Nanjing: don't arrive on a Monday
Nanjing's two best free sights — Sun Yat-sen's Mausoleum and the Nanjing Museum — are both closed every Monday except public holidays. That single fact ruins more itineraries here than any ticket price. The rest of the city is straightforward: the mausoleum needs a timed reservation, its Purple Mountain neighbours sell at the gate, and the Qinhuai painted boats have fixed official prices that make the OTA discounts easy to ignore.
Free, but reservation is mandatory: book a time slot via the official 'Zhongshan Scenic Area' (钟山风景区) WeChat mini-program, the 'Nanjing Zhongshan Scenic Area' official account, the 'Zhongshanlingyuan Ticketing Center' service account, the Meituan app, or on-site self-service machines with your ID. The mausoleum grounds above the 'Tianxia Weigong' gate are open 8:30–17:00; the site is CLOSED on Mondays (except statutory holidays and Sun Yat-sen's birthday/death anniversaries); the burial chamber is open only Tuesday–Friday (except statutory holidays). Foreign visitors: the scenic area's official English guide states that passports and foreign permanent-residence IDs are valid ID for real-name ticketing.
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南京市中山陵园管理局（钟山风景名胜区官方英文游园指南）；南京文旅信息服务平台 ⚠️ TWO closure traps: (1) the mausoleum closes every Monday — the rest of Purple Mountain (Ming Tomb etc.) stays open; (2) the burial chamber (墓室) opens only Tuesday–Friday. Reservation is required for the mausoleum ONLY: the official English guide says 'Except for the Dr. Sun Yat-sen's Mausoleum Scenic Area, which requires online reservations, tickets for all other attractions can be purchased directly at their entrances.' Same guide confirms real-name ticketing accepts 身份证、护照、外国人永久居留身份证 — foreign passport holders can complete the real-name process. Holiday time slots fill early; arrive in your booked slot. 392 steps to the hall; free luggage storage limited.Reviewer notes (conflicts, traps, old values)
Free for the permanent displays, but every visitor needs a real-name reservation: book up to 7 days ahead via the official WeChat mini-program; daily cap 20,000; morning tickets must enter by 13:00 and afternoon tickets by 17:00 — expired tickets are void. Open Tuesday–Sunday 9:00–17:00 (last entry 16:00); CLOSED all day on Mondays (except statutory holidays; also closed on Chinese New Year's Eve and day one of the new year). FOREIGN VISITORS: after booking online, passport holders verify manually at the green-channel service window on the east side of the main gate with the passport original and reservation voucher (the face-recognition gates need a Chinese ID card). No-show penalties: 3 misses in 90 days = 90-day ban for that ID; 2 misses in 7 days or 5 in 30 days = 180-day account ban. Paid temporary exhibitions (about ¥30–50) are separate.
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南京博物院官网《参观》预约与入馆规则 ⚠️ Closed on Mondays — the city's two headline free sights (mausoleum + museum) share the same dark day. Foreign passport holders cannot use the face-recognition entry gates (they need a Chinese 2nd-gen ID card or Jiangsu 3rd-gen social-security card): book online, then verify at the green-channel window east of the main gate with passport + voucher. Under-14s cannot book alone (adult books a family ticket; max 3 minors per adult). Free-exempt groups (70+, disabled, soldiers, veterans, disabled soldiers, firefighters, 'three dependents', blood-donation honour holders) use the museum's separate preferred-visitor reservation path. One of China's three great museums — the Republic-of-China street replica hall is the photo favourite.Reviewer notes (conflicts, traps, old values)
¥70 per adult official list price (OTAs show ¥68). Ticketing 6:30–18:30 from February to November; 7:00–17:30 from December to January. Half price for visitors aged 6–18, full-time undergraduates and below, and 60–69; free for children under 6 / 1.4 m and seniors 70+. A ¥100 combo covers Ming Tomb + Linggu Scenic Area + Music Stage + Meiling Palace. Real-name ticketing applies — passports are accepted as valid ID (official English guide). Open daily; no Monday closure.
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钟山风景名胜区官方英文游园指南；南京文旅信息服务平台（门票一览） ⚠️ OTA cross-check: Ctrip/Ly list ¥68 against the official ¥70 list price — conservative value ¥70. UNESCO World Heritage (2003 extension of the Imperial Tombs of the Ming and Qing Dynasties); the Sacred Way with elephant/lion statues and Plum Blossom Hill (梅花山, blooms Feb–Mar) are inside. Ticket sales end 30 min before closing (e.g. 18:00 close = 17:30 last ticket in winter schedule). Combo ¥100 is the better deal if you also want Linggu Valley, the Music Stage pigeons and Meiling Palace.Reviewer notes (conflicts, traps, old values)
Nanjing attraction tickets at a glance
Official published prices. Where a season boundary exists it is named in the catch column — boundaries differ from site to site across China, and an official "off-peak" window can still be a crowded one.
| Attraction | Ticket (official) | The catch |
|---|---|---|
| Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum | Free — reserve time slot | Closed Mondays; burial chamber open Tue–Fri only |
| Ming Xiaoling Mausoleum | ¥70 (¥100 four-site combo) | Sold at the gate — no advance booking needed |
| Nanjing Museum | Free — reserve online | Closed Mondays; tickets expire (morning by 13:00) |
| Confucius Temple & Qinhuai belt | Belt free; boat ¥100 day / ¥120 night | Official prices; board only at Panchi pier |
The Mausoleum and the Nanjing Museum both close all day on Mondays (except public holidays, and the two Sun Yat-sen anniversaries for the mausoleum). If you are arriving on a Monday, spend it on the City Wall, Xuanwu Lake and the Fuzimiao belt instead — and book the museum for Tuesday.
Getting around
Purple Mountain (Zhongshan) is one district east of the centre: the mausoleum needs a reservation, but Ming Xiaoling, Linggu Temple, the music stage and Meiling Palace all sell at the gates, and the ¥100 four-site combo beats four singles. Metro Line 2 gets you to the foot of the hill.
The Nanjing Museum sits inside the same Zhongshan area, south of the mausoleum — pair them on one day. Fuzimiao and the Qinhuai are south of the old city, best in the evening when the boats and lanterns are lit.
Nanjing Museum tickets are time-boxed: morning tickets must enter by 13:00, afternoon by 17:00, and an expired ticket is void. Foreign passport holders cannot use the face-recognition gate — book online, then verify manually at the green-channel window east of the main gate with your passport and reservation voucher. Qinhuai boat prices are official: ¥100 day / ¥120 night / ¥140 west line — the ¥95 on OTAs is a promo, and street touts are not licensed.
A day count that works
- Day 1: Purple Mountain — mausoleum (booked), Ming Xiaoling, Linggu Temple; Xuanwu Lake at dusk.
- Day 2: Nanjing Museum (Tuesday–Sunday), then the City Wall at Zhonghua Gate.
- Day 3: Fuzimiao and the Qinhuai belt, evening painted boat.
Nanjing guides on this site
The first Nanjing guide is in production — the fact library for all 4 documented sites above is already verified.
The full attractions index shows which guides are live and which are in production.
Frequently asked questions
- Why is everything closed on Monday in Nanjing?
- Sun Yat-sen's Mausoleum and the Nanjing Museum — the city's two headline sights — both close every Monday except public holidays. The burial chamber inside the mausoleum is further limited to Tuesday–Friday. Plan a Monday arrival around the City Wall, Xuanwu Lake and the Qinhuai belt instead.
- Do I need to book Ming Xiaoling in advance?
- No. Only the mausoleum needs advance booking in the Zhongshan area; Ming Xiaoling, Linggu Temple, the music stage and Meiling Palace sell tickets at the gates. The ¥100 four-site combo is cheaper than four singles, and the official ¥70 single beats the ¥68 some OTAs advertise.
- How much is the Qinhuai River boat?
- Official prices are ¥100 for the day route, ¥120 for the night route and ¥140 for the west line — board only at the official Panchi pier. Cheaper OTA fares exist as promotions; anyone waving tickets at you on the street is not licensed.
Page last reviewed: 2026-10-17.