shanghai to Nanjing Old Lanes & Ming Ruins: Private Day Trip

Highlights

• Travel from Shanghai to Nanjing on a high-speed bullet train
• Explore the Ming Palace ruins and learn about its history
• Visit the Confucius Temple and the bustling Qinhuai River
• Stroll through Laomendong's old lanes and see the Porcelain Tower
• Enjoy a private tour with an English-speaking guide

Description

Two cities, six centuries, and one very fast train between them. Your English-speaking guide meets you in your Shanghai hotel lobby early, and a taxi takes you to Hongqiao Railway Station. Then the bullet train does the rest — 300 km/h, and the Shanghai skyline is behind you before your coffee goes cold. Seventy-five minutes later you step out in Nanjing, a city that served as China's capital six times and the place where the Ming dynasty began. Ming Palace (Minggugong) — your first stop is the quietest one. Built a generation before Beijing's Forbidden City, and the model it was copied from, the Ming Palace today is an open park of surviving walls, carved stone bases and the old ceremonial axis, shaded by plane trees and used mostly by locals walking their dogs. Your guide pieces the layout back together for you and shows you exactly which ideas Beijing later took north. Confucius Temple & the Qinhuai River (Fuzimiao)— next, Nanjing at its most alive. This quarter has been the city's cultural and commercial heart since the Song dynasty, and still is: a temple gateway, a river full of painted boats, and lanes of snack stalls. Lunch happens here — Nanjing's famous salted duck, soup dumplings and the small-plate Qinhuai snacks the city is proud of. Laomendong— a short walk south, and the crowd thins out. Laomendong is a Ming-Qing residential quarter restored lane by lane: grey brick, wooden shutters, vines over whitewashed walls, alleys that stay cool even in summer. Teahouses, craft workshops, street food — at a much gentler pace than the temple quarter you just left. **Porcelain Tower of Nanjing (Dabaoen Temple)** — the finale, and the biggest surprise. In the 15th century a nine-storey pagoda clad in white glazed tiles stood on this spot; European travellers ranked it among the wonders of the medieval world, and it was destroyed in the 1850s. What you visit now is a modern memorial park and glass tower built over the excavated ruins — the underground palace, the original foundations, and a walkway that floats above them. Then a taxi back to Nanjing South, the train home, and your guide walks you to your hotel door. Two cities, one packed day, and not a single piece of logistics left for you to solve. Private group · English-speaking guide throughout · Hotel-to-hotel · Round-trip train tickets and all entrance fees included · No shopping stops.

Includes

Private English-speaking guide, hotel to hotel Round-trip high-speed train tickets, Shanghai ⇄ Nanjing (second class) All local transfers by taxi in Shanghai and Nanjing Entrance ticket to the Porcelain Tower / Grand Bao'en Temple Ruins Park

Excludes

Lunch and drinks (the tour guide can make recommendations) Personal expenses and souvenirs

Important Information

• Reservation requires providing: name, passport number, contact information (WhatsApp/WeChat/email/phone), hotel address. It's recommended to book 3 days in advance. Children must be accompanied by an adult. This is a private tour: only your party will participate. Train times may vary slightly by date; final schedule confirmed after booking.

Easy cancellation

Cancel up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund