Chongqing travel guide for foreign visitors

Best time to visit

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From the airport or station to the city

Where you land, the ways into the city centre, how long each takes and what it costs.

From Chongqing Jiangbei Airport (CKG)

重庆江北国际机场

MetroTime60–80 minCost¥6–7
Metro Line 10 from T2 or T3 to Hongtudi, then Line 6 to Xiaoshizi (Jiefangbei). Line 3 also runs from T2 into town.
TaxiTime35–50 minCost¥50–70
Official rank outside arrivals; about 22 km to Jiefangbei.

From Chongqing North Railway Station

重庆北站

MetroTime35–45 minCost¥4–5
Most high-speed trains from Chengdu and the east arrive here. Metro Line 3 to Niujiaotuo, then Line 2 to Linjiangmen near Jiefangbei. Check whether your train uses the North or South Square: they are separate stations.

From Chongqing West Railway Station

重庆西站

MetroTime45–55 minCost¥5
Trains to Guiyang, Guilin and the south use this station. Loop Line to Eling, then Line 1 to Xiaoshizi.

Getting around

Chongqing is built on steep hills between two rivers, so map distances lie: a place 300 m away can be ten floors up. The metro and monorail are the easiest way around and cover the airport, both big stations and most sights. DiDi and taxis are cheap. Wear good shoes for stairs. Dazu and Wulong are full day trips; many visitors join a day tour for Wulong.

Book these before you fly

These sights need a reservation with your passport. Walk-ups are usually turned away.

Dazu Rock CarvingsReal-name tickets on the official “大足石刻” WeChat account (choose date and time slot) or Trip.com, with your passport. Same-day tickets must be booked by 07:30.

Top sights

Hongyadong's stilted buildings on the cliff above the Jialing River, with the city skyline

洪崖洞HongyadongAn eleven-storey stilt-house complex on the cliff above the Jialing River, lit up in gold every night.1–2 hours

The Jiefangbei monument tower among skyscrapers in central Chongqing

解放碑Jiefangbei (Liberation Monument)The pedestrian heart of downtown, a clock-tower monument ringed by malls and food streets.1 hour

A monorail train passing through a residential building at Liziba Station

李子坝轻轨穿楼Liziba Monorail StationThe station where the Line 2 monorail runs straight through a residential tower block.30–45 minutes

A red Yangtze River Cableway cabin hanging from its cables

长江索道Yangtze River CablewayA short cable car ride across the Yangtze with a close-up view of the skyline.Booking recommended1 hour including the queue

A narrow stone-paved lane lined with wooden houses in Ciqikou Old Town

磁器口古镇Ciqikou Old TownA riverside old town of stone lanes, teahouses and snack stalls in the west of the city.2 hours

The curved facade and glass dome of the Three Gorges Museum

重庆中国三峡博物馆Three Gorges MuseumThe city’s main museum: the Three Gorges before the dam, ancient Ba culture and Chongqing as wartime capital.2 hours

Chongqing’s lit-up skyline and Hongyadong over the Jialing River at night

两江游Two Rivers Night CruiseA 45–50 minute boat trip where the Jialing meets the Yangtze, past the lit-up skyline and bridges.Booking recommended1.5 hours including boarding

Painted cliff carvings of the Three Saints of Huayan at Baodingshan, Dazu

大足石刻Dazu Rock CarvingsUNESCO-listed Buddhist cliff carvings from the 9th–13th centuries, painted and remarkably well preserved.Booking requiredFull day from the city (3 hours on site)

Tianfu post station deep in the gorge of Wulong’s Three Natural Bridges

武隆天生三桥Wulong Three Natural BridgesThree huge limestone arches over a deep gorge, part of the South China Karst World Heritage Site.Booking recommendedFull day from Chongqing (3 hours on site)

Domed Great Hall of the People in Chongqing under a blue sky

重庆市人民大礼堂Great Hall of the People (People’s Auditorium)A domed hall from 1954 built in the style of a Ming–Qing palace, Chongqing’s best-known landmark, facing People’s Square.Booking recommended1 hour

A giant banyan and moon gate in Eling Park

鹅岭公园 / 鹅岭二厂Eling Park & ErchangA hilltop park at the highest point of the Yuzhong peninsula, with a tower overlooking both rivers, next to Erchang, an old printing factory turned into a creative park.2 hours

Stone steps, old houses and lanterns along Shancheng Alley

山城巷Shancheng AlleyA quiet hillside lane of old houses and stone steps above the Yangtze, with a French mission church from 1900.1–1.5 hours

Yuzhong Peninsula and the two rivers seen from Nanshan

南山一棵树观景台Nanshan Yikeshu Viewing PlatformA lookout on Nanshan, south of the Yangtze, with one of the best night views over the Yuzhong peninsula and both rivers.1 hour

Carved gate tower of Luohan Temple among downtown Chongqing high-rises

罗汉寺Luohan TempleAn active Buddhist temple founded in the 11th century, tucked between downtown towers, known for its hall of 500 arhat statues and Song-dynasty rock carvings.45 minutes 两江小渡Two Rivers Ferry (Liangjiang Xiaodu)A cheap daytime ferry loop between Hongyadong and the south bank at Danzishi, passing Chaotianmen, Qiansimen Bridge and the Grand Theatre from the water.Booking recommendedAbout 1 hour

Chaotianmen Square at the tip of Chongqing’s Yuzhong Peninsula

朝天门广场ChaotianmenThe tip of the Yuzhong peninsula where the Jialing River meets the Yangtze, a free viewing square below the sail-like towers of Raffles City.30–60 minutes

The former residence of General Stilwell, now the Stilwell Museum

史迪威博物馆General Joseph W. Stilwell MuseumThe hillside house where US General Stilwell lived and worked in Chongqing during the Second World War, now a small museum with his rooms and wartime jeeps.About 1 hour

Courtyard and Yuwang Palace hall at the Huguang Guild Hall

湖广会馆Huguang Guild HallA cluster of 300-year-old merchant guild halls on the Yangtze bank, with carved opera stages, courtyards and a museum on the great migration that repopulated Sichuan.1–2 hours

A giant panda climbing in its enclosure at Chongqing Zoo

重庆动物园Chongqing Zoo (giant pandas)A big, leafy city zoo with one of China’s largest groups of giant pandas, plus red pandas and South China tigers, right by a metro station.Booking recommended2–3 hours

Entrance to the Chongqing Jianchuan Museum in a former arsenal site

重庆建川博物馆聚落Jianchuan Museum ClusterA group of small museums inside the cool rock tunnels of a wartime arsenal, on wartime Chongqing, old factories, traditional crafts and everyday life.2–3 hours

Map

Further out, not on this map: Dazu Rock Carvings, Wulong Three Natural Bridges

What to eat here

火锅Chongqing hotpotBeef-tallow broth loaded with chillies and Sichuan pepper. Try tripe, goose intestine and duck blood; ask for a split pot (鸳鸯锅) if you want a mild side.

重庆小面Chongqing noodles (xiaomian)The city’s breakfast: wheat noodles in chilli oil, Sichuan pepper and greens, often with minced pork and peas (豌杂面).

酸辣粉Hot and sour sweet-potato noodlesChewy glass noodles in a vinegary, fiery broth with peanuts. A street snack everywhere.辣子鸡Chilli chicken (Gele Mountain style)Crispy fried chicken bits buried in a mountain of dried chillies. You hunt for the chicken, not eat the chillies.毛血旺Maoxuewang (spicy blood and tripe stew)A Chongqing classic: duck blood, tripe, luncheon meat and bean sprouts in a red chilli oil broth.

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