Chongqing is a night city, and it knows it

Chongqing spent decades as an industrial river port and got a reputation as grim and foggy. Then it spent a decade building towers on hillsides and lighting all of them, and now the whole place turns into a light show at sunset. Half of what people come to see here only exists after dark.

The good news: you do not need a tour to see it. The bad news: everyone else has the same idea, so timing matters more than location.

Hongya Cave, honestly

Hongya Cave is an eleven-storey stilted building complex on the Jialing river, all warm gold lights at night, and it is the single most photographed thing in the city. It is also, inside, a shopping mall full of snack stalls and souvenir shops that most people find disappointing.

Here is how to enjoy it anyway. Do not go inside expecting architecture. Go to the Qiansimen Bridge, which crosses the Jialing just downstream, walk to the middle of it, and look back. From there you get the full illuminated cascade above the water with the reflections underneath. Twenty minutes of your evening, and worth all of it.

• Lights come on around 7pm and go off at 10pm in most seasons
• Qiansimen Bridge has pedestrian walkways on both sides
• Metro Line 6, Qiansimen Bridge station, puts you at the northern end

The river cruises, and which one to book

The night cruises on the Jialing and the Yangtze are touristy and I still recommend one. Seeing the skyline from water level explains the city in a way the streets do not, because you understand that Chongqing is built on ridges with two rivers cutting through them.

Board at the Chaotianmen docks. Trips run about 45 to 70 minutes depending on route. Two things to know:

• Boats fill up between 8pm and 9pm. Take the 7pm or the 9.30pm sailing if you want space on the open deck.
• Only the top deck is worth it. The lower decks are enclosed and you will be looking at smeared glass.

Ticket prices vary a lot between operators, and buying at the dock is fine outside national holidays. Do not pay for the "VIP" upgrade; it buys you a seat indoors, which is the opposite of the point.

The view from above

Two hillsides are worth the climb. Nanshan, on the south bank, has a viewing platform looking straight back at the peninsula, and it is where locals go to eat and watch the lights. Eling Park on the north side is closer, quieter, and easier to reach by metro plus a short walk.

Go to Nanshan for the panorama, Eling if you only have an hour. Both are better on a clear night, and Chongqing is genuinely foggy for much of the winter, so check the sky before you commit to a long taxi ride.

Where to eat afterwards

Hotpot is the local religion and it is best after ten, when the queues thin. If you have never ordered it, the basics are simple: you choose a broth, you cook your own ingredients, and you dip everything in a bowl of sesame oil and garlic. Ask for the mild broth if you are unsure. The medium is not medium.

If hotpot is not your thing, Chongqing xiaomian, the small bowl of noodles with chilli and pickles, is the everyday dish people actually eat, and it costs about twelve yuan.

Getting around at night

• The metro is cheap and fast but the last trains run around 10.30pm. Check the line you need.
• Ride-hailing works well. Taxis are fine too, but have your destination written in Chinese.
• Streets here stack in three dimensions, so a five-minute walk on the map may be a fifteen-minute climb. Add buffer time.

One night is enough for the classics. Two nights lets you add a noodle breakfast and a ride on the monorail, and after that you start to understand why people who live here are quietly smug about it.

Originally published on 71Asia Tours blog.