Chongqing is a sprawling municipality in southwest China built on hills and cliffs at the confluence of the Yangtze and Jialing rivers. Often called a '3D city' for its stacked roads, sky bridges, and buildings that appear to grow directly out of cliffsides, Chongqing is famous for its spicy hotpot, dramatic river views, and a public transit network that runs through the middle of an apartment tower at Liziba Station. As one of China's four direct-administered municipalities, it functions as both a city and a province-level region covering a vast, mostly mountainous territory.
- Public
- Chongqing Rail Transit is the backbone of getting around - a 593 km, 12-line network mixing straddle-beam monorail (Lines 2 and 3) with conventional metro lines, purpose-built to climb the city's steep hillsides; fares run roughly CNY 2-10 by distance
- Taxi
- Widely available and metered; base fare CNY 10 for the first 3 km (CNY 11 from 23:00-06:00), then about CNY 2/km; DiDi ride-hailing is used for most trips and typically runs slightly cheaper than a hailed taxi
- Rental
- Not practical or recommended - Chongqing's foggy, hilly, multi-level road network (with elevated expressways stacked above city streets) is disorienting even for locals, and a Chinese driving permit is required; almost no visitors self-drive
- Walking
- Extremely hilly with long staircases, sky bridges, and multi-level pedestrian decks connecting buildings at different heights; scenic but tiring, and outdoor escalators and elevators are common substitutes for stairs
Transport at a glance
Taxis & rideshare
What to expect from taxis and apps.
- Overview
- Metered taxis and DiDi ride-hailing cover the city thoroughly; taxis are cream/turquoise-liveried and can be hailed on the street, though DiDi is more reliable at busy times and avoids language barriers with drivers.
- Items
Transportation details
Full breakdown of how to get around.
Chongqing is built on steep hills at the confluence of the Yangtze and Jialing rivers, so its transport network was engineered around the terrain rather than a flat street grid. Chongqing Rail Transit - a 593 km, 12-line system blending straddle-beam monorail with conventional subway - is the fastest and most reliable way to move around, reaching the airport, both main rail stations, and most sightseeing districts. Taxis and DiDi ride-hailing fill in the gaps, river cableways and cruise ferries cross the two rivers, and walking involves stairs, sky bridges, and multi-level pedestrian decks rather than flat pavement. Renting a car is not recommended for visitors given the elevated, stacked road network and frequent fog.
Airports
Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport
Useful apps
Download before you arrive.
DiDi (滴滴出行)
Amap / Gaode Maps (高德地图)
12306
Alipay / WeChat Pay
Transport tips
Travel smarter, not harder.
Buy a Chongqing Rail Transit stored-value Yufu (Yu Xing Card) or simply use Alipay/WeChat Pay QR-code scan-to-ride, which is accepted at every station gate and on most buses
Ride the Line 2 monorail through Liziba Station, where the elevated track runs directly through floors 6 to 8 of a 19-story residential building - one of the most photographed transit stops in China
Cross the Yangtze on the Yangtze River Cableway (Chang Jiang Suodao) between Xinhua Road and Shanmuya for cheap aerial views of the confluence and the downtown skyline, especially at night
Avoid the metro during the 8:00-9:00 and 17:30-18:30 rush hours on Lines 2 and 3, when carriages on the monorail lines get extremely packed
DiDi (China's ride-hailing app) works well for foreign visitors with a China-linked payment method; download and set up before arrival since English support is limited on the street
Chongqing's layout is genuinely three-dimensional - the same street address can be reached from completely different levels, so cross-referencing a mapping app (Amap/Baidu Maps work better than Google Maps in China) with the metro exit number saves confusion
Some downtown buildings have their own internal escalators or lifts advertised as pedestrian shortcuts between road levels - use them rather than walking around the block