I lived out one of my childhood dreams recently by visiting the city of Chongqing (in China) and seeing the Yangtze River for the first time….an inspirational experience which lived up to expectations.
The city of Chongqing is phenomenal. A trip on the Chongqing Cable Car should be on your list. There are two Cable Car roues in Chongqing and I used only one of them – the one I dreamed of – crossing the Yangtze River. The other Cable Car crosses the Jialing River.
How to get to the Chongqing Cable Car
Chongqing is massive with roughly about 4 or 5 different CBDs, a city of endless skyscrapers. That said, it has an easy to understand bus network (with English translations) and a metro system which stretches far and wide which is nearly finished. The entrance to the Chongqing Cable Car across the Yangtze is on Changjiang Suodao and from the Liberation Monument, it’s roughly a 10 minute walk, nestled beside the Metro Station Xiaoshizi, which is on line 1 and line 6.
The price s 5RMB (Yuan) one way or 10RMB (Yuan) for a return.
The information is also now translated into English as Chongqing becomes a lot more modern.
The ticket acts as a nice souvenir too since it’s so colorful and vibrant.
Chongqing has an impressive skyline and the Cable Car gives you a really good view of it from either side.
The operating times are important to bear in mind. The last one across at night is 10 pm, so honestly try and go in the daytime, otherwise you might have to bus it home from the other side. Plus this is a city that deserves to be savoured in daylight. Although the night lights are pretty, it’s so much better during the day.
What is there to do on the other side?
On the other side of Chongqing, as you’d imagine there’s a load more skyscrapers, restaurants, shops and bars. Think of it as a massive sprawling city of endless options. Nearby is the restaurant district on Nanan Binjiang Lu, which is a 15 minute walk heading back along the banks of the Yangtze with the river on your right.
Jonny Blair is a self confessed traveling nomad who founded and blogs at Don’t Stop Living. He sees every day as an adventure. Since leaving behind his home town of Bangor in Northern Ireland ten years ago he has traveled to all seven continents, working his way through various jobs and funding it all with hard work and an appetite for travel. Don’t Stop Living, a lifestyle of travel’ contains over 1,000 stories and tips from his journeys round the globe. He wants to show others how easy it is to travel the world, give them some ideas and encourage them to do the same but most of all he aims to constantly live a lifestyle of travel. He is currently based in Hong Kong and on Twitter @jonnyblair.
