How to Get to Nanjing & Get around Nanjing 2024

Nanjing Lukou International Airport (IATA: NKG)

Address: Konggang South Road, Lukou Town, Jiangning District, Nanjing City, Jiangsu Province 南京市江宁区禄口镇空港南路

Distance: about 42 km (45min by car, 1.5h by metro) to Nanjing downtown (Xinjiekou), 45 km (45 minutes by car, 2 hours by metro and bus) to Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum, 40 km (35 minutes by car, 75 minutes by bus and metro) to Confucius Temple & Qinhuai River.

Nanjing Lukou International Airport (南京禄口国际机场) has over has 135 domestic and 23 international air routes, reaching 115 destinations at home and abroad, including Beijing (2h), Guangzhou (2h15min), Chengdu (2.5h), Xian (2h), Guilin (2h), Kunming (2h40min), Chongqing (2h), Hong Kong and foreign cities like Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia, Osaka and Nagoya in Japan, etc. Plenty of shuttle buses are available to transfer you between the airport and the landmarks in downtown area such as Zhonghua Gate, Nanjing Railway Station and Nanjing South Railway Station. Metro Line S1 running between the airport and Nanjing South Railway Station is also very convenient.

144-hour Visa Free Transit in Yangtze River Delta (including Nanjing): Nanjing has implemented the 144-hour Visa Free Transit Policy since January 30, 2016, which enables citizens from the certain 53 countries to enter from 8 permitted ports (including Nanjing Lukou International Airport) and stay in the administrative region of Shanghai, Jiangsu and Zhejiang within 144 hours (6 days). For more details about 144-Hour Visa-free Transit Policy.

Beijing is located 1000 km to the north of Nanjing. With direct flights and high speed strains, tourists can travel between these two cities conveniently.

By Flight: 2 hours. There are about 4 direct flights a day from Beijing Capital International Airport and to Nanjing Lukou International Airport. As the airport in Beijing is always busy and a little far from downtown, please set aside 2 hours for security check and boarding.

By High Speed Train: 3-5 hours. Every day, there are over 20 high speed trains from Beijing to Nanjing. They all depart from Beijing South Railway Station and arrive at Nanjing South Railway Station.

By Normal Train: about 10-15 hours. 3 normal trains run from Beijing Railway Station to Nanjing Railway Station. For such a long time, a hard-sleeper or soft-sleeper ticket is more recommended.

▶ Beijing to Nanjing Real-Time Flight Schedules

▶ Beijing to Nanjing Real-Time Train Schedules

Suzhou is a charming city in Jiangsu with elegant gardens and silk. It is 230 km away from Nanjing and the frequent high speed trains can finish the transfer conveniently.

By High Speed Train: about 1-2 hours. There are about 150 high speed trains between Suzhou and Nanjing. All the four railway stations (Suzhou Railway Station, Suzhou North Railway Station, Suzhou Xinqu Railway Station, Suzhou Yuanqu Railway Station) in Suzhou operate high speed trains and Suzhou Railway Station is the most chosen one because of the frequent schedules and convenient location in downtown.

By Long-distance Bus: about 3 hours. There are many buses you can choose running from Suzhou Beiguangchang Bus Station (苏州北广场站), Suzhou South Bus Station (苏州南门汽车客运站), Wujiang Bus Station (吴江汽车客运站) to Nanjing Bus Passenger Terminal (南京汽车客运站) and Nanjing South Bus Station (南京汽车客运南站).

▶ How to Travel from Suzhou to Nanjing

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As of 2021, there are 10 metro lines (Line 1, Line 2, Line 3, Line 4, Line 10, Line S1, Line S3, Line S7, Line S8, and Line S9) operating in Nanjing, which makes Nanjing city tours fast and comfortable.

Line 1 (Maiaoqiao - Chinese Medical University): you can easily get to famous attractions like Zhonghua Gate, Xuanwu Lake and Tao Xingzhi Tomb.

Line 2 (Youfangqiao - Jintianlu): you can get to the Memorial Hall of the Victims in Nanjing Massacre by Japanese Invaders, Dr. Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum, Mochou Lake, etc.

Line 3 (Linchang - Mozhoudonglu): you can pay a visit to Confucius Temple (Qinhuai River), Presidential Palace, Zhenghe Park, Nanjing International Exhibition Center, Mufu Mountain and so on.

By Taxi

To get around in Nanjing, it is usually pretty easy and there are enough taxis around the city. It is usually CNY 11 for the first 3 km and then CNY 2.9 for every extra kilometer. If you take a taxi at night, the fare may be a little higher.

By Bus

Bus is probably the most widely-spread public transportation in a city. You can get to almost every attraction and landmark of Nanjing by bus and the fee is usually CNY 2 a person. But to take a bus, you need to have a certain master of Mandarin because most drivers can not speak English or other foreign languages.

By Long-distance Bus

At present, there are eight main long-distance bus stations in Nanjing, operating long-distance buses to Shanghai, Hangzhou, Suzhou, Huangshan, Beijing, Wuxi, Qingdao and some other big cities. Among the eight, Nanjing Long-distance Bus Station is the biggest station serving the most passengers.

Nanjing Downtown (Xinjiekou) to Main Attractions

• To Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum: about 8 km, 35 minutes by car, 1 hour by metro and bus.

• To Confucius Temple & Qinhuai River: about 3 km, 15 minutes by car, 25 minutes by metro.

• To the Memorial Hall of the Victims in Nanjing Massacre by Japanese Invaders: about 5 km, 25 minutes by car, 20 minutes by metro.

• To Nanjing Museum: about 5 km, 30 minutes by car, 25 minutes by metro.

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