Xuanwu Lake: A Free Walk Between the City Wall and Purple Mountain

Xuanwu Lake is the large lake park on the north-east side of central Nanjing, hemmed in by the Ming city wall on two sides and backed by Purple Mountain. Entry is free. Five isles in the lake, Huan, Ying, Liang, Cui and Ling, are joined by causeways and bridges, so you can walk a loop of two hours or so without retracing your steps. The outer ring road is open around the clock; the isles have recently opened from 06:00 to 22:00 between April and October and 06:00 to 21:00 from November to March. It is the obvious afternoon after the Presidential Palace. The Nanjing travel guide covers the rest of the city.

Which gate to use

Xuanwu Gate, on the south-west side, is the main entrance and the closest to the centre. Metro Line 1's Xuanwumen station is just outside. Entering here puts you straight onto the causeway toward Huan Isle, with the city wall behind you.

The Nanjing Railway Station side to the north is handy if you are arriving or leaving by train; the station sits on the lake's northern shore.

The Jiming Temple side, at the south-west corner, is reached from Jimingsi station and puts the temple and a long stretch of wall at the start of your walk.

Taxis can drop at any of these, but drivers will assume Xuanwu Gate unless told otherwise.

A loop through the isles

From Xuanwu Gate, cross to Huan Isle, long and narrow, lined with willows and the most photographed shoreline in the park. Continue to Ying Isle, the cherry-blossom isle, which sits inside Huan Isle's curve and is at its busiest in late March and early April. From there, causeways lead east to Liang Isle, the oldest of the five and the one with the most buildings, then on to Cui Isle, quieter and greener, and Ling Isle, which looks across open water toward Purple Mountain.

You do not need all five. Huan, Ying and Liang make a good ninety-minute circuit; add Cui and Ling if the light is good and your legs are fresh. The complete ring road around the outside of the lake is a much longer walk, and the lakeside paths are popular with local runners in the early morning and evening.

History you can see from the shore

The lake has been reshaped many times since the Six Dynasties, when it was several times its present size and used for naval drills. Under the Ming, the isles were closed to the public and used to store the Yellow Registers, the empire's household and land records, in fireproof halls on what is now Liang Isle. The lake opened to the public only in 1909, when the viceroy Duanfang had a new gate cut through the wall, then called Fengrun Gate and now Xuanwu Gate, for visitors to the Nanyang Industrial Exposition. The park has been free to enter since 2010.

The best reminder of all this is the wall itself. Walking the southern and eastern shores, you have the Ming brickwork alongside you for long stretches; it is the most continuous view of the wall you will get in the city without paying for a wall-top ticket.

Seasons

• Late March to early April: cherry blossom on Ying Isle and along the causeways. Beautiful and very crowded at weekends.
• May: fresh green, mild days, often the most comfortable month for the loop.
• July and August: lotus spreads across large areas of the lake. It is hot, so go early or toward sunset.
• Autumn: clear air, softer light and the best views across to the mountain.
• Winter: quiet, cold and sometimes misty, with long views on the clear days after a north wind.

Boats and other extras

You can hire boats at several piers. Recent official boat notices put self-drive electric boats at roughly CNY 130 to 200 per hour depending on size, and a ferry from the railway station side to Liang Isle at about CNY 20 one way. Boat services usually run in daylight, roughly 08:30 to 17:00, and stop in strong wind or storms. Sightseeing carts and some wall sections are priced separately; wall segments have recently been listed at around CNY 30. None of this is needed. The walk is the point, and when the docks close for weather the paths stay open.

Pacing the day

After the Presidential Palace, ride the metro two stops or take a short taxi north rather than going back to your hotel. Enter at Xuanwu Gate, walk the loop, and aim to be on the eastern isles in the hour before sunset, when the light falls on the water and the mountain. If you are in Nanjing on a Monday, when the palace and the Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum usually close, the lake makes a good free morning instead.

Keep the Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum and Ming Xiaoling for a full day on Purple Mountain, and the Confucius Temple and Old South Gate for an evening in the south. Both are other days.

Practical notes

• Bring water and a hat in summer; shade on the causeways is patchy.
• There are cafes and snack kiosks on the isles; one stop is enough.
• After rain the stone paths are slippery.
• If the palace morning ran long, shorten the lake loop rather than skip it. Even an hour on Huan Isle is worth the trip.