Stand at the roundabout on Wenchang Road and you will see Wenchang Ge, a pavilion that once belonged to a Confucian academy, now marking the symbolic centre of the city. A short walk away, the Xiaoqinhuaihe Canal slips through the surviving blocks of the old town, and the smell of tea and fried dough drifts from the lanes beside it.
Yangzhou suits travellers who prefer gardens, canals and quiet courtyards to headline monuments. The city rewards slow walking: most of what is worth seeing sits within a compact historic centre, with a few larger sites a short bus ride away.
1. Slender West Lake (瘦西湖 Shouxihu)
A very slim lake winding through a park area just northwest of the city centre, with several pavilions dotted around its banks. The landscaping was designed to mimic the West Lake in Hangzhou, and the effect is best appreciated on foot along the water's edge.
Entry is ¥120. Set aside a half day, and combine it with the Xiaoqinhuaihe Canal walk in the old town if you have energy left afterwards.
2. Ge Yuan 个园
A lovely garden with sections representing the four seasons, laid out with pavilions. The seasonal planting and rockeries give each part of the garden a distinct character, which is why it rewards a slower visit than its size suggests.
It is open 07:30–17:00 daily, with a discount for student ID. Pair it with He Yuan, the other major garden in the city, rather than trying to see both in the same hour.
3. He Yuan 何园
This true scholar's garden is cleverly arranged, with several tea houses, open grottoes and pleasant views.
It is open daily 07:30–18:00, with a discount for student ID. Go in the morning if you want the courtyards before the day's heat builds.
4. Tianning Temple (扬州天宁寺; Yángzhōu Tiānníngsì)
A large Buddhist temple facing the canal, just west of Shi Kefa Memorial Hall, with multiple halls arranged along a south-to-north axis and landscaped courtyards between them. One hall stores a copy of the Siku Quanshu, a Qing-era collection of China's important literature; another has an exhibit on the history of Buddhism in Yangzhou. Elsewhere you will find art and calligraphy exhibits, antique shops, statues of the "Eight Eccentrics" of Yangzhou, a bixi that has lost its stele, and a large rusty bell.
It is open Tuesday to Sunday, 09:00–17:00, and entry is free. Some maps label it as 中国扬州佛教文化博物馆 (China Yangzhou Buddhist Culture Museum). Combine it with the Shi Kefa Memorial next door.
5. Shi Kefa Memorial (史可法纪念馆 Shǐ Kěfǎ Jìniànguǎn)
A memorial and temple honouring the Ming general who refused to surrender the city to the Qing invaders in 1645. It sits on 广储门外街24号, and its position beside Tianning Temple makes the two an easy pairing.
Visit it directly before or after Tianning Temple, since they face the same stretch of canal.
6. Puhaddin Park (普哈丁公园)
Centred on the tomb of Puhaddin, an Islamic missionary said to be a descendant of Mohammed who arrived in Yangzhou in the 13th century. His tomb sits in an inscription-covered building surrounded by the tombs of his disciples and other important Muslims, and smaller buildings hold an exhibit on the history of Yangzhou's and China's Muslim community, Qing-era stone tablets and a modern bust of Puhaddin.
It is just east of the Old Grand Canal, south of Wenchang Road, open daily 08:00–17:00, and free. Outside the walled cemetery a larger park spreads, with halal eateries facing the street.
7. Yangzhou Museum (扬州博物馆; Yángzhōu Bówùguǎn)
The museum holds displays including a boat salvaged from the Grand Canal. It now sits on the west side of the city in a purpose-built building known as the "Double Museum", because its other tenant is a museum of traditional Chinese book printing.
It is open 08:30–11:00 and 13:00–17:00, and entry is free. Note the long midday closure when planning your day.
8. China Grand Canal Museum (中国大运河博物馆)
A museum devoted to the Grand Canal, at No. 1 Yunbo Road, Tangwang Sub-district, Guangling District. It is reachable by bus nos. 9, 56, 57, 82 and 108.
It is open 09:00–17:00 with no entry after 16:00, closed on Mondays except when Monday falls on a public holiday, and entry is free. Arrive well before the last entry time.
9. The Grand Canal
The old route of the Grand Canal runs along the southern and eastern edge of the historic centre. The new Grand Canal, carrying a continuous stream of cargo boats and barges, lies a few kilometres east of the city centre and is accessible by city bus.
Walk the old route as part of a morning in the historic centre, and take a bus out to the new canal if you want to see the working waterway.
10. Wenchang Ge (文昌阁)
The name means "Promoting Literature Pavilion". Once part of the Confucian Academy, this pavilion is all that remains of it, and it now stands in a roundabout in a city square, marking Yangzhou's symbolic central point.
It is a quick stop rather than a destination in itself; look at it on your way between the old town lanes and the canal.
11. Hanlinyuan Museum
A magnificent tomb for Liu Xu, ruler of the Guangling Kingdom. It is five stories deep, with different levels housing things such as a warehouse, living quarters and a coffin on wheels.
It is open 08:30–17:00. The layered structure is the reason to come, so allow time to descend through the levels.
12. Daming Temple (大明寺; Dàmíngsì)
Rebuilt after being destroyed in the Taiping Rebellion, this temple originally dated from the 5th century AD. There is a spring next to the tea house.
It is open 08:00–16:45. The tea house and spring make a natural pause at the end of a visit.
13. Lu Shi Yan-shang Zhu-zhai (卢氏 盐商 住宅)
A lavishly furnished home with 100 rooms that belonged to a local salt merchant. The scale of the house shows how the salt trade shaped domestic life in the city.
It is open daily 08:00–17:00. Visit it while you are already in the historic centre rather than making a separate trip.
14. Stroll the Xiaoqinhuaihe Canal (小秦淮河) and the old city lanes
The canal crosses the city's historical centre, and the narrow lanes of the few surviving blocks of the old city lie nearby. This is a walk rather than a single sight, and it is the easiest way to get a feel for the historic core.
Do it on foot, and use it to link the central sights rather than treating it as a separate outing.
15. Songjiacheng Sports and Recreation Park
An island park east of the Slender West Lake Scenic Area, with boardwalks through the marshes that survive from its earlier incarnation as a wetlands park, and four gate towers from its period as an archaeological park. Entry is free, though some sports facilities may require fees, and it is open 17:30–21:30.
You can enter from Changchun Road via the southern or western gates, or from Shouxihu Road via the eastern gate. Bicycles are not allowed except those rented in the park itself, from the rental station outside the western gate, which may be used on the 3,200 m bicycle trail around the perimeter.
If you only have one day
Morning: Start at Ge Yuan when it opens at 07:30, then walk to He Yuan, open from 07:30, for the tea houses and grottoes. Continue into the historic centre and follow the Xiaoqinhuaihe Canal through the surviving old city lanes, passing Wenchang Ge in its roundabout on the way.
Afternoon: Head northwest to Slender West Lake and spend the middle of the day among its pavilions. If time allows, cross to Tianning Temple, open until 17:00, and the Shi Kefa Memorial beside it.
Evening: Finish at Songjiacheng Sports and Recreation Park, which opens at 17:30, and walk the boardwalks through the marshes as the day cools.
When is the best time of day to visit the gardens?
Ge Yuan opens at 07:30 and He Yuan at 07:30, so an early start lets you see both before the rest of the day fills up. Slender West Lake works well in the middle of the day, and Songjiacheng is only open in the evening, from 17:30 to 21:30.
Which sights are free to enter?
Tianning Temple, the Yangzhou Museum, Puhaddin Park and the China Grand Canal Museum are all free. Slender West Lake charges ¥120, and the gardens offer a discount with student ID.
Do any sights close on particular days?
Tianning Temple is open Tuesday to Sunday, 09:00–17:00. The China Grand Canal Museum is closed on Mondays except when Monday falls on a public holiday, and has no entry after 16:00.
How do I reach the China Grand Canal Museum?
It is at No. 1 Yunbo Road, Tangwang Sub-district, Guangling District, and is served by bus nos. 9, 56, 57, 82 and 108. The new Grand Canal itself, a few kilometres east of the city centre, is also accessible by city bus.
Pick your dates, check the opening days for Tianning Temple and the China Grand Canal Museum, and start building your days around the gardens and the water.