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In Chongqing, getting to the right building is the easy part. Getting to the right door of that building is where most first-timers lose time. From Jiangbei Airport, take Metro Line 10 from Terminal 3 or Line 3 from Terminal 2 into the city, or a taxi from the official rank. From Chongqing North, check whether your train arrives at the North Square or the South Square, because the metro lines and the ride-hailing pick-up are different on each side. Then, before you set off, get the hotel's exact entrance: the road name, the floor of the lobby, and a photo.
Which way into the city?
| You arrive at | First option to compare | Good for | Take a car instead when |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jiangbei Airport, Terminal 3 | Metro Line 10 towards Lanhualu | Most flights, including international ones | You land late, or your hotel is on a hillside lane |
| Jiangbei Airport, Terminal 2 | Metro Line 3 | Guanyinqiao, Lianglukou, the Line 1 change for Jiefangbei | Heavy bags and a hotel far from Line 3 |
| Chongqing North, South Square | Lines 3, 10 or the Loop line | Guanyinqiao and the centre | The taxi queue is short and you're tired |
| Chongqing North, North Square | Lines 4 or 10 | Connections north and east | You'd rather not change trains with luggage |
Screenshot the hotel's Chinese name, the Chinese address and the entrance details before you land. You'll need them for the driver, and maps in Chongqing are more confusing than in flat cities.
Jiangbei Airport: Line 10 or Line 3
Most passengers, including those on international flights, use Terminal 3. Line 10 is the metro there.
From Terminal 3, Line 10 trains toward Lanhualu run from 6:38 to 23:23 on weekdays and from 6:33 to 23:23 at weekends.
The station is on B1 of Terminal 3; follow the signs for "轨道交通10号线" (Rail Transit Line 10). Line 10 goes through Chongqing North and on into the city. For Jiefangbei, Rednote posters describe two routes that both work: change at Zengjiayan to Line 2 and get off at Linjiangmen, or change at Hongtudi to Line 6 and get off at Xiaoshizi. For Guanyinqiao, change to Line 3 at Chongqing North South Square. Check the route in your map app for your own hotel; the best change depends on which side of the peninsula you're staying.
Terminal 2 is the older, smaller terminal, used by some domestic flights. It has Line 3 as well as Line 10.
Line 3 leaves Terminal 2 from 6:30 to 22:30, on weekdays and weekends alike.
Line 3 runs south through Chongqing North's South Square, Guanyinqiao and Niujiaotuo. If you're staying around Guanyinqiao, Line 3 takes you there without a change. For Jiefangbei, change at Niujiaotuo to Line 2 and get off at Linjiangmen.
Jiefangbei and Guanyinqiao are different districts on opposite sides of the Jialing River, and posters often see people mix them up. Check which one your hotel is in before you pick a route.
Taxis leave from the official rank outside arrivals, and the ride-hailing pick-up is signposted separately. Anyone inside the terminal offering a "fixed price" or a cheap private car is not a licensed taxi; posters say they take detours or fill the car with other passengers. Ask a taxi driver to use the meter, and if they won't, take the next one.
There's also an airport bus, the K01, which runs to Jiefangbei without a change and keeps going after the metro stops. Rednote posters suggest asking at the bus kiosk outside the terminal rather than the information desk; one was told at the desk that there were no more buses, then found one running at the kiosk.
Chongqing North: North Square or South Square?
Chongqing North is really two stations joined together, and which side you come out on decides almost everything. According to the station's notice, reported by China National Radio's Chongqing service, the North Square has Metro Lines 4 and 10, and the South Square has Lines 3, 10 and the Loop line. Taxis wait in dedicated lanes on level B1.
Ride-hailing changed in October 2026. Since a trial began on October 14, ride-hailing cars at the North Square pick passengers up in Zone D of the car park, inside an electronic boundary; the South Square pick-up point stayed where it was. If your app sends you somewhere odd, follow the station's "网约车" (ride-hailing) signs to Zone D.
If a hotel sits right opposite the station, don't assume you can leave it at the last minute. One Rednote poster stayed in a hotel on an upper floor of a tower facing the North Square and found the wait for the lift long enough to matter when catching a train.
Some trains from Chengdu and the west arrive at Chongqing West or Shapingba instead. Both are on the metro, but they're far from the centre, so check the arrival station when you book.
How do I find the hotel entrance?
This is the part that catches people. Chongqing is built on hills, so a building can have doors on several streets at different heights. The "1F" on the lift may be a floor below the street you're standing on, and many hotels have their lobby on a high floor of a tower, with a separate lift from the shops or offices below.
Rednote posters describe the same few surprises. A single tower near Jiefangbei can hold a dozen or more small hotels, each on its own floors, sharing the same lifts. Map pins drop you on the right block but the wrong street. And the walking route on the map can hide a long flight of steps, which is fine without luggage and miserable with it. Locals' advice is to trust the hotel's own directions over the map app when the two disagree.
Our Chongqing where-to-stay guide has a Chinese message you can send to the hotel asking for the entrance, the drop-off point and photos. Do that before you arrive. Then:
- Save the entrance, not just the building. Note the road name of the entrance you need and the floor of the reception desk.
- Pin the drop-off in your map app. Give the driver the road name of the entrance, not just the hotel name.
- Look for the hotel's lift. In mixed towers, the hotel uses its own lift or a lift bank marked with its name, often with a sign at ground level.
- Check the metro exit. Large stations have several exits at different levels. Pick the exit closest to your entrance before you leave the platform.
- Ask the hotel about steps. If you have heavy bags, ask whether the walk from the drop-off point to the lobby involves stairs.
What do travellers get wrong?
- Going to the wrong district. Jiefangbei and Guanyinqiao are not the same place. Check the district before choosing a metro route.
- Coming out on the wrong side of Chongqing North. The North Square and South Square have different metro lines and different ride-hailing pick-ups.
- Following an old ride-hailing tip. Older posts give pick-up spots at the North Square that changed with the October 2026 trial. Follow the station's current signs.
- Trusting the map pin for the hotel door. The pin is the building. Get the entrance and lobby floor from the hotel.
- Taking a ride from someone in the arrivals hall. Use the taxi rank or a ride app.
Before you land
Make sure your mobile data works and that DiDi or another ride app is set up; the DiDi guide explains the pick-up screen. The metro tickets and payments guide covers foreign cards and Alipay. Once you're in, the Hongyadong evening guide is a good first night, and the Chongqing city guide has the rest of the planning.
