Nanjing Lukou airport to the city centre: metro, bus or taxi
Take the metro. Line S1 leaves from the basement of the transport centre between Terminals 1 and 2, costs about ¥7 to Nanjing South and gets you to Xinjiekou in roughly 50 minutes. Since 29 September 2026 it through-runs onto Line 6, so you no longer have to get off and change at Nanjing South.
What the three options actually cost
| Option | Cost | Time to the centre | Use it if |
|---|---|---|---|
| Metro S1 / Line 6 | About ¥7 to Nanjing South; most city stops under ¥10 | Around 50 minutes to Xinjiekou | You land before 22:42 and can carry your own bags |
| Airport bus Line 1 | ¥25 | City stops including Nanjing Railway Station | You are staying near the railway station or the east side |
| Taxi | Roughly ¥120–150 plus ¥10–20 expressway toll | 45–60 minutes to Xinjiekou | You land late, have heavy luggage, or are splitting the fare |
Metro details worth knowing
Fares are charged by distance, and the ticket machine at the airport station shows the price to your destination before you pay. Machines take cash and Alipay or WeChat Pay; if you are paying cash, use ¥10 or ¥20 notes, because large bills are awkward. Loading the metro QR code into Alipay before you fly is faster than queueing.
The through service onto Line 6 means you can ride past Nanjing South and change onto the ordinary network further in: Minggugong for Line 2 toward Xinjiekou, Guanghuamen for Line 5, Gangzicun for Line 4, Wanshou for Line 7, Jichang Paodao Jiuzhi for Line 10. Trains run roughly every 8–12 minutes.
The last train from the airport toward Nanjing South is listed at 22:42, so a late landing means the bus or a taxi. Note also that the metro station sits on B1 of the transport centre, which is a lift ride and a walk from arrivals.
If you land after the metro stops
The bus to Nanjing South Station runs from 09:00 until 00:35, which covers most late arrivals and puts you at the high-speed rail hub. Airport bus Line 1 toward Nanjing Railway Station starts at 08:00 and runs until the last flight, stopping at Cuipingshan Binguan, Yuhua Square, Qinhongqiao, Qilijie, Yixianqiao on Longpan Middle Road and then the station; it costs ¥25 and leaves hourly. From the city side the first bus leaves the railway station's east square at 04:30.
If you are continuing by train, book the rail leg in advance so the transfer is a walk rather than a ticket counter queue.
Book hotels, flights & trains across China — all in one place
Trains and onward flights are worth booking ahead on Trip.com, and if you are still deciding where to sleep, compare the main booking sites before you pick a neighbourhood.
Taxis wait at the ground-floor exits of both terminals. The flag fall is ¥11, then ¥2.4 a kilometre (some electric cars charge ¥2.9), and the expressway toll is added on top. Ignore anyone approaching you inside arrivals offering a car.
Last checked: 2026-11-05
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