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3 Days Best of Nanjing Tour

Nanjing

Highlights

Visit:
Dr. Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum
Zhonghua Gate
Confucius Temple
 
Qinhuai River
Presidential Palace
Nanjing Yangtze River Bridge
Experience:
Trace back to more than 2500 years in one of the greatest capital cities of ancient times;
Take a dive into Nanjing's fascinating past at the historical landmarks;
Know more history about ancient Ming Dynasty, Qing Dynasty and recent China.

Sampling Itinerary Day by Day

Day 1 Nanjing Arrival

Welcome to Nanjing! Clear the customs and retrieve your baggage by yourself upon arrival, be greeted by our tour guide in the Arrival Hall who is holding a sign on which says your name. A comfortable vehicle (non-smoking) with an experienced driver will transfer you directly to your hotel. Your guide will help you check in. The rest of the day is on your own to discover this ancient city.

Day 2 Nanjing (B, L)

After breakfast, your guide and driver will pick you up at your hotel. Your first stop today is Dr. Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum. Located at the foot of the majestic Purple Mountain, it is the tomb of Dr. Sun Yat-sen, the Father of Modern China. Some 392 steps lead to the very entrance in this mausoleum and it is a definite must-see place when you are visiting Nanjing.

Later, you’ll have a great look at Zhonghua Gate which is the biggest castle-style city in China and the most complicated castle in the world. Built from 1366 to 1387, Zhonghua Gate boasts great skill, delicate structure and magnificent scale.

Then, head to Confucius Temple. Built in Song Dynasty, the year of 1034, Nanjing Confucius Temple has a history of about 1000 years. The whole temple covers a huge area, mainly consisting of Confucius Temple, Studying Hall and Gongyuan.

The last scenic spot today is the Qinhuai River to explore the local lifestyle. This river remembers the long history of the town and it is inseparable part of all that is happening in Nanjing. Its bank was very popular during the Qing and Ming Dynasties due to the red lantern alley that was placed there.

Dr. Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum

Qinhuai River Confucius Temple Scenic Area

Day 3 Nanjing & Nanjing Departure (B)

After breakfast, your guide and driver will pick you up at your hotel. Today, you’ll going to visit Presidential Palace. During the 1009 years and from 1840 to 1949, it was the backbone of Chinese military and politics. Now it is a historic site with great importance in modern history of China, also becoming the biggest modern history museums in China.

Later, followed a trip to Nanjing Yangtze River Bridge which is the first double-decker bridge designed for road traffic as well as trains. In 1960s, the bridge was listed in the Guinness Book of World Records for “the longest bridge with dual functions of Highway and railway”.

After the tour, transfer to the airport or train station for your departure flight/train. Service ends!

Presidential Palace in Nanjing

1. This price is for one person, based on a group of 2 adults sharing one standard double-bed room in a comfortable-class hotel and traveling with our private tour package in low seasons. The price will be much lower if your group has 4 or more members.

2. This price is subject to change according to your traveling season, month, and date. There may be huge price increasing during the public Chinese holidays, school summer holidays (usually 2 months, July ~ August), peak tourist seasons or some special dates. (Chinese Public Holidays 2026)

3. Other factors that may change the final tour price include your group size, hotel class, tour activities, real-time exchange rate, and so on.

4. This price is based on the exchange rate USD 1= RMB 7.00. The final price will be based on the exchange rate in effect at the time of agreement with our quotation.

5. This price is only valid from now to March 31, 2027.

6. This price is not the final price until the Confirmation Letter is sent.

7. The items included and excluded in this price are for reference only. The final services included, please refer to the Confirmation Letter sent to you by the travel consultant.

Price Includes:

  • English-speaking guide with the professional license as listed in the itinerary.
  • Entrance fees and other fees of the scenic spots as listed in the itinerary.
  • Yangtze River Cruise ticket as listed in the itinerary.
  • Accommodation (comfortable-class) based on two persons sharing one room with twin beds or a double bed.
  • Meals as specified with “B” (for breakfast), “L” (for lunch) or “D” (for dinner) in the itinerary.
  • Private Transfers between airports, hotels and scenic spots while sightseeing in each city or area by private air-conditioned vehicle with a licensed driver as listed in the itinerary.
  • Transportation: Domestic flights (economy class) or trains (second-class seat) as listed in the itinerary.
  • Airport / train station pick-up and drop-off service as listed in the itinerary.
  • Luggage Transfers between airports, train station and hotels.
  • Travel Service Charge of our travel consultant, including the planning, handling, operational and communication charges, etc.

Price Excludes:

  • China Visa (We do not offer any visa service or charge any visa-related fee.)
  • Scenic spots not listed in the itinerary.
  • Optional activities or other sightseeing.
  • Accommodation not as listed in the itinerary.
  • Meals not listed in the itinerary.
  • Flights or trains not as listed in the itinerary.
  • Excess Baggage Charges.
  • Personal expenses of a purely personal nature such as room service, laundry, drink, Internet charge, WI-FI, fax, telephone call, etc.
  • Gratuities or optional tips to guides, drivers, bellboys, etc.
  • Travel insurance. Please kindly note that the full coverage travel insurance from your country of origin should be purchased in advance on your own.

Read what other travelers think about this China trip / Yangtze cruise trip. We only accept reviews from actual, confirmed travelers who purchased the tour / activity from us, so you can be sure the reviews are unbiased and authentic.

Hi Elk,

"Yangtze River Cruises and more specifically Elk has been helping us organise a very good tour in China: we were aiming to visit Chongqing, and observing that this could be combined with a crude on the Yangtze River, we opted for this, and given that this cruise at this time of the year was only 4 days, I searched extension options on the company website, found 2 extensions of interest for me and my husband, namely in Chengdu (where the tour organiser is based) and in Zhangjiajie. 

1. Organisation

Booking the tour, I was a little uncertain: there are so many scams online, that I was afraid we pay for that tour and end up with nothing... but it was not the case :-)

A few days before the start of our tour in Chengdu, Elk sent me the mobile numbers of the 3 guides that would be taking us through each station of our tour, and to my great pleasure, each of them was waiting for us at the agreed meeting point. All these scheduling and organisation elements were super well defined.

Elk also asked me which category of housing I wanted and booked for us hotels and cruise bedroom in the relevant category. I was pleasantly surprised in each location.

2. Comfort

Another special comment: the hotels and cruise ship have aircond, which is as expected, and also heating systems (which in December and January was very helpful as we visited Zhanjiajie under the snow). I specify this because some people told me before the trip that in these regions, considered South China, there is usually no heating system. It's true that in some restaurants and coffee shops, there was no heating, but al our hotels had some.

3. Food

In each location we had usually at least a breakfast and lunch included, plus dinner during the cruise. All was very good and to our taste: the guides asked us ahead what kind of food we can / cannot eat and esp. for us, it was "not spicy please" and we got it alright all the time.

4. Sightseeing and Guides

In each location we had a guide speaking well to very well our language and a driver; full comfort! 

In Chengdu guide Ben took us to the panda reserve and visiting it has been great fun: they are so cute. Then we went for lunch in the old city in a delicious restaurant, and visited and old temple, the touristic area, and park... and he was also kind enough to propose to us to join the local theater show (not included in the tour), which was amazing... The following morning he took us to the train station from which we would join Chongqing. He insisted to take us up to the last passport check before the train platform... that's very useful for overseas tourists not familiar with Chinese trains. Many thanks to Ben!

Then in Chongqing, Jacques took us through the city museum and main places of interest before dropping us at the gate of the ship; here also, no chance to get lost :-)

During the cruise, the staff and guides speaking our language were taking care of us onboard and during the excursions. We also took the ship lift add-on at the 3 gorges dam, which I can also recommend, what an experience! 

Finally in YiChang, our guide for Zhangjiajie was waiting for us at the cruise terminal to take us to Zhangjiajie. There she took us to the 2 famous parks there, the one with Avatar peaks, great even with overcast and rain, and then to the park of the Tianmen mountain, with the glass bridges and and the 999 steps... We visited that one under the snow and walking on snow, and it was amazing, even if we could not take as many glass bridges as planned, for safety reasons. Each day, we finished with delicious lunches, too much food actually, thus we did dabao. 

Thus only one summary: fantastic tour, great organisation, we are looking forward to the next one! 

The only thing that was a little less good was our guide in Chongqing, Jacques: he was always speaking very loud, like if speaking to a group of 20 people while we were only two. Otherwise, nothing to improve really, it was excellent!

Best regards,

Valerie

The following photos were shared by our customer Valerie:

Yangtze China Tour Review

Chengdu City Tour | Late December 2025 | Curated by Elk

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Chongqing City Tour | Late December 2025 | Curated by Elk

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Three Gorges Cruise Journey with Century Paragon | Early January 2026 | Curated by Elk

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Two-Day Nature Escape in Zhangjiajie | Early January 2026 | Curated by Elk

Valerie - January 8, 2026‚ , 

Hi,

Thank you for your email. The trip to China was great. I will update you when I get back to Spain. All the best to you.

Regards,

David

David - December 25, 2025‚ , 

Hi Elk,

We had a wonderful experience booking our Yangtze River cruise through Yangtze River Cruise Company. Elk was especially helpful throughout the entire process - extremely communicative, responsive, and patient in answering all our questions, which made the booking smooth and stress-free for our family.

The cruise itself on Century Paragon was excellent. Everything was well organized, the facilities were comfortable,and we truly had a great time. Overall, it was a fantastic experience from booking to the actual cruise, and we would highly recommend both the company and Elk's services to others planning a Yangtze River cruise.

Chen

Chen - December 22, 2025‚ , 

Thank you Rita,

The Cruise has been wonderful, everyone involved has been very helpful. My wife and I are having a good time.

Thanks again for the arrangements.

Joseph

Joseph - December 22, 2025‚ , 

Here are recent candid photos of this China trip / Yangtze cruise trip. If you want to share your own tour photos, simply email your photos to info@yangtze-river-cruises.com with your Booking ID Number. Thanks in advance for sharing!

No documents found.

Dr. Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum
Qinhuai River Confucius Temple Scenic Area
Presidential Palace in Nanjing

Recommended Add-on Options

+ 2~3 more days to visit the largest metropolis in China - Shanghai

Experience the past, present and future of China all at once!

The Huangpu River splits Shanghai into two districts: Pudong and Puxi. The Pudong skyline with stunning tall buildings like Shanghai Tower, Shanghai World Financial Center and Oriental Pearl TV Tower gives you a flourishing scene of modern Shanghai. On the Puxi side, walk along the Bund to get a taste of old Shanghai. What a huge contrast!

Shanghai Skyline - Tall Buildings in Pudong New District

+ 4~5 more days to cruise on the magnificent Yangtze River

Taking a relaxing cruise sailing on the Yangtze River is a popular way to get a short break during your China tour. You’ll not only enjoy many colorful cultural activities and entertainment programs onboard, but also enjoy three to four shore excursions to deeply know the authentic life along Three Gorges and witness the world-famous Three Gorges Dam.

You can take: 1) 4 Days & 3 Night Downstream Cruise from Chongqing to Yichang; 2) 5 Days & 4 Nights Upstream Cruise from Yichang to Chongqing.

Our Customer Visiting Magnificent Qutang Gorge

Not easy to find the right cruise ship/itinerary for you? Please contact one of our Yangtze cruise specialists to save your time and money. Click the right button to send an online inquiry and we will get back to you within 0.5~23.5 hours.

Your can rely on our expert knowledge and endless enthusiasm!

Why Cruise with yangtze-river-cruises.com

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Located in Chongqing, the significant Yangtze pier, we are the leading local travel agency for traveling to the Yangtze River and China.

Ultra-Low Prices

Specialized in the Yangtze River cruise booking for several years, we have great relationships with all ship companies.

24/7 Customer Care

With one-on-one service, our cruise experts provide 24-hour support and are always patient and friendly to make your travel as easy as possible.