The Yangtze River Cableway lets you cross the river above the water with a view of the Chongqing skyline. The operator says it is 1,166 m long, opened on 24 October 1987, and is a municipal protected site. Hours from March to November are 08:00 to 22:00. Tickets are sold through the operator's WeChat account. The price we found comes from local websites, and they disagree. This page separates what the operator says from what other sites say. We read the operator's pages on 16 October 2026 and re-opened them on 17 October 2026, and the hours and ticketing text had not changed. For the city overview see the Chongqing travel guide.
Facts checked on the operator's site
| Item | Detail | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Hours, 1 March to 30 November | 08:00 to 22:00. Public holidays 07:30 to 23:00 | Operator, re-checked 17 Oct 2026 |
| Hours, 1 December to end of February | 08:00 to 21:00. Public holidays 07:30 to 22:30 | Operator |
| Ticket sales | Same-day tickets on the cableway's WeChat account from 07:45 (07:15 on public holidays). The steps shown are ticket type, date, station, time slot, number of tickets, details, payment | Operator's online ticketing page |
| Tickets remaining | When we opened the home page it showed 2,486 tickets left, 1,243 for each station. This is a figure for that moment and changes | Operator's home page, 16 Oct 2026 |
| Length and dates | 1,166 m. Construction began 20 March 1986 and it opened on 24 October 1987. Cabin capacity 65 plus 1 | Operator |
| North station | 151 Xinhua Road, Yuzhong District | Operator and Bendibao |
| South station | 4 Shangxin Street, Nan'an District (opposite the Longmenhao sub-district office) | Ctrip and Bendibao |
| Phone | 023-68816888 | Operator |
The operator pages that we could open show no ticket price, and the operator says to buy through WeChat. So we have no price from an official source.
Prices and hours from other sources, which disagree
| Source | Price | Hours | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bendibao (updated 28 Sept 2026) | Adult CNY 30 one way, CNY 50 return. A combined one-way ticket with the Cloud Eye viewpoint is CNY 98 | 25 Sept to 7 Oct 2026 07:30 to 22:30, normally 08:30 to 22:00 | Local site, not the operator |
| Ctrip | From CNY 30 | 08:00 to 22:00, last entry 21:30 | A booking site |
| Our China Story (undated older article) | CNY 20 one way, CNY 30 return | Summer 07:30 to 22:30, winter 07:30 to 21:30 | Older and does not match the others |
What disagrees: the operator's normal hours are 08:00 to 22:00, while the older article gives 07:30 all summer and Bendibao gives 08:30 as the normal opening. On price, CNY 30 one way differs from the older CNY 20. Trust the operator on hours, and check the price on the cableway's WeChat account or by calling 023-68816888 before you go.
How to get there
From the operator's route page.
| Station | Metro | Bus |
|---|---|---|
| North (Xinhua Road) | Line 1 or Line 6 to Xiaoshizi, exit 5, walk about 30 m | Lines 153, 262, 401, 476 and others to the Xinhua Road or Xiaoshizi stop |
| South (Shangxin Street) | Line 6 to Shangxinjie, exit 2 | Lines 304, 318, 320 and others to the Longmenhao stop, about 3 minutes' walk |
If you stay around Jiefangbei, start from the north station, close to Lines 1 and 6, per the operator's route page. See where to stay in Chongqing. The ibis Jiefangbei hotel lists the Yangtze cableway as a nearby place on Accor's site.
Before you board
The operator's passenger notice says people with heart disease, high blood pressure, certain psychiatric conditions, a fear of heights, and some pregnant women, as well as some elderly people with limited mobility, are not suited to riding. Children 1.3 m and under, and elderly or disabled passengers, need a companion. Flammables and explosives are banned, you must not open the cabin door, and you must not put your head or hands out of the window. If power fails or the car stops, listen to staff. The operator lists 023-68816888 for enquiries, assistance and complaints.
We do not know whether the cableway's WeChat account accepts a foreign passport as ID. The ticket page only mentions entering details, and a question on Ctrip about booking the south station with a foreign passport had no answer. Ask the operator or your hotel first. A back-up may be a tour seller, if one offers it.
Time and queues
The operator gives no total ride time. We have no official crossing time. China Highlights says the ride is about 5 minutes. It also says it queued 40 minutes on a weekend after a school holiday and warns of at least 2 hours on weekends and holidays, and suggests weekdays (Monday to Thursday) for shorter queues. That is one writer's account, not the operator's. The operator's home page limits tickets by time slot, so allow for waiting.
The north station is close to Jiefangbei and Chaotianmen. You can follow it with the Hongya Cave page, which is in the same district. The operator also lists the Liangluokou escalator, the Kaixuan Road lift and the Lijia cable car (550 m). We did not check their hours or prices.
Frequently asked questions
What are the cableway's opening hours?
1 March to 30 November, 08:00 to 22:00, public holidays 07:30 to 23:00. 1 December to end of February, 08:00 to 21:00, public holidays 07:30 to 22:30. Source: the operator's site, re-checked 17 October 2026.
How much is a ticket?
The operator pages we could open show no price. A local site updated 28 September 2026 gives CNY 30 one way and CNY 50 return, but it is not official and an older article gave CNY 20 and 30. Check with the operator.
Where do I buy tickets?
Through the cableway's WeChat account, which sells same-day tickets from 07:45 (07:15 on public holidays), per the operator. We have not confirmed that it accepts foreign passports.
Which station should I use?
If you stay around Jiefangbei, the north station on Xinhua Road is close to Xiaoshizi on Lines 1 and 6. The south station is near Shangxinjie on Line 6.
Who should not ride?
The operator lists people with heart disease, high blood pressure, a fear of heights and some pregnant women. If you are unsure, ask a doctor or the operator.
How long is the crossing?
The operator gives no figure. China Highlights says about 5 minutes. That is unofficial.
When was it built?
The operator says construction began on 20 March 1986 and it opened on 24 October 1987, at 1,166 m long.
How this guide compares
We read China Highlights' Chongqing guide as the English benchmark. It gives a vivid account of queues and the best seats, but not the operator's seasonal hours, the WeChat sales window or the passenger restrictions. This page gives those from the operator, shows where the price sources disagree, and says we have no official price.
Links on this page and our earnings
The booking box opens the providers' search for the Yangtze River Cableway to see if any seller offers a ticket or tour. As of 17 October 2026 we have no registered affiliate link for this ticket and earn nothing from them yet. We did not check whether any ticket exists or its price. The cableway operator sells its own tickets through its WeChat account.
Official sources and further reading
- Chongqing Public Transport cableway branch (operator, Chinese): home page
- Operator: seasonal opening hours (re-checked 17 Oct 2026)
- Operator: online ticketing (re-checked 17 Oct 2026)
- Operator: how to reach the stations
- Operator: passenger notice
- Chongqing Bendibao: tickets and hours, updated 28 Sept 2026 (local site, not official)
- Ctrip: south station information (not official)
- Our China Story: cableway article (older, prices CNY 20 and 30, not official)
- China Highlights: Chongqing Travel Guide (benchmark)
Prices, schedules and entry rules change. Figures here are approximate as of 2026; always confirm on the official or operator page before you book. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.
