重庆市
A mountain city of two rivers, hotpot and a wartime capital
Why this place
Chongqing is a municipality the size of a small province, but its identity is one city built on hills where two rivers meet — which is why it looks like nowhere else, with streets that become stairs and buildings entered from several levels. It was China's wartime capital, and its hotpot is the most popular food in the country.
What to see
- Hongya Cave at night, and the monorail through the Liziba building
- The Three Gorges Museum and the wartime capital sites
- Ciqikou old town and the mountain-city stair lanes
- The Dazu rock carvings, two hours west
- Wulong's karst and the Furong caves, and the Wujiang river country
What to eat
- Chongqing hotpot — beef tallow, chilli and Sichuan peppercorn
- Small noodles (xiaomian) for breakfast; maocai and grilled fish at night
How to plan
Three days: the city's vertical core, the museums and Dazu.
Best time
March–May and October–November; the city is a 'furnace' in summer
Cities 1
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