Transportation

The most overwhelming aspect of any big city has to be public transportation. Most travelers never venture out of the “taxi comfort zone.” Being able to understand and use the public transportation available, however, can open the city up to you in ways you may never experience otherwise. And if you’re a volunteer like myself scraping by each month on a living allowance, you’ll find taxis are just not an affordable option.

You have many options to choose from: Taxi, Bus, Light Rail, Plane, Long Distance Bus, and Train.

Note: Some Bus Tips may show more than one stop. The first stop listed is the closest, the second is not as exact, but generally has more buses that stop there.

Did You Know?

No Tones? No problem! Can’t master those four pesky tones in Mandarin Chinese? Well, here you’re in luck because neither can most of the people in Chongqing! When speaking to the taxi drivers, bus drivers, and sometimes even the light rail attendants, you may find that even if you speak the most standard Putonghua you will receive a blank stare in return. Try your luck with variations on the pinyin or stick to showing them the characters until you’ve heard enough of the dialect to drawl like a local.