CTS Tours
China Travel Specialists, Auckland NZ
Both. But if you're choosing just one, here's the honest comparison — what each city does best, who it suits, and why most visitors who go to one end up wishing they'd had time for the other.
Chongqing and Chengdu are 300km apart, 90 minutes by bullet train, and completely unlike each other. Choosing between them is genuinely difficult — so here is an honest comparison of what each city offers, who each one suits, and why we almost always recommend both.
Chongqing is dramatic. It is built on mountains above the confluence of the Yangtze and Jialing Rivers, which means roads pass over rooftops, bridges connect buildings at the 20th floor, and the metro runs through the floors of a residential building (Liziba Station — Line 2, floors 6–8 of a 19-storey block). Locals call it "8D Magic." The internet calls it cyberpunk. Both are accurate.
The city went viral on TikTok and Douyin for good reason: it looks like nothing else in China, and the photographs and videos that capture Liziba Station or the Hongyadong cliffside complex at night are genuinely difficult to believe until you're standing in front of them.
Beyond the viral moments, Chongqing has the Dazu Rock Carvings (UNESCO World Heritage, 50,000 Buddhist sculptures carved over 400 years), a beautifully preserved Qing Dynasty merchant district (Huguang Guild Hall), and the most intense version of Chinese hot pot anywhere — beef tallow broth, dried chillies, face-numbing Sichuan peppercorn, the works.
Chongqing suits you if: you want visual spectacle, modern urban drama, genuinely unique experiences, and you respond to the feeling of a city that's slightly beyond your ability to process it.
Chengdu is relaxed. This is China's most liveable city by most rankings, and the reason is obvious within an hour of arrival: people here are not in a hurry. Teahouses in People's Park fill by 9am with locals who have no plans to leave until dusk. The mahjong tables are permanent. An ear-cleaning practitioner moves slowly through the outdoor chairs.
The anchor experience is the giant panda base — 200+ giant and red pandas in 3,500 acres of bamboo forest, best visited between 8 and 10am when they're active. But Chengdu has more to offer than pandas: People's Park's extraordinary Matchmaking Corner (parents displaying profile notices of their unmarried children in search of partners), Jinli Ancient Street, the Sichuan Opera face-changing performances, and the optional day trips to Leshan (the world's largest stone Buddha, 71 metres, carved 1,300 years ago) and Sanxingdui (a 5,000-year-old Bronze Age civilisation with alien-looking bronze masks that predate all known Chinese art by centuries).
Chengdu suits you if: you want wildlife, cultural depth, great food, and a pace that allows you to actually absorb where you are rather than rushing between photographs.
They are complementary, not competing. Chongqing's drama is enhanced by the contrast with Chengdu's calm. Chengdu's depth is more vivid because you've already been overwhelmed by Chongqing.
The bullet train between them is 90 minutes. The combination in 10 days is one of the best itineraries in China. CTS Tours' Fire & Fuzz tour (4 nights Chongqing, 3 nights Chengdu) is built around exactly this — from NZD $2,999 per person from Auckland, departing 1 November 2026.
If you genuinely can only choose one: go to Chongqing if you've already been to Chengdu, and go to Chengdu if you've never seen a giant panda. Otherwise, go to both.
A practical day-by-day guide to 10 days in Beijing and Xi'an — the Forbidden City, Great Wall, high-speed train, and Terracotta Warriors — designed for New Zealand travellers doing China for the first time.
The Terracotta Army is one of the greatest archaeological discoveries in history. Here's what to expect, how to make the most of your visit, and why it deserves a full day.
Discover our carefully curated tours that bring the stories and destinations featured in this guide to life
Let our experts craft your perfect China experience
