Chongqing rises from the confluence of the Yangtze and Jialing Rivers like a city forged by cliffs and mist. Once China’s wartime capital, it’s now a kinetic “Mountain City” of staircases, skybridges, and monorails that slice through buildings. This 15-day itinerary lets you live its rhythm—savory hot pot, glowing riverfronts, and neighborhoods layered like a terraced dream.

Beyond the skyline, UNESCO treasures wait: the stone-carved spirituality of Dazu and the cathedral-scale bridges and gorges of Wulong Karst. Add a classic Three Gorges cruise and you’ll understand why Chongqing is a travel world of its own. You’ll taste numbing-spicy peppercorn, float past cliffside villages, and wander old towns where tea steam hangs in the air.

Practical notes: expect hills, lots of steps, and steamy summers; spring and autumn are ideal. Cashless payments are common (Alipay/WeChat Pay have visitor options), though cards and cash are increasingly accepted. Check current entry rules; eligible nationalities often use 144-hour visa-free transit in Chongqing—verify before you go.

Chongqing

Chongqing is a vertical city of contrasts: glassy riverfront towers and back lanes lined with bamboo stools, old guild halls and ultra-modern mega-malls, and a dialect so musical it sounds like it bounces off the hills. Night views are a highlight—Hongya Cave glows like a lantern-lit cliffside village, while bridges shimmer across black water.

Top sights include the Yangtze River Cableway, Jiefangbei pedestrian zone, Ciqikou Ancient Town for snacks and teahouses, Eling Park’s quiet views, and Nanshan’s One Tree observation deck. Day trips deliver even bigger marvels: Wulong’s Natural Three Bridges and the thousand-year carvings of Dazu.

• Stay: Use river-view hotels in Yuzhong (Jiefangbei/Chaotianmen) for skyline drama, Jiangbei (Jiangbeizui/Guanyinqiao) for dining and shopping, or Shapingba for quick Ciqikou access. Browse options on Hotels.com and riverside apartments on VRBO.
• Getting in: Fly into CKG (Jiangbei). Find options via Trip.com flights (typical 3–6 hours within East/Southeast Asia; one-stop from North America/Europe often 14–20 hours) or Kiwi.com. Within China, high-speed trains are frequent—Chengdu (~1.5–2.5 hours), Guiyang (~2–3 hours), Xi’an (~5–6 hours); check times/prices on Trip.com trains.
• Eat & Drink: This is the home turf of red-oil spice. Try Peijie Old Hot Pot (time-tested, tallow-rich broth), Qin Ma Old Hotpot (balanced spice, good offal cuts), De Zhuang (iconic Chongqing chain), and “dry pot” dishes in local canteens. For breakfast, hunt down Chongqing xiaomian noodles, Zhong’s Dumplings (sweet-spicy sauce), guokui stuffed flatbreads, and douhua tofu pudding.

Days 1–3: Downtown Chongqing, River Views, and Hot Pot Baptism

Ease in around Jiefangbei and Chaotianmen, where the Yangtze and Jialing meet. Walk Bayi Food Street for skewers, sour-spicy suanlafen, and crispy mahua twists. At sunset, ride the Yangtze River Cableway for those “floating over neon” photos, then cross Qiansimen Bridge to watch Hongya Cave ignite.

Dip into the city’s surreal infrastructure: see Liziba Station where the monorail runs through a residential tower, then explore Eling Park’s classic pavilions for calm views of two rivers. Inside Raffles City, stroll “The Crystal” skybridge to understand Chongqing’s vertical scale.

• Breakfast/coffee: MANNER Coffee (multiple downtown branches) for a flat white before cableway queues; Seesaw Coffee inside Raffles City pairs single-origin brews with light pastries; a local xiaomian shop near Jiefangbei for springy noodles with chile oil and pea shoots.
• Lunch: Zhong’s Dumplings (Zhong shuijiao) for silky pork dumplings in sweet-chile sauce; Lao Ma Chaoshou for red-oil wontons; guokui stuffed with beef or pickled vegetables at a street stall.
• Dinner: Book a table at Peijie Old Hot Pot (beef tripe, duck blood curd, lotus root) or Qin Ma Old Hotpot (excellent “yuan yang” split broth for mixed spice levels). Finish with brown sugar glutinous rice cakes from a street vendor.

Want it all with a local expert—night views plus a real-deal hot pot where residents eat? Consider this guided evening:

Chongqing City Private Night Tour with Hot Pot Dinner

Days 4–5: Ciqikou Ancient Town and UNESCO Dazu Rock Carvings

Spend a leisurely day in Ciqikou Ancient Town, a riverside quarter of cobbles, blue-brick houses, and tea scent. Try chen mahua (twisted fried dough), hand-ground sesame candy, and peppercorn-laced grilled squid. Pop into a teahouse upstairs for jasmine or pu’er while watching street life below.

Dedicate the next day to the Dazu Rock Carvings, a thousand years of Buddhist, Taoist, and Confucian reliefs. The carving of Guanyin with a thousand hands is astonishing in both scale and serenity—art and faith fused into sandstone.

Echoes of Enlightenment: A Day at Dazu Rock Carvings

• Getting there: Dazu is ~1.5–2 hours by road from central Chongqing; tours simplify permits and routing between Baoding and Beishan sites.
• Eat: In Ciqikou, try sour-spicy suanlafen bowls, sticky rice cakes with brown sugar syrup, and Chongqing-style grilled fish. For dinner back downtown, De Zhuang hot pot is a reliable benchmark for classic flavor.

Days 6–8: Wulong Karst—Natural Three Bridges and Longshuixia Gap

Wulong Karst National Geology Park is where nature built its own cathedrals—huge limestone bridges and sinkholes wrapped in green. Walk down into Longshuixia Fissure Gorge, a cool, mossy slit of stone that muffles the outside world, then stand under the Natural Three Bridges, famous from film scenes.

Active travelers can add Fairy Mountain for alpine meadows and cool breezes (especially welcome in summer). You can do it as a long day trip or an overnight for slower hikes and morning mist.

Chongqing Wulong: All inclusive luxury private trip to 2 spots

• Logistics: Wulong is ~2.5–3.5 hours each way by road. A private tour streamlines the scenic elevator, park shuttles, and trail timing.
• Food: Refuel with Wulong sour fish soup, local tofu dishes, and mountain greens. Back in Chongqing, celebrate with a “dry pot” of potatoes, cauliflower, and pork slices tossed with chiles and aromatics.

Days 9–12: The Three Gorges by Boat—A Classic Yangtze River Cruise

Board in Chongqing for a 4D3N downstream float through Qutang, Wu, and Xiling Gorges. Expect shore excursions like Shibaozhai Pagoda or Fengdu’s “Ghost City,” ethereal side streams in the Wu Gorge, and engineering scale at the Three Gorges Dam. Night sailing past lit bridges is a memory that lingers.

Choose a cabin with a balcony if possible—the river is the show. Pack layers; decks can be breezy even in warm months. Most boats include meals; look for regional dishes like steamed river fish, pickled mustard greens, and tofu with peppercorn.

4D3N Yangtze River Cruise: Chongqing to Yichang by Century Cruise

• Return to Chongqing: Disembark in Yichang. High-speed trains to Chongqing are ~5.5–6.5 hours (roughly CNY 230–350 / USD $35–$55) via Trip.com trains. Flights take ~1h10m (often USD $60–$120) via Trip.com flights or Kiwi.com.

Days 13–14: Parks, Pandas, and Panoramas

Back in Chongqing, keep it local. Visit the Chongqing Zoo to see giant pandas in the morning when they’re most active, then wander the revitalized 18 Steps area for a sense of old lanes reborn. Eling Park’s bonsai and tea pavilions give a breather from the city’s buzz.

Chase the city’s best panoramas at Nanshan’s One Tree Observation Deck after dusk, when bridges turn to ribbons of light. If you love theater-scale productions, consider booking tickets for the immersive “1949” historical show—grand staging that locals rave about.

• Breakfast/coffee: A xiaomian bowl near your hotel; Seesaw Coffee or MANNER for a midday pick-me-up; try fruit teas from local stalls along Jiefangbei.
• Lunch: Chongqing grilled fish (jiangtuan yu) in a spicy broth, or a simple canteen meal of twice-cooked pork and stir-fried greens.
• Dinner: De Zhuang or Qi Lao Si Hotpot for a final deep-dive into red broth; if you need a spice break, order a “yuan yang” pot with a milky mushroom side and share plates of lotus root, beef tripe, and handmade meatballs.

Day 15: Last Bites, Souvenirs, and Departure

Pick up edible souvenirs at Bayi Food Street—vacuum-packed peppercorns, chile oil, sesame candies, and mahua twists. If time allows, grab one last ride on the cableway for daylight views, then head to CKG.

For departure-day logistics, browse Trip.com flights or Kiwi.com for last-minute changes, and confirm your airport rail or taxi timing (the airport is ~30 km from downtown).

Where to Stay (All Trip Long)

• Jiefangbei/Chaotianmen (Yuzhong): Walk to Hongya Cave, cableway, and river cruises; best for first-timers and night scenery. Search hotels on Hotels.com or high-floor apartments on VRBO.
• Jiangbeizui/Guanyinqiao (Jiangbei): Sleek malls, dining, and easy transit; great city base.
• Shapingba: Handy for Ciqikou and universities; quieter evenings and budget eats.

Transit & Tickets—Quick Tips

• Flights: Compare routes and prices on Trip.com or Kiwi.com. Nonstops connect many Asian hubs; long-haul usually connects via Beijing, Shanghai, or Chengdu.
• Trains: For intercity and regional rides (including the return from Yichang), use Trip.com trains. Book early around holidays.

Add-On Experiences (Optional)

Food lovers can go deeper into back lanes and old blocks with a guided tasting walk—perfect for decoding spice levels and ordering like a local. If you’d like a compact orientation day with major landmarks, consider a private city highlights tour that covers must-sees with comfortable transport.

Here are two well-reviewed options to slot into your free time:

Chongqing Private Day Tour to Wulong Karst National Geology Park

Chongqing Food Exploration, Old Town & Magic Night Views

Summary: Over 15 days you’ll savor downtown Chongqing’s energy, step into UNESCO masterpieces, hike through Wulong’s otherworldly karst, and drift the storied Three Gorges. It’s a trip that balances spectacle and street-corner intimacy—the mood of a true river city lingering long after you’ve gone home.