Walk Chongqing’s multi-level streets without doubling back

Chongqing’s hills mean a ground-level street can connect directly to the 22nd floor of the next building. This walk takes you downhill through central Yuzhong without climbing endless stairs. Start near Jiefangbei, see the skybridges at Kuixinglou, stroll through Daijiaxiang, and finish beside the river below Hongyadong.

Choose your afternoon route

Set aside 2.5 to 3.5 hours for the main walk. This leaves plenty of time for photos and a café stop. Start while there is daylight so you can see the drop under the skybridges at Kuixinglou, then arrive at Hongyadong as the lights turn on at dusk.

For a full day with meals and museums, check the one-day itinerary.

Kuixinglou: enter from the upper street

From Jiefangbei, walk towards Linjiangmen and find the Second Affiliated Hospital outpatient building (重医附二院渝中院区门诊大楼). If you take the metro, ride Line 2 to Linjiangmen (临江门), Exit 2. The square is roughly 300 metres from this exit.

Look for the traditional gateway marked 魁星楼. Take the outdoor steps on its right to reach the square. The hospital lobby is for patients, while the visitor walkway runs alongside it.

Walk out onto the bridges connecting the square to Gaosheng Chuangfu Center (高盛创富中心). You walked in from what felt like a normal ground street, yet these bridges connect to the 22nd floor of the building next door. Look down over the railing to see the lower street far below. You get the 22-storey view without climbing 22 floors.

Take your photos showing both the bridge and the roadway below in the frame to capture the height.

Daijiaxiang: old street first, cliff stairs next

Return to the upper street the same way you came in. Follow Linjiang Road (临江路) towards Guotai Arts Centre (国泰艺术中心), then enter Daijiaxiang Old Street on the river side.

The small cafés and shaded lanes make this a pleasant place to stop. The cliffside path (戴家巷崖壁步道) stretches about 750 metres, dropping nearly 60 metres down the hillside. Its wooden boardwalks and stairs connect the upper neighbourhood to the riverside road below.

Walk down the cliff stairs toward 嘉滨路. The viewing balconies let you photograph the zigzag path, the trees, and the Jialing River together. The bottom exit brings you right onto the riverside pavement.

Hongyadong: finish beside the river

Turn along the pavement on Jiabin Road (嘉滨路) and walk towards (洪崖洞). You will arrive at its ground floor (level 1) next to the river. The wooden stilt houses stacked up the cliff face look most impressive from outside. As dusk settles, wait for the yellow lights to switch on along the eaves.

Hongyadong's upper entrance sits on Cangbai Road (沧白路) at level 11. The entrance to the Qiansimen Bridge walkway is also on that upper street. Getting up to the bridge requires taking the building's public lifts or walking up the internal stairs.

End your walk here by the river. If you call a taxi, set your pickup point on 嘉滨路 and let your driver know you are at the lower entrance. To return to Jiefangbei on foot, take the indoor lifts up to level 11. Our Hongyadong guide explains the entrances in detail, and our photo spots guide shows the best night viewpoints.

A shorter route with fewer stairs

If you want to skip the outdoor cliff stairs, cross the skybridge at Kuixinglou into Gaosheng Chuangfu Center and take the indoor lift from level 22 down to level 1. Exit at the bottom and walk about 500 metres along the riverside pavement directly to Hongyadong.

If you want to visit the cafés in Daijiaxiang without walking all the way down the cliff, stay on the upper lane and walk back out to Linjiang Road. From there, follow the upper city streets directly to Cangbai Road and enter Hongyadong from the 11th floor.

Add Baixiangju on another morning

Baixiangju (白象居) is a classic residential complex built into the hillside. It has three separate street entrances on different levels: level 15 opens onto Jiefang East Road (解放东路), level 10 connects to Baixiang Street (白象街), and level 1 exits onto the lower Changbin Road (长滨路).

Enter from Jiefang East Road to reach the open-air corridor on level 15, where you can watch the cable car glide past. To see the middle street entrance, walk down five floors to level 10. These residential buildings do not have public lifts. If you stay on level 15, leave through the same entrance. If you walk down to level 10, climb five floors back to level 15 to return to Jiefang East Road.

Visit Baixiangju as a separate morning trip rather than squeezing it into this afternoon walk. If you want to ride the cable car across the river instead of just photographing it from the walkway, see our Yangtze River Cableway guide.

Add Liziba before the afternoon walk

At Liziba (李子坝), metro Line 2 runs straight through the eighth floor of a residential building. Visit the viewing platform across the street in the morning, then board Line 2 towards Jiaochangkou and get off at Linjiangmen to start this walking route.

Take the metro for this connection, as Liziba sits outside the central Jiefangbei walking area. The Liziba station guide covers platform photo angles, and our metro and transport guide explains how to pay for train rides.

When a guide is useful

For local stories and help finding the route, consider Elias’s private walk.

Practical tips for this walk

• No admission fees: The public squares, old streets, and viewing decks along this route are completely free to enter.
• Navigation and directions: Use walking mode in your map app and check the road name at each change of level. If you lose your bearings on the steps, show this phrase to someone nearby: 请问去嘉滨路怎么下去？ (How do I get down to Jiabin Road?)
• Luggage and weather: Leave heavy bags and suitcases at your hotel before heading down the cliff path. The outdoor steps at Daijiaxiang get slippery in steady rain, and the exposed platforms offer little shade on hot summer afternoons.