Chongqing 3-Day City Walk Guide

The most important city in western China — Lonely Planet describes Chongqing as making up "for a lack of top-notch sights with fantastic food and charismatic geography." Three days reveals an 8D cyberpunk metropolis that will blow your mind.

📅 Itinerary Overview

Day	Theme	Key Attractions
Day 1	Mountain City Core	Jiefangbei → Bayi Food Street → Baixiangju → Yangtze Cableway
Day 2	Urban Wonders	Liziba → Eling Testbed 2 → Ciqikou → Hongyadong
Day 3	Arts & Nightlife	Sichuan Fine Arts Institute → Guanyinqiao → Beicang → Jiujie

🏙️ Day 1: Mountain City Core

Morning: Jiefangbei & Bayi Food Street

9:00 AM Metro Lines 1/2/6 to Jiaochangkou.

Jiefangbei — the heart of Chongqing's CBD, China's only monument commemorating victory in the War of Resistance Against Japan.

Dive into Bayi Gourmet Street:

Hao You Lai Suanlafen: ¥8-12 — the city's best hot & sour noodles
Grilled pig brain: ¥15-25 — for the adventurous
Shancheng Tangyuan: ¥5-8 — sweet rice balls to cool the heat

Midday: Baixiangju

Walk to Baixiangju — a 24-floor residential building with no elevator, filming location for "Chongqing Hot Pot." Lonely Planet recommends the corridors for photographing the Yangtze Cableway passing between buildings.

Afternoon: Yangtze River Cableway

Yangtze Cableway (¥20 one-way, ¥30 round-trip) — Lonely Planet calls this "a unique commuting tool turned tourist attraction." Cross the Yangtze from Yuzhong to Nan'an District with aerial views of both riverbanks.

Best timing: Late afternoon for sunset + city lights turning on.

Evening: Raffles City & Nanbin Road

Raffles City — designed by Moshe Safdie, four towers connected by a crystal sky bridge.

Cross to Nanbin Road for views back across the Yuzhong Peninsula at night.

Dinner: Hotpot

Peijie Hotpot (Jiefangbei): ¥80-120/person — the queue king
Zhou Shixiong: signature sliced kidney, ¥90/person
Cave Hotpot: eat inside a WWII air-raid shelter, ¥70/person
Must-order: tripe (7-up-8-down for 15 seconds), duck intestine, yellow throat

🚝 Day 2: Urban Wonders

Morning: Liziba Station

8:30 AM Metro Line 2 to Liziba.

Liziba Station — Lonely Planet's must-see: the train passes through a residential building's 6th-8th floors. Best photographed from the viewing platform across the Jialing River.

Late Morning: Eling Testbed 2

Eling Testbed 2 (free):

Former Republic-era banknote printing factory → creative arts district
Filming location for "I Belonged to You"
Rooftop viewpoint (free): best panoramic two-river views
Lonely Planet calls it "the best place to experience Chongqing's creative culture"

Afternoon: Ciqikou Ancient Town

Metro Line 1 to Ciqikou.

Ciqikou (free) — Lonely Planet: "A millennium-old town with Ming-Qing era stone-paved streets":

Chen Mahua: longest queue, salted pepper flavor best
Mao Xuewang: ¥40-60
Explore side alleys for more authentic atmosphere

Evening: Hongyadong

Hongyadong — Chongqing's #1 landmark. Lonely Planet compares it to "a real-life version of Miyazaki's Spirited Away":

Stilt-house complex built into the cliff, 11 stories
Best photo spot: Qiansimen Bridge (5 min walk)
Lights: ~6:30-11:00 PM

🎨 Day 3: Arts & Nightlife

Morning: Graffiti Street & Sichuan Fine Arts Institute

Huangjueping Graffiti Street — China's largest street art district, ~1km of painted building facades.

Afternoon: Guanyinqiao & Beicang

Guanyinqiao — 3D light shows at 19:00/20:00, "Eye of Chongqing" Ferris wheel (¥50).

Beicang Cultural Park — Lonely Planet's pick for a quiet escape: bookstores and cafés in converted warehouses.

Night: Jiujie

Jiujie — craft beer bars, live music, and street food.

🚇 Getting Around

Metro: Lines 1, 2, 3, 6 cover main areas. ¥2-7. Alipay/WeChat.
Airport: Metro Line 10 from Jiangbei Airport ~45 min; shuttle bus K01 ¥15
Taxi: Yellow cabs, ¥10 base. Use Didi.
Yangtze Cableway: ¥30 round-trip (Lonely Planet recommended)
Retro Ferry: ¥10 — Lonely Planet says "skip the tourist cruise, take the ¥10 ferry instead"
Crown Escalator: ¥2 — Asia's longest hillside escalator

🍜 Food Guide

Dish	Where	Price
Hotpot	Peijie, Zhou Shixiong	¥80-120
Xiaomian	Huashi Wanza Mian	¥10-20
Suanlafen	Hao You Lai	¥8-12
Mao Xuewang	Ciqikou	¥40-60
Chuanchuan	Li Ji	¥50-80
Quanshui Chicken	Nanshan strip	¥60-100

💡 Practical Tips

Flat shoes essential — mountain city with 15,000+ steps daily
GPS fails often — the 8D layout confuses navigation, ask locals
Skip taxi driver restaurant tips — Lonely Planet: likely kickback schemes
"Mild" is still spicy — get half-and-half pot if unsure
Best season: March-May, Oct-Nov. Summer hits 40°C.
Hongyadong: after dark only (6:30-11 PM)
Qiansimen Bridge: best Hongyadong panorama spot
Skip the river cruise — take the ¥10 retro ferry (Lonely Planet)

Prioritizing Lonely Planet recommendations, supplemented by China Footprints and The China Journey.