Chongqing's First Impressions: Arrival Guide
Overview
Features
Chongqing, which covers 82,300 square kilometers—twice the size of the Netherlands—and has a population exceeding 30 million, is one of the largest cities in the world.
- Mountain Metropolis: Surrounded by mountains, its architecture follows the nature topography, creating a unique '8D landscape' with buildings at varying elevations.
- The Bridge City: With its numerous rivers, it has constructed over 20,000 bridges to connect land and span valleys. The Legend says navigation doesn't work here.
- Fog Capital: Chongqing has a subtropical humid climate, characterized by high humidity and frequent fog. Especially during autumn and winter, thick mist often shrouds the city.
- Hotpot Capital: It is the birthplace of hotpot and has over 32,000 hotpot restaurants.
Night View from Above
Chongqing's night views are incredibly famous. Should you happen to arrive in Chongqing at night, opting for a window seat on the left side of the aircraft gives you a 50% chance (determined by wind direction) to witness the beautiful urban night scenery of Chongqing just before the plane lands.
If you're fortunate enough, as the plane clears the final mountain and makes its last right-hand maneuver, you'll catch sight of the Chongqing urban area, with only a few minutes remaining until touchdown.
Yellow Taxis
For reference, it is approximately 25 kilometers from the airport to the city center, and a taxi ride takes about 1 hour with a fare of around €8.8.
Payments via Alipay, WeChat, and cash will be accepted.
LOCAL TIPS
Do not trust those "overly enthusiastic" unlicensed taxi drivers; find a yellow taxi; always by meter.
Stays
You may choose to stay at a hotel in the city center, which is conveniently close to all the internet-famous attractions. A classic itinerary would be: start with a walk to Kuixinglou, marveling at Chongqing’s unique topography where what appears to be the first floor is actually the twentieth level; then, take Line 2 of the monorail to Liziba Station, to witness the extraordinary spectacle of the train passing right through a building.
Four-Star Hotels from €37.9 to €101.0, Airbnb above €12.6, and Hostel at €2.5.
Prices
Some basic food items in China, such as rice, noodles, and cooking oil, typically have lower prices. In European and American countries, the prices of meat and dairy products are often more reasonable.
Here are some price references for Chongqing: Cola 500ml for €0.4, Mineral Water 5L for €1.1, Beef 500g for €9.5 and Tomato 500g for €0.2.
