Name: Chongqing: Vertical Living and Historic Hideaways
Brand: WildChina
SKU: 1

About this Journey

Discover Chongqing’s soul through the narratives that shaped it. The city’s layered identity reflects its wartime legacy, its Buddhist heritage, and its dramatic landscape of mountains and rivers. This journey brings these elements together to present a vivid portrait of one of China’s great mountain metropolises.

What we love

Gliding along the river arteries for sweeping views of the three-dimensional vertical city
Adding a splash of color to Chongqing’s ever-changing canvas on Graffiti Street
Stepping into a colossal declassified Cold War project hidden deep within a mountain

Map

Itinerary

Day 1The Vertical City

Explore Chongqing’s past and present through interactive exhibits at the Chongqing Planning Exhibition Hall before venturing into the city • Wander Xiahao Old Street for a glimpse of the city as it was in the Qing Dynasty • Glide upstream along the Yangtze River for a distinct, water-level perspective of iconic Hongya Cave and Chongqing’s stunning urban panorama.

Day 2Culture and Lifestyle

Leave a mark on Graffiti Street, an ever-evolving open-air gallery where urban art transforms a neighborhood into a colossal canvas • Step back in time at Jiaotong Teahouse, where elderly locals sip inexpensive tea and preserve the spirit of old Chongqing • Discover the story of the WWII Sino-American alliance at the Stilwell Museum and Flying Tigers Museum • Dine in a former WWII air-raid tunnel at Bomb Shelter Hot Pot, where history meets the communal energy of Chongqing’s signature spicy meal.

Day 3Ancient Spirituality or 20th-Century Secrets

Tailor this day to your interests:

• Option A: Sacred Art of the Dazu Rock Carvings
Explore the UNESCO-listed Dazu Rock Carvings, where masterpieces from the 9th to 13th centuries — serene Buddhas, lively deities, and intricate mythological scenes — adorn the hillsides. Here, Buddhist, Taoist, and Confucian values converge in stone to form one of China’s most profound expressions of spiritual art.

• Option B: Baiheliang Underwater Museum & 816 Underground Nuclear Project
Descend 40 meters beneath the Yangtze to the world’s only underwater inscription museum at Baiheliang, where 1,200-year-old hydrological markings remain preserved. Continue to the 816 Underground Nuclear Project, a once-secret Cold War construction carved deep into a mountain, offering a stark reminder of China’s modern historical struggles and sacrifices.

Day 4Nature

Step into the Wulong Karst, a UNESCO World Heritage Site where towering limestone formations shape one of China’s most dramatic landscapes. Walk across the three natural stone bridges —Tianlong, Qinglong, and Heilong — spanning deep river valleys. Descend into vast sinkholes and gorges that doubled as the backdrop for Transformers 4. Visit the ancient Tianfu Post Station tucked beneath cliffs, and experience a landscape where geological wonder meets cinematic legend.

Hotels

The Manque Hotel

Local Boutique

Housed in a meticulously restored building, the Manque Hotel once served as the offices of Asiatic Petroleum and the British Embassy during WWII.

Photos

Details

What’s Included

Services of an English-speaking WildChina local guide
Accommodation based on double occupancy with breakfasts included
All overland transfers with private chauffeur and in-transport refreshments
Private chauffeur service to and from airport at start and end of your trip
All admission fees and activity expenses, as noted in the itinerary
Meals as noted in the itinerary with complimentary drinking water

What’s Excluded

International and domestic flights, domestic trains, plus relevant taxes
Chinese tourist visa, which is required for most foreign passport holders
Travel and medical insurance
Meals, apart from those included in the itinerary, and alcohol
Expenses of a personal nature
Excursions and activities not included in the itinerary
Discretionary gratuities for guides and drivers

Next Steps

How do I book this tour?

Please use the inquiry form on the right-hand side of this page or email info@wildchina.com to get started. One of our travel designers will be in touch accordingly to start the process of planning your custom China trip!

What is the payment schedule?

1. Deposit:

Once you are ready to book, a $500 USD per person planning fee is required to begin reserving your arrangements. This will go towards your total trip costs and will be taken off your final balance amount.

2. Full payment:

Full trip payment will be requested 60 days prior to departure. If you’re booking within 60 days of your departure, you may be asked to pay make the full payment straight away.

Payments can be made via credit card, bank transfer, WeChat or Alipay.

What is your cancellation policy?

See our full booking conditions here.

Why WildChina

We’re on the ground with you

During the planning phase, our team of specialist travel advisors based in China will design every detail of your trip with you. When you’re on the ground, they will then orchestrate your entire journey, maintaining close contact with each of your guides throughout your trip to ensure you’re having the best journey possible. With offices in Beijing, Shanghai and Chengdu, and an expansive network of operational partners across the country, we are committed to ensuring that your journey is safe, reliable and comfortable from beginning to end.

Your trip, your way

Flexibility is our highest-ranking complement. With over two decades of experience, we’ve run just about every type of journey you can imagine. No request is too strange, too extreme, or too exclusive. Our team regularly pulls off unprecedented logistical feats; nearly any time frame or budget is within our realm. No matter how you wish to experience China, we are here to bring that dream to life.

We embody passion

WildChina’s guides are carefully handpicked for their knowledge and charisma, then meticulously trained to maintain our exceptional service standards. They are expert storytellers and passionate natives of the regions where they guide, having the perfect combination of local insights and service know-how to bring you seamless once-in-a- lifetime moments all across China.

The little things, the big picture

We firmly believe that supporting local people and economies allows you to experience the soul of a destination, while also protecting and cultivating China’s cultures. From watching artisans’ hand–make shoes in Yunnan, to picking organic vegetables for dinner on a local farm in Fujian, our tours are designed to showcase and protect China’s heritage, both natural and human.

Chongqing: Vertical Living and Historic Hideaways

Have questions?