Chongqing 2-Day Private Tour: City Highlights & Rock Carvings

Ride the Yangtze cable car and walk among 2,300-year-old cliff carvings

A 2-day private tour of Chongqing and the surrounding region, with a professional English-speaking guide and private vehicle throughout. Day one covers the city's landmarks: Eling Park, the Crown Escalator, the People's Auditorium, a Yangtze River cable car crossing, and Hongya Cave. Day two travels to Dazu to explore Baodingshan's Tang Dynasty rock carvings at a UNESCO site, then returns through Ciqikou, an ancient porcelain-making town with Ming and Qing architecture. Hotel pickup and all entrance tickets are included.

Step-by-step itinerary

Day 1: City highlights

• Visit Eling Park
• Ride the Crown Escalator
• Experience Chongqing light rail
• Tour People's Auditorium
• Try Chongqing Hotpot
• Ride Yangtze River cable car
• Explore Hongya Cave

Day 2: Dazu carvings and porcelain village

• Visit Baodingshan carvings
• Enjoy local restaurant meal
• Explore Ciqikou Old Town
• Return to Chongqing hotel

The experience

Chongqing sits where mountains and rivers divide the city into three sections, and the first day shows you why that geography matters. You start at Eling Park on the city's western edge, then ride Asia's longest escalator (112 meters, running 2 minutes and 30 seconds) to experience what locals call the Crown Escalator. The light rail that follows is the real oddity: it runs through mountains, under the river, and even passes through a residential building where the station sits inside the structure itself. Between these landmarks you'll visit the People's Auditorium, built in the 1950s in Ming and Qing style, and stop for Chongqing hotpot before boarding the Yangtze cable car, where you cross the river suspended above the water with the city spreading below.

Hongya Cave closes the first day. It has stood for more than 2,300 years and holds the most complete group of traditional stilted buildings in Chongqing, built into the mountainside and leaning toward the river. The Monument to Liberation, erected in 1945 to mark the end of the Japanese occupation, stands within the same complex. Your guide brings you back to your hotel as the day ends.

Day two takes you south to Dazu and the Baodingshan carvings, a UNESCO site where two groups of rock sculptures dating from the late 12th to mid-13th century fill a U-shaped gorge near the Holy Longevity Monastery. The larger western group stretches about 500 meters and contains 31 groups of figures carved in Tantric Buddhist style, alongside scenes of ordinary life and herding. After lunch at a local restaurant, you travel back toward Chongqing and stop at Ciqikou, an old porcelain-making town that dates to the late Ming Dynasty. The saying goes "one flagstone road, one thousand years' Ciqikou", and walking its two and three-story buildings of bamboo, timber, and blue brick, with vermilion doors and lattice windows, you see why. Your guide returns you to your downtown hotel when the tour ends.

What’s included

• Hotel or Chaotianmen Pier pickup and drop-off.
• all entrance tickets to the landmarks and sites listed.
• a professional English-speaking guide.
• private vehicle transfers throughout the tour.

Before you book

Days and timesEvery dayDeparts at 09:00

Book up to12h before

AgesAdult (11 and older) · Child (3 to 10 years) · Infant (under 3): free

GroupPrivate

Live guideEnglish and Chinese

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup included.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.

Prices and times updated 11 days ago

Good to know

Moderate physical effortStroller-friendlyPublic transport nearbyInfants must sit on laps

Operated by Shanghai Advisor Tour

Is this one for you?Book this tour if you want a guide who can answer questions as you move between stops and adjust the pace to your interests. A private vehicle and dedicated guide suit travelers who prefer not to navigate Chongqing's steep terrain and divided geography on their own, and who want time to linger at the rock carvings or the porcelain village without keeping to a group schedule.

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Top questions

What languages is the tour guided in?

Live guide in English and Chinese.

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Child (3 to 10 years); Infant (under 3): free.

What is the Crown Escalator in Chongqing?

The Crown Escalator is said to be Asia's longest, running 112 meters with a total ride time of 2 minutes and 30 seconds. It's one of the unusual landmarks that reflects how Chongqing's steep terrain shapes daily life in the city.

What can I see at Dazu Rock Carvings?

Baodingshan at Dazu holds two groups of Tang Dynasty-era carvings from the late 12th to mid-13th century, with the larger western group stretching about 500 meters and containing 31 groups of figures depicting Tantric Buddhist themes and scenes of ordinary life. The site is a UNESCO World Heritage location.

What is Ciqikou Old Town known for?

Ciqikou is an ancient porcelain-making village dating to the late Ming Dynasty, with traditional architecture of bamboo, timber, and blue brick buildings. The town preserves Ming and Qing-dynasty style, with residents still practicing traditional crafts and ways of life.

Does the tour include meals?

The tour includes a stop for Chongqing hotpot on day one and lunch at a local restaurant on day two. Other meals are not included.

What is the Yangtze cable car experience like?

The cable car crosses the Yangtze River, which divides Chongqing into three sections. Passengers stand suspended above the water with views of the river and downtown Chongqing spreading below, offering a perspective on how the river shapes the city's geography.

Is this tour private or shared?

This is a private tour, meaning you have your own professional English-speaking guide and private vehicle throughout both days, with better access to your guide for questions and a more personalized experience.