Nanjing Lukou International Airport is about 35 km from Nanjing city centre. Transport costs vary with your method, destination and the time of day — and this page deliberately does not print fare figures. Here is why, and what to check instead.
Why there are no numbers on this page
We could not confirm a single current Nanjing fare from an authoritative source: the airport's own website is not publicly reachable for us, the metro operator's site does not resolve, and the city transport bureau publishes policy documents rather than a fare table. The figures that circulate for Nanjing come from travel aggregators and blogs, which copy each other and are not corrected when a tariff changes. A stale fare presented as fact is worse than no fare at all, so we have removed them.
By transport type
Metro Line S1 (Airport Line): The cheapest way in by a wide margin. It connects the airport to Nanjing South Railway Station, where you transfer to Lines 1 or 3 for the centre; the full journey to Xinjiekou takes about 50 minutes. Nanjing Metro prices by distance travelled in stages — a flat fare for the first band of kilometres, then rising in steps — so your fare depends on how far you go. The ticket machine at the airport station shows the exact fare to your destination before you pay. Services do not run all night.
Airport bus: Fixed fare per route, with the longer suburban routes costing more than the runs into the city. The airport publishes current routes and fares on its own website — check there, since routes get revised.
Taxi: Metered, on Nanjing's government-guided tariff. The meter charges for time as well as distance, which is the single most important thing to understand about the cost: the same 35 km costs more in rush hour than at midnight. A higher rate applies late at night. The tariff card is displayed in the vehicle.
Pre-booked transfer: Priced per vehicle, fixed at booking regardless of traffic. Check the live quote for your vehicle size and destination.
What actually drives your cost
| Factor | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Distance | 35 km to the centre; outer districts and Jiangning are a different trip entirely |
| Time of day | The taxi meter runs on time as well as distance — rush hour is genuinely more expensive |
| Late night | A higher taxi tariff applies; the metro has stopped |
| Party size | Metro and bus charge per person; taxis and transfers charge per vehicle |
| Destination clarity | A driver who misunderstands your destination costs you meter time — carry the address in Chinese |
Hidden costs to consider
- Traffic factor: Rush hour (roughly 7-9 AM and 5-7 PM) genuinely raises a metered fare, because the meter bills waiting time.
- Language confusion: If a taxi driver misunderstands your destination, the detour costs you money on the meter. Having your address in Chinese reduces this risk.
- Payment friction: Without WeChat Pay or Alipay, you are limited to cash. ATMs are available in arrivals.
- The transfer at Nanjing South: the metro fare gets you to the station, but you still need to reach your hotel from the centre.
Tips for managing costs
- The metro is by far the cheapest option, but factor in walking and the transfer to your final destination.
- For groups of 3-4 people, a taxi or transfer is priced per vehicle rather than per head, which changes the comparison against individual transit fares.
- Cash in CNY is the most reliable payment for taxis. ATMs in the arrivals hall accept international cards.
- Check the fare at the metro ticket machine, the tariff card in the taxi, and the airport's own site for the bus — those are the only figures worth trusting on the day.
Frequently Asked Questions
How far is Nanjing Airport from the city center?
Nanjing Lukou Airport is about 35 km from Xinjiekou (city center). Metro Line S1 takes about 50 minutes with a transfer at Nanjing South. A taxi takes 40-60 minutes depending on traffic.
What is the cheapest way from Nanjing Airport to the city?
Metro Line S1 (the Airport Line), which connects the airport to Nanjing South Railway Station, where you transfer to Lines 1 or 3 for the centre. Nanjing Metro prices by distance travelled in stages, so your fare depends on how far you ride — the ticket machine at the airport station shows the exact fare before you pay. It does not run all night; check the operator's current first and last train times.
How much is a taxi from Nanjing Airport to the city center?
Taxis from Nanjing Lukou run on the meter, on the city's government-guided tariff, with a higher rate late at night. We do not quote a figure: the meter charges for time as well as distance, so the same trip costs more in rush hour than at midnight, and we could not confirm the current tariff from the city's own published source. The tariff card is displayed inside every licensed taxi — check it, make sure the meter is running, and use only the official rank.