Known for its chaotic topography and surreal urban planning, it’s not unusual to enter a building on the 1st floor and exit on the 9th in Chongqing. Trains that go through apartment block, staircases everywhere, and giving up on your GPS has become synonymous with this city. This Chongqing itinerary cuts through the chaos, to show you what we did in one of China’s most confusing but fascinating city.
In This Chongqing Itinerary
Day 1
Route: Land in Chongqing, Jiefangbei, Kuixing Building, Hongyadong
Land in Chongqing
We landed in Chongqing at around 11am, via Cathay Pacific and managed to check into our hotel, Yuehuimei S, by 1pm. More on the hotel at the end of this itinerary.
Jiefangbei 解放碑
Jiefangbei Pedestrian Street is a shopping district around a wartime victory monument. The Jiefangbei clock tower most iconic monuments in Chongqing, built in remembrance of the Sino-Japanese war.
Expect a crowd at the square, where many visitors try to get a photo of the clock tower with the huge screen that displays ‘我在重庆’ which translates to ‘I am in Chongqing’.
Kuixing Building Square 魁星楼
From Jiefangbei, it’s about a 15-minute walk to Kuixing Building, where you will get a glimpse into Chongqing’s interesting (and confusing) urban layout.
You’ll be on level 9 when you’re at the square, but once you walk across the bridge, you’ll be on level 22 of the hotel.
Note: ‘lou’ means building in Chinese, so you will see Kuixinglou and Kuixing Building used online.
Hongyadong 洪崖洞
Hongyadong is the most recognisable and iconic landmark of Chongqing, and it probably does not need much introduction. Inside Hongyadong, it’s mostly eateries and shops offering hanfu photoshoots. It’s much nicer from the outside though.
Be prepared that it is going to be extremely crowded. Yes, it’s touristy. But it’s absolutely worth seeing at night.
Lights of Hongyadong turn on at 7pm and turn off at 10pm.
Shortcut to getting there: From Kuixing Building, head into the hotel and take the lift 5 to level 1. Turn right once you exit the building and walk straight for around 5 minutes. You’ll be walking in the direction of Honyadong.
Day 2
Route: Ciqikou, Shanchengbudao, Shibati, Qiansimen Bridge
Ciqikou 磁器口
Ciqikou is an ancient town with a mix of cobbled streets, teahouses, and snack stalls that offer a taste of old Chongqing. Be sure to stop by Baolun temple, a beautiful temple tucked at the end of Ciqikou.
Mountain City Alley 山城步道
Mountain City Trail, known as Shanchengbudao in Chinese, is an urban footpath that zigzags through staircases, alleys, and historic buildings. There are a number of murals and signposts explaining Chongqing’s layered history. In addition, there are also many spots that offer a great view of the city.
Shibati 十八梯
Shibati, directly translating to ‘eighteen steps’ in English, is a traditional-style shopping street. Shibati area is quite extensive and shopping here can easily take over 1–2hours.
Qiansimen Bridge 千厮门大桥
Qiansimen Bridge is a very popular spot for views of Hongyadong and the river. You can also head the beach on the opposite side of Hongyadong. To get the popular spot for a photo of the bridge, river and Hongyadong, you can take the metro to Grand Theatre (大剧院) stop and walk.
The lights of Qiansimen Bridge turn on at 7.30pm and turn off at 9.30pm.
Day 3
Route: Day trip to Wulong (Fairy Mountain and Three Natural Bridges)
To escape the bustle of the city, many would take a day trip to the Wulong region, which is around 2.5 hours drive away from Chongqing city.
Tip: bring a jacket along, even during the summer time, as the temperature in region is at least 10 degrees cooler than in Chongqing.
Also read: Day Trip From Chongqing Itinerary
Getting To Wulong Region
To get to Wulong, we hired a private driver via ctrip, which is a chinese version of Trip.com. However, if you don’t know the Chinese language, the listings on Trip.com is exactly the same.
Hiring a private driver cost us around SGD 100 (for the entire car) for the day, which we found was a cheaper option compared to other platforms.
Fairy Mountain 仙女山
Fair Mountain is known for its green pasture and a wavy road, which is also known as “the most beautiful road” (最美的公路). The vast grassland at Fairy Mountain offers a sharp contrast to the city’s density. In autumn, the landscape turns gold, while in winter, it gets blanketed by snow.
Entrance fee: RMB 50/pax
Three Natural Bridges 天生三桥
Three Natural Bridges is an epic karst canyon, famous for three magnificent natural stone arch bridges, formed when parts of the mountain collapsed. This UNESCO site feels and looks like a film set and IT IS — Transformers 4 was shot here!
Entrance fee: RMB 155/pax
Day 4
Route: Liziba, Food Street, Guanyinqiao, Beichengtianjie
Liziba 李子坝
Did you really visit Chongqing if you didn’t see the famous sight of a train going through the building? Liziba station is a very unique train station, located on the 6th – 8th levels of a residential building.
To get to the famous photo spot, head to Liziba station exit 1 and cross the street. Be prepared that it will be extremely crowded and there’s nothing else to do in the area other than to take the famous photo.
Guanyin Bridge 观音桥
Guanyin Bridge is best known for photos with the giant screen that flashes ‘我在重庆‘. The sign flashes for about 3 seconds every 3 minutes.
Guanyin Bridge Food Street 观音桥好吃街
Just a short minute’s walk from Guanyin Bridge is its famous food street. There’s a wide variety of food to explore and discover here.
If a food street is not up your alley, you can head to Beichengtianjie, a huge mall with both international and local brands.
Where To Stay In Chongqing
During our trip to Chongqing, we stayed at Yuehuimei S (Jiefangbei Chaotianmen Branch), which was very conveniently located in the heart of the city, just a minute walk to the nearest metro station and Raffles City mall. The room was also clean, spacious and very value for money as the rooms start at SGD 29/night.
