Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport is the main airport serving the city; however, despite its title, it maintains a limited number of international connections and many visitors are obliged to fly into one of the country’s larger international facilities, such as those at Beijing and Shanghai, and then take a connecting domestic flight to Chongqing.
The airport currently operates two terminals, one dedicated to domestic flights and the other to international. The former has a capacity for seven million passengers and the latter for somewhere over a million. A third terminal is due to be constructed but is currently in the planning stages.
The current terminals are equipped with essential facilities including ATMs, bureaux de change, shopping and dining outlets, internet access and information desks.
From Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport to the city, passengers can make use of a regular airport bus service. The alternative is to take a taxi but be warned that even at the airport, few taxi drivers speak any English so be prepared to indicate on a map where you wish to go. Many of the city’s top hotels offer courtesy shuttles for guests with prior reservations, be sure to check the availability of such services at the time of making your booking.
The bus is one option for getting around; however, all bus stop signs and numbers on buses are written in Chinese so figuring out which service to take, what time it will arrive and being able to recognise it when it does arrive, can be something of a challenge. The bus network is extensive and covers a large proportion of the city area so seek the assistance of an English-speaking local and you can take advantage of cheap transportation to all of the popular visitor destinations and attractions.
A monorail system also operates in the city but is still in the early stages of development so its current network provides fairly limited coverage. Right now, it’s useful for getting between destinations in the city centre but in the future it will provide connections with locations further afield.
Trains operate but are really only useful for connecting with destinations beyond the city. A daily service runs between Chongqing and Beijing, taking just 25 minutes to complete the journey. Chongqing has three train stations: the Caiyuanba station in the Yuzhong District, the Shapingba station in the Shapingba District and the Chongqingbeizhan station in the Jiangbei District.
Taxis are readily available and can be hailed in the street or picked up outside major hotels and bus and train stations. Fares are metered and it’s illegal for drivers to not use the meter so be sure to decline the service of any driver who tells you his is out of action. Very few taxi drivers have any command of English so you will need to carry a map with you in order to show your desired destination; alternatively, you can have a member of staff at your hotel write your destination in Chinese for you to give to the driver.
Very good Hotel, had very good service and rooms. Only disappointment was the hotel arranged a trip for us with a less then honorable tour company. Western food was good, but it has the Chinese style...
