Chongqing
Chongqing is the city where the map lies: two rivers, a peninsula made of stairs, a monorail that runs through an apartment block and a 1987 cableway that counts as public transport, plus the eleven-storey night view of Hongyadong that most people come for. Add beef-tallow hotpot and the wartime capital of 1937–46, and those are the three things to plan around; leave the rest to your legs and a ride-hailing app.
The Districts
Yuzhong Peninsula East: Jiefangbei, Hongyadong, Chaotianmen and the Cableway
12 placesThe peninsula tip: Jiefangbei, the Hongyadong night view and the bridge to see it from, Chaotianmen at the confluence and the new riverside walkway, the Yangtze cableway and the night cruise, Huguang Guild Hall, Luohan Temple, the stair-streets of Shibati and Shancheng Lane, and Kuixinglou's roof-level road.
Yuzhong Peninsula West: Liziba, the Three Gorges Museum, the Great Hall and Hongyan
11 placesThe vertical city and the wartime capital: the Liziba monorail-through-a-building, the Three Gorges Museum and the Great Hall, Hongyan Village and Zhou Enlai's residence on Zhongshan 4th Road, Eling Park's view and the Erchang café park.
Nan'an: Nanbin Road, Longmenhao, Danzishi and Nanshan's One Tree
11 placesThe south bank looking back: the cableway's Longmenhao landing and the Treaty Port Heritage Park, Nanbin Road, the new Danzishi street and the Planning Exhibition Hall, Nanshan's One Tree deck, temples and wartime villas, and Chongqing East Station for Wulong.
Jiangbei: the Airport, North Station, Jiangbeizui and Guanyinqiao
7 placesArrival day north of the Jialing: T3 and 240-hour transit, North Station's two squares, the Jiangbeizui riverbank view of Hongyadong, the Science Museum, Guanyinqiao's tax-refund counters and Beicang, and how to pay for the metro.
Shapingba and Jiulongpo: Ciqikou, Gele Mountain and Huangjueping
8 placesWest along the Jialing: Ciqikou's port town and Baolun Temple, the Baigongguan and Zhazidong prison sites and forest park on Gele Mountain, the Jiaotong Teahouse and graffiti street at Huangjueping, and the Shapingba and West stations.
Dazu Rock Carvings: a day trip
8 placesA day at the Song-dynasty cliff carvings 90 km west: Baodingshan's Thousand-Hand Guanyin and reclining Buddha, the museum, and quieter Beishan on the same combined ticket — with the passport-at-the-window rule and the bus chain from Dazu South spelled out.
Wulong Karst: one day or two
8 placesThe karst World Heritage one train-hour south-east: the Three Natural Bridges and Longshuixia Fissure in a day, Fairy Mountain's plateau and Furong Cave with a second, and the ticket-shuttle-lift maths — and the passport question — to settle before you go.
Browse by theme
🥟 Must-eat Chongqing
Theme34 dishes by shelf — start with these, jianghu dishes and fish, street and breakfast, in season, teahouses, coffee and rooftop bars, souvenirs, vegetarian, halal and the mild way out — each with where to get it.
📅 What to eat this month
By monthSpring greens and zhe'ergen — the love-it-or-hate-it root in Mar, bingfen in May, dandan noodles in Jun, winter cured pork in Nov — eat what the season is eating.
⚖️ Where to See Chongqing's Night Skyline
DecisionChoose the night view you actually want: Hongyadong, a bridge, the cableway, Nanshan or a river cruise.
⚖️ Dazu Rock Carvings: Which Hill to See
DecisionChoose which Dazu hill deserves your day: Baodingshan, Beishan or one of the smaller sites.
⚖️ Wulong in a Day: Which Parks and How
DecisionChoose a realistic Wulong combination from the bridges, Fissure, Furong Cave, Fairy Mountain and the evening show.
⚖️ The Yuzhong Peninsula in Half a Day
DecisionChoose one downhill half of the Yuzhong Peninsula: Eling and Liziba, or Shibati and Huguang Guild Hall.
⚖️ The South Bank in Half a Day: Nanbin Road, Danzishi, Longmenhao and Huangjueya
DecisionChoose between a riverside South Bank half-day and a hill route through Nanshan.
Getting by in Chongqing
Tap any line for the details.
Three choices for a first visit: (1) Jiefangbei (Lines 1/2/6 Jiaochangkou, Linjiangmen, Xiaoshizi) is the peninsula tip, with Hongyadong, the cableway's north station, Chaotianmen and the stair-streets inside a walking circle and the most hotels; the price is that on National Day (and, in recent years, Spring Festival) the roads and bridges around Hongyadong close to cars from 16:00 to midnight, so a taxi cannot reach a riverside door, and that 'walking distance' here is vertical. (2) Nan'an, meaning Nanbin Road and Longmenhao (Line 6 / Loop Shangxinjie), has the view back at the peninsula, the cableway's south station with the shorter queue, and the restaurants that price for the view; Nanshan above it has no metro and taxis are hard to find at the deck after 21:00. (3) Jiangbeizui–Guanyinqiao (Line 6 Grand Theatre, Line 3 Guanyinqiao) has the free wide-angle shot of the lights from the Grand Theatre bank, Line 10 from the airport with one change, and two of the city's five instant tax-refund counters; but Jiangbeizui is a business district that is empty by day and Guanyinqiao is a mall zone. Whichever you pick, choose the hotel by its metro exit and street level, not by map distance — 200 metres on screen can be 20 minutes of stairs, so ask the hotel which exit and which road it is on. Around Hongyadong, book with the holiday closures in mind: 1-8 October 2025 the whole riverside, Cangbai Road and both bridges were closed to cars from 16:00 (Yuzhong police), and the same closures have been applied at Spring Festival in recent years; the notice comes out a week or so ahead.
