Chongqing · China
Chongqing Shi travel guide
Chongqing Shi is a city in Chongqing, China, home to about 12,135,000 people.
- Nearest airport
- CKG19 km · Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport
- Currency
- CNYrenminbi
- Time zone
- Asia/Shanghai
- Language
- Chinese, Putonghua, Standard Chinese
About
About Chongqing Shi
Chongqing is one of the four municipalities in China, cities that are not part of a province and instead report directly to the central government; it is the only municipality that is not on the east coast (the others are Beijing, Shanghai and Tianjin). It was historically a part of Sichuan province, and is culturally and linguistically considered to be part of it. During World War II, Chongqing served as the temporary capital of China after Nanjing fell to the Japanese.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Things to do
What to see and do in Chongqing Shi
See
Chongqing has the largest population in West China and is the focus of China's "Go West" development strategy. As a result, it is a very lively and rapidly modernizing city, although it does get a bit too hectic most of the time. On the surface, the city appears rough around the edges and a bit gritty and thus there may appear to be not much to do in the daytime, but further investigation will uncover a city with truly its own character and a number of interesting sites actually worth looking into.
- Chaotianmen Square
- Ciqikou
- Great Hall of the People
- Hongyadong
- Jiefangbei Pedestrian Street
- Liangjiang International Film City
- Raffles City Chongqing
- Shibati (18 Stairs)
- Chongqing World Financial Centre
- Liziba Station
- Datang Plaza
- Chongqing East railway station
Do
- Huangguan Escalator
- Yangtze River Cableway
- Shancheng Footpath
- Happy Valley Chongqing
- Liangjiang Evening Cruises
- Yangtze River cruises
- Northern Hot Springs Park
- Ronghui Hot Spring
- Southern Hot Springs Park
- Tianci Hot Springs Resort
- Tongjing Hot Springs
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Where to stay
Which part of Chongqing Shi to stay in
There are hundreds of hotels all over the city ranging from dormitory style for ¥30 per night, through three star equivalent hotels for ¥150, up to the numerous top western hotels for ¥600-2000 per night, and many more are being added and are under construction. Most hotels are rarely fully booked. You can always check the room before you commit.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
When to go
The best time to visit Chongqing Shi
Chongqing Shi has no month that is both mild and dry by the measure used here. August is the warmest month, with average highs of 33 °C; June is the wettest, with about 194 mm of rain.
Comfortable means average daytime high between 18 °C and 29 °C and under 80 mm of rain in the month. Averages for 1991–2020 over the surrounding area, a grid square about 50 km across, so a coast or a nearby mountain can make the town itself warmer or cooler. Data: CRU TS v4.10, Climatic Research Unit, University of East Anglia (Open Database License).
Getting there
Getting to Chongqing Shi: airports and arrival
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport (CKG), about 19 km from the city centre in a straight line; Chongqing Xiannüshan Airport (CQW, 111 km) and Luzhou Yunlong Airport (LZO, 121 km) are also within reach.
Getting around
The metro and bus systems are advised as the best forms of transportation and are very cheap and efficient. Chongqing is a very hilly city, so be prepared to climb lots of stairs when walking around. That can also make it a confusing city to navigate on foot, as the ground floor of one building can be at the same elevation as the 20th floor of an adjacent building for instance. The first section of Chongqing's rapid transit system opened in 2005.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
CKG · Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport
CQW · Chongqing Xiannüshan Airport
LZO · Luzhou Yunlong Airport
Local knowledge
Eating, drinking and staying safe in Chongqing Shi
Eat
Chongqing is a harbor city and with this comes what is called dockside culture (matou wenhua). This culture is blamed for a lot of things from cursing profusely to... Hot Pot. While many great restaurants abound in the city, memorable dining is best along Nanbin Lu with incredible night views back across the Yangtze River with the Jeifangbei city skyline lit-up. Here are some examples of the city's many offerings. Hot Pot (火锅 huǒguō, lit.: firepot) is one of Chongqing's claims to fame. In cities across China, one can find hot pot restaurants, but only Chongqing people can really stand a real hot pot, so if you want authenticity, get it while you can in Chongqing.
Drink
There are many bars in Chongqing, but most are underpopulated. Generally the local bottled beer is ¥10, and the variety includes several local beers and even Guinness (expensive) on occasions. If you go to one of the small restaurants to eat, you can buy bottles of local beer at ¥3 upwards. As a warning, some bars have adopted a less pleasant method to send pretty girls to accompany and entertain you, and then ask for huge additional sums when you leave. Take care.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Questions
Chongqing Shi: questions travellers ask
When is the best time to visit Chongqing Shi?
Chongqing Shi has no month that is both mild and dry by the measure used here. August is the warmest month, with average highs of 33 °C; June is the wettest, with about 194 mm of rain.
Which airport is closest to Chongqing Shi?
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport (CKG), about 19 km from the city centre in a straight line; Chongqing Xiannüshan Airport (CQW, 111 km) and Luzhou Yunlong Airport (LZO, 121 km) are also within reach.
What currency is used in Chongqing Shi?
renminbi (CNY).
Nearby
Destinations near Chongqing Shi
Sources: city facts from Wikidata; airports from OurAirports; climate from CRU TS v4.10 (University of East Anglia Climatic Research Unit), 1991–2020 monthly means, 0.5° grid; places to stay, guest scores and amenities from each operator's own public pages. How this guide is made.