4 Days Chongqing Tour with Yangtze River Cruise

Day-by-day Itinerary

1. Day 1: Chongqing Tour
   Explore Some of the City's Iconic Attractions

   Welcome to the "Mountain City" of Chongqing. The city is known nationwide for its spicy hot pots, beautiful night scenery, and gateway to the Yangtze River cruise ships. Upon your arrival, the local tour guide will pick you up with a welcome board and then start your Chongqing city exploration!

   Warm Tips: you are suggested to arrive in Chongqing before 10:00 in the morning. If you arrive earlier, you can ask your guide to take you to visit other attractions, such as the Ciqikou Ancient Town or the Three Gorges Museum.

   First, you will be taken to enjoy a distant view of the Liziba Station of Chongqing Light Rail Line 2, China's first station to travel through tall residential buildings. The combination of buildings and light rail lines creates a unique city view. Your guide will show you around the best viewpoints. After the visit, continue your Chongqing tour down to Jiefangbei Pedestrian Street, the heart of downtown Chongqing. It boasts many restaurants, hotels, and shopping centers. You will also find food stalls in the nearby streets. In the evening, this is one of the main places for nightlife in Chongqing.

   

   Finally, visit the city's most famous & beautiful night scene - Hongya Cave. There are densely packed stilted buildings with restaurants, snack streets, bars, cafes, and local specialty shops. From the viewing platform on the top floor, you can see the scenery of the confluence of the two rivers (Yangtze River & Jialing River) from afar.

   At the end of the day, your tour guide will escort you to Chaotianmen Dock to board your Yangtze River Cruise. Check-in time is 18:00 - 20:00.

   Meal: Lunch

   Accommodation: on the Cruise

   

2. Day 2: Yangtze River Cruise
   Being in the Midst of the Splendid River Scenery

   Our Yangtze River cruise tour begins early in the morning with a Tai Chi Class on deck. Tai Chi is a traditional Chinese martial arts program. People can exercise their bodies and hearts through slow, continuous movements and breathing exercises. Next, you can attend a historical and cultural lecture about the Yangtze River to learn about the development of this area. Afterwards, enjoy a cup of coffee while admiring the beautiful scenery on both sides of the river.

   In the afternoon, you will have a shore excursion to Shibaozhai Pagoda. Standing at a height of 56 meters, it is an impressive 12-storey wooden structure built on a hill and surrounded by water. Here, you will find a white jade relief wall depicting the story of Guan Yu (deified as the God of War) during the Three Kingdoms period (220-280). Climbing to the top of the pagoda, you will visit the Hall of Heavenly Kings, with a history of over 400 years, the earliest surviving building in Shibaozhai.

   

   Optional Activity:

   You may consider visiting Fengdu Ghost City. It is famous for its exquisite temples and mysterious Chinese myths (additional fees apply).

   In the evening, you will attend a welcoming banquet and party on board and enjoy local cuisine as well as cultural performances.

   Meal: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

   Accommodation: on the Cruise

3. Day 3: Yangtze River Cruise
   Admire the Splendor of the Three Gorges

   Your tour today will take you through the splendid Three Gorges (Qutang Gorge, Wu Gorge and Xiling Gorge), during which you can enjoy towering peaks and lush vegetation along the riverbanks. Grab your camera to capture the picturesque natural scenery.

   After sailing for a while, you will change to a smaller boat to explore the narrower Shennv Stream. Here you can enjoy the most pristine valley. You will also have the chance to experience the culture of the Tujia people through local music and dance performances.

   

   After the tour, we return to the cruise ship for the Captain's Farewell Party in the evening, featuring music, dance and farewell toasts to celebrate the end of your Yangtze River cruise tour in a joyous atmosphere.

   Optional Activity:

   Today you have a chance to visit White Emperor City. During the Tang (618-907) and Song dynasties (960-1279), famous poets such as Li Bai and Du Fu visited this place and wrote a lot of poems. Therefore, White Emperor City has the reputation of "Poetry City". Surrounded by water on all sides, the highest point of the City allows visitors to overlook the Yangtze River and the surrounding spectacular scenery.

   Meal: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

   Accommodation: on the Cruise

4. Day 4: Departure from Yichang
   Marvel at the World's Largest Water Conservancy Project

   After breakfast, check out and you will disembark at Maoping Port. Then, you will be guided to visit an engineering miracle - the Three Gorges Dam. You can climb the 262.48-meter-high Tanzi Ridge, where you will enjoy the panoramic view of the Three Gorges Dam. In addition, you can climb up to the 185 Viewpoint to get a closer look at the dam.

   

   After the visit, you will take the bus arranged by the cruise company to the Yichang Three Gorges Center Cruise Terminal. There will be a dedicated driver to escort you to the airport for your flight to your next destination. Safe journey! Your 4-day Chongqing tour with Yangtze River Cruise ends here.

   Ideas for departure: At Yichang Three Gorges Airport, you can take flights to Beijing, Xi'an, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Chengdu, and Hangzhou.

   Meal: Breakfast

   Accommodation: N/A