Jiefangbei
First-timersThe centre, where the rivers meet.
Chongqing city guide
Things To Do In Chongqing
A vertical megacity on the Yangtze, where a monorail runs through an apartment block, cable cars cross the river, neon hangs off cliff-side buildings and the hotpot is the fiercest in China.
11
Hostels in the city
9.0
Average, from 439 reviews
30m+
People in the municipality
2
Rivers meet here
3–4 days
A Three Gorges cruise
The mountain city
Chongqing is built on steep hills where the Yangtze and Jialing rivers meet, and it is one of the strangest cities on earth to walk around: streets sit on top of other streets, the ground floor of one building can be the twentieth of another, and a metro train runs straight through a block of flats.
Its municipality is home to more than thirty million people. It is famous for its hotpot, numbing and fiery, and it is the start of the Yangtze cruises through the Three Gorges.
Two or three days is right.
Where to stay
Jiefangbei, on the peninsula where the Yangtze and Jialing rivers meet, is the centre, with the metro, Hongyadong and the river views. Around Hongyadong and the cable car are the best night views. The city is built on steep hills, so stay near a metro station.
Hongyadong
ViewsThe cliff-side complex.
Orange labels are neighbourhoods, dots are the 11 top-rated hostels. Map data from OpenStreetMap contributors.
Things to do
Things to do in Chongqing
Chongqing is a vast mountain city on the confluence of the Yangtze and Jialing rivers, with more than 30 million people in the municipality, famous for its layered streets, neon skyline and fiery hot pot.
Hongyadong, a complex of stilted buildings stacked eleven storeys up the cliff, is lit up at night like a scene from Spirited Away; see it from the Qiansimen Bridge across the river. Ride the Yangtze River Cableway across the river for the skyline, and the Liziba monorail station, where a train runs straight through a residential building.
The city is so hilly that you might enter a building on the ground floor and leave on the twentieth; walk the stairways and alleys of the old Shibati district, now restored.
Ciqikou, an old riverside town in the west of the city, has narrow lanes of snacks and teahouses. Eling Park has views over both rivers.
Three Gorges cruises, three to four days down the Yangtze to Yichang through the gorges and past the Three Gorges Dam, leave from here. Wulong's karst caves and natural bridges and the Dazu rock carvings, both UNESCO-listed, are day trips.
Free things
Free things to do in Chongqing
Hongyadong is free to walk around and see at night, and so are the river views from the Qiansimen Bridge and Jiefangbei's pedestrian streets.
Ciqikou's lanes and Eling Park are free or almost free, and watching the Liziba monorail from the viewing platform costs nothing.
Food and drink
Eating and drinking in Chongqing
Chongqing hot pot is the spiciest in China: a bubbling pot of beef tallow, chilli and Sichuan pepper, in which you cook tripe, beef, vegetables and noodles. Order a yuanyang, split pot, if you want a milder side.
Xiaomian, spicy noodles for breakfast, and suanlafen, hot and sour sweet-potato noodles, are local staples. Grilled fish, kaoyu, is another favourite.
A street meal is €2 to €4; hot pot €10 to €20.
Nightlife
Going out in Chongqing
Chongqing is a night city: Hongyadong and the riverfronts are crowded with visitors after dark, and bars and clubs cluster around Jiefangbei and the Jiulongpo area. Late-night hot pot and skewers run into the early morning.
A beer is €2 to €5.
Getting around
Getting around Chongqing
Jiangbei Airport is about 40 minutes from the centre by metro.
The metro and monorail cover the city; its hills make walking tiring, but taxis and Didi are cheap. Navigation is confusing because of the layers; trust the metro.
High-speed trains reach Chengdu in about an hour and a half. Three Gorges cruises leave from the city's piers for Yichang.
Costs
What Chongqing costs
Chongqing is cheap. Dorms start around €8 and a careful day is €25 to €40.
The Yangtze River Cableway is a few euros, and a Three Gorges cruise from about €150 to €400 for three to four days depending on the boat.
The currency is the yuan (CNY), at roughly 8 yuan to the euro; prices here are euro equivalents. Almost everyone pays by phone: set up Alipay or WeChat Pay with a foreign card before you arrive, and carry some cash as a backup.
Safety
Staying safe in Chongqing
Chongqing is very safe.
Summers are extremely hot and humid, often around 40°C; the city is known as one of China's 'furnaces'. Google, WhatsApp and Instagram are blocked; use an eSIM with international roaming, and Amap or Baidu Maps for directions. Carry your passport: it is needed for trains, hotels and many sights, which are booked by real name.
Many nationalities can now enter China visa-free for up to 30 days, under a scheme extended to the end of 2026, and 240-hour visa-free transit covers many more; check the rules for your passport before you travel.
Emergency: 110 police, 120 ambulance, 119 fire.
Day trips from Chongqing
Karst bridges, the Three Gorges and Buddhist carvings.
Wulong
Karst caves and natural bridges, UNESCO-listed.
Three Gorges
Down the Yangtze to Yichang.
Dazu rock carvings
Buddhist carvings, UNESCO-listed.
What's on
What is on while you are there
The hotpot season is year-round.
1–7 October
Golden Week
Citywide
National holiday crowds.
January or February
Chinese New Year
Citywide
Lights and crowds.
Hostels
Where to stay in Chongqing
The top-rated places to stay in Chongqing right now, live from Hostelworld.
Village Utopian Hostel
Dorms from €4 a night
See dates and book
Mama Youth Hostel
Dorms from €7 a night
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Only Cafe And Backpacker
Dorms from €8 a night
See dates and book
Desti Youth Park Hostel - Chongqing
Dorms from €11 a night
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Sustainable
Chongqing LiuHe Youth Hostel
Dorms from €5 a night
See dates and book
Yummyhill Hostel
Dorms from €9 a night
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Sustainable
KaoYu Hotel (Chongqing Guanyinqiao Pedestrian Str)
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Chongqing Riverside Hostel
Dorms from €6 a night
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Chongqing Rooftop Terrace Hostel
Dorms from €10 a night
See dates and book
Sustainable
Four Rooftops Youth Hostel (Jiefangbei Branch)
Dorms from €7 a night
See dates and book
Hide and See
See dates and bookWhen to go
March to May and September to November. Summers are extremely hot. Avoid Golden Week (1–7 October) and Chinese New Year if you can, when the whole country travels.
Jan
Foggy
Feb
New Year
Mar
Spring
Apr
Excellent
May
Good
Jun
Hot
Jul
Very hot
Aug
Very hot
Sep
Good
Oct
Golden Week crowds
Nov
Good
Dec
Foggy
Bar height is temperature. Colour is how busy it gets:
quiet
busy
peak
Average highs. Often foggy in winter.
What your trip will cost
Pick how you travel. Per person per night, in euros.
Prices are in yuan locally; these are euro equivalents. Excludes Yangtze cruises.
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- Beds—
- Food and drink—
- Getting around—
- Doing things—
Chongqing travel questions
The ones we get asked most.
When is Hongyadong best?
At night, when it is lit up; see it from the Qiansimen Bridge.
How long is a Three Gorges cruise?
Three to four days to Yichang, past the Three Gorges Dam.
How spicy is the hot pot?
Very; order a split pot with a mild side.
How do I get around?
By metro and monorail; the hills make walking hard and maps confusing.
How many days do you need?
Two or three.
When is the best time to visit?
March to May and September to November; summers are very hot.
What is the Liziba station?
A monorail station where trains run through a residential building.
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