Nanjing Surrounding Tours — Autumn in Southern Anhui

✨Date: 2025.11.29-11.30 ✨Weekend two-day trip, one night, one-way self-driving time about 4 hours ✨Saturday: Depart at 9:00 AM — Xixinan — Chengkan — Check into a guesthouse near Hongcun Sunday: Depart at 5:30 AM — Lucun Sunrise Viewing Platform — Qishu Lake — Hongcun — Depart back to Nanjing at 3:00 PM 🍁Xixinan⭐⭐⭐⭐ ✨Free admission! No need to pay~ The highlight is the bamboo and forest, quite secluded~ close to water~ but the stone pier and small bridge are a bit dangerous, so watch out for kids and elderly! This spot is the second least commercialized among the places visited this trip! The small woods are perfect for bringing kids to get close to nature~ ✨Had lunch at Yuqingzhai Private Kitchen Choosing a well-established place was definitely right! The taste was good~ just the wait time was a bit long But! The courtyard is very nice, great for photos~ while taking pictures, the food arrives~ Also, this courtyard has all the photo elements you need, arguably the quietest spot for photography 🍁Chengkan⭐⭐⭐ 🎫Average cost 103 RMB If you only want to see the fish lanterns at night, it’s better to buy tickets for Yongxing Lake directly👀 Save where you can, spend where you must ✨Fish lantern show + fireworks, totally worth the ticket price, starts at 5:38 PM, the atmosphere is great~ But! Honestly, some tourists are a bit rude, constantly shouting “move back, move back” like grumpy old men, you can feel the staff’s helplessness… It’s best to arrive around 4 PM~ If you want to secure a spot early, squat by the red lantern🏮 near the railing! 🍁Lucun Sunrise⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 🎫Free~ Lucun Sunrise Viewing Platform, honestly no need to go down! You can park by the roadside and find a spot without obstruction, no need to squeeze with the crowd! ✨In one word! Stunning beyond words! So beautiful it leaves you speechless! Worth going! Worth waking up early! 🍁Qishu Lake⭐⭐⭐⭐ 🎫Free! ✨This was the biggest surprise of the trip! My summary: it gave me a little Narati Grassland vibe, truly worthy of the Southern Anhui Sichuan-Tibet route~ You can miss everything else! But remember to visit Qishu Lake! Just walk alone by the misty lake, watch the distant mountains and the red dawn redwoods bathed in sunlight~ life is worth it! ✨Just navigate to Hanting Hotel (Hongcun West Gate), go straight inside to the “Lonely Tree” photo spot. If you want fog, come right after shooting the Lucun sunrise! Otherwise, it will get so crowded you’ll question your life choices~ 🍁Hongcun⭐⭐⭐ 🎫94 RMB average ✨I actually came for Hongcun because I had a regret to make up for~ It does have its own charm, but the free spots are really amazing haha, Hongcun is a bit more commercialized~ ✨I recommend the makeup and styling from the cover photo, Mengyao, the experience was very good, 199 RMB per day, totally worth it 🍁Originally planned to visit Xidi and Tachuan as well But Xidi was too tight on Saturday, and Tachuan’s wheat fields were gone~ Felt a bit late to go~ A week earlier would have been better 💕Wish everyone a great trip~ If you have questions, drop a message in the comments~