By Bus

Public Bus

Public buses cover every corner of the city but the names on the signposts at the stops are confusing for foreigners. The easiest way is to write down the destination you want to go in Chinese characters on a sheet and take it with you. There's no conductor on public buses and you need to put one yuan into the money box when you get on a bus. For air-conditioned buses, two yuan is charged.

Tourist Bus

Special tourist bus lines are designed to tour major sightseeing places in the city. All tourist buses are air-conditioned for two yuan. You can either buy tickets on board or use a kind of IC card (something like a credit card used for transport). The IC cards are issued by the city transport companies and money can be added in some banks. Alternatively by taking tourist buses No. 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5, you can buy an admission ticket to the sightseeing place you want to visit and benefit from free bus-travel.

Tourist Bus Route
----- NRS (Nanjing Railway Station)

• Bus No. 1
  NRS - Zhongyangmen --->; Xuanwu Lake --->;Drum Tower --->;Jiming Temple--->;Presidential Hall --->; Ruins of Ming Palaces --->; Zhongshanmen --->; Mausoleum of Dr. Sun Yet-sen
  Operating hours: Initial stop 7:00- 16:40 (winter) 7:00- 17:00 (summer)
  Ending stop: 7:50- 17:30 (winter), 7:50- 18:30 (summer)
• Bus No. 2
  Yu Hua Tai --->;Zhonghua Gate --->; Fuzimiao --->; Presidential Hall --->; Ruins of Ming Palaces --->;Plum Hill
  Operating hours: Initial stop 7:45- 16:30 Ending stop: 8:45- 17:30
• Bus No. 3
  Zoo--->;NRS--->;Taipingmen--->; Zijinshan Telpher--->;Botanical Garden --->; Mingxiaoling Mausoleum--->; Mausoleum of Dr. Sun Yet-sen--->;Linggu Temple Park
  Operating hours: Initial stop 8:30- 15:45 Ending stop: 9:15- 16:30
• Bus No. 4
  Southern Gate of Yu Hua Tai Cemetery--->;Yu Hua Tai--->;Zhonghua Gate--->;Fuzimiao--->;Zhanyuan--->;Mochou Lake--->;Hanzhongmen--->; South Stone City--->; North Stone City--->;West NRS--->;Nanjing Passenger Port
  Operating hours: Initial stop 6:30-17:00 Ending stop: 7:45-18:30

By Taxi

Taxis ply the main streets in the city. Fares start eight yuan for the first three kilometers, and 2.4 yuan for each additional kilometer. At night the charge is the same initial charge plus 2.7 yuan for each additional kilometer. Unlike those in Shanghai, Beijing or Shenzhen, the Waiting time is not charged.

By Metro

The recently opened No 1 metro line is great news for the city. This is the first metro system for this ancient capital. At present, the service is still being tested and has had a test run for sightseeing tourists in May this year. It will open to the public on schedule in September, 2005.

The line runs through the city from north to south with 16 stops, including many tourist spots of the city. The ticket price is estimated to be two yuan for the first eight stops and one yuan for every four additional stops. It means citizens living in the southern end of the city only pay two yuan to reach the city center and four for the whole trip.

The new metro not only provides convenient transportation for citizens but brings new opportunities to the commercial development of the city. An underground commercial center is undergoing its final construction. Sharp-sighted businessmen are competing for the shop buildings and prepare for the big day of September 1st, when the metro opens to the public. In the future, the metro area will become a new shopping center of the city. The metro has entrances to major shopping malls in Xinjiekou area and to almost all the bus stops in the area covered by the line. People can easily change between the two transport networks. Convenient equipment such as access for disabilities, telecom signals, electronic guide screens and navigation signals make the trip comfortable.

Route

Hongshan Zoo ---> Nanjing Railway Station ---> Xin Mofan Malu ---> Xuanwu Men (Xuanwu Gate) ---> Gulou (Drum Tower) ---> Zhujiang Lu ---> Xinjiekou (downtown area) ---> Zhangfuyuan ---> Sanshanjie ---> Zhonghua Gate --->Xiaohang ---> Olympic Center (the southern ending)

For first-time visitors, an easy way to cover the major attractions of the city is to take the No. 1 metro line.

Car Rental
Nowadays, car rental is available in large cities in China. The most well known one in Nanjing is Zhongbei Car Rental Company at No. 400, Zhongshan Nanlu, tel. 025-2261544. You may not find an English speaker there so try to ask a local student for help. The prices range from 200 to 400 yuan, a standard car is 220 yuan/day and a luxury one is 260 yuan/day with a limit of 300 kilometers. Service fee for driver is not included.