Nanjing: Travel Tips Worth Knowing
Heads up: some links here are affiliate links. Book or buy through them and we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. We only point you to things we would actually use.
Most Nanjing tip lists recycle generic China chopsticks-etiquette advice and skip the things that actually derail a first-timer: which 2026 visa scheme genuinely applies to you, how brutal the summer heat gets, and how to behave at the one site here that isn’t a normal tourist attraction.
Before you go: China in 2026. Nanjing is a safe, welcoming city and normal tourism runs smoothly here, the things worth preparing for are practical, not dangerous. Set up a VPN before you land, Google, WhatsApp, and most Western apps are blocked, and use Amap and DiDi in place of Google Maps and Uber. Link Alipay or WeChat Pay to a foreign card, the country is near-cashless. Carry your passport, your hotel registers you with the police automatically within 24 hours. Travelers are occasionally caught up in exit bans tied to business or legal disputes, unrelated to tourism but worth checking your government’s current China advisory before you fly.
Visa: two schemes, and Nanjing qualifies for one of them by air
China runs two separate visa-free schemes, and conflating them is the most commonly muddled fact in 2026 China travel content. The 30-day unilateral visa-free entry, extended through 31 December 2026, covers roughly 60+ countries, most of the EU, UK, Canada, Australia, Japan, and South Korea, no onward ticket required. The US is not on that list. Separately, a 240-hour (10-day) visa-free transit covers 55 nationalities including the US, provided you hold a confirmed onward ticket to a third country. Nanjing is confirmed on that transit port list, arriving through Nanjing Lukou Airport opens the whole Yangtze River Delta (Shanghai, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Anhui) to a qualifying traveler. That confirms airport entry specifically, so an American arriving overland by train from Shanghai or Beijing shouldn’t assume the same rule applies; check the National Immigration Administration’s current rules for your exact route before booking. Anyone outside both schemes needs a standard L tourist visa arranged in advance.
| Scheme | Who | Requirement |
|---|---|---|
| 30-day unilateral entry | ~60+ countries (not the US) | None, valid through 31 Dec 2026 |
| 240-hour visa-free transit | 55 nationalities incl. the US | Onward ticket to a third country; confirmed for Nanjing Lukou Airport entry |
| L tourist visa | Everyone else | Arranged in advance |
Cash is dying, but don’t rely on plastic alone
China is near-cashless: Alipay and WeChat Pay dominate, and both let foreign visitors link an international Visa, Mastercard, or Amex by passport registration, no Chinese bank account needed. Carry some RMB cash as backup regardless; small stalls and rural stops around Qixia or Niushou aren’t always smooth with foreign wallets. Check current Nanjing hotel rates once your entry plan is settled so you’re not scrambling for a room close to your dates.
Install a VPN before you arrive, not at the airport
Google Search, Gmail, Maps, WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook, X, and YouTube are all blocked in mainland China, and VPN provider websites are themselves blocked once you’re inside the country, so install and test one before you leave home. Use Amap (Gaode) or Baidu Maps instead of Google Maps, and DiDi instead of Uber, both work fine with a linked foreign card.
Nanjing’s furnace summer is real, plan around it
Nanjing is one of China’s “Three Furnaces,” alongside Wuhan and Chongqing: July and August highs regularly clear 34C and spike past 40C in heatwaves, with humidity that makes it feel worse than the number. June-July is also the rainiest stretch. Spring and autumn, plum and cherry blossom season, then Qixia Mountain’s autumn maples, are the honest best windows; winter is cold and damp rather than dry-cold.
Avoid Golden Week and Labor Day if you have any flexibility
National Day Golden Week, 1-7 October 2026, and Labor Day, 1-5 May 2026, both bring heavy domestic travel volume and inflated hotel rates nationwide, Nanjing included. Trains sell out fastest around both dates; book through 12306 or Trip.com well ahead if you can’t avoid the window.
Visiting the Nanjing Massacre Memorial: what respectful conduct looks like
The Memorial Hall of the Victims in Nanjing Massacre by Japanese Invaders commemorates roughly 300,000 civilians and unarmed soldiers killed after the city fell in December 1937. It’s free, hours run roughly 8:30am to 4:30pm, closed Mondays. Whether general walk-up entry currently requires a real-name online reservation wasn’t confirmed at research time, so check the official memorial site directly before you go, never a third-party tour listing. Keep photography restrained and quiet, dress and behave as you would at any memorial, and go in with the mindset that this is an act of remembrance, not a stop to check off a list.
Little English is spoken, and tipping isn’t expected
Outside major hotels, English is limited; a translation app is closer to essential than optional. Tipping is not customary anywhere in China, restaurants, hotels, taxis, or guides, no need to add one on top of the bill.
For the fuller day-by-day plan, see our Nanjing guide and festivals and events guide for the rest of the seasonal timing.
One concrete move: if you’re American flying into Nanjing Lukou with an onward ticket to a third country, the 240-hour transit rule covers you, just confirm it still applies if any leg of your route is overland instead.