Although not traditionally plugged as a family-holiday destination, Chongqing is a city capable of entertaining visitors of all ages. Parents with little ones in tow will find a number of purpose-built attractions with family appeal, while the national parks located within easy distance of the city, provide for some good opportunities for all members to embrace the ‘great outdoors’.

Chongqing Amusement Park
Not quite on a par with some of Europe and North America’s most famous amusement parks but still capable of holding its own is the Chongqing Amusement Park, best known for its massive Ferris wheel. The park has a variety of rides aimed at visitors of all ages and is the ideal place for a family day out.

Chongqing Zoo
Situated in the city’s western suburbs, Chongqing Zoo is a spacious facility that occupies over 60 hectares of land and is home to some 4,500 animals representing over 230 different species. As with any Chinese zoo, the standards of the animals’ habitats might not match those of western zoos, but the kids probably won’t notice such things so will invariably enjoy a trip to this popular attraction.

Hotel facilities
Book into the right hotel and you can take advantage of a number of facilities that will help entertain the kids on days when its perhaps a little too hot or wet to be venturing outside. The Harbour Plaza, for example, has its own indoor pool in which the little ones can while away many a happy hour irrespective of what the weather is doing.

Parks
Chongqing Jinyunshan National Park and Changjiang Sanxia National Park are both situated in the Chongqing municipality and are the ideal place for families to head to for a picnic on a dry and pleasant afternoon. There are chances to spot some interesting indigenous wildlife species and places to take off your shoes and paddle your feet if the heat gets a little excessive.

With around 3,000 years of history behind it, Chongqing is a city with a rich cultural heritage at its foundation. Visitors will realise this fairly quickly when they begin organising their itinerary as the list of cultural attractions is long and varied. To be sure of seeing the highlights, we’ve narrowed the list down a little to those places commonly considered the most popular. Of those presented below, the Great Hall of the People and its newly built square is perhaps the one that you most definitely should not miss.

Baidi City
Not a genuine city but in fact a small selection of buildings on a historic site atop Baidi Hiull in Fengjie County, Baidi City is otherwise known as White Emperor City and is the starting point of Three Gorges. Besides the interesting architecture of the city’s traditional temples, there are structures daubed with ancient poetry and others featuring ornate carvings and cultural relics hailing from the dynasties of Sui, Yuan, Ming and Qing.

Chongqing China Three Gorges Museum
Located opposite the Great Hall of the People the museum is the largest of its kind in the country and is dedicated not only to preserving the cultural relics of Chongqing and the Three Gorges area but also to educating visitors about their past, present and future and to participating in scientific research on the same subject. Covering a spacious 42,497 square-metre area, the museum houses four separately themed sections: Glorious Three Gorges, Ancient Ba-Yu, The Anti-Japanese War and Chongqing in the 20^th century.

The General Joseph W Stilwell Museum
Located in the Yuzhong Region and occupying an area of 1.2 acres, this museum is dedicated to Joseph W Stilwell, a United States Army four-star general famous for his service in both China and Burma. The museum, which is housed in the general’s former residence, has been a feature of Chongqing since 1991 and is a major draw for American tourists visiting the city. A head-and-shoulders statue of the general sits at the entrance to the museum, while inside are various artefacts including his personal items, pieces of his clothing and various documents.

Great Hall of the People
One of the city’s most recognisable landmarks, the Great Hall of the People is actually a fairly young structure historically, having been built in 1951. Its appearance might suggest that it hails from a different era, however, as its features traditional Chinese architectural influences and bears more than a passing resemblance to Beijing’s Temple of Heaven. A grand square, which sits in front of the hall was added much later (1997) but complements the hall perfectly with its marble tiled floor, fountain, trees and flowers.

Song Qing Ling's Residence
Song Qing Ling (also written as Soong Ch'ing-ling) or Madame Sun Yat-sen was the wife of Sun Yat-sen, modern China’s founder and one of the three Song or Soong sisters. This, her former residence, is interesting architecturally for its colonial German influences and interesting historically for having played home to Song until her death in 1981. The house’s interior has been preserved so as to appear exactly as it did during her lifetime, complete with original furniture and personal effects.

Red Cliff Village
Otherwise known as Hong Ya Dong, Red Cliff Village is one of the city’s most important historical sites from a political perspective. This is the destination at which Mao Zedong and Chiang Kai-shek met for their post-WWII peace negotiations. A museum at the site provides further information on those historic talks and on the activities of the communist party whose headquarters were based there.

Zhang Fei Temple
Sitting on Yangtze River’s south bank, this splendid temple is dedicated to the memory of Zhang Fei, a general who made a name for himself during the Three Kingdoms Period. Inside the temple, the walls are adorned with poetry, calligraphy, paintings and carvings in wood and stone. Outside, the view of the river and its surroundings is one of the finest in the Sichuan Province.

Chongqing cuisine is as tasty as anything you’ll find in China and while the diet of the locals is based on the same staples of rice and noodles, the dishes accompanying them are unique in their combination of ingredients and methods of preparation. Fish is a dominant feature of the local cuisine, with the city’s proximity to the river affording it an abundant supply of different fish species. Pork also features heavily in city’s popular dishes, while herbs, spices and flavourings used include garlic, chilli, vinegar, ginger, star anise and fish sauce.

To feel like you’ve sampled some of the city’s signature dishes during your stay, be sure to try favourite such as lao hu cai (onions and parsley in spicy mustard), doufu yu (fish with tofu), shui zhu rou pian (slices of pork or beef in hot and spicy soup) and shao bai (steamed pork with pickled vegetables). To make sure you get authentic Chongqing cuisine, frequent the eateries favoured by the locals as opposed to those geared specificallytowardstourists.

An abundance of eateries can be found across the city with everything from roadside vendors selling food high on taste and low on presentation to Asian fusion restaurants where Japanese, Thai and Vietnamese food can be found alongside popular Chinese dishes.

Shopping opportunities are plentiful in the city and range from traditional markets selling locally made goods to malls with stores selling branded and imported products. If it’s something typical of Chongqing that you are looking for then be sure to take home some of the locally-grown and prepared tea, with varieties such as Cuiping Silver Needle, Xinong Maojian and Chongqing Tuo among the best. Provided there are no restrictions on bringing food items back into your own country, you might also want to pick up some local delicacies such as Hechuan preserved pear slices, Peiling mustard tuber and Sichuan beef slices.

For handicrafts, look out for the locally made embroidered goods, which are famous across the country and have been a feature of the city since the Southern Song Dynasty. Paper fans in a myriad of sizes, colours and designs are also typical of Chongqing and make for good souvenirs or gifts to take home to friends and family.

The city’s biggest market is the Chaotianmen Market on East Jiefang Road and is the best place to find clothing and textile goods, many made locally or domestically and others imported from across the globe. Prices here are very affordable and this can be the perfect place to grab that item of clothing that you forgot to pack or something entirely new to take back home.

For a wider variety of products, head for the Jiefangbei Commercial Pedestrian Street where you’ll find modern shopping centres, international supermarkets and department stores.

Visitors liking a spot of exercise or physical activity on top of the sightseeing and cultural activities that city offers will find a variety of pursuits to choose from. Certain activities may be offered by clubs only and visitors may need to use the services of an interpreter in order to make use of the facilities as club owners may not have any command of the English language. The best bet for active types is to book into one of the city’s more reputable hotels where tennis courts, swimming pools and fitness centres are often among the facilities on offer.

Boating 
The city’s waterways (including the Yangtze River) are the ideal locations at which to enjoy a spot of boating on a fine afternoon. Visitors can make use of the facilities provided by local organisations such as the Juechi Boating Club, Chongqing Kuixing Boating Club and Chongqing Golden River Boating Club.

Golf
There are several places at which to enjoy a leisurely round of this popular game and all of them are scenic locations blessed with lush green fairways that benefit from the city’s frequent rainfall during the summer season. Courses within the immediate area of the city include Chongqing International Golf Club, Chongqing Riverview Golf & Country Club and Sun Kingdom Hot Spring Golf Club.

Horseback Riding
Grab the chance to see some of the countryside around Chongqing from the perspective afforded by horseback. The Dongfang Shenjun Horse-Riding Club in the Jinfeng Town area is the best-known equestrian facility in Chongqing.

Swimming
There are a number of places to enjoy a swim in Chongqing, some outdoors and some indoors. Public facilities include the Ocean Park Swimming Pool, the Shimen Park Swimming Pool and the Chongqing Debao Swimming Pool, while hotels such as the Hilton and Chongqing Inn have pools available for their guests.

Tennis
Tennis can be enjoyed at a variety of locations, including the Beibin Road Tennis Court, the Olympic Center Tennis Court and the Nanping Yangguang Huating Tennis Court.