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You are here: Home » Destinations » Chongqing Tours » How to Plan a Chongqing Tour » Chongqing Itinerary

Chongqing, owing to its unique mountainous geography situated in the southwest of China, has become one of the world's fastest-growing tourist cities in recent years with enthralling modern urban cityscape and delicious foods. Chongqing is also the launching point for scenic relaxing cruise down the Yangtze River through awesome Three Gorges and the Three Gorges Dam. ⨠ Know more about Chongqing charm.

If you are interested in Chongqing tour, you've got many choices to make your itinerary. You can pay a 1-day visit to Chongqing downtown to immerse yourself in magical charm, history and culture here. But it's more recommended that you travel in Chongqing for at least 2 or 3 days to explore the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site- Dazu Carvings, and the UNESCO World Natural Heritage Site - Wulong Karst to appreciate exceptionally landscape in the suburb of Chongqing or to meet adorable pandas in the nearby Chengdu. A trip for 4 or 5 days will offer a spectacular panorama alongside Yangtze River on a cruise, which are also good alternatives.

1 Day Tour Chongqing Downtown Itinerary

Admiration of Unique Geography and Charismatic Urban Cityscape

For one day tour in Chongqing, you're advised to make memorable trip in Chongqing urban city and make the most of the time by visiting its top attractions. A tour that reduces overlapping route and costs less transit time as much as possible will be excellent.

If you are curious about traditional Chongqing architectures and folk life, you can start your journey from Ciqikou Old Town to have a glimpse into tile-roofed folk dwellings as well as its over 1,800-year-old historical culture. You can visit Three Gorges Museum to know more about the great Yangtze River, Three Gorges and the gradual thriving of Chongqing and step out to have a nice look of Chongqing People's Auditorium with fancy classical exterior design which was listed into the History of Architecture compiled in London in 1987.

Liziba Station is also a wonderful resort for you to take remarkable photos of rail transit lines running through a block of flats from different angles. Not far, Eling Park offers tourists a chance to embrace the impressive panorama of Chongqing City.

Afterwards, if you're interested in enchanting nighttime light scenery, you can also travel to nearby Hongya Cave where wooden tilted houses overlapping leaning the mountain are lit up charmingly from nightfall.


Recommended 1-day Chongqing Tour Itinerary Pacakge:

2 Days Tour Chongqing City to Wulong Karst / Dazu Carvings

If you want to plan a 2-day Chongqing tour itinerary, besides having fun in the Chongqing downtown, it will be a pity if you don't add the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site- Dazu Carvings, and the UNESCO World Natural Heritage Site - Wulong Karst into your itinerary. Dazu Carvings Scenic Area suits you a lot on condition that you are into rock carving masterpieces and religious culture while Wulong Karst Landscape will be your ideal spot if you are a nature-lover. It depends on your preference to choose where to travel.

Plan A Chongqing to Dazu Carvings Itinerary

After having a pleasing appreciation of Chongqing urban cityscape, you can also turn to the suburb area to explore ancient exquisite and varied cliff-side sculptures. Dazu Rock Carvings about 2 hours' driving away from the downtown Chongqing provide outstanding proof of harmonious coexistence of Buddhism, Taoism and Confucianism, including top 2 clusters: Baodingshan Rock Carvings (大足宝顶山石刻) and Beishan Rock Carvings (大足北山石刻).

Since the visiting hours for Baodingshan vary from 3~6 hours, depending on whether tourists watch the digital films and time spent in the museum, while for those to visit Beishan generally 1-1.5 hours. If you are scheduled to leave Chongqing on the same day, the time could be tight to visit both spots. You can select one to visit.

  • Buddhist Wheel of Life
  • Giant Buddha
  • Thousand Hand Avalokitesva
  • Beishan Rock carvings

Recommended 2-day Chongqing Tour Itinerary Pacakge:

Plan B Chongqing to Wulong Karst Itinerary

If you're a natural lover, Wulong Karst Landscape Area would be your ideal choice. After traveling around the attractions in Chongqing Downtown, you can make an enjoyable adventure to admire its giant dolines, natural bridges and caves. There is the largest natural bridge cluster in Asia – Three Natural Bridges and Longshuixia Gap, a gap-style gorge and also an important part of Wulong Karst landform, etc. You won't miss One Line Sky, Dragon Pool Minoring the Moon, etc.

  • Three Natural Bridges
  • Wulong Tiankeng Three Bridges
  • The Bird's Eye View of Wulong Karst
  • Longshuixia Gap

Recommended 2-day Chongqing Tour Itinerary Pacakge:

3 Days Tour Chongqing to Chengdu Itinerary

For tourists who find pandas too adorable to resist, now you can grasp the chance! Since Chongqing and Chengdu, a city of pandas, are adjacent to each other for only 1-hour high-speed train's trip, it's a good idea to have fun in Chongqing city and then transfer to Chengdu.

After tour in Chongqing city, go to Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding to meet adorable pandas. You will closely observe giant pandas of different ages eating bamboos, playing with each other, tumbling and climbing trees.

Wenshu Temple is also a good scenic spot to go where you will marvel at the exquisite Buddhist architecture and soak in peaceful atmosphere. You can then take a seat in a teahouse to have a pot of Chinese tea and see locals nap, chat, play mahjong in Renmin Park if you want to experience leisure pace and lifestyle in Chengdu.

If you are interested in traditional delicate artifacts and want to feast on delicious local snacks, it's highly recommended that you make a visit to Jinli Old Street or Chengdu Kuanzhai Alley as well.

At 20:00~21:30 there is always a wonderful performance of Sichuan Opera which includes face changing, fire spitting and other delightful entertainment. It's worth watching if you want to admire the art gem inherited by folk artists.


Recommended 3-day Chongqing Tour Itinerary Pacakge:

4 Days Tour Chongqing to Yichang Itinerary

If you can spend more days travelling in Chongqing, you can start your journey on a cruise ship sailing along the Yangtze River to admire the unrivalled natural mountain and river scenery in China. Spending 4 days from Chongqing to Yichang is the most classic route for a single Yangtze cruise experience in China!

After a Chongqing City tour, you can have dinner or buy some snacks and then go to Chaotianmen Dock, which is close to Three Gorges Museum, to board on your cruise ship. (Note: There're 13 sub-piers of Chaotianmen Dock and different ships will dock at different piers and the boarding time and departure piers will change based on the ship line, water level, season, weather and other factors. Please check info before your boarding.)

There are many wonderful attractions along the Yangtze River. You can spend 2 to 3 days travelling on the cruise. You can choose to make several shore excursions such as to Shibaozhai Pagoda, one of the “Pearls” of the Yangtze River, Fengdu Ghost City, which is endowed with mysterious underworld stories about devils and Chinese demons for one day. And then admire Three Gorges and take an adventure to primitive Shennv Stream (Goddess Stream), watch an entertaining music and dance show of local Tujia ethnic minority, or to White Emperor City at the entrance of Qutang Gorge which offers the best viewing spot to appreciate the magnificent Kuimen Gate. Besides, you can go to Three Gorges Summit to have a panoramic view of Three Gorges. The ship will finally dock at Maoping Dock. You can make a morning excursion to Three Gorges Dam, the world's largest hydropower project.


Recommended 4-day Chongqing Tour Itinerary Pacakge:

5 Days of Chongqing to Yichang Itinerary(Add Wulong Karst)

If you are a nature lover who wants several days staying far from the bustling metropolis into the cool and incredible nature, this 5-day Chongqing tour will be right for you. Compared with the 4-day tour, this 5-day tour will leave you an unforgettable memory of Wulong Karst Landscape, which was inscribed as a part of South China Karst UNESCO World Heritage.

Since Chongqing downtown is near the city's high-speed railway station and airport, you're advised to travel in Chongqing downtown first. After that you can go to Wulong Karst Landscape Area which is in the suburb of Chongqing. And in order to catch your cruise sailing down the Yangtze River to Yichang in Hubei Province, you're advised then to go back to the Chaotianmen Dock in the Chongqing Downtown.

On the Yangtze River cruise, you can appreciate spectacular natural scenery such as Three Gorges, Shennv Stream , etc. and numerous historical and cultural architectures at Shibaozhai Pagoda, Fengdu Ghost City, etc.

Recommended 5-day Chongqing Tour Itinerary Pacakge:

How to Plan a Tour in China with Chongqing

Chongqing is the starting point of Yangtze River cruise and if you want to have a comprehensive discovery of China's diverse land, it's highly recommended that you add many other top tourist cities into your Chongqing itinerary and make a journey on Yangtze River cruise with Chongqing tour included.

If you are fond of centuries-old deep history and culture, you can visit Beijing , the city of 7 world heritage sites and capital city of preeminent ancient dynasties and now China, and Xian to admire highly skilled Terracotta Warriors and Horse and experience the old and glorious days of China.

If you are also keen on colorful ethnic culture and picturesque natural scenery, Guilin whose scenery is said to top those elsewhere will be your best choice. You can visit Shanghai , which is famous as Paris of the East, to experience modern China as well!

13 Days Classic China Vacation Tour with Yangtze Cruise

(Beijing | Xian | Guilin | Chongqing | Yangtze Cruise | Shanghai)

11 Days China Golden Triangle Tour with Yangtze River Cruise

(Beijing | Xian | Chongqing | Yangtze Cruise | Shanghai)

Besides, you can travel to Zhangjiajie, a UNESCO World Natural Heritage Site for the best mountain sightseeing full of bizarre peaks, deep valleys, marvelous cave, etc. after Yangtze River cruise for it ends near Zhangjiajie.

14 Days Best China Zhangjiajie Landscape Tour with Yangtze Cruise

(Shanghai | Guilin | Chongqing | Yangtze Cruise | Zhangjiajie| Beijing)

15 Days China Splendors Tour with Avatar Zhangjiajie

(Shanghai | Zhangjiajie | Yichang | Yangtze Cruise | Chongqing | Xian | Beijing)

21 Days China Holiday with Yangtze River Cruise Tour

(Hong Kong | Guilin | Chengdu | Chongqing | Yangzte Cruise | Zhangjiajie | Shanghai | Xian | Beijing)

If you prefer ancient sites like holy Buddhist Land, the Roof of the World and beautiful high plateau landscape, you can visit Tibet , and travel to Chengdu if you are into adorable pandas. Then travel to the nearby Chongqing to have fun.

17 Days China Paradise Tour with Tibet Discovery & Yangtze Cruise

(Beijing | Xian | Tibet | Chengdu | Chongqing | Yangtze Cruise | Shanghai)

Travel Chongqing with other Top Tourist Cities Travel Chongqing with other Top Tourist Cities

Travel Chongqing with China Discovery

To help you enjoy a worry-free trip to Chongqing and the whole China, we suggest you travel with China Discovery. Our experienced travel expert will help you arrange the accommodation, transportation and everything well to let you spend all your effort and time on the sightseeing. Please feel free to contact us to customize your own trip! We will help you plan your enjoyable trip with sincerity and professionalism!

See Our Delighted Customers on Their Chongqing Trips See Our Delighted Customers on Their Chongqing Trips

More important Chongqing Travel Notes

1. Take advantage of Chongqing Jiangbei Airport 144-hour Visa-free Policy

Holders of passports issued by 54 countries do not need a visa to Chongqing through Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport and you can stay in Chongqing without bothering to apply for a visa.

2. Best Time to Visit Chongqing

Generally speaking, you can travel to Chongqing all year around as the temperature will neither be too high nor too low. But it can be extremely hot and damp with lots of rainfall in Summer (from June to August). Consequently, try to avoid travelling to Chongqing at that time.

3. How to Get to Chongqing

Flight and high-speed train are two major transportations to get to Chongqing. Currently you can take nonstop, stopover, or connecting flights to Chongqing from more than 200 domestic and international cities and regions among China, Southeast Asia, Western Europe, North America, and Oceania. ⨠ Learn more about Chongqing transportation.

4. Where to Stay in Chongqing

Chongqing as a fastest growing tourist destination offers multiple accommodation options from basic standards to international luxury levels. There are four best areas for you to stay in Chongqing, namely the core Jiefangbei CBD (the center of Chongqing City, near Chaotianmen Dock and Honggya Cave), Yuzhong District (covering most of the top atttrctions of Chongqing City), Nan'an District (in the southeast of Chongqing City, able to catch the fabulous night view of Chongqing City) and Jiangbei District (quieter and close to Jiangbei Airport). ⨠ Check more.

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