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Built on steep hills where the Jialing River pours into the Yangtze, Chongqing is a city of stairways, cliffside buildings, cable cars and bridges, where a monorail line runs straight through an apartment block. Its core is dense and vertical, and after dark the riverfronts light up into one of the most dramatic night views in China.
Chongqing served as the wartime capital of the Republic of China from 1937 to 1946, and old government buildings, stone city gates and air-raid tunnels still tell that story. The municipality covers a huge area with more than 30 million residents, though most visitors stay on the compact Yuzhong peninsula. It is also the home of fiery, numbing hotpot, best eaten bubbling over a table burner late at night.
The city is the classic starting point for Yangtze cruises through the Three Gorges, and the UNESCO-listed Dazu Rock Carvings lie within the municipality to the west. Jiangbei International Airport and several high-speed rail stations link Chongqing with Chengdu, Beijing and the coast.
Stacked up a cliff above the Jialing River, this complex of stilted diaojiaolou-style buildings holds floors of snack stalls, shops, restaurants and teahouses. It became an online sensation when lit gold at night. View it first from across the river or the Qiansimen Bridge, then explore inside.
Completed in the 1950s, this grand auditorium with a green-tiled domed roof borrows the look of Beijing's Temple of Heaven. Locals gather on the wide People's Square in front for evening dancing. It is most striking when floodlit after dark, with the Three Gorges Museum directly opposite.
This clock tower at the center of the main shopping district was first raised during the war against Japan and given its present name after 1949. Pedestrian streets, malls and food courts spread around it and stay busy until late. Start here and walk downhill toward Hongyadong and the river.
On Line 2 of the Chongqing monorail, trains glide straight through the middle of a residential tower at Liziba, turning an ordinary stop into a famous sight. A platform below lets you watch them slide in and out. Ride Line 2 itself too, as it runs along the Jialing River with fine views.
Since 1987 this cable car has carried passengers across the Yangtze between the Yuzhong peninsula and the south bank, once as daily transport and now mostly for visitors. The short ride gives a sweeping look at river, bridges and towers. Queues grow long on holidays, so come in the morning.
Opened in 2015, this red cable-stayed bridge spans the Jialing River from the Yuzhong peninsula to Jiangbeizui, with cars above and metro trains on its lower deck. Its footpaths give the classic view of Hongyadong glowing on the cliff opposite. Walk across after dark, when the bridge is lit too.
At the tip of the Yuzhong peninsula, the greener Jialing meets the browner Yangtze, a meeting of waters you can watch from the square above the docks. Three Gorges cruise ships and evening river trips leave from the piers below, with Raffles City towers behind. Late afternoon light shows it best.
On a ridge of the Yuzhong peninsula, this garden began as a private villa estate in the early 20th century. Paths wind through trees to pavilions and the Kuisheng Tower, which looks over both rivers and the packed city. Nearby Eling Er Chang, a former printing works, adds cafes and galleries.
On the Jialing River in Shapingba district, this former porcelain-trading port keeps lanes of Ming and Qing style wooden houses, teahouses and small shops. Main streets fill with snack sellers offering spicy chicken and mahua twisted dough, while side alleys stay quieter. Go early or on a weekday.
Facing the Great Hall of the People across People's Square, this large museum covers the Three Gorges region, the ancient Ba people and the city itself. Highlights include bronzes, Han-dynasty stone reliefs, porcelain and calligraphy. Allow two to three hours and bring your passport for entry.
West of the city, the UNESCO-listed carvings at Baodingshan and Beishan include thousands of Buddhist, Taoist and Confucian figures cut into cliffs mainly between the 9th and 13th centuries. The gilded Thousand-Hand Guanyin is the star. Make it a full day trip and start with larger Baodingshan.
Shibati, meaning eighteen steps, was the staircase lane linking the upper and lower halves of the old city. After years of redevelopment it reopened as a restored quarter of stepped streets, traditional-style houses and snack stalls. It lies close to Jiefangbei, so pair the two on foot at dusk.
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