The entrance near Metro station Jimingsi is very busy with the Jiming Temple, a good access point to the top of the city wall and the lake area itself. We got in just past the gate and thought the area was fairly crowded and grabbed a boat to go around the lake. Entry to the park area is free but it is very popular. The cost to rent a small motorized boat is 140 RMB/hour. We stuck to the less crowded west side of the lake and were able to get good views of Zifeng Tower, the ancient city wall and the top of Jiming Temple. It was a little hazy while we were in Nanjing but we thoroughly enjoyed our boat ride and would recommend it to friends. There were quite a few inexperienced boaters so we kept our distance and watched a few rounds of bumper boats! Don't worry though they go really slow for the most part! After we finished on the lake we climbed on to the ancient city wall which gave great views of the lake and surrounding area from the high wall.

Xuanwu Park is composed of a large lake with five isles, pagodas, and several beautiful gardens. During the Song Dynasty the lake was said to be twice as big and was a training ground for the emperor’s navy. In the Ming Dynasty, the park could only be visited by the imperial families and thus was a Forbidden Land. Today this park is visited by both residents and tourists year round. My family and I really enjoyed our time there. Still I think warm weather may be necessary for one to have the best experience at the park. The highlight of the visit, which would not be affected by temperature, was the incredible Xuanwu Gate, the park’s main entrance.