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Chongqing - the Mountain City, the Fog City and one of China's three furnaces - is a municipality built on the cliffs where the Jialing and Yangtze rivers meet. It is the only major Chinese city without a bicycle culture, the city whose monorail runs through a residential tower at Liziba and whose stilted Hongya Cave glows like a scene from a film. The old town of Ciqikou, the night panorama from the Nanshan One-Tree platform, the Yangtze cableway, the Dazu rock carvings an hour away and the nine-grid hotpot of the old lanes are the essentials of a 7-day visit, priced at RMB 1,500-2,500 per person in the field guide. This guide carries the addresses, tickets, hotels, restaurant phones and transport fares from the guide, so you can plan it yourself or have our team arrange it end to end.
The stilted tower of 88 Jiabin Road - a snack street on the fourth floor, a handicraft lane below and the best-lit facade of the mountain city at night.
The Yangtze River cableway between Zhongxing Road and Shangxin Street - RMB 5 cash / RMB 1.80 with the transit card, 06:15-21:45, and the film view of 'Crazy Stone'.
Liziba Station - the 2nd line runs through the eighth floor of an apartment block; the viewing platform opposite has the crowd and the cameras.
The One-Tree viewing platform is the classic panorama - the two rivers, the bridges and the CBD lights, best with a tripod and the spring-water chicken of the ridge.
The old lanes of Jiefangbei and Linjiangmen - nine grids, sesame-oil dips (no sesame paste) and the late-night tables of the mountain city.
The Song-dynasty cliff carvings of Baoding Mountain - 'the north has Dunhuang, the south has Dazu' - an easy day trip by rail or coach.
The stilted towers and the lanterns above the Jialing.
The victory monument and the West China First Street.
The 2nd-line train entering the eighth floor of the tower.
The red-oil pot, the sesame-oil dip and the late tables.
The field guide budgets a 7-day trip at RMB 1,500-2,500 per person. Two days covers the city core - Jiefangbei, Hongya Cave, Chaotianmen, Ciqikou and the Nanshan night view; a third adds Dazu; three more run the classic Three Gorges cruise to Yichang.
Spring and winter are ideal - the city averages 18°C and winter needs little more than a light coat. Summer is one of China's three furnaces at 40°C+, and the autumn rains bring the famous 'Ba Shan night rain'.
The Jiangbei International Airport (19 km, +86 23 96666) has the airport bus (RMB 15, 35 minutes) and Metro Line 3; the main stations are Chongqing (Caiyuanba, +86 23 6168 1114) and Chongqing North (Longtousi, +86 23 6168 1111); the monorail lines 1/2/3/6 interchange inside the stations; taxis start at RMB 7-8 for 3 km; buses are RMB 1-2; and the Yangtze cableway and the ferries cross the rivers.
Hongya Cave at night, the Jiefangbei night walk, the Liziba monorail-through-building, the Ciqikou tea houses and Chen Mahua twists, the Yangtze cableway, the Nanshan One-Tree night panorama, the nine-grid hotpot with a sesame-oil dip, and a Dazu day trip.
Spicy, numbing, sour and fragrant - the hotpot is the icon (nine-grid or the split yuanyang pot for the timid, dipped in sesame oil, oyster sauce and garlic - never sesame paste), with mao xue wang, sour-spicy noodles, Chongqing small noodles, spring-water chicken and boiled fish (shui zhu yu) leading the classics.
No - it is the cheapest of China's four municipalities: snacks under RMB 10, ordinary hotels RMB 70-100 a night, buses from RMB 1, and a generous hotpot dinner at RMB 30-85 per person.
Yes - email [email protected] or message us on WhatsApp. Our team books the Dazu tickets, the cableway and cruise tickets, the hotels and the hotpot reservations, free of charge and without obligation.
The monument, the stilted towers, the old town and the night from Nanshan - the essential first visit. View the plan →
Jiefangbei in the morning and the War Victory Monument, the riverside walk at Chaotianmen, Hongya Cave through the afternoon and its lanterns after dark, then the late hotpot of the old lanes.
Ciqikou ancient town - the tea houses, the Chen Mahua stalls and the porcelain street - then across to Nanshan for the spring-water chicken and the One-Tree platform for the night panorama of the two rivers.
The mountain city, the Song-dynasty grottoes and the night ridge - the complete 3-day portrait. View the plan →
Hongya Cave and the snack streets, Chaotianmen and the two-river junction, the Yangtze cableway crossing, and the foreigner's street (Yangren Jie) with its RMB 10 sightseeing boat.
The Dazu Rock Carvings day - the morning train or coach (about 90 minutes), the Baoding Mountain carvings, and the local You Ting crucian carp dinner on the way back.
Nanshan ridge - Laojun Temple, the spring-water chicken street, the botanical garden, and the One-Tree platform at dusk for the city lights; or add the Gele Mountain martyrs and Zhazi Cave in the morning.
All plans are bookable end-to-end by our team — see the full day-by-day Chongqing itineraries hub, or the day-trip pages for single-day options.
The 11-storey stilted complex at 88 Jiabin Road, Yuzhong - the fourth-floor snack street, the handicraft lanes and the lantern-lit facade above the Jialing; +86 23 6303 9999. Free entry.
View details →The only monument in China built to mark the victory of the Anti-Japanese War - the 27.5-m stone tower at the meeting of Minquan, Minzu and Zourong roads, heart of the 'West China First Street' shopping district. Free.
View details →The ancient gate at the tip of the Yuzhong peninsula where the Jialing meets the Yangtze - the night cruise departs from the nearby piers; the daytime river-front market is the southwest's great wholesale quarter. Free.
View details →The city's only old town - 'one river, two streams, three mountains and four streets' - with the tea houses, the Sichuan-opera stages, the Chen Mahua twist stalls (RMB 10-18 a pack) and the porcelain street; bus 220 or a short taxi from the centre.
View details →The Song-dynasty cliff carvings - 'the north has Dunhuang, the south has Dazu' - the grottoes of Baoding Mountain are the finest, at 7 Beishan Road, Dazu; combined ticket RMB 180 peak / RMB 130 low, 08:30-18:00; +86 23 4378 5888.
View details →Line 2 runs through the eighth floor of the mixed-use tower - China's first monorail station built inside a building; the viewing platform opposite is the classic photo spot. Metro fare from RMB 2.
View details →The classic panorama of the mountain city - the two rivers, the bridges and the CBD lights from the south bank; entrance RMB 20, best at dusk with a tripod; bus 384 from the centre.
View details →The evening cruise of the Jialing and Yangtze - the Hongya Cave lights, the bridges and the skyline from the water; tickets from the Chaotianmen piers, about RMB 100-160.
View details →More in the region on the Chongqing attractions page.
The first and fifteenth days of the lunar month, the Buddha's birthday and the Spring Festival - opera, face-changing shows and the street food of the old town.
July-August - the summer nights of the mountain city around beer, barbecue and the riverside.
July-August - the grottoes' cultural programme of performances and exhibitions.
October - the city's gastronomic week of hotpot, small noodles and the river-food classics.
Every hotel below is bookable by our team; browse the full Chongqing hotels directory.
The riverside hostel at 80 Changbin Road, Chaotianmen - beds from RMB 39, Jialing views and a short walk to the piers; +86 23 6310 4208.
Chongqing's first international youth hostel at 2 Ciqikou Main Street - from RMB 35, in the old-town lanes; +86 23 6547 6338 / +86 23 6547 7008.
The budget house at 149 Zhongxing Road, Jiaochangkou - from RMB 28, near Jiefangbei; +86 23 8676 7277.
The comfortable 3-star at 78 Jianxin North Road, Jiangbei - from RMB 140; +86 23 6786 8888.
At 29 Xinyi Street, Chaotianmen - from RMB 202; +86 400 036 4000.
The 4-star at 19 Gongyuan Road, Yuzhong (Deyi Tower) - from RMB 280 with buffet breakfast; +86 23 6372 7777.
The 5-star landmark at 77 Qingnian Road, Yuzhong - from RMB 644; +86 23 6388 8888.
Small hotels inside the scenic area from RMB 420 with river views - book ahead in season; +86 23 6399 2888.
The icon of the city - nine grids, red-oil broth, and the dip of sesame oil, oyster sauce and garlic (no sesame paste); the split yuanyang pot for the timid. From about RMB 30 per head at the old-lane pots.
The duck-blood classic and one of the three treasures of Ciqikou - spicy, numbing, sour and tender in the red oil.
The street classic of sweet-potato noodles in sour-spicy broth - the Hao You Lai shop on the Bayi food street, RMB 6 a bowl.
The morning staple - springy noodles in chilli oil; the Huashi Wanza Noodle at the Jiaochangkou flower market, RMB 10, 08:00-17:30.
One chicken, three ways - the chicken braise, the giblet stir-fry and the blood soup - at the Quanshui Chicken Street of Nanshan; the Lao Yao shop at 247 Chongwen Road, +86 23 6246 5723, about RMB 85 per head.
The best-known hotpot of the centre, 5 minutes' walk from Jiefangbei at 151 Zourong Road - nine-grid for the brave, yuanyang for the rest; about RMB 60 per head; +86 23 6379 9369.
The authentic old-lane pot at 6 Linjiang Road, open 12:00-02:00 - the locals' late-night pick at about RMB 30 per head; +86 23 6383 9678.
The 'father of Chinese boiled fish' at 426-428 Shuanglong Avenue - fresh fish in the bullet-chilli oil, with the tomato-fish option for the timid; about RMB 60 per head; +86 23 6784 9999.
The hidden lane kitchen behind the Sun Moon Plaza - chicken in taro sauce, bookings required; about RMB 40 per head; +86 23 6370 3274.
The famous multi-storey house of the Dazhuhui Plaza, 7/F of 68 Zourong Road - hotpot, snacks and Sichuan dishes under one roof; about RMB 70 per head; +86 23 6383 5988.
The take-home packs of the brands - Qin Ma, Xiaotiane, Dezhuang - RMB 7-12 a pack, the classic edible souvenir.
The hand-made fried twists of the old town - the Chen Jianping shop is the queue with the crowds, the supermarket brand is Chen Changyin; RMB 10-18 a pack.
The wafer-thin dried beef of the mountain city, translucent in the light - about RMB 18 a jin.
The traditional crafts of the surrounding counties - light, cheap and easy to pack.
Jiefangbei ('West China First Street'), Guanyinqiao, Yangjiaping, Nanping and Shapingba - the malls of the city; the Shapingba Three Gorges Square is one Metro Line 1 stop from the centre.
Full local-product guides live on the Chongqing specialties page.
Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport - 19 km northeast at Lianglu, Yuzbei; +86 23 96666. The airport bus costs RMB 15 and takes 35 minutes (06:00-21:00, every 30 minutes, city office +86 23 6715 2477); Metro Line 3 runs straight into the city.
Chongqing Station (Caiyuanba, +86 23 6168 1114 / +86 23 6386 1424) and Chongqing North (Longtousi, +86 23 6168 1111) are the passenger stations; the North is on Metro Line 3.
Eight intercity stations serve the region - Caiyuanba +86 23 8903 3855, the long-distance station +86 23 8903 3877, North Station (Hongqihegou) +86 23 8682 6886, Nanping +86 23 6290 9206, Sighkm (Sigongli) hub +86 23 8836 1260, Longtousi +86 23 8913 9918, Shapingba +86 23 8628 6877 and Chenjiaping +86 23 8908 8988; tickets sell 2 days ahead online at www.96096kp.com.
The Song-dynasty grottoes of Baoding Mountain - the rail or coach day from the city.
The martyrs’ memorials of Gele, Zhazi Cave and the old town of Ciqikou in one day.
The ridge restaurants, Laojun Temple and the One-Tree platform at dusk for the city lights.
Summer hits 40°C and the autumn rain is famous - sunstroke medicine in July, an umbrella from September, and several light changes of clothes for the humid nights.
Chongqing is full of one-way roads - the stop you got off may be far from the return stop; read the station signs carefully.
The fares are the cheapest of the big cities; in gas-short periods drivers may refuse trips because of the queues at the pumps.
The food is numbing-spicy by default - carry stomach medicine if you are not used to it, and order the yuanyang (split) hotpot if in doubt.
The mountain city is stairs and ramps - wear walking shoes and take the escalators and cableways where they exist.
Some high spots of the municipality are above 1,000 m - walk slowly and keep to fruit and vegetables up there.
Keep your wallet and phone secure in the crowds of Jiefangbei and the cableway, and ignore the touts.
The big teaching hospital at 30 Gaotanyan Main Street, Shapingba - 24-hour emergency: +86 23 6875 4000.
The other two major hospitals - Xinqiao at 183 Xinqiao Main Street, Shapingba +86 23 6875 5000; Daping at 10 Changjiang Branch Road, Yuzhong +86 23 6881 1229.
The official complaints and assistance line of the city: +86 23 6386 6315.
At the Guanyinqiao pedestrian street, Jiangbei (beside the Century Jinyuan Hotel): +86 23 6188 3300.
The city agency at 10-11/F, Zhongxin Tower, 1 Jianxin South Road, Jiangbei: +86 23 6380 5548.
At 25-F6, Peninsula International Business Tower, 50 Zourong Road, Yuzhong: +86 23 6373 0760.
Ba-Yu culture began here; in 583 the Sui emperor established Yuzhou, in 1189 Emperor Guangzong of Song named the prefecture 'Chongqing' (double celebration), and on 18 June 1997 the city became China's fifth municipality.
During the Anti-Japanese War Chongqing served as the wartime capital - the city's modern form and its memorial sites (Gele Mountain, Zhazi Cave, the Allied command) date from that era.
Buddhism, Taoism, Islam, Catholicism and Protestantism coexist - the Luohan, Ciyun and Huayan temples, the Laojun Cave of Nanshan and the mosque of Zhongxing Road; believers number over a million.
The Tujia 'Ganian' New Year is celebrated one to seven days before the Han Spring Festival in Xiushan - the family rituals of the fire, the offerings and the first meal cooked by the men.
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