Chongqing Hotpot Tour: Taoist Caves & Hongya Night

See Chongqing's hidden temples and eat the city's most iconic meal in one day

A full-day guided tour of Chongqing blending old and new: explore a rarely-visited Taoist cave temple, walk part of the ancient Tea-Horse trade route, lunch and tea with locals at Xiahaoli, then cap the day with hotpot dinner and Hongya Cave's night views over the river. Live guide in English, Chinese or Cantonese. Children from age 3 welcome.

Step-by-step itinerary

Explore Chongqing's culture and cuisine

• Visit Laojun Cave temple
• Walk historic Tea-Horse Road
• Lunch and tea at Xiahaoli
• Photo stop at People’s Great Hall
• Visit thousand-year-old Buddhist temple
• Explore Chongqing commercial heart
• Enjoy views from Kuixing Pavilion
• Experience Chongqing hotpot dinner
• Visit Hongya Cave at night

The experience

If you've just arrived in Chongqing or have a free day and want to skip the usual tourist loop, this tour moves through the city's real layers: the hidden, the historic, and the lived-in. You start at Laojun Cave, a Taoist temple carved into cliffs in central Chongqing, where incense and ancient stone carvings sit undisturbed. From there you walk a stretch of the Tea-Horse Road, the trade route that once connected Sichuan to Tibet, then drop into Xiahaoli, a riverbank pocket of street art and local life tucked away from the main drag. Lunch happens at a neighborhood eatery, followed by a Baba tea session: the unhurried kind where locals sit under trees and talk for hours.

The afternoon swings between quiet and grand: you pass the People's Great Hall (a photo stop that fuses Chinese tradition with Soviet-era scale), visit a thousand-year-old Buddhist temple filled with arhat statues and historic frescoes, and climb to Kuixing Pavilion for views of the Jialing River layered against the mountains. Then comes the meal Chongqing is known for. Hotpot happens at a local favorite where you choose your broth heat (mild, fiery, or split down the middle), and cook raw ingredients in a bubbling pot at your table. The day ends at Hongya Cave after dark, when the stilted buildings light up over the riverbank in a scene that looks pulled from another world.

Transport between sites is by taxi with your guide. The whole day runs from morning into evening. A live guide speaks English, Chinese, or Cantonese, and the tour welcomes children from age 3.

What’s included

• Taxi transport between all sites.
• entrance fees and activities at each stop.
• a locally-prepared lunch at Xiahaoli followed by an authentic Baba tea session.
• a traditional Chongqing hotpot dinner with your choice of broth spice level.

Before you book

Days and timesEvery dayDeparts at 09:00

AgesAdult (18 to 70 years) · Child (3 to 17 years) · Under 3: can't be booked

GroupUp to 16

Live guideEnglish, Cantonese and Chinese

Audio guideSpanish, French, German and Italian

Meeting point and pickupNo hotel pickup: you go to the meeting point. Ends at a different place from where it starts.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.It may be canceled due to bad weather or if the minimum number of travelers isn't reached. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund.

Prices and times updated 11 days ago

Good to know

Low physical effortPets welcomePublic transport nearby

Operated by China Explorer Tour

Is this one for you?This tour works best for first-time visitors, culture seekers, and foodies who want to move beyond the main attractions: the full-day pace and mix of quiet temples, local neighborhoods, and iconic meals gives you a real sense of how Chongqing actually feels, not just what it looks like.

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Top questions

What languages is the tour guided in?

Live guide in English, Chinese and Cantonese.

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Child (3 to 17 years). Children under 3 can't be included in the booking.

What happens if it rains?

It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund. Free cancellation up to 24 h before the start.

What is Laojun Cave and why is it worth visiting?

Laojun Cave is a rarely-visited Taoist temple carved into cliffs in central Chongqing, filled with incense smoke and ancient stone carvings. It's one of the tour's quietest moments and sits hidden enough that most visitors to the city never find it.

What happens during the Baba tea session at Xiahaoli?

The Baba tea session is an unhurried local ritual where you sit under the trees at a neighborhood eatery, sip tea, and watch how Chongqing residents spend their afternoons. It follows lunch and gives you a real slice of daily life in the mountain city.

How does the hotpot dinner work?

Hotpot is a communal meal where you sit at a table with a bubbling broth pot and cook raw ingredients yourself. You choose the broth heat level (mild, fiery, or half-and-half), and the restaurant provides local ingredients that define Chongqing's most iconic meal.

What is Hongya Cave and when do you visit it?

Hongya Cave is Chongqing's most famous night view: stilted buildings lit up over the riverbank. You visit after dark at the end of the day, when the lights transform the architecture into a scene that looks like a fantasy movie.

What time does the tour start and end?

The tour runs a full day from approximately 9:00 AM to 8:00 PM, giving you time to move through the city's quieter sites in the morning and build toward the evening's food and lights.