Chongqing itinerary for first-timers

Shibati, the 'Eighteen Steps', is the old stairway quarter that once linked the upper town around Jiefangbei with the riverside below; it has been restored as a district of grey-brick houses, steps and small courtyards. A short walk away, Shancheng Alley winds along the cliff above the Yangtze, a lane of staggered old houses and stone stairways that shows how the city was built into the slope.

• Shibati stairways
• Restored old houses
• Shancheng Alley
• Views over the Yangtze

Come early, before the tour groups, when the stairways are quiet and locals are still out for breakfast.

The Liberation Monument, a clock tower first raised during the Second World War, stands at the centre of Chongqing's main shopping district. Pedestrian streets lead off in every direction between the towers, and Bayi Road, one of the city's best-known food streets, is just around the corner.

• Liberation Monument
• Jiefangbei pedestrian street
• Bayi Road Food Street
• Chongqing Art Museum

Try xiaomian, the small spicy noodles locals eat for breakfast, or the hot and sour sweet potato noodles from the street stalls.

From the shopping streets, Daijia Alley drops towards the Jialing River, and a walkway built along the cliff face carries on above the water towards Hongyadong. It is one of the best places to understand Chongqing's levels: towers above you, the river and its bridges far below.

• Daijia Alley
• Cliffside walkway
• Jialing River views
• Hongyadong from above

At the tip of the peninsula, Chaotianmen looks out over the meeting of the Jialing and the Yangtze, where the green and brown waters run side by side. Behind it rise the eight towers of Raffles City, with a long horizontal skybridge laid across the tops of four of them.

• Chaotianmen Square
• Confluence of the two rivers
• Raffles City towers
• The skybridge

After dark, cross to the north bank and walk back over the Qiansimen Bridge: the whole cliff of Hongyadong, a complex of stilted buildings stacked above the Jialing River, glows gold in front of you. Then climb through its levels of lanes, balconies and snack stalls, entering by the river and coming out many floors higher on the street above.

• Qiansimen Jialing River Bridge
• Hongyadong lit up
• Stilted levels
• Night skyline

Hongyadong is at its busiest on weekend evenings and holidays; the view from the bridge is the classic one, so stop there first.

From Daping, a walking trail follows the cliffs along the ridge of the peninsula to Eling Park, one of the city's older parks, with gardens, pavilions and views over both rivers. Below it is Liziba station, where the Line 2 monorail runs straight through a residential building; a viewing area at the foot of the building lets you watch the trains go in and out.

• Mountain Cliff Trail
• Eling Park
• Views over both rivers
• Liziba station

Trains pass through Liziba every few minutes, so there is no need to wait long for the photo.

Ciqikou grew up as a porcelain-trading port on the Jialing River, and its stone-paved lanes of old wooden houses survive among the high-rises of Shapingba. The main street is lined with snack stalls and teahouses, while the side alleys lead down to the river.

• Ciqikou main street
• Old wooden houses
• Teahouses
• Jialing riverfront

The main street gets very crowded at weekends; the side alleys and the riverfront are much calmer.

On the north bank of the Jialing, close to the busy shopping streets of Guanyinqiao, the Beicang Cultural and Creative Block is a small district of converted old buildings with cafés, galleries and small shops, a relaxed place to spend the evening away from the crowds of Yuzhong.

• Beicang Cultural and Creative Block
• Guanyinqiao shopping streets

Up in the Nanshan hills on the south bank, Huangjueya Old Street is the top of the Huangge Ancient Trail, an old stone path that has linked the hills and the river for centuries. Walking it downhill, under old trees and past small temples and houses, is the gentlest way to reach the river.

• Huangjueya Old Street
• Huangge Ancient Trail
• Stone steps
• Forest views over the city

Take a taxi up to Huangjueya so the whole walk is downhill. The Nanshan night viewpoints are in the same hills if you want to come back after dark.

At the bottom of the trail, Chongqing Port Opening Heritage Park recalls the riverside where the city was opened to foreign trade in 1891. Nearby is the south station of the Yangtze River Cableway, opened in 1987, whose cabins swing high above the river to Xinhua Road in Yuzhong: one of the classic views of the city.

• Huangge Trail descent
• Port Opening Heritage Park
• Yangtze River Cableway
• River views

Queues for the cable car are long at weekends and in the evening; a weekday morning is the quietest time.

Nanbin Road follows the south bank of the Yangtze, facing the towers of Yuzhong across the water. Along it, the old hillside neighbourhood of Xiahaoli has been restored, and further on Danzishi Old Street looks straight across to Chaotianmen and Raffles City, a fine place to watch the skyline light up at dusk.

• Nanbin Road promenade
• Xiahaoli
• Danzishi Old Street
• Skyline at dusk