A mountain city built in layers so steep that roads run over rooftops and a metro train punches straight through a tower block at Liziba · the home of fiery mala hotpot · Hongyadong glowing gold over the river at night like something out of an anime · a cable car gliding across the Yangtze · the two-river confluence at Chaotianmen · with Jiefangbei as your easy walkable base
Chongqing (重庆) is a sprawling mountain megacity stacked in layers up and down steep hills — so much so that people call it the "8D city." Honestly, the first thing that gets you here is realising the ground floor of one building can be the 22nd floor of the next. Picture a metro train running straight through an apartment block at Liziba (李子坝), in plain view. At night, head to Hongyadong (洪崖洞), an 11-storey stilt-house complex that glows gold over the river — every angle is a photo. Ride the Yangtze River Cableway (长江索道) across the water and watch the city from above · go to Chaotianmen (朝天门), where the Yangtze meets the Jialing River and the sail-shaped Raffles City towers rise above the point · wander old Ciqikou (磁器口) riverside town · and the one thing you can't skip is Chongqing hotpot, the original numbing-spicy mala broth. Use Jiefangbei (解放碑) as your base and everything is walkable — and Thai passport holders enter China visa-free.
From Hongyadong glowing over the river and the Liziba train-through-building to the Yangtze cableway, mala hotpot, Jiefangbei and Ciqikou Ancient Town — this is the atmosphere you'll really find in Chongqing.
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9.4Jiefangbei · Hongyadong · Chaotianmen · the Liziba train-through-building · the Yangtze cableway · Ciqikou · Eling Park — see where everything is and plan your route more easily.
Pick by budget — compare prices across three sites before you book · Trip.com has the most China hotels
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🏙️ Two-River View
🏆💎💎💎💎💎💎⭐🏙️🛍️💰🎒A great trip doesn't have to stay in one city — three spots near Chongqing you can reach by high-speed rail for a day trip or an overnight.
Chongqing (重庆) is a vast municipality in southwest China, built on steep hills at the confluence of the Yangtze and Jialing rivers — its defining feature is a 3D landscape stacked in layers, so dense that people call it the 8D city, with roads over rooftops and a metro train punching through a tower block. By day, walk Jiefangbei (解放碑) in the centre · watch the train-through-building at Liziba (李子坝) · ride the Yangtze River Cableway (长江索道) across the water · head to Chaotianmen (朝天门) for the sail-shaped Raffles City towers where two rivers meet · wander old Ciqikou (磁器口) and the stepped lanes of Shancheng · at night watch Hongyadong (洪崖洞) glow gold over the river · and finish with Chongqing hotpot, the original mala broth.
Chongqing works on any budget — backpackers around ฿1,000-2,000/day · mid-range ฿2,500-4,500/day (excluding flights) · get in from Jiangbei Airport (CKG) on metro lines 3/10 and the bus · around town use the extensive, cheap metro (Line 2, a monorail, is the one that runs through the Liziba building) · the best times to visit are March–May and October–November (skip July–August, when Chongqing is one of China's "furnace cities") · Thai passport holders enter China visa-free · and don't forget to set up a VPN · eSIM · Alipay/WeChat Pay before you go.
The Wherebest team is steadily adding in-depth Chongqing hotel reviews and travel guides — best areas to stay · things to see · what to eat · day trips to Chengdu, Wulong and Dazu. Start planning your trip with our complete China travel guide →
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