Starting December 1st, travelers from 53 countries can enjoy a 144-hour visa-free period when transiting through Chongqing. At 10:00 of that day, three foreigners from Bangkok, Thailand arrived in the city, becoming its first group of applicants for the service.
“This is one of the easiest entry procedures I have ever experienced. The instructions for application are clear. I enjoy the process.” Sant Anne Maria, a French Professor of Medicine, and her two fellow travelers, who will attend a medical seminar in Chongqing, were granted permissions within 10 minutes. Losser Claudi, one of the fellow travelers, said: “144-hour visa-free transit is amazing, giving us six days to enjoy the city. I hope I will visit Chongqing again as a tourist to understand its charm better.”
To secure implementation of the policy and facilitate efficient completion of entry procedures, Chongqing General Station of Exit and Entry Frontier Inspection set up a special area to issue the Temporary Entry Permit for travelers applying for visa-free transit. Officers speaking English, Russian, German, Japanese, French, Korean, etc. will assist foreigners. The Chinese-English bilingual hotline is also opened to answer policy-related questions.
Thanks to the policy, foreign visitors can have a great six-day trip to Chongqing. Let’s look at some worth-trying routes!
Tongjing hot spring scenic spot.
The scenic area is rich in hot springs and takes the lead in China with abundant resources, high temperature, excellent water quality, and high value in medical popularization.
Itinerary: Take the one-hour ride from the airport to Tongjing Hot Spring Scenic Area in Yubei District. Take the ship to enjoy the Xiayuan Scenic Spot. Stay in a hot spring hotel for pleasant bathing.
D2 Longxing Ancient Town - Hongyadong
● Longxing Ancient Town
Longxing Ancient Town
Itinerary: Take the 40-minute ride to Longxing Ancient Town for a half-day trip.
Longxing Ancient Town is a famous historical and cultural town of Chongqing. It is well-preserved with over 70 cultural ruins in eight groups. Typical buildings include ancient temples, ancient villages, ancestral shrines and dwellings on old streets. Visitors can also enjoy some traditional folk activities here.
Chongqing Hongyadong.
Itinerary: Return to the main urban areas of Chongqing and visit Hongyadong at night
Hongyadong features stilted buildings, which stand on steep mountains facing the Jialing River and from afar look like floating in the air. It connects the riverside and Jiefangbei. Tourists should visit Hongyadong to have a close look at the old but bustling Chongqing.
D3 Main Urban Areas
Pandas at Chongqing Zoo.
Itinerary: Visit Chongqing Zoo for giant pandas.
As China’s national treasure, giant pandas are popular worldwide. It’s a great opportunity to see the cute animal in Chongqing Zoo.
Foreigners are enjoying hotpot. (Photo from CQCB)
Itinerary: Try hotpot.
Trying local hotpot is a must-do thing in Chongqing. Tourists can easily select one from the ubiquitous hotpot stores!
D1 Wulong District
Wulong Three Natural Bridges.
Itinerary: Take the two-and-a-half-hour ride from the airport to Wulong District. Visit the Three Natural Bridges, standing within the Wulong Karst National Geology Park, itself a part of the South China Karst-Wulong Karst UNESCO World Heritage Site. The naturally-formed limestone bridges are impressive.
Jinfo Mountain (Photo by Xu Peng)
Itinerary: Take the one-and-a-half-hour ride from Wulong District to Nanchuan District. Visit Mount Jinfo, the World’s Natural Heritage. Return to the main urban areas of Chongqing.
D3 Dazu Rock Carvings-Chongqing International Circus City
Dazu Rock Carvings.
Itinerary: Take the one-and-a-half-hour ride from Dazu District to Dazu Rock Carvings, a World’s Heritage Site. Return to the main urban areas of Chongqing.
● Chongqing International Circus City
International circus festival.
Itinerary: Go to the Chongqing International Circus City for a world-class acrobatic performance at night.
Chongqing International Circus City sits on the Danzishi Old Street of Nanbin Road. The colorful spherical building is 90 meters in diameter with a two-layer grandstand, which can contain 1,498 spectators. The City will stage thrilling circus performances, such as exciting Flying Trapeze, cute animal shows, and mysterious magic.
D4 Main Urban Areas
Itinerary: Take the one-hour ride to the airport after visiting the main urban areas.
Itinerary: Take a bus (3.5h) or a bullet train (2h) to Wanzhou Grand Waterfalls Scenic Spot.
Wanzhou Grand Waterfall.
Wanzhou Grand Waterfalls, 151m wide, 64.5m high with an area of 9,739.5m2, is the biggest and widest waterfall in Asia. The scenic spot possesses green mountains, clear waters, a wide waterfall, odd caves, serene ponds, large lakes and beautiful rainbows. The 1,600-square-meter Shuiliandong (water curtain cave) below the waterfall looks amazing.
Itinerary: Take a bus (2.5h) from Wanzhou District to Yunyang Longgang Scenic Spot to experience the world’s longest glass bridge and the cliff swing.
Yunyang Longgang Scenic Spot.
Yunyang Longgang Scenic Spot is praised as a miniature of Huashan Mountain by outdoor enthusiasts. The main tourist attractions include Longgang Tiankeng, Skywalk on Clouds, Dragon Cave Gorge, Qishan Meadow, Ancient Great Wall planted with Trumpet Vine, Qiyang Pass Ancient Road, etc. Standing on the Skywalk on Clouds on the 1,010-meter-high cliff, you can have a panoramic view of the surrounding landscapes.
D3 Zhang Fei Temple in Yunyang County — Fuling District
● Zhang Fei Temple in Yunyang
Zhang Fei Temple, located at riverside
Itinerary: Visit Zhang Fei Temple in the morning.
Zhang Fei Temple was built to commemorate Zhang Fei, a famous general of the state of Shu Han in the Three Kingdoms period. It has a history of more than 1,700 years. Being built facing the river and against the mountain, the magnificent temple consists of an ancient architectural complex with unique ingenuity, with abundant inscriptions, calligraphy works, and paintings in the temple.
● Baiheliang Underwater Museum in Fuling District
Baiheliang Underwater Museum.
Itinerary: Take a bus (3.5h) from Yunyang County to Fuling District to visit the Baiheliang Underwater Museum, the only museum at the bottom of a river in the world.
The Underwater Stele Forest embodies the extensive and profound Chinese culture. Baiheliang Underwater Museum was hailed as the world’s first ancient hydrologic station, the world’s repository of hydrological data and the Underwater Stele Forest. It is the only national key cultural relic among all Three Gorges cultural relic landscapes.
D4 Wuling Mountain Rift Valley Scenic Spot in Fuling District — Main Urban Area of Chongqing
Wuling Mountain Rift Valley Scenic Spot.
Itinerary: Visit Wuling Mountain Rift Valley Scenic Spot and take a bus (3h) back to the main urban area to stroll along the alleys of the Mountain City.
There is a primitive karst rift valley about 10km long in the core area of the Wuling Mountain Rift Valley.
D5 Urban Area
Itinerary: Take a bus (1h) to the airport after traveling in the urban area
Zhuoshui Ancient Town
Itinerary: Fly to Qianjiang District from Chongqing to visit Zhuoshui Ancient Town, taste delicacies and check in a hotel there.
Zhuoshui Ancient Town integrates stilted buildings, wharves, and a commercial town. With a history of 1,000 years, it is one of the most famous ancient towns in Southeast Chongqing. The pattern of streets and lanes remains relatively complete, with the strong flavor of ancient towns in Southeast Chongqing. Zhuoshui Fengyu Bridge spanning the Apeng River is the longest covered bridge in Asia.
D2 Puhua Underground River in Qianjiang District — Chiyou Jiuli Town in Pengshui County
● Puhua Underground River in Qianjiang District
Itinerary: Take a boat to visit the Puhua Underground River in the morning.
Puhua Underground River Scenic Area lies on the Zhuoshui Section, Puhua Underground River, Qianjiang District. The scenic area comprises the Red Cave, the Underground River of about 2km long and Overwater Three Natural Bridges, integrating the river, bridge, gorge, and cave. Forming in the Mesozoic Triassic period about 250 million years ago, it is one of the typical representatives of karst cave wonders in China.
● Chiyou Jiuli Town in Pengshui County
Chiyou Jiuli Town in Pengshui County.
Itinerary: Take a bus to visit Chiyou Jiuli Town, dance with Miao girls and check in a hotel.
Chiyou Jiuli Town is the largest traditional Miao architectural complex in China, including such buildings as the Landmark Gate Tower, Jiudao Gate, Jiuli Palace, Jiuli Tribe, Chiyou Grand Hall, Baimiao Corridor, Jiuli Blessed Pillar, Martial Arts Field and the Food Street.
D3 Anzi Miao Village in Pengshui County
Itinerary: Visit Anzi Miao Village, make Ciba (a Chinese glutinous rice cake) and appreciate the most charming karst stone forest. Fly to the urban area of Chongqing from Qianjiang District.
Anzi Miao Village is a tourist attraction of ethnic customs that integrates streets, songs, dances, villages, cultural customs and natural landscapes of the Miao nationality. You can experience the authentic ethnic customs of the nationality there.
D4 Sightseeing in the Urban Area
Itinerary: Watch the CRT train running through high-rise buildings, visit the Huangjueping Graffiti Street and other popular destinations online, and take a bus (1h) to the airport.
Source: Chongqing Municipal Committee of Culture and Tourism Development
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