Getting To & Around Chongqing
A vertical metro, a train through a building, a river cable car, and why addresses are useless in the 8D city.
Arriving
Chongqing Jiangbei Airport (CKG) is 20 km north — Metro Line 10 reaches the center in 40 minutes; a DiDi is ¥60 and 30 minutes. High-speed rail links Chongqing to Chengdu (1.5 hours), Xi'an (5 hours) and Beijing (8 hours).
Getting around
Chongqing's metro (10+ lines) is the city's spine — but the geography is vertical: stations are stacked on cliffs, and exits open on different street levels. Check the exit letter before you surface. The monorail Line 2 threads through a building (the famous Liziba train-through-building).
Taxis & ride-hailing
DiDi works everywhere; taxis are metered. Addresses are useless in Chongqing's vertical maze — always use the map pin. Few drivers speak English.
The cable car
The Yangtze River cable car (¥20) crosses the river in 4 minutes — a transit ride and a view in one.
Locals' Tip
Use DiDi with a map pin, never an address — Chongqing's vertical geography makes street numbers meaningless.