Luxury hotels in Chongqing

Chongqing guide

Hongyadong and Chongqing by night

The cliffside complex that lights up over the river is the city's most cited sight. Here is how to see it well.

Hongyadong is a complex of restaurants and shops built down a cliff above the Jialing River in the style of the old stilt houses, and when its lights come on at dusk it is the image of Chongqing. Free to enter and busy every evening, it is the city's most cited attraction.

The best view is from across the river, or from the Qiansimen Bridge just upstream, so arrive before dusk and watch the lights come on. Weeknights are calmer than weekends. Then take a night cruise where the Jialing meets the Yangtze, with both skylines lit on either side.

Chongqing is a mountain city of twelve-lane bridges and buildings that the monorail passes straight through, as at Liziba station. Ride the Yangtze River Cableway across the river, have dinner over a pot of real Chongqing hot pot, and use the city as the starting point for the Three Gorges.