Chongqing walking tour & city guide

The '8D city'

Because of the hills, you can enter a building on the ground floor and exit on the 20th floor onto another street. The monorail line 2 famously passes straight through a residential building at Liziba station. Elevators, escalators and stairs are part of daily life.

Hongyadong, a complex of stilted buildings stacked on the cliff above the river, glows at night like a scene from a fantasy film. Jiefangbei, the Liberation Monument, is the center of the main shopping area.

The rivers and old town

The Yangtze River Cable Car crosses the river high above the water, offering one of the city's classic views. The old town of Ciqikou, by the Jialing River, has traditional streets full of snacks and teahouses. Older alleys, like those around Shibati, show how the city looked before its rapid growth.

Chongqing is also the starting point for cruises through the Three Gorges on the Yangtze River.

Visiting tips

Chongqing is one of China's 'furnaces', very hot and humid in summer, and often foggy in winter. Navigation apps can be confusing because of the many levels. Be ready for spicy food: Chongqing hot pot is famous for its numbing Sichuan pepper and chilies.