Transportation

Chongqing City's transportation system has been well developed in recent years and is one of the important transport hubs connecting eastern and western China. Chongqing can easily be reached by air, train, water, or long-distance bus. As its economy has improved year by year it has already become the biggest economic center in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River.

In 1995, the first freeway in southwest China, the Chengyu Freeway - which is also known as the Bashu Royal Road, was constructed linking Chengdu with Chongqing. This encouraged further economic development in the area and led to the construction of the other freeways in Chongqing. Thus long distance transportation by road is very convenient. In Chongqing, there are numerous bus lines operating through most of the day and into the night; there are plenty of taxis; and light rail is a new service introduced in 2005. There is also a tourist cableway crossing the river. Tourists will be delighted when they find so many transportation choices in Chongqing.

Chongqing is the biggest state-level municipality in China, linking the cities located in both western and eastern area of China. Following is the detailed information for you to get to the city:

By Air

Currently, Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport (CKG) has 58 domestic and foreign city connections and 70 foreign and domestic airlines operate scheduled flights to Chongqing. Except for Hohhot in Inner Mongolia, all the capital cities of China's provinces have connections to Chongqing. With flights between Chongqing and foreign cities such as Seoul, Tokyo, Nagoya, Bangkok, Munich, and Dusseldorf, tourists can easily reach Chongqing by plane.

To buy plane tickets, it's best to go to the ticket office at No.161, Zhong Shan San Road. They're open from 07:30 to 20:00 each day. Many hotels also offer a ticket booking service.

The main airport Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport is in a northeast suburb of Chongqing, 21kilometers (13 miles) away from the city center. Outside the terminal building you will find airport buses and taxis. All of them shuttle between the airport and the city center every day. A one way ticket for the shuttle bus is CNY 15 per person. They run every 30 minutes from the terminal in the city center located in front of the air ticket center of the Chongqing Civil Aviation at Shangqing Temple (Shangqing Si). If you choose a taxi, the fare is approximately CNY 100, but you need to bargain with the driver before leaving to get the best price.

There are two smaller airports in Chongqing: one is the Wanzhou Wuqiao Airport located in Wanzhou District of Chongqing City. It was built in 2000 and was opened in 2005. It has a 2400 meter (about 1.5 miles) long runway and was the first airport built in the Three Gorges Dam area which will attract many tourists to come here for a visit. The airport operates scheduled flights to Guangzhou, Beijing, Chengdu, Chongqing, Shanghai, Kunming, Yichang, Xian, etc. The transfer flight concourse enables travelers who buy a transfer ticket to stop at Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport for a night when there isn't a connecting flight to their destination. The third airport is Qianzhou Zhoubai Airport located at Zhoubai Town, Qianjiang District of Chongqing City. Building began in 2005 and and it is planned to be opened for use in 2008. It is intending that this airport would operate scheduled flights to Xi'an, Chengdu, Wuhan, Guiyang, and Kunming and it will later be developed into an international port.

 By Train

There are now three large railway stations in Chongqing: one is Chongqing Railway Station (Caiyuanba Railway Station) which is close to Jiefangbei downtown area; the second is Shapingba Railway Station which is located in the Shapingba District; the third is Chongqing North Railway Station which is a newly built station located near Longtou Temple in Yubei District. So pay attention to the station name when buying a train ticket and make sure know how to get there.

Chongqing Railway Station is the center of railway transportation in the Chongqing area. It is at the junction of three main national trunk lines: the Chuan-Qian Railroad (from Chongqing in the north to Guiyang in the south), the Cheng-Yu Railroad (from Chengdu in the west to Chongqing in the east) and the Xiang-Yu Railroad (from Xiangfan, Hubei in the east to Chongqing in the west). On these three lines, travelers can go to most cities in China, including Beijing, Shanghai, Xian, and Chengdu. Although the Chongqing North Railway Station is a bit far from the downtown area, the bus transportation from outside this station is very convenient: There are four bus lines 105, 168, 202, 421 which take passengers from right outside the station to the city zone and another two bus lines 119 and 869 which are just 500 meters (about a quarter of a mile) away from the station. Moreover, Longtou Temple Temporary Coach Station which is located at the left outside of the station operates from 08:00 and 17:00 each day and has services going to destinations such as Dazu, Rongchang, Chengdu, Zizhong, Neijiang, Yibin, Zigong, Dazhou, Yuechi, Guang'an.

By Water

The Chongqing Chaotianmen Dock, at the junction of the Yangtze River and the Jialing River, is one of the busiest ports in China. Chongqing is the best starting point for a Yangtze River Cruise. Taking a cruise ship from Chongqing down the Yangtze River to Wuhan Yichang is now a popular tourist trip. Choose a deluxe cruise ship so that you can have a pleasant and memorable experience on the Yangtze River. There are four categories of ships: the star-rated ship, the foreign tourist ship, the domestic tourist ship, and the common passenger ship. There is more detailed cruise ship information at TravelChinaGuide.

Tourists can take the ship at Chongqing Chaotianmen Dock to reach Yichang, Hankou, Shanghai, Nanjing, etc. The tour ship and quick ship's information on the popular route Chongqing → Yichang is provided in the following for reference:
Note: The time in the form is just the normal scheduled time from the first night to the second night; please check the exact time of arriving at the different city ports before taking the ship. The whole journey between Chongqing and Yichang takes about one day and two nights (about 33 hours).

By Long-distance Bus

There are about seven long distance bus stations in Chongqing which makes traveling from here very convenient. The following detailed information may help you locate the right bus stations and services.

Chongqing Chaotianmen Bus Station
Address: Located next to the Chaotianmen Dock
Getting there: Take a city bus 102,103, 104, 112, 130, 141, 151, 215, 224, 262, 265, 272, 280, 372, 382, 418, 461, 466, 471, 476, 503, 602, 832, 852, 866, 871, or 875.

Note: The information in '()' refers to which province or municipality the foregoing destination belongs to.

Chongqing North Bus Station
Address: Opposite Chongqing Mingcheng Auto Sales at No.16 Hongjing Avenue, Yubei District, Chongqing City
Getting there: Take the city bus 202.

Chongqing Bus Station
Address:  No.12 Caiyuan Road, Yuzhong District, adjacent to Chongqing Railway Station
Getting there: Take a city bus 279, 280, 318, 319, 325, 347, 365, 419, 429, 808, 819, 872, or 873.

Chongqing Long Distance Bus Station
Address: No.1 Caiyuanba Zheng Street, Yuzhong District, Chongqing City
Getting there: Take a city bus 102, 108, 115, 117, 120, 122, 125, 130, 168, 232, 280, 363, 419, 503, 828, 832, 852, or 862.

Chongqing Shapingba Bus Station
Address: No.58 Tianchen Road, Shapingba District, Chongqing City
Getting there: Take the city bus 133.

Chongqing Nanping Bus Station
Address: No.3 Nanping Road (South), Nan'an District, Chongqing City
Getting there: Take a city bus 125B, 252, 301, 305, 319, 348, 349, or 383.

Chongqing Chenjiaping Bus Station
Address: No.39 Shiyang Road, Chongqing City
Getting there: Take a city bus 203, 206, 209, 258, or 263.

With the rapid development of economy, the urban transportation system in Chongqing City is becoming perfect. Tourists who visit Chongqing feel very convenient with the varied public means of transportation:

By City Bus

Public transportation in town is very convenient within nearly 300 bus lines operating. Normally, buses run from 05:30 to 21:00 and the ticket fare is CNY 1 or 2. There are other options such as minibuses, air conditioned buses, and tourist routes. A word of warning: city buses are very crowded during rush hours, so try to avoid them at these times.

Note: From October 12th, 2007, the passengers who take bus at the departure station of any public buses in Chongqing are required to accept the check-up to their baggage by the personnel from Security-Check Department. Considering the security of passengers on the bus, please do not take with the flammable articles and so forth which present significant hazard to get on the bus, and cooperate with the personnel for the check-up work.

By Taxi

The taxis in Chongqing are yellow. Normally the base price is CNY 5 for the beginning 3 kilometers (about 2 miles) and CNY1.8 for each additional kilometer. Like many cities around the world, time while stationary and moving at low speeds is also metered, CNY 5 toll should be paid when you cross the Yangtze River Bridge or the Jialing River Bridge. The rate from 22:00 to 06:00 is slightly higher. Usually, a short journey within 10 kilometers (about 6.miles) costs no more than CNY 20.

To reduce the difficulty of taking a taxi at peak times, the Ministry of Communications in Chongqing has regulated that passengers can share taxis. At some stations there is an organized system for sharing taxis to go to the city center. Passengers take a direction card and the staff will arrange taxi sharing for. The easiest way to explain the charging is with an example: if two persons share a taxi and one gets out, he just pays 80 percent of the price on the meter. When the other gets out he pays the same as the first person plus whatever extra has gone on the meter since the first person got out.

By Cableway

The Jialing River and the Yangtze River at Chongqing can be crossed by cable car. The Jialing River Cableway spans the Jialing River and connects Cangbai Road in the Yuzhong District and Jinsha Street in the Jiangbei District. The Yangtze River Cableway on Xinhua Road crosses the Yangtze River. They run from 07:00 to 21:00. It costs CNY 1.5 per person and takes four to five minutes one-way to cross the cableways.

By Escalator

Believe it or not, escalators are part of the transportation system in Chongqing due to its rugged terrain. The escalator near Chongqing Railway Station is said to be the longest in Asia. There is also one on Kaixuan Road. A small fare is charged for taking the escalators.

By Light Rail

Chongqing has plans to build ten rail lines. The first city rail line in western China, light rail line No. 2, went into operation on June 18, 2005. It runs between the east Jiaochangkou of Jiefangbei (Liberation Monument) Commercial Circle and Xinshan Village of Gaodukou District, passing through Linjiang Men, Huanghua Yuan, Zengjiayan, Niujiaotuo, Daping, Xiejiawan and the zoo. The fare varies from CNY 2 to 4.

• Lucy (2008-02-26 10:30:37)

  The activities of deep indeed, I think the most important thing is for our future work, study and life to inspire and guide. This is a valuable asset.

• Lucy (2008-02-26 10:30:37)

  The activities of deep indeed, I think the most important thing is for our future work, study and life to inspire and guide. This is a valuable asset.

• Lucy (2008-02-26 10:30:37)

  The activities of deep indeed, I think the most important thing is for our future work, study and life to inspire and guide. This is a valuable asset.

• Lucy (2008-02-26 10:30:37)

  The activities of deep indeed, I think the most important thing is for our future work, study and life to inspire and guide. This is a valuable asset.

• Lucy (2008-02-26 10:30:37)

  The activities of deep indeed, I think the most important thing is for our future work, study and life to inspire and guide. This is a valuable asset.