Chongqing Transportation: Flight, Train, Ship, Metro, Taxi & Bus

There are three airports in Chongqing, but the mostly-used one is Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport (IATA：CKG 重庆江北机场). The airport provides continent flight services to/from more than 200 cities in domestic China, including Beijing, Shanghai, Xian, Huangshan, Guangzhou, Guiyang, Kunming, Lhasa, etc. Besides, there are also more than 80 overseas flights routes to/from Chongqing Jiangbei Airport, including flights to/from New York, Singapore, London, Sydney, etc.

Chongqing Jiangbei Airport is about 20km northeast of downtown Chongqing. Getting from Chongqing Airport to the city area needs about 0.5-1 hour. You can go to/from Chongqing Jiangbei Airport by taxi, car, Chongqing Light Rail Transit Line 3 and Line 10, etc.

>> Chongqing Airport to City Center

>> Chongqing Airport to Chaotianmen Dock

At present, there are 4 frequently-used train stations in Chongqing. They are Chongqing Railway Station (重庆站), Chongqing North Railway Station (重庆北站), Chongqing West Railway Station (重庆西站) and Chongqing Shapingba Railway Station (重庆沙坪坝站).

Every day, there are more than 400 high speed trains running from/to Chongqing. You can catch bullet trains to Chongqing from Beijing (12 hours around), Shanghai (11.5 hours around), Xian (5.5 hours around), Chengdu (2 hours around), Lanzhou (7 hours around), Guiyang (2 hours around), Guilin (4-5 hours around), Guangzhou (7.5 hours around) and so on.

>> Chongqing Train Stations

>> Chongqing High Speed Train

>> Chongqing Train Stations to Chaotianmen Dock

Chongqing is settled on the upper reaches of amazing Yangtze River - the longest and most picturesque river in China. The city is a vital staring/ending stop of classic Yangtze River cruise journeys, making it a must-visit place for tourists who are dreaming of cruising Yangtze River.

The cruise ships dock at Chongqing Chaotianmen Dock in the downtown area, where two rivers merge. The most classic 4 Days & 3 Nights downstream Yangtze River cruise ships from Chongqing to Yichang make departure from Chaotianmen Dock. Also, you will embark from your ships at Chaotianmen Dock too if you taking an upstream cruise from Yichang to Chongqing.

>> Chongqing Chaotianmen Dock

>> Yangtze River cruises

The metro system in Chongqing is called Chongqing Light Rail Transit. Due to the unique physical geographic features of Chongqing City, the Light Rail trains in Chongqing are mostly running on bridges or through buildings, instead of running on the ground or underground. You may have watched a lot of YouTube videos of crazy house-crossing metro trains of Chongqing. If haven’t, you can type Chongqing Metro in the search box and then you can easily get many results.

Till now, Chongqing has built 8 Light Rail Transit Lines, including the Loop Line, Line 1, Line 2, Line 3, Line 4, Line 5, Line 6 and Line 10. And you can appreciate the house-crossing trains at Liziba Station (李子坝轻轨站) on Line 2.

Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport, Chongqing North Railway Station, Chongqing Railway Station, Shapingba Railway Station can all be reached by Chongqing Light Rail Transit Lines. But the Light Rail Lines to Chongqing West Railway Station and Chaotianmen Dock are still under construction.

The downtown area of Chongqing City is divided to many parts by the rivers. To conveniently get from one side of the river to the other, the local Chongqingers built two cableways for the travel, one is built on the Jialing River and the other is on Yangtze River. By catching such a “sky bus”, they can travel across the river in only 4 minutes around. And with the rapid development of public transportations of Chongqing City, the cableway built on Jialing River has been moved, while the Yangtze River Cableway is still in use.

Yangtze River Cableway is now served as a sightseeing attraction more than a means of transportation. Now tourists coming here for the unique river-flying experience and beautiful panorama view of the city instead of going across the river only. It charges about CNY 20 for a single journey and CNY 30 for a round trip.

Warm tip: Yangtze River Cableway is really popular, especially during the holidays. It may sometimes cost you 1~3 to queue for the experience.

Travelers in Chongqing can also catch a taxi to getting around in Chongqing downtown area, suburban areas and even to Chengdu. The taxis in Chongqing are mostly dressed in impressive yellow or blue. During the day, the meter will start running at CNY 10.00 for the first 3km (1.8 miles), with CNY 2 added for every kilometer thereafter. During night hours from 23:00pm to 6:00am of next morning, CNY 11 is charged for the first 3km (1.8 miles), with CNY 2.3 added for every kilometer thereafter. More fee will be needed if you travel more than 25km (15.5 miles) or encounter with traffic jams during the way.

Usually, it needs about CNY 80-100 to get from Chongqing Jiangbei Airport to Chongqing downtown by taxi.

Though the buses running up and down the roads of “Mountain City” Chongqing may give you a unique experience, you are not really suggested to travel around the city by bus. It may be tough and convenient journey if you do so.

The buses only recommended for those who are quite familiar with Chongqing bus routes and do have much time to stay in Chongqing. And if you are going to travel from Chongqing downtown to Dazu Rock Carvings, the buses may also the cheapest option compared with the private cars and taxis.