Atour Hotel Nanjing Confucius Temple
by the TopOfHotel team
Atour Confucius Temple is a 3-star design hotel where every room opens onto its own private balcony and the lobby doubles as a curated bookstore — score 9.0.
Atour Confucius Temple is a 3-star design hotel where every room opens onto its own private balcony and the lobby doubles as a curated bookstore — score 9.0.
In-Depth Review
Rooms and decor
The rooms are the reason to book. The Industrial Balcony King runs about 30 square metres in grey-and-black tones, with exposed concrete and steel piping, and a black-and-white photo of the Confucius Temple from the 1920s above the bed. There's a solid wood desk big enough for a 16-inch laptop, and a 1.5-metre private balcony looking onto Jiankang Road and the tiled roofs of the old town. The King bed uses Atour's own AtourStar mattress, soft with good bounce, and the bathroom has a rain shower with woody-scented Atour Original toiletries. Wi-Fi runs at 100 Mbps. There are six room designs in all, including Scandinavian, Japanese and Loft.
Food and amenities
What sets Atour apart is that it isn't a standard chain — it's a lifestyle hotel that pairs a place to sleep with a curated library. Every branch has a reading corner in the lobby holding 300 to 500 books, from slow-life magazines to classic Chinese novels, and you can borrow them up to your room for free. There are Bose headphones to borrow for the playlist Atour curates itself, and check-in comes with hot ginger water and tang yuan, sweet glutinous rice balls. The mood is closer to a specialty coffee shop than a hotel, which suits anyone who likes to read or work quietly.
Location and getting there
The hotel sits on Pingjiang Fu Road, 750 metres — about a 9-minute walk — from the Confucius Temple. It's 5 minutes on foot to the Qinhuai River cruise pier and close to Wuyi Lane, the old quarter where the famous calligrapher Wang Xizhi once lived. Sanshanjie metro station on Line 3 is an 8-minute walk, running 6 stops underground to the airport. The Nanjing Massacre Memorial is a 5-minute walk, and Yuhuatai is about 15 minutes by Didi (around $3). It's a good base for taking in the city's history quietly, then coming back to read in the lobby.
Things to know before booking
This is a 3-star, so the facilities are simpler than a luxury hotel — there's no pool, spa or large gym. The Confucius Temple quarter is busy and lively in the evening, which is part of the charm but won't suit everyone who wants silence at night. And in high season the rooms go fast, so book ahead if your dates are locked in.
Our take
Atour Hotel Nanjing Confucius Temple is for travelers who care about design, who like to read or work in the hotel, and for couples who want a balcony room without paying for a 5-star. We loved the Hotel-meets-bookstore concept, which we hadn't run into elsewhere in China. At around $37 for a design room with a private balcony, it's strong value — if ibis is full, this is the next one we'd pick, with better design and friendlier service.
Score Breakdown
Assessed by our editorial team from data and real guest reviews
The Honest Verdict — pros & what to know
- A genuine design hotel in the Atour chain — the brand with the highest repeat-stay rate in China — rather than a generic budget chain.
- Every room has its own private balcony with a wide window; the Industrial Balcony King has a 1.5-metre balcony looking onto Jiankang Road and the tiled roofs of the old town.
- Six room designs to pick from, including Industrial, Scandinavian, Japanese and Loft, so you can match the look to your taste.
- The lobby works like a curated library with 300 to 500 books you can borrow up to your room for free, plus Bose headphones to borrow for Atour's own playlist.
- Strong location in the historic Confucius Temple quarter, a 9-minute walk from the temple and just 5 minutes from the Qinhuai River cruise pier, with rooms from about $34 a night.
- Facilities are simpler than a luxury 5-star — this is a 3-star, so there is no pool, spa or large fitness centre.
- The Confucius Temple quarter gets busy and lively in the evening, which may not suit travelers who want quiet at night.
- Rooms fill quickly in high season, so book ahead if your dates are fixed.
Who It’s For
Match Score by travel style
Amenities
Location & Nearby Spots
Things to do near Nanjing
Day tours, attraction tickets and experiences around Nanjing — book ahead on Klook with mobile e-tickets.
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Insider Tips
- Ask for a room with a private balcony so you get the wide window and the old-town view.
- Borrow a book and a pair of Bose headphones from the lobby library — it is the whole point of an Atour stay.
- Walk to the Confucius Temple and the Qinhuai River cruise pier in the evening; both are under 10 minutes on foot.