqing).
...Located in the subtropical climatic zone and surrounded on all sides by mountains which keep heat in，Nanjing is known as one of the three “furnaces of China” (the other two are Wuhan and Chongqing).
Nanjing’s average annual temperature is 15 degrees Celsius (59 Fahrenheit) and the annual average rainfall is 1106mm.
October is the best month to visit Nanjing. Travelers can beat the summer heat, avoid the cold of winter, and stay dry from the spring showers.
The summer temperatures range between 30 and 40 degrees Celsius (86 - 104 Fahrenheit), and often feels even hotter due to the high humidity. Air-conditioners are present in nearly every home, restaurant and car. Some buses have air-conditioning while others do not. Even if I walked on the street naked and constantly sprayed water on myself I would still be too hot in the summer. It is not advisable to go out much in the middle of the day. If you do go out, bring as much water as you can.
During winter the temperature occasionally drops below 0 degrees celsius (32 Fahrenheit), but usually it hovers around 5 degrees celsius (41 Fahrenheit). Interior heating is not standard inside apartments. Indoor public areas such as shopping centers and restaurants are usually warmer, but they are not always heated to the extent that people should need to take their jackets off. Layered clothing, a warm jacket, and an umbrella are appropriate during this season.
The middle of June in Nanjing is known as the "Mei Yu" or "wet" period. Nanjing residents can count on heavy and prolonged rainfall during that period. Sometimes, the rain lasts for several days at a time, so umbrellas are a necessity when venturing outside during this time.
Public Transportation - Buses and the Subway 公共交通-公共汽车和地铁
Nanjing has a busy bus system and a new and efficient subway line.
Buses
Buses without air conditioning cost 1 yuan per trip and buses with air conditioning cost 2 yuan. The extra yuan is surely worth it in the steamy summers. You can...
Nanjing has a busy bus system and a new and efficient subway line.
Buses
Buses without air conditioning cost 1 yuan per trip and buses with air conditioning cost 2 yuan. The extra yuan is surely worth it in the steamy summers. You can pay with an IC card or with 1 yuan coins. No change is given.
The bus stops can appear quite hectic. There are often a hundred people at one station, but buses arrive so frequently that there may be 3 or 4 buses stopped at one station at the same time.
If you don’t read Chinese it would be quite diificult to navigate the bus routes without planning ahead. The signs which display bus routes are only written in Chinese characters.
The roads in the Xinjiekou and Gulou often suffer from intense traffic jams in the middle of the day.
Subway
The No. 1 North-South subway line was put into operation in 2005. It has a length of 22 kilometers and has 16 stops.
The Nanjing Railway Station Station (yes I said station twice) connects so smoothly with The Nanjing Railway Station that you will not even realize they are two separate stations. This is very convenient for transporting large luggage in and out of the Nanjing Train Station.
Tickets cost between 2 and 4 yuan. It is a bit cheaper to use an IC card (see bellow). The ticket machines can take bills or coins and do give change.
The ticket machines also have English and are quite easy to use. They dispense blue tokens. These tokens are to be swiped on the way in and deposited on the way out. That is, when you approach the train you just swipe the token over the pad, and as you head upstairs to exit the station you deposit the token in the machine. Since the Subway was opened they have had plenty of staff on hand to assist passengers with purchasing and using tokens.
Trains arrive every 4 to 8 minutes and run between 6:30am and 10:00pm.
Click here for a map of Nanjing City or here for a map of the subway system only.
For more information (in Chinese) check www.nj-dt.com.
IC Card
An IC card can be used to access both the buses and the subway. The IC card is called a “yue piao”(月票). It can be recharged inside subway stations but can only be purchased at Huaxia Bank (华夏银行). Each branch of Huaxia bank has a dedicated counter for this purpose. It is also possible to recharge a yue piao at some Suguo convenience stores.
The IC card gives you a 20% discount on bus fares and a very small discount for the subway. On buses the card can be swiped several times to pay for you and your friends. However, the IC card can only be swiped once per trip on the subway.
Extra Information About the Subway
The Nanjing municipal government first committed to building a subway line in 1984. However, the plan was not carried out until 2001. After four years of hard work and expenditures totaling more than 8.5 billion yuan (about 1billion USD), the No. 1 subway line began operating in August of 2005.
Le Metro was designed by the French company ALTSOM. Each train has a capacity of 1860 people.
The No. 2 East-West line, with a length of 25 kilometers, is already under construction. It is planned to be completed in 2008.
Top Jiangsu Province Tours
$50 Per Day
Nanjing Hiking tour with local tour guide Sam
It`s springtime, it`s hiking time!
This tailor-made tour is for people who like nature, history, and hiking!
Ming Tomb (Admission: FreeCNY) - Nanjing became the capital of China when Zhu Yuanzhang founded the Ming Dynasty in 1368. During his reign, Zhu Yuanzhang built the great city walls of Nanjing, the imperial palace, and his future tomb - the Ming Tomb in Nanjing. The Ming Tomb is a certified UNESCO World Heritage Site and is a must-see for travellers to Nanjing.
...Read moreIt`s springtime, it`s hiking time!
This tailor-made tour is for people who like nature, history, and hiking!
Ming Tomb (Admission: FreeCNY) - Nanjing became the capital of China when Zhu Yuanzhang founded the Ming Dynasty in 1368. During his reign, Zhu Yuanzhang built the great city walls of Nanjing, the imperial palace, and his future tomb - the Ming Tomb in Nanjing. The Ming Tomb is a certified UNESCO World Heritage Site and is a must-see for travellers to Nanjing.
Xuanwu Lake (Admission: Free) - Close to the city center and featuring 368 hectares of water and 104 hectares of land, Xuanwu Lake Park is a favorite getaway for locals. Well before the sunrise and even after sunset, the park is bustling with visitors. Some come to walk, jog, or fly kites, others to practice Tai Chi, and many more just want to enjoy the scenery.
Nanjing Food Court - my favorite local Nanjing restaurant, Nanjing people like to go there with family. It`s a resultant with a lot of Nanjing local food and ancient style of decoration, at night they will have Kunqu playing, coolest restaurant ever.
City Wall (Admission: 45CNY) - Nanjing City Wall, constructed during the Yuan and Ming Dynasties between 1365 and 1386, originally stretched over 30km which made it the longest city wall in the world. Now, with about two thirds of the wall still intact it still remains the longest city wall in China. We could walk on the city wall and feel the history of Nanjing.
*Please contact me for daily tour fees, i charge by per tour, not per person.
$80 Per Day
Relaxing Hot Spring Tour at Tangshan Area
Nanjing Tangshan is famous for the hot spring, hot spring is good for your skin and health, and relaxing your body and get rid of the press.
Maybe you don't like all the tourist attractions in the downtown, here would be one of another option.
This tour will be only visit 2 attractions and the rest will be spend the whole time in the hot spring. Or, if you prefer, you can only go for the spring.
Tour plan would be:
Hotel pick up -----> Yangshan Stele -----> Tangshan Ancient Ape Man Caves -----> Hot Spring -----> Send back to hotel.
...Read moreNanjing Tangshan is famous for the hot spring, hot spring is good for your skin and health, and relaxing your body and get rid of the press.
Maybe you don't like all the tourist attractions in the downtown, here would be one of another option.
This tour will be only visit 2 attractions and the rest will be spend the whole time in the hot spring. Or, if you prefer, you can only go for the spring.
Tour plan would be:
Hotel pick up -----> Yangshan Stele -----> Tangshan Ancient Ape Man Caves -----> Hot Spring -----> Send back to hotel.
Since Tangshan is a little town outside of Nanjing city and it`s quite far away, i would suggest to use a private car to drive there directly.
$40 Per Day
Nanjing nightlife tours - Bar crawling
In recent years Nanjing’s nightlife scene has undoubtedly changed for the better. The 1912 bar district is a common place to start a tour of Nanjing’s nightlife as it features Nanjing’s largest concentration of bars and clubs. Besides 1912, bars, pubs, clubs, karaokes, restaurants and not-so-mentionable locales are dispersed across the city, especially near Xinjiekou and close to the student population.
...Read moreIn recent years Nanjing’s nightlife scene has undoubtedly changed for the better. The 1912 bar district is a common place to start a tour of Nanjing’s nightlife as it features Nanjing’s largest concentration of bars and clubs. Besides 1912, bars, pubs, clubs, karaokes, restaurants and not-so-mentionable locales are dispersed across the city, especially near Xinjiekou and close to the student population.
Nail Jazz Bar is a light bar with good Jazz muisc, live sometimes, they have over 50 kinds of imported beer from all over the World, the Draft beer Hoegaarden is with special roam and taste, for lady, here have over 100 cocktail to choose, lovely and enjoyable. The price here is quite as other bars, short cocktail for 28 Yuan, long drink cocktail for 38 Yuan. Hoegaarden draft beer, 38 for 0.3L and 68 for 0.5L.
Behind the Wall - A cozy atmosphere, decent food, live music and cheap margaritas make Behind the Wall a popular hang-out, especially with the foreign student population. Inside, Behind the Wall’s three rooms are linked by over-sized arched doorways, and provide seating for groups of two to ten. Mexican, Latin and Greek cuisine is served. The drink menu is varied and not too expensive by Nanjing standards - margaritas are served for only 15 Yuan from Sunday to Thursday.
Castle Bar - Castle Bar is lively on weekends and can become packed during special events. However, during weekdays staff members often outnumber customers. A good place if you like dancing.
Secco Restaurant and Bar - Great German restaurant and bar in Nanjing, they have a good rang and selection of cocktail made by a German, he is also the manager there, really strict to every cocktail he made, always bring you the best taste.
Finnegans Wake - A traditional Irish bar in Nanjing,offering Kilkenny, Guinness and strongbow cider on draught.
Please contact me for daily tour fees, i charge by per tour, not per person.