Livin’ in The Chonx

Chao Tian Men 朝天门
• Public area—Free admission; No opening/closing hours

This is the place to go to see where the two rivers of Chongqing intersect (the Yangtze is the suspiciously browner of the two). Also not a bad place to catch the sunset, people watch, and try your hand at carnival style dart gun stands. In early spring you can see hundreds of people flying kites here too. This also happens to be where all cruises to the Three Gorges cruises start, so there are several booking offices in and around the area. Be wary of the map and souvenir hawkers—similar quality bilingual maps can be purchased cheaper at any of the bookstores around town.

Jialing River (嘉陵江) Night Cruises: Get up close and personal with the nightscape of Chongqing. These boats take about two hours to cruise back and forth between the Yangtze and Jialing rivers. Boarding is between 6-8 pm and boats set off around sunset (keep in mind the good seats around the upper decks might fill up fast). 68 RMB (no dinner); 88 RMB (dinner included)—depending on how close it is to departure time you may be able to bargain the price down a little.

Bus Tip: 朝天门

Luo Han Si 罗汉寺
• Admission 10 RMB

Unlike most temples that are nestled and secluded upon the ridges of mountains, this Buddhist temple is tucked away between skyscrapers next to the bustling shopping district of Jiefangbei. In a recent claim to fame this temple was also the primary site for the movie Crazy Stone (疯狂的石头) set in Chongqing. Look for the 400 terracotta Arhat (one who has achieved enlightenment), but you should probably hurry—the temple is undergoing renovation and they plan on replacing the terracotta Arhat with 400 jade Arhats.

Bus Tip: 小什字 then walk towards Carrefour (家乐福)