Yangzhou 3-day tour guide: spend three days exploring Yangzhou and turn the gentle charm of Jiangnan into your own story

On a 3-day tour of Yangzhou, there's no need to rush—this city is meant to be explored slowly. On day one, give yourself over to Yangzhou's scenery. In the morning, step into a traditional ink painting along the willow-lined banks of Slender West Lake, admire the reflections beneath Five Pavilion Bridge and recall Du Mu's poems by Twenty-Four Bridges. Just outside the north gate is Daming Temple, where you can soak in the Zen atmosphere and climb Qiling Pagoda for views of Slender West Lake. Then head to Ge Garden to see its rockeries representing the four seasons. In the evening, visit Dongguan Street for freshly made lotus root starch balls, then take a night boat on the Ancient Canal and watch the lights from both banks shimmer in the water. On day two, start at the Grand Canal Museum, where immersive exhibits transport you back to a thousand-year-old grain transport wharf. The water in Sanwan Park is a tranquil green, and the blue-and-white plum vase at the Double Museum is stunningly vivid. Next, visit Zhu Ziqing's Former Residence to see the scenery described in his essays. Day three is even more relaxed: enjoy the charm of classical gardens at He Garden, grab a coffee on Pishi Street, zone out in the light and shadows of Wu Daotai Mansion, and sit for a while under the pines and cypresses at the Shi Kefa Memorial Temple. Three days isn't long, but it's enough to bring a little of Yangzhou's slow pace home with you.