Purple Mountain holds most of Nanjing's major historical sites within a single forested hillside: the Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum, the Ming Xiaoling Tombs with their stone spirit way, Linggu Temple and its Beamless Hall, the Nanjing Museum, Plum Blossom Hill, and Meiling Palace are all here.
In the old city, the Ming City Wall and Zhonghua Gate show the Hongwu Emperor's defensive engineering at its most impressive. The Presidential Palace covers the Republican period. The Nanjing Massacre Memorial Hall is harrowing and essential. The John Rabe House provides a more intimate perspective on 1937.
The Confucius Temple and Qinhuai River area is the entertainment and food heart of the old city — best at night. Mochou Lake Park, Xuanwu Lake Park, and Jiming Temple are the green spaces that locals use daily. Librairie Avant-Garde is one of China's great bookshops. The Jiangning Weaving Museum covers the city's silk tradition in a prize-winning building.
The Drum Tower, Chaotian Palace, Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, and the Zheng He Memorial fill a serious Nanjing itinerary. For further afield, Foding Palace at Niushou Mountain and Tangshan Hot Springs are popular half-day trips within the city limits.