Whatever your taste in city sights, be it old buildings, religious structures or places of natural beauty, Chongqing is a destination that has something to appeal. The city is blessed with a varied selection of striking landmarks, traditional Buddhist temples and historically significant locations that provide some excellent photo album material for those visitors fond of reaching for the camera. The awesome Three Gorges Dam is the most notable modern addition to the list, while the UNESCO World Heritage site at Dazu is almost certainly one of the most fascinating cultural sightseeing attractions.

The Arhat's Temple
This structure was first erected in the Tang Dynasty (618–907 AD) then later rebuilt and added to by Emperor Zhiping of the Northern Song Dynasty. Emperor Qianlong of the same dynasty added further to the structure and then in the late 19th century, the main hall was added. During WWII, the entire structure was razed to the ground by Japanese air attacks but following the war it was rebuilt to its previous design and specifications. Notable features include the 400 or so statues of the Buddha that line the entrance to the temple, the three bronze statues of the Western Saints and the wall painting of Sakyamuni's visit to Burma.

Chaotian Gate
The Chaotian Gate, or chaotianmen, is one of the city’s top landmarks and marks the point at which the Yangtze and Jialing rivers converge. The gate is included as one of the main sights on many of the boat tours that are available from the city harbour. A square that was recently built in front of the gate is a good spot to take photographs from.

Dazu Rock Carvings
You need to drive for a couple of hours to reach the small town of Dazu where these famous rock carvings are situated but few visitors who make the effort would not agree that it’s worth it. The rock carvings are Buddhist in origin and date from the period beginning the 9th century and ending in the 13th. There are carvings in a variety of styles including Beishan, Baodingshan, Nanshan, Shimenshan and Shizhuanshan. The location of the carvings has been declared a World Heritage site by UNESCO.

Fengdhu Ghost City
This ancient city sits on the Yangtze River’s north bank and was once a part of the Ba Kingdom of the Zhou Dynasty. Local superstition and folklore holds that the souls of the dead come to Fengdhu, hence its spooky appellation. There are some 48 temples in the city, some with creepy titles such as the 'Boundary Between the Living and the Dead’ and the 'Palace of Hell’. Notable features of many of the temples are the life-size statues and the ornate exterior and interior decoration.

Northern Hot Springs Park
Locals and visitors alike flock to this scenic outdoor location where the highlight is unquestionably the collection of ten natural hot springs where the water emitted maintains a constant temperature of between 35 and 37˚C. It’s possible to immerse yourself in the pools into which the spring water collects and the minerals contained in it are said to have significant medicinal properties. Besides the springs, the park is teeming with different specimens of flora with an abundance of tropical and semi-tropical plants, flowers and bamboo trees. There are also a variety of birds that live in the park, including doves, magpies, parrots, cuckoos, owls and crows. Keep your eyes open and there’s a good chance you’ll see hares and squirrels too.

The Three Gorges Dam Project
Hailed as the world's largest hydropower project, the Three Gorges Dam is a miracle of modern engineering and what is considered by authorities to not only provide an alternative for fossil fuels but also to prevent flooding and to conserve the natural features of the river along the majority of its length. The dam is two miles long and 607 feet high and along with the hydroelectric power plant, is expected to be fully operational by 2011.

Wansheng Stone Forest
The drive to the Wansheng Stone Forest takes several hours but it’s worth the effort to see this unusual natural phenomenon that is the oldest of its kind in the country and the second largest after the one in Guilin. Many of the rock formations naturally resemble animals as well as a variety of manmade objects such as pagodas, drums and swords.

Zha Zi Dong
Zha Zi Dong offers visitors an insight into 20th century history in Chongqing, specifically the events surrounding the death of close to 300 political prisoners at the end of the Chinese Civil War. The prison sits in a location at the bottom of the Ge Le Mountain not far from the Bai Gong Guan prison, a facility of a similar nature.

Bathe in the healing waters of the hot springs. The city actually has two sets of springs at entirely different locations. The Northern Hot Springs are located about 52km from the city, while the Southern Hot Springs are somewhat closer at only 18km away. Visitors suffering from skin conditions, arthritis and rheumatism, among other complaints, can benefit from the alleged natural healing properties of the hot water.

Dine out on hot pot. Known locally as huoguo, hot pot is a method of cooking and eating that the city claims it was responsible for inventing (it’s not the only destination that makes such a claim). Hot pot restaurants provide their diners with electric powered (or sometimes charcoal-heated) pans in which they are able to cook their own spicy soup creations using a variety of pre-prepared ingredients and soup bases. The locals like it as fiery as possible but visitors with palates unused to spicy food are advised to approach things cautiously!

Take a river tour. Tours lasting around two and a half hours take in the best sights of the Jialing and Yangtse rivers and are by far the easiest and most comfortable way of covering many of the most popular sightseeing attractions. Boats depart from the Chaotianmen dock at the north-east end of the city’s Yuzhong district.

Visit one of the world’s largest public toilets. It may not seem like an especially attractive place to pay a visit to; however, visitors interested in world records or rather world record attempts, might want to swing by this 32,290 square-foot facility that includes over 1,000 toilets. Among the most notable features are urinals with unusual designs including those made to look like crocodiles and others featuring women’s breasts and made to resemble the Virgin Mary.

Visit the Ba Yu Culture Village. Head for the Lianglu Town in Yubei District to visit the Folk Culture and Custom Village of the people known locally as the bayu wenhuacun. A museum at the site houses some 1,000 different ethnic objects including items of clothing, household articles, Chinese folk handicrafts and more. An ancient temple on the site illustrates the Ba people’s religious beliefs and practices.