2 Days Chongqing Tour with Dazu Rock Carvings

Day-by-day Itinerary

1. Day 1: Chongqing City Tour
   Ancient Streets, Cultural Museums, Unique Railways & Vibrant Night Scenes

   Welcome to our 2-day Chongqing tour! Upon your arrival at airport / train station, the local private will pick you up from the exit gate by holding a welcome board and transfer you to visit the Ciqikou Ancient Town, which has a dozen or so streets and alleys lined with Ming and Qing style buildings. You can taste many delicious snacks here.

   

   Continue your exploration to the Three Gorges Museum, which houses tens of thousands of various cultural relics such as the Bashu bronzes and the Han Dynasty sculpture artifacts. Here you will learn about the changes in the Three Gorges area over the past hundred years. After visiting the museum, you will see People's Assembly Hall, one of the architectural icons of Chongqing. It looks like the Temple of Heaven in Beijing.

   After lunch, take a far view of Liziba Station of Chongqing Light Rail. This is a unique scene in this city and the Liziba section is the highlight. It's like a magic in movie or a romantic scene in Japanese anime in which the train is shuttling through the body of residential buildings. Your guide will point out the best places for you to take photos.

   Then, head to E'ling Park to enjoy the whole of Chongqing city, as well as the Jialing and Yangtze River. It is located on a hill between the Jialing River and the Yangtze River and occupies the highest point of Chongqing. Apart from its elegant scenery inside, the park attracts visitors more with the perfect location to enjoy the night view and bird's eye view of this beautiful city, especially when it is drenched in sunrise or sunset.

   Last, go down to visit Hongya Cave, the city's most famous night scene. There are densely packed stilted buildings with restaurants, snack streets, bars, cafes, and local specialty shops. From the viewing platform on the top floor, one can see the scenery of the confluence of the two rivers from afar.

   Meal: Lunch

   Accommodation: in Chongqing

   

2. Day 2: Chongqing Side Trip to Dazu Rock Carvings
   Marvel at Impressive Statues at UNESCO-listed Dazu Rock Carvings

   After breakfast at the hotel, your guide and driver will pick you up then drive about 2 hours to Dazu Rock Carvings. The Dazu Rock Carvings are the most magnificent and brilliant masterpieces in the history of Chinese cave art from the 9th to the 13th century AD. The cliff statues here are famous for their grand scale, exquisite carvings, rich connotations and good preservation. The site was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1999.

   

   Today, your guide will mainly take you to visit Beishan and Baoding Mountain. Baoding Mountain is usually the first stop to explore the Dazu Rock Carvings. First you will watch a movie about the Dazu Rock Carvings to get a general idea of the scenic area. Then, you will take a sightseeing bus to Dafo Bay, the highlight of the Dazu Rock Carvings. The statues are located in a U-shaped bay, carved on the east, south and north cliffs, and are one of the masterpieces of Song Dynasty (960-1279) grottoes. Afterwards, along the tour route, visit Xiaofo Bay and Shengshou Temple. Dazu Rock Carving Museum is the last stop where you will learn the basic information about Dazu Rock Carving and the world cave art.

   There are nearly 10,000 cliff statues on the North Mountain, which are famous for their delicate carvings, fine art and skill, as well as their beauty and elegance. We will spend about 1-1.5 hours here. If you have enough physical strength, you can climb to the opposite peak after a 15-minute walk, where you can worship a pair of Buddha statues and pray for good luck.

   After the visit, your guide will escort you to the airport/train station/wharf to your next destination. This is the end of this 2-day Chongqing tour.

   Meal: Breakfast + Lunch

   Accommodation: N/A