Chongqing 3-Day Travel Guide

Sure, no problem! As a travel blogger, I've tailored a 3-day Chongqing budget trip for you with a total of 1500 RMB, offering an excellent experience focused on cost-effectiveness and popular photo spots. Core idea: Choose convenient and lightly luxurious accommodation (not hostels), rely on rail transit for transportation, eat local food, and pick mostly free attractions. --- Chongqing 3-Day 1500 RMB Essential Travel Guide Budget Overview: · Accommodation (2 nights): 300 RMB (Choose exquisite guesthouses or budget hotels near Jiefangbei/Guanyinqiao, book in advance) · Tickets: 0 RMB (Almost all attractions are free) · Transportation: 100 RMB (Mainly rail transit and walking) · Food + Snacks: 700 RMB (Taste authentic local snacks and hotpot) · Other reserves: 400 RMB (For buying specialties, drinks, emergencies, etc.) --- Itinerary Day 1: Arrival & First Magical Experience of the Mountain City · Morning: Arrival and settling in · Arrive in Chongqing, take rail transit to check in near Jiefangbei. · Drop off luggage and travel light. · Afternoon: Jiefangbei → Bayi Road Food Street · Jiefangbei: The city center of Chongqing, perfect for check-in photos. · Bayi Road Food Street: Have lunch here! Start your food journey. · Must-try: Haoyoulai Hot and Sour Noodles, Mountain City Small Glutinous Rice Balls, One Yogurt Cow, Grilled Brain. Budget about 50 RMB. · Evening: Yangtze River Cableway → Hongya Cave Night View · Yangtze River Cableway: Take a one-way ride (recommended from Shangxinjie Station to Xinhua Road Station for fewer people), experience flying over the Yangtze River. One-way ticket 20 RMB. · Hongya Cave: Walk to Hongya Cave and wait for the lights to turn on (usually 7:00-8:00 PM, depending on the season). Don’t go inside; instead, go to Qiansimen Bridge or the riverside below the bridge to capture the classic panoramic view. This is the best photo spot! · Dinner: · Find an authentic old hotpot restaurant near Hongya Cave and order a mildly spicy broth. About 80 RMB per person. Estimated expenses for the day: Accommodation 150 + Transportation 20 + Food 130 = 300 RMB --- Day 2: Artistic Old Streets and City Skyline · Morning: Mountain City Trail → Crown Escalator · Mountain City Trail (Third Trail): The best place to experience Chongqing’s “climbing hills and steps” lifestyle, featuring old city walls and hanging walkways with stunning views. Free. · Crown Escalator: Ride the Crown Escalator at Lianglukou Station, the second longest slope escalator in Asia. One-way ticket 2 RMB (cash or transit code required). · Lunch: · Near the trail or along the rail transit line, find a “Bench Noodles” or small noodle shop to enjoy authentic Chongqing noodles. Budget about 15 RMB. · Afternoon: E’ling No.2 Factory → Liziba Rail Transit Through Building · E’ling No.2 Factory Creative Park: A creative park converted from an old printing factory, filming location of the movie "I Belonged to You," great for photos. Free. · Liziba Rail Transit Through Building: Walk down the trail from the factory (about 15 minutes) to Liziba viewing platform to witness the rail transit passing through a building. Free. · Evening: Nanshan One Tree Viewing Platform · Take a bus or shared taxi to Nanshan and visit the One Tree Viewing Platform (ticket about 30 RMB). If budget is tight, you can go to Nanshan for barbecue and enjoy the night view while eating, equally stunning. Budget about 100 RMB. Estimated expenses for the day: Accommodation 150 + Transportation 20 + Food 115 + Tickets 30 = 315 RMB --- Day 3: Art Warehouse and Departure · Morning: Sichuan Fine Arts Institute (Huangjueping Campus) → Traffic Teahouse · Sichuan Fine Arts Graffiti Street: The entire street is covered with colorful graffiti, full of artistic atmosphere, perfect for photos. Free. · Traffic Teahouse: A hidden old-style teahouse on the street, unchanged for decades, the best place to experience Chongqing’s local life. Order a cup of covered bowl tea (about 10-15 RMB) and sit for the morning. Budget about 15 RMB. · Lunch: · Have lunch near Sichuan Fine Arts Institute, many affordable student-favorite eateries. Try pig trotter soup, tofu pudding rice, etc. Budget about 30 RMB. · Afternoon: Ciqikou Ancient Town (optional) · If time allows, take rail transit to Ciqikou. This popular ancient town is quite commercialized but still worth strolling and tasting snacks. · Note: If time is tight or you dislike crowds, skip it and leisurely buy some specialties (like Chen Mahua fried dough twists, hotpot base) in the city for your return trip. · Evening: End the trip and head to the airport/train station for departure. Estimated expenses for the day: Transportation 30 + Food 45 + Shopping 100 = 175 RMB --- Blogger Tips 1. Transportation: Activate Chongqing rail transit QR code on WeChat/Alipay in advance for easy scanning in and out of stations. 2. Navigation: In Chongqing, phone maps are only for reference. It’s an 8D city; sometimes a 50-meter straight line requires climbing 10 floors. Asking locals is the most reliable! 3. Shoes: Wear the most comfortable flat shoes! You’ll easily walk over 20,000 steps daily. 4. Food: If you can’t eat spicy, be sure to say “mildly spicy” or “no spice” when ordering and prepare stomach medicine. 5. Accommodation: Jiefangbei area is the top choice for tourists with convenient transportation; Guanyinqiao area is a popular shopping district for locals and may offer better accommodation value. Total estimated cost: 300 + 315 + 175 = 790 RMB, leaving over 700 RMB flexible for upgrading meals, buying more specialties, or handling emergencies, all within the 1500 RMB budget! Wish you a great time in Chongqing and amazing photos! Hongya Cave Folk Custom Area