Things to do in Nanchang
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Nanchang
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Spring is a best window: mild weather, rapeseed flowers around Anyi in March, and heavy rain building from April.
Autumn is the other best window: clear river views, ginkgo at Aixi Lake and Meiling, and cranes arriving in November.
Summer is hot and humid with highs near 40C. Sightsee early and late, and use Maya, museums and the night river at midday.
Winter is damp and cold but is peak bird season at Poyang, with December to February best for white cranes.
What's on
- Lantern Festival at Wanshou Palace 15th day of the first lunar month, usually February
The restored block's biggest lantern displays and heritage performances close the Lunar New Year period.
- Dragon Boat Festival 5th day of the 5th lunar month, usually June
Dragon boat racing and zongzi season on the Gan River and the lakes, in plum rain heat.
- Mid-Autumn Festival 15th day of the 8th lunar month, September or October
Mooncakes and lanterns along the Gan River, often in the best weather week of the autumn.
- Nanchang International Bird-Watching Festival early December
The opening of peak bird season, when Poyang wetlands hold their greatest concentrations of wintering birds.
Best things to do in Nanchang
Tengwang Pavilion
The great literary tower over the Gan River, worth climbing by day and returning to see lit up at night.
Jiangxi Provincial Museum
A free, modern museum in Honggutan with the Haihun Marquis gold as its headline, and the best heat escape in town.
Haihun Marquis Archaeological Park
The Han dynasty tomb park of a deposed emperor, one of modern China's great archaeological finds, 39 km north.
Wanshou Palace Historical and Cultural Block
A restored temple and lane district in the old city that comes alive after 5pm with Gan snacks and teahouses.
Nanchang August 1st Memorial Hall
The free museum of the 1927 uprising that made Nanchang the Hero City, and the key to its modern history.
Bayi Square
One of China's largest city squares under the August 1st monument, best seen lit up at night with the memorial hall.
Star of Nanchang
The 160 metre wheel over the Gan River, with the best panorama in town if you ride at or after sunset.
Autumn Water Square
Honggutan's riverfront square facing Tengwang Pavilion, home to the huge evening musical fountain shows.
Where to stay in Nanchang
Honggutan
first trip, luxury and families
The modern west bank district with the five star hotels, provincial museum, wheel, malls and Qiushui Square.
Old Town: Tengwang Pavilion, Wanshou Palace and Bayi Square
food trips and short stays
The east bank historic core, walkable to Dashiyuan breakfast, Wanshou Palace evenings and the August 1st sights.
Jiulonghu and Nanchang West Station
early trains and expo visits only
New, large, good value hotels by the high speed station and expo centre, 16 km from the sightseeing city.
Think twice about
- Jiulonghu and the West Station fringe as a sightseeing base
Empty at night with nothing walkable, even by its best hotel's own guest reviews. Stay there only for trains or expos.
- Changbei Airport area
A field of airport hotels about 34 km out with no visitor life at all. Use it only for a very early flight.
- Immediate railway station perimeters
The city's tout and hassle zones and its least pleasant late night walk home. Pass through for trains, sleep in the old town or Honggutan.
Best restaurants in Nanchang
NAN CHANG DINING ROOM
The polished end of Gan dining in the old city rankings, for the one dressed up banquet dinner of a trip.
Lao San Yang (Wanshougong Branch)
The famous name for Gan heavyweights like crab leg noodles and bullfrog, in the Wanshou Palace block. Expect a queue.
Da Ping Huo
The locals' spicy benchmark for traditional Jiangxi cooking, known for oil poached fish and serious chilli heat.
Tang Wali
Polished Gan cooking in Honggutan with antique style decor, the calmer room for a signature oil poached fish.
MEET JIANG XI
A modern, group friendly Jiangxi restaurant at the top of local rankings, with a broad Gan menu and no famous name queue.
Ji Ji Hong Hot Pot (NanJing West Road)
Nanchang's own hotpot chain, fragrant and spicy, and the winter group dinner default across the city.
Dashiyuan Street
The breakfast street for the local ritual of mixed rice noodles plus a clay pot soup, for about 13 yuan.
Huang Ji Earthen Pot Soup (Hengmao Food City Branch)
A clay pot soup specialist whose egg and meat patty soup is the dish over a thousand reviewers recommend.
Outdoor things to do in Nanchang
Meiling National Scenic Area
Nanchang's backyard hills in Wanli, where the Lion Peak hike runs through bamboo to a view over Panxi Lake.
Aixi Lake Wetland Park
A free east side wetland park for cycling and walking, with ginkgo stands that turn gold in autumn.
Tengwang Pavilion Cruise
A night boat on the Gan River past the lit pavilion, Bayi Bridge, the wheel and the twin tower light show.
Paradise Maya
The big Maya themed water park by the zoo, and the most fun active day in the city in July and August.
Nanji Wetland Nature Reserve
Poyang Lake's closest great birdwatching, an hour from the city, with winter cranes and a lake sunset.
Anyi Ancient Villages
Three countryside villages with over 120 Ming and Qing houses, best by car and paired with Meiling.
Mount Lu
The UNESCO listed mountain of mist, waterfalls and villa streets that needs at least one night in Guling.
Nanchang Poly Golf Club
The city's premium named golf club in northern Nanchang, arranged through a hotel concierge or operator.
Best hotels in Nanchang
Shangri-La Nanchang
The benchmark luxury stay in Honggutan, 473 large rooms all facing the Gan River, with pool and spa.
Sheraton Nanchang Hotel
The other international five star fixture on the west bank, with river views by Wanda Plaza and Qiushui Park.
Primus Hotel Nanchang International Expo City
Huge, highly rated rooms by the expo centre and West Station, superb for events and poor for sightseeing on foot.
Crowne Plaza Nanchang Riverside by IHG
The best positioned full service stay for a food and history trip, with river views and the old city at the door.
Mercure Nanchang Tengwang Pavilion
A reliable international midscale in the Tengwang and Wanshou zone, praised for breakfast and front desk service.
Atour S Hotel, Wushang MALL, Bayi Square, Nanchang
A design led chain hotel with upper floor views straight over Bayi Square and the monument.
Metropolo Hotel Nanchang Tengwang Pavilion Bayi Square
The budget pick that does not feel like one, in the Tengwang and Bayi zone with the location doing the work.
JI Hotel (Nanchang West Station North Square)
The rational budget night before an early high speed train, five minutes from station and metro with laundry.
Is Nanchang expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | CN¥220 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | CN¥550 a person |
| Splurge | CN¥1,400 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Tengwang Pavilion: a few days ahead
- Jiangxi Provincial Museum: a few days ahead
- Haihun Marquis Archaeological Park: a few days ahead
- Nanchang August 1st Memorial Hall: a few days ahead
- Nanchang Sunac Land: a few days ahead
- Tengwang Pavilion Cruise: a few days ahead
- Paradise Maya: a few days ahead
- Nanji Wetland Nature Reserve: a few days ahead
- Free museums still need real name timed reservations on WeChat, so book slots 3 to 5 days ahead in peak periods and bring ID.
- Book Tengwang Pavilion and cruise tickets online ahead during national holidays, and go at opening or after dark.
- The famous spicy houses queue at peak hours, so arrive before 11:30 or after 13:00 for lunch and early for dinner.
- Guling rooms on Mount Lu and Poyang birding drivers in December and January need days of lead time, not same morning booking.
Is Nanchang safe?
- Watch for pickpockets in the densest crowds at Wanshou Palace, Bayi Square on holidays and both railway stations.
- Summer heat is a health issue in July and August, so sightsee early and late and use museums and Maya at midday.
- Do not drink the tap water, and assume scooters in old city lanes have not seen you.
- Order spice mild and build up, as a heroic first night Gan order derails more trips than anything else here.
Nanchang travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Shengjin Tower Food Street is promoted hard and warned about by locals, so graze there in passing and eat dinner elsewhere.
- Do not day trip Mount Lu from Nanchang, as the transfers eat the mountain. Sleep in Guling or skip it.
- Honggutan mall food courts are a diluted version of Gan cooking, so eat at least one proper old city dinner.
- At Meiling, villagers offering parking directions may be steering you to their restaurants, so use the official lots.
Getting around Nanchang: public transport and more
- Metro Lines 1 and 2 do most visitor work, linking Wanshougong, Bayi Square, Honggutan and West Station.
- Ride hailing is cheap and fills every gap, and a hired car is the right tool for Haihun, Anyi, Nanji and Meiling.
- Changbei Airport is about 30 to 35 km out, so allow an hour by road. Check whether your train uses West Station or the old station.
- Walk inside the old city clusters, but ride across the river rather than walking the bridges and avenues.
Who Nanchang suits
| Solo travellers | Good |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Good |
| Couples | Good |
| Bachelor parties | Not ideal |
| Families | Great |
| Bachelorette parties | Not ideal |
Make Nanchang your trip
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