1. You have to eat the rice noodles in Nanning, it is delicious!

2. Be careful of the sun in Summer, it burns!

When I was in Nanning we got in early in the morning and right across from the train station there is a pretty decent hotel and some of the rooms have internet access.

When in Nanning, don't leave without checking the 'Bai Long Gong Yuan' or White Dragon Park out. It's beautiful!

of course, shopping. just like anywhere in China, you have an almost endless choice of apparel, furniture, accessories, etc the Wal*Mart there does not take credit cards of any sort :(

First and foremost: bring sunscreen. That said, if you visit during the summer, be sure to also bring lots and lots of white t-shirts. Even though it gets really hot, the UV rays are not so bad that long-sleeved are needed. Also, the obvious one, learn some basic chinese(mandarin preferably) so that even if you get lost, you can ask for directions.