3 days in Chongqing, China | What to do and eat, where to stay
China is a steadily growing tourist destination with all kinds of places you could think of - from mountains to sprawling modern cities to tropical paradise.
Chongqing is known for their modern city vibe and spicy cuisine - it’s the largest city by area, with a beautiful nightscape of modern skyscrapers dotting the horizon along the Yangtze River, and is also the home of hotpot - the spicy mala kind.
The stunning Hongya Cave Cultural Centre at night
Travelling China has always been on my bucketlist - growing up in a Chinese household I’d visited Guangzhou with my family but I’d always wanted to come back as an adult to explore different areas. Chongqing appeared on my radar recently when I learnt about a fascinating monorail that goes into a building, and saw the modern cityscape that’s likened to little Hong Kong - and now with 15 days visa free for Australians it seemed like the perfect time to stop here for two weeks on the way home from Europe for some cheap eats and mala hotpot.
How long do I need in Chongqing? Where should I stay?
Chongqing 重庆市 is a big city by area, but 2-3 days are enough to cover the main sights and potentially a day trip nearby. We stayed in Yuzhong District 渝中区 which is close to Jiefangbei 解放碑, a small tower that used to be the highest point in Chongqing. From here it’s easy to get around - we took the metro line 1 or 10 from Qixinggang or walked to all of the major areas below. You can also call a DiDi (ride hailing) or get a taxi from the street for relatively cheap as well.
Visiting China for the first time?
For those who have never visited China before, it’s important to check your visa requirements, set up a VPN and/or roaming sim and download the equivalent apps for navigation and payment.
China is becoming easier for foreigners to travel to with visa free periods in different areas, and Chinese airlines are very competitive in the long haul flight market especially when they come with free hotel stays on certain layovers. Mandarin is the main language spoken, Chinese Reminbi or Yuan (¥) is their currency and WeChat, AliPay & Trip.com are commonly used communication and payment/booking apps.
Read my travel tips and advice on travelling to China for more details!
Can I visit China without knowing Chinese?
In my experience the people in Chongqing were friendly and helpful, and forgiving of my minimal Mandarin - and for non-Chinese speakers, once you set up your phone you can use direcitions with English wayfinding signs in metro stations and call DiDis, and at some restaurants you can order via AliPay (which translates) or do the classic point and ask for other food joints.
Views of Chongqing’s skyline from Eling Park
What to do in Chongqing
Visit Jiefangbei, explore the Pedestrian area and eat lots of street food snacks
Jiefangbei 解放碑 is a small tower that used to be the highest point in Chongqing that’s now surrounded by skycrapers. From here you can walk around the Pedestrian Street area - I would recommend coming here on an empty stomach as there are lots of little street food stalls for skewers, sausages, sour spicy vermicelli and bbq that are delicious, and if you come at night you can see all the buildings are lit up as well.
See Hongyadong lit up at night
Not far down the road from Jiefangbei is the Hongya Cave Cultural Centre, where you can see the beautiful building lit up at night. Take some time to wander and sample the different stores on each level on your way down, and cross the pedestrian bridge to take in the sight from across the road. Here you can also watch the boats cruise down the river and see the city lit up.
Be prepared for crowds and hustlers - there were lots of domestic tourists here when we visited in October 2024, with lots of photographers offering services for photos in traditional clothing at the key spots.
View from Hongya Cave Cultural Centre at night
Take the Cable Car across the Yangtze River and eat at the night food market
While this is bit touristy and crowded, taking the Chongqing Changjiang Cableway for ¥20 is a nice way to head across the Yangtze River before walking along Nanbin Road at night to take in the stunning Chongqing skyline. We stumbled upon a night food market at Haitang Yanyu Park which had us salivating from the moment we walked in - we devoured some oysters, bbq squid and beef and corn skewers seasoned with mala spice, onions and shallots.
Ride the monorail through a building, visit the Three Gorges Museum and see breathtaking views at Eling Park
I’m a transport geek so I knew I wanted see the train that goes through a building if I was ever in Chongqing. To access it you can take the line 2 monorail into Liziba Station (station in the building!) and hop off to get a view of it from the street nearby. Fun fact: it’s designed to minimise impact so it’s only ever as loud as a washing machine.
Three Gorges Museum is a free museum where you can learn more about Ba-Yu culture and history and the Three Gorges Dam. After this you can head up towards Eling Park 鵝嶺公園 (note: lots of stairs but worth the view at the top) to get breathtaking, unobstructed views of Chongqing at the observation deck.
Try hotpot (huo guo) and Chongqing Xiaomen (little noodles)
Your trip to Chongqing is not complete without a night eating hot pot. As you wander the streets you’ll find that there are hot pot restaurants everywhere, and they all serve similar dishes. We had a fantastic time at Zhoushixiong Hot Pot 周师兄腰片老火锅 - we were able to order via QR code on AliPay (so we could translate to English, phew) and they even gave us aprons! If you’re like me and not the best at handling super spicy foods, you can order 3 different soup bases (bone broth, tomato, spicy) and order drinks like yoghurt or beer to help balance it out.
Fun fact: Chongqing used to be part of the Sichuan province, which is known for their spicy mala food!
Head out to Ciqikou Ancient Town
Ciqikou is a quaint, ancient town area where you can wander through and pick up food, crafts and other items and soak in the vibes, however it does get busy (like most other tourist spots in Chongqing).
Take a day trip outside the city
If you’re craving some nature, you can take some time to hike some local trails to get some nice views of the city, or go to Laolong Cave for a fun caving adventure. If you’re able to rent a car or hire a driver, Dazu rock carvings are also worth visit.
Chongqing is a great city to visit to experience modern China and great food. If you’re looking to spend a few more days in this area, Chengdu (known for their pandas) and Zhangjiajie (famous for the Hallelujah mountains from Avatar) are some other great areas you can add onto your trip. See travel tips and itinerary ideas for your trip to China for more!
