“Must visit in Nanjing ”
Got a bundle ticket at RMB100 which includes 明孝陵,美玲宫,音乐台 & 灵谷塔.
Originally we didn't plan for 音乐台 but since the entry tickets for 明孝陵 & 美玲宫 would come up to RMB100 anyway, we took up the bundle ticket. I did low-key regret not making it to 灵谷塔 though.
They offer audio guides via the Wechat Mini app at RMB35 (covering 明孝陵, 中山陵& 灵谷塔 ). Highly recommended, makes the long walks a little more bearable too.
明孝陵 is the final resting place of Ming Taizu 朱元璋 (founding Emperor of the Ming Dynasty) and his wife, 明 refers to 朱元璋 while 孝 is adopted from the wife's royal title 孝慈高皇后. This is also the largest tomb in Nanjing, that took 25 years and 100,000 men to build, setting the standard for future Mausoleums, hence also known as 明清皇家第一陵.