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Chongqing Travel Guide and Tips

Chongqing Tours Map

Chongqing was a part of Sichuan Province, but it was made a "municipality" in 1997.It is located at the place where the Jialing River meets the Yangtze River. Perhaps because the Chongqing area was out of the usual travel routes, the fragile rock carvings at Dazu and the fragile natural cave scenery at Wulong remained comparatively unspoiled. Around the Chongqing urban area, there are some scenic and historical highlights such as Dazu County with ancient rock carvings and art, the rocky scenery at Wulong, the Zigong Dinosaur Museum, the Yangtze River and the 3 Gorges Dam.

Why visit Chongqing:

1. Starting / Ending Point for Yangtze River Cruise - The main reason for travelers to come to Chongqing is for taking the 4 days and 3 nights downstream Yangtze River cruise running between Chongqing to Yichang. Also, you can embark from an upstream cruise from Yichang to Chongqing if you like. It is relaxing, and both scenic and cultural along the longest river of China.

2. Charismatic Geography & Amazing Skyline - Why this modern metropolis called Mountain City and why makes it special to visit? Its downtown is located on a huge syncline in the folding zone of eastern edge of Sichuan Basin. Major physical geographic features in and around downtown Chongqing are 4 parallel major mountains and 2 major rivers (Yangtze River and Jialing River). Those two rivers cut through mountains and form six major gorges around the urban area. Choose to go in your way to catch the panoramic view of this vibrant Mountain City.

3. A Charming City Combines Modern Architectures and Traditional Culture - Chongqing, unlike Shanghai with western-meets-eastern culture, is a beautiful city with many featured modern buildings settled in the mountains area. At the same time, it is very common to find traditional Chinese architecture well-kept in the bustling city.

4. Two UNESCO World Heritage Sites - Within 2 to 3 hours’ driving, you can easily reach two UNESCO World heritage Sites. One is called Dazu Rock Carvings which contains an exceptional series of rock carvings dating from the 9th to the 13th century. The other site is Wulong Karst Landscape where you can find the magnificent natural rock bridges, stunning gorges, colorful caves and serene mountains.

How To Plan A Trip To Chongqing

After reading top 10 things to do in Chongqing, I beat you have already learned more about Chongqing. Now, it’s time to plan your Chongqing tour. Chongqing is the starting or ending point of Yangtze River cruise. The cruise tour is the best way to enjoy the splendid view of the Three Gorges and experience different lifestyle of people who lived alongside the river. Yangtze River Cruise is a must take if you are visiting China. Before or after your Yangtze relaxing tour.

If you only have limited time, but want to explore the mountain city, spend 1 or 2 days to explore city downtown, 1-2 hours to walk through the Ciqikou Ancient Town, try local public transportation Rail Transit Line 2 to experience the thrill of crossing a building, overlook the distinct confluence line of Yangtze River and Jialing River, visit China’s national treasure pandas, immerse in the colorful night.

Our Chongqing Trip Planner is the best tool which aims to help to focus on where to go, where to stay, where to eat, when to go and more vital travel information you need to know before you go, such as Visa-free Policy, city transfer, etc.

Weather & When to Go

Chongqing has a classic humid subtropical monsoon climate, with average annual temperature from 16℃ ~ 18℃. The average temperature in the hottest month is from 26℃ to 29℃, while the average temperature for the coldest month is from 4℃ to 8℃. Rainfall is abundant, and May to September is the rainy season. Due to the effect of terrain and climate, Chongqing is rich in mist. Average foggy days are 104 days, a large number comparing the average foggy days for London are only 94 days . While in the mountainous area, the annual foggy days can reach to 204 days.

Spring and autumn is the best time to visit Chongqing. The weather in these time is fair and comfortable. However, from October to the next April, Chongqing is foggier than other time, thus, although summer is hot, it has less fog comparing with other seasons, and it's the best time to appreciate the stunning night view of Chongqing. Winter is more suitable to visit indoor museum or Fairy Mountain in Wulong Karst Landscape, and it's a great time to see snow scenery and enjoy a hot spring bath is also quite relaxing.

Top Attractions & Places to Visit

Besides going with a cruise, you can have a nice exploration in and around Chongqing city. Actually, the city itself is kind of a big attraction. It's very interesting to see a mountain city. Besides that, Chongqing also has many cultural and natural attractions, like Ciqikou Ancient Town, Chongqing China Three Gorges Museum, E'ling Park , Dazu Rock Carvings, Wulong Karst Landscape, etc.

Ciqikou Ancient Town

Ciqikou Ancient Town

The thousand-year-old Ciqikou Ancient Town is kind of the landmark in Chongqing. It's the epitome for the old Chongqing and you can taste the authentic local flavor here.

Hongya Cave

Hongya Cave

Built on a cliff side facing the Jialing River, Hongya Cave is the largest building complex where you can see the lights in the evening and explore shops and restaurants inside.

Dazu Rock Carvings

Dazu Rock Carvings

The delicate and beautiful Dazu Rock Carvings is listed as a World Heritage Site, and it represent the last highlight in the history of Chinese rock carving art...

Wulong Karst Landscape

Wulong Karst Landscape

As the filming location for Transformers: Age of Extinction, Wulong has classic karst scenery of Southern China, and it houses numerous stunning natural sceneries...


How to Get to Chongqing by Air/Train

By Flight:

Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport has flights to over 40 major cities in China, including Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Xian, Guilin, Wuhan, Kunming, etc. It also has international flights to Hong Kong, Singapore, Seoul, Bangkok, Phuket Island, etc.

By Train:

The most used railway stations in Chongqing are Chongqing Railway Station and Chongqing North Railway Station, Chongqing West Railway Station. The former one is an old station located in city center, and now it has rather less trains every day. The latter one is a new train station in Chongqing, and it has bullet train from Beijing (G309 during 08:23~20:35, about 12 hrs), Shanghai (6 trains during 06:04~09:30, 10.5-13 hrs), Guangzhou (3 trains during 06:28~08:10, 11-11.5 hrs), Chengdu (49 trains during 06:44~21:40, 1.5-2.5 hrs), Wuhan (32 trains during 06:40~15:56, 6-7.5 hrs), Changsha (3 trains during 09:14~10:58, 8.5 hrs), Nanjing (13 trains during 06:58~11:44, 9-10.5 hrs), Hangzhou (4 trains during 07:34~09:35, about 12.5 hrs), Suzhou (4 trains during 06:46~10:03, 10.5-12.5 hrs), Zhengzhou (2 trains during 11:57~13:45, 8.5 hrs), Xiamen (2 trains during 07:39~08:14, 14.5 hrs), Shenzhen (G1312 during 07:38~19:33, 12 hrs), etc.

By Cruise:

Chongqing is the start or end destination for Yangtze River Cruise, which can take you to visit the Three Gorges on Yangtze River.

Accommodation & Where to Stay in Chongqing

Most tourists will stay overnight near Jiefangbei, because the transportation is very convenient here, and there are many attractions also. Besides, Nan'an District, Shapingba District and Jiangbei District are also popular for these districts also have many attractions and convenient transportation, with more cheap price comparing with Jiefangbei.

Chongqing is a big city, and it has all kinds of hotels, from international luxury hotel chains to economic hotels and even youth hostels and family inns. It's about ¥40 ~ ¥60 per night for youth hostels; ¥150 ~ ¥300 for economic hotels; ¥300 ~ ¥1000 for starred hotels. You can find rooms even in peak seasons, however, the price will rise in major holidays, so it's better to book the hotel in advance.

The Best Time to Visit Chongqing

Chongqing has a classic humid subtropical monsoon climate, with average annual temperature from 16℃ ~ 18℃. The average temperature in the hottest month is from 26℃ to 29℃, while the average temperature for the coldest month is from 4℃ to 8℃. Rainfall is abundant, and May to September is the rainy season. Due to the effect of terrain and climate, Chongqing is rich in mist. Average foggy days are 104 days, a large number comparing the average foggy days for London are only 94 days . While in the mountainous area, the annual foggy days can reach to 204 days.

Spring and autumn is the best time to visit Chongqing. The weather in these time is fair and comfortable. However, from October to the next April, Chongqing is foggier than other time, thus, although summer is hot, it has less fog comparing with other seasons, and it's the best time to appreciate the stunning night view of Chongqing. Winter is more suitable to visit indoor museum or Fairy Mountain in Wulong Karst Landscape, and it's a great time to see snow scenery and enjoy a hot spring bath is also quite relaxing.

Ultimate Chongqing Travel Guide & Useful Articles

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