How do I get around Nanjing?

Nanjing Metro runs 12 lines across the city, with fares from 2 CNY (about $0.30) to 9 CNY depending on distance. Line 1 and Line 2 intersect at Xinjiekou, the commercial center you'll likely pass through daily. Line 2 reaches the Presidential Palace area at Daxinggong station. Line 1 drops you at Xuanwumen for Xuanwu Lake's western shore. Trains arrive every 3 to 5 minutes during peak hours, and the stations are air-conditioned, signed in English, and clean enough that the tile floors squeak under your shoes. The system runs from about 5:30 AM to 11 PM. Buy a Jinling Tong transit card at any station kiosk (50 CNY deposit, refundable) or scan Alipay's transport QR code at the turnstile. The QR route is faster if you've already set up Alipay's international version.

Nanjing Metro still doesn't reach Zijin Shan (Purple Mountain). Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum and Ming Xiaoling both sit on those slopes, and the nearest station, Xiamafang on Line 2, still leaves a 2 km uphill walk or a crowded scenic-area shuttle. This is where DiDi earns its place. Download DiDi before you fly. Taxi flagfall in Nanjing is 11 CNY for the first 3 km, then 2.4 CNY per km after that. A DiDi from Xinjiekou to the mausoleum parking lot runs 25 to 35 CNY. Uber, Grab, and Lyft do not operate in mainland China. Street taxis are metered and tend to be honest in Nanjing, but hailing one during evening rush near Fuzimiao can mean standing in diesel-scented exhaust for 15 minutes while full cabs slide past.

Nanjing is walkable in clusters, not across them. The Fuzimiao district along the Qinhuai River rewards anyone on foot. Narrow lanes funnel the smell of stinky tofu and the sizzle of scallion pancakes past every third shopfront. The walk from Fuzimiao south to Zhonghua Gate, the largest surviving Ming-dynasty city gate, covers about 1.5 km on flat ground. Xinjiekou's commercial core is similarly compact. But the gaps between Fuzimiao, Xinjiekou, and Xuanwu Lake add up. Fuzimiao to the Presidential Palace is 3 km. Xinjiekou to Xuanwu Lake's south gate is another 2 km. Shared e-bikes from Meituan (yellow) and Hellobike (blue) fill those gaps, unlocked via Alipay for 1.5 CNY per ride. The bikes crowd Nanjing's sidewalks, though, and cracked pavement tiles are common near Gulou. Summer temperatures above 38°C from July through August make any walk over 15 minutes a sticky, humid ordeal.

City buses cost a flat 2 CNY and reach neighborhoods the metro skips, but route information is in Chinese only and the recorded stop announcements move too quickly to follow even with basic Mandarin. Treat buses as a backup after your second or third day, not a first-morning plan. Payment is the bigger adjustment, because Nanjing runs almost entirely on mobile wallets now. Alipay or WeChat Pay covers metro turnstiles, DiDi, buses (QR scan at the door), and most taxis. Cash still works on Nanjing buses with exact change, and taxis will accept 10 and 20 CNY bills, but many drivers seem puzzled by paper money at this point. Set up Alipay's international version before departure. It accepts foreign Visa and Mastercard for the transit QR and small purchases up to 200 CNY per transaction. Worth noting, Google Maps does not work in China without a VPN. Download Amap (Gaode) or Baidu Maps before you land. Both show real-time metro routes, walking directions, and bus positions in Chinese with partial English labels.