Quick answer
Checked September 2026.
- Route: Three Gorges cruises sail between Chongqing and Yichang in Hubei. Downstream, from Chongqing to Yichang, is 3 nights and 4 days. Upstream, from Yichang back to Chongqing, is 4 nights and 5 days. You see much the same either way.
- Boarding in Chongqing: the Chongqing end is Chaotianmen. You board in the early evening and the ship sails at night.
- ID: your passport. You give passport details when you book and show the original when you board.
- The dam: the cruise ship itself does not go through the Three Gorges Dam. You see the dam by coach after leaving the ship in Yichang.
First: this is not the Two Rivers night cruise
The Two Rivers night cruise in the city is a boat trip of about 45 minutes at night where the two rivers meet, there and back the same evening. A Three Gorges cruise is a trip of several days: you sleep on board and sail several hundred kilometres. They are not the same thing. For the evening boat, see the Two Rivers night cruise guide.
Which pier at Chaotianmen?
Chaotianmen is a row of piers, so go by the number on your ticket. Yuzhong District has several passenger piers, including numbers 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 13, 15, 17 and 18, plus Pier 11, run by two different operators. Pier 11 sits on its own, on the Yangtze riverside road (长江滨路). One example: Century Cruises' new ship 世纪梦想 (Shiji Mengxiang) made its first sailing from Pier 11 in September 2026.
Your travel notice decides the pier. Cruise lines keep the right to change piers and stops because of water levels, weather or river traffic control. Which pier you use and what time you board are on the travel notice you get after your ticket is issued.
Old guides say you cannot board in Chongqing? In September 2024 the channel works between Chaotianmen and Fuling were finished, and the authorities said Three Gorges cruise ships can now reach central Chongqing all year round.
Booking: passport, price and extras
- Real-name tickets. Chongqing to Yichang is passenger travel by water between provinces, so under the Ministry of Transport's real-name rules you give each passenger's ID details when you book. Foreign visitors use a passport. When you board you show the original passport, and the ticket, the person and the document must match.
- Price range. A Chongqing government report from April 2026 puts regular Chongqing to Yichang fares at over 2,200 yuan in the standard season, and all-inclusive premium ships at over 4,000 yuan per person in the standard season. The exact ship, date and cabin need their own quote.
- Optional extras are priced separately. White Emperor City, the ship lift and evening shows are not included on some ships.
Downstream or upstream
| Downstream: Chongqing → Yichang | Upstream: Yichang → Chongqing | |
|---|---|---|
| Length | 3 nights, 4 days | 4 nights, 5 days |
| Where you board | Chaotianmen, Chongqing, early evening | Maoping Pier, Yichang (above the dam), evening |
| Where you get off | Yichang, ending around midday on day 4 | Chongqing, after breakfast on day 5 |
| Your Chongqing day | The whole day before boarding is in Chongqing; you board in the evening | You are still in Chongqing for the day you get off |
Both cruise lines schedule it this way, according to the route pages of Century Cruises and Yangtze Gold Cruises. The Three Gorges Tourism Group's Changjiangxing ships also board upstream sailings at Maoping (Hubei Daily, July 2026).
What a day on board looks like
This example uses the 2025 downstream itinerary of Yangtze Gold Cruises' 长江奇迹 (Changjiang Qiji). Times differ from ship to ship.
- Day 1: board at Chaotianmen in the early evening. The ship sails at night and you leave the city past the Chongqing night views.
- Day 3: through Qutang Gorge at about 6:30 in the morning; a smaller boat through the Lesser Three Gorges at Wushan in the late morning; Wu Gorge in the early evening.
- Day 4: through Xiling Gorge at about 6:30 in the morning; a visit to the Three Gorges Project in the late morning; the trip ends in Yichang at midday.
Most gorges come early in the morning, so if you want to see them, be up soon after 6. The Chongqing to Yichang route is over 640 km long and was chosen by the Ministry of Transport as one of China's showcase waterway tourism routes.
Where the ship stops depends on the ship
Each ship stops in different places. Before you book, look at the itinerary for your ship, not another company's. Two examples:
| Century Cruises, downstream 3 nights (official itinerary) | Yangtze Gold Cruises 长江奇迹, downstream 3 nights (official PDF, 2025 edition) | |
|---|---|---|
| Day 2 | Fengdu Ghost City | Fuling: choose one of the 816 Project, the Baiheliang Underwater Museum or the Wulingshan Grand Canyon |
| Day 3 | White Emperor City (optional, extra cost); through Qutang Gorge and Wu Gorge; a smaller boat up the Goddess Stream | Qutang Gorge early morning; a smaller boat through the Lesser Three Gorges at Wushan (including Dicui Gorge); Wu Gorge in the early evening |
| Day 4 | Leave the ship in Yichang; the Three Gorges Dam and the Three Gorges Project museum; ship lift (optional, extra cost) | Xiling Gorge early morning; the Three Gorges Project museum and the River Closure Memorial Park; drop-off at the Yichang visitor centre at midday |
So Fengdu, the Goddess Stream and White Emperor City are not on every ship, and some cost extra. Sources: Century Cruises itinerary; Yangtze Gold Cruises itinerary PDF.
The dam: the cruise ship does not go through it
There are two ways through the Three Gorges Dam: the double five-step ship locks, which take three to four hours in all, and the ship lift, which takes about 40 minutes to an hour (China Yangtze Power).
The regular Chongqing to Yichang cruise ship does not go through the dam itself. Upstream, you board at Maoping Pier above the dam. Downstream, you leave the ship in Yichang and go by coach to visit the dam area. If you want to ride the ship lift, on Century Cruises it is an optional extra you pay for.
The ship lift closes each year for planned maintenance. In 2026 the work started on 18 August and ran for 42 days, and you could not ride it during that time. If you want to ride it, ask before you book whether it runs on your date.
Winter: check there is a sailing first
On Century Cruises' international website (checked 28 September 2026), the remaining 2026 downstream sailings are 9 October, 30 October and 20 November, and the upstream sailings are 18 October, 8 November and 29 November. From December 2026 to March 2027, no 3-night or 4-night sailings are scheduled at all. The next downstream sailing is 2 April 2027.
That is one company's international schedule, and it does not mean every ship stops. In mid-December 2025, more than 160 overseas travel trade buyers spent three days on the Three Gorges aboard the 美维凯璇 (Chongqing government). But that was an arranged trade visit, and it does not show there are regular winter sailings. If you want to go between December and February, first make sure the ship you want really sails on that day.
After you leave the ship
- Downstream sailings end in Yichang, usually around midday on day 4. Yichang has two high-speed rail stations, Yichang East and Yichang North, so check which one before you buy a ticket.
- To Wuhan: the Wuhan to Yichang high-speed railway opened in December 2025. The fastest trains from Hankou to Yichang North take 69 minutes.
- Back to Chongqing: the Yichang to Xingshan high-speed railway opened on 28 September 2026. The fastest trains from Wuhan to Chongqing take 3 hours 54 minutes and stop at Yichang East. For the time from Yichang alone to Chongqing, go by 12306.
- To Zhangjiajie: the high-speed line from Yichang towards Zhangjiajie is still being built, so for now there is no direct high-speed train.
Where each figure comes from
| Detail | Source and date |
|---|---|
| Days in each direction, Century stops, winter dates | Century Cruises downstream and upstream itineraries, checked 28 September 2026 |
| 长江奇迹 day plan and stops | Yangtze Gold Cruises itinerary PDF, 2025 edition |
| Chaotianmen passenger piers | Yuzhong District government, March 2026 |
| Real-name tickets and passports | Ministry of Transport real-name rules, in force since 10 January 2017 |
| Ship locks, ship lift and 2026 maintenance | China Yangtze Power; Three Gorges navigation notice, July 2026 |
| Price range | Chongqing government, 20 April 2026 |
Your Chongqing day, planned around the ship
Downstream: the day before you board is in Chongqing. In the morning, visit the Three Gorges Museum and see the gorges once before you see the real thing from the ship. Lunch, and then in the early evening we take you and your luggage to the pier. Upstream: you get off in Chongqing after breakfast, and you can carry on seeing Chongqing the same day.
Send us your ship, date and pier
Send us your ship's name, the sailing date and the pier number. We plan your one or two days in Chongqing backwards from the ship's times, and in the early evening take you and your luggage to that pier entrance.
FAQ
No. The Chongqing to Yichang route is over 640 km long, and a ship leaving Chongqing only reaches the first gorge, Qutang Gorge, early on the third morning. By land you can see part of the gorges from Fengjie and Wushan, but not in a day: see the Three Gorges without a cruise.
You see much the same. Downstream is 3 nights and 4 days, one day shorter; upstream is 4 nights and 5 days. Downstream you board in Chongqing in the early evening, and upstream you get off in Chongqing in the morning, so either way you can use that day in Chongqing.
The regular Chongqing to Yichang cruise does not go through the dam. You visit the dam by coach at the Yichang end. If you want to go over the dam on the ship lift, some cruise lines let you add it at extra cost.
Check first. Century Cruises' international website has no 3-night or 4-night sailings scheduled from December 2026 to March 2027. For other ships, confirm your date one by one.
No. On the regular Chongqing to Yichang cruise, upstream passengers board at Maoping in Zigui, above the dam, so the ship does not go through the locks.
Check your ticket and travel notice. Chaotianmen has about ten numbered piers and different ships use different numbers. For example, Century Cruises' new ship Shiji Mengxiang made its first sailing from Pier 11 in 2026.
A passport. You give your passport details when you book and show the original passport when you board.