Chongqing from Malaysia and Singapore: visa, direct flights, how many days and how to plan it

Quick answer

Checked September 2026.

Malaysian and Singapore ordinary passports can enter China without a visa, for up to 30 days each time. In 2026 there are direct flights to Chongqing every day from both Kuala Lumpur and Singapore. The flight takes about 5 hours, and there is no time difference with Chongqing. On a first visit, give the city of Chongqing 3 days. To add Wulong (in winter you can go up Fairy Mountain to see snow) or the Dazu Rock Carvings, allow 4–5 days. To go on to Chengdu or Zhangjiajie, the fastest high-speed trains take about 1 hour and about 2 hours.

Do Malaysians and Singaporeans need a visa for Chongqing?

No. The China–Singapore mutual visa exemption agreement came into force on 9 February 2024, and the China–Malaysia agreement on 17 July 2025. With an ordinary passport you can come for tourism, family visits or business and stay up to 30 days each time. Malaysian passports have one more rule: no more than 90 days in total in any 180 days. These are agreements between the two governments, not trial schemes with an end date.

Entering China on each passport (checked September 2026)

• 30 days is enough to link Chongqing, Chengdu and Zhangjiajie: the agreements do not limit you to certain cities, and you do not need any more paperwork to move between cities inside China.
• You can fill in the arrival card online in advance: since 20 November 2025, you can do it on the National Immigration Administration website, the NIA 12367 app (移民局12367), or its WeChat and Alipay mini programs. After landing you can also scan a code at border control or fill in a paper card. It is free of charge. Fake websites copy the form and ask for a fee, so use only the National Immigration Administration's official channels (NIA reminder).
• You do not need the 240-hour visa-free transit: that is a separate policy for countries without mutual visa exemption, and you have to show an onward ticket to a third country. Malaysian and Singapore passports go through on the mutual exemption, so you can fly in from and back to Kuala Lumpur or Singapore. For family members of other nationalities travelling with you, see our Chongqing airport layover guide.
• Some 2026 guides online still say Malaysians need a Chinese visa. That is the old rule from before December 2023.

Are there direct flights from Kuala Lumpur and Singapore to Chongqing? How long is the flight?

Yes. In 2026 both routes have direct flights every day, and both land at Terminal 3 (T3) of Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport. The flight takes about 5 hours. Malaysia, Singapore and Chongqing all use UTC+8, so there is no time difference and no jet lag when you get off the plane. According to the extra flights Jiangbei Airport announced in January 2026, Chongqing to Kuala Lumpur reached 25 flights a week in March and April 2026, and Chongqing to Singapore went up to 31 flights a week over Spring Festival.

The two direct routes (checked September 2026)

Airlines and times change every season. Go by what the airline shows when you buy your ticket.

Whatever time you land or take off, we send the car to match your flight time. On arrival day the driver meets you at the exit with a name sign. A guide comes too only if there is sightseeing that day.

• Landing in the evening (such as the 19:15 arrival from Kuala Lumpur): we take you to your hotel to drop your bags. That same evening you can go out for a hotpot made as spicy as you like, and look at the night views by the river.
• Landing after midnight (such as the Singapore flight that arrives just after 1 am): keep the first morning for sleep and start the plan in the afternoon. Do not squeeze a big sight into the first morning.
• Flying home after midnight: the last day runs as normal. After dinner we go back to the hotel for your bags, then take you to the airport. We plan to get you there 3 hours before an international flight.
• From Penang, Kota Kinabalu, Kuching and elsewhere: you can fly to Kuala Lumpur first and connect to the direct flight.

For getting from the airport into the city, see Chongqing airport to the city centre.

How many days do you need in Chongqing from Malaysia or Singapore?

For the city alone, 3 days is enough. One day covers the city in this order: Yangtze River Cableway, Baixiangju, Shancheng Lane, Liziba, Eling No. 2 Factory and Ciqikou, with the Hongya Cave night view in the evening. Keep the rest of the time for the old streets on the South Bank, the pandas and food. To add Wulong or Dazu, allow 4–5 days. To see snow, or to travel slowly with older parents, allow 5–6 days and put Wulong on the first full day, so there is room to swap days. If you are combining Chongqing with Chengdu or Zhangjiajie, 7–10 days in total is comfortable.

What to do with each number of days

Most of our Malaysian and Singapore guests come between October and December. For starting prices for the three most common trip lengths, see how our pricing works.

How would you plan 5 days in Chongqing?

Below is a 5-day plan for landing in the evening and flying home after midnight. It is the outline we use most for Malaysian and Singapore guests: hotpot on the first night, a city day on day two with the Hongya Cave night view, a full day in Wulong on day three, Dazu or the pandas on day four, and an easy last day with the airport in the evening. If your landing time is different, we move the whole plan earlier or later.

• Day 1, arrival: the driver meets you with a name sign and takes you to your hotel. In the evening, your first hotpot (order a yuanyang pot: one side spicy, one side not).
• Day 2, a day in the city: Yangtze River Cableway across the river → Baixiangju → Shancheng Lane (lunch) → Liziba to see the train go through the building → Eling No. 2 Factory → Ciqikou (the main street is a souvenir street, so look at the back lanes and the riverside) → in the evening, the Hongya Cave night view from Qiansimen Bridge or the opposite bank.
• Day 3, Wulong: leave at 7 am; the drive is about 2.5–3 hours. See the Three Natural Bridges first (they close at 16:30 from September to April, and at 17:00 in summer), then go up Fairy Mountain after lunch. Come back to the city in the evening, or stay a night on Fairy Mountain.
• Day 4, choose one: Baodingshan at the Dazu Rock Carvings (about 1.5 hours by car, go in the morning). Or, with children, the pandas at Chongqing Zoo in the morning, then in the afternoon lidded-bowl tea at the Huguang Guild Hall and a Sichuan opera face-changing show (you can follow it without any Chinese).
• Day 5, an easy day and the airport in the evening: in the morning, watch local people buying food at Shihuishi market, then walk around Jiefangbei and Shibati (a quarter rebuilt in 2021 along the lines of the old stone steps). After dinner, back to the hotel for your bags and on to the airport.

For a 3-day version, see 3 days in Chongqing. The car is yours until 11 pm, and the guide stays with you for the agreed plan. How much you walk each day, the guide sets to your energy and pace.

Coming to Chongqing in December to see snow: where to go and what to bring?

It hardly ever snows in the city of Chongqing. For snow, go up into the mountains: Fairy Mountain in Wulong or Jinfo Mountain in Nanchuan. The snow season starts on a different day each year. In the last two seasons Fairy Mountain only opened in late December (21 December 2024 and 27 December 2025), so if you come in early December its snow season may not have started yet. The ski area on the north slope of Jinfo Mountain opened earlier, on 25 November 2025. South-East Asia is the main source of Fairy Mountain's overseas visitors in winter. Chongqing Daily reported that in the 2024–25 snow season (up to mid-January 2025), overseas visitors to Fairy Mountain were up about 194% on the same period a year before, with visitors from Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand the top three. Be sure to bring real winter clothes.

• Colder than you think: in December and January the city is about 10–12°C by day and about 6–8°C at night, and it is colder up the mountain. Chongqing Daily reported that many visitors from South-East Asia, Guangdong and Hainan got off the bus in T-shirts and shorts, and the scenic area set aside a room for them to change into winter clothes.
• Cold indoors too: Chongqing has no central heating like northern China, so in old buildings and teahouses you need an extra layer.
• How we plan it: whether it snows, and whether the snow settles, depends on that week's weather. So we put Wulong on the first full day of the trip and check the weather and the scenic area's notices the day before. If the snow is not right, we swap it with the city day.
• Fairy Mountain and the Three Natural Bridges on the same day: you reach both from Xiannü town. See the bridges first (they close at 16:30 in winter), then go up Fairy Mountain.

For more on winter (fog, lantern fairs, Spring Festival crowds), see Chongqing in winter and our Wulong guide.

How do you combine Chongqing with Chengdu, Zhangjiajie and the Three Gorges?

Chengdu and Zhangjiajie both have direct high-speed trains. From Chengdu East to Chongqing's Shapingba and Chongqing West stations, the fastest trains take about 1 hour; most trains to Chongqing North take around 2 hours. From Chongqing East to Zhangjiajie, the fastest take about 2 hours. Three Gorges cruises board at Chaotianmen in Chongqing and sail downstream to Yichang in 3 nights and 4 days. Wulong and Dazu are day trips from Chongqing. The 30-day visa-free stay is enough for all of these.

From Chongqing (checked September 2026)

• Where to fly in and out: start in the city your international flight lands in, and fly home from another, so you do not double back. Singapore and Kuala Lumpur both have direct flights to Chongqing, so most people start in Chongqing.
• When we plan the whole trip, we can buy your train tickets (we need your passport details), and at the Chongqing end we send the car to meet you or drop you off to match your train time.

Travelling with older parents, children, or a group of a dozen or more: how does it work?

A private tour is just your family or your group, and the car and guide go at your pace. We match the vehicle to the number of people: 2–4 guests plus a guide use a 7-seat vehicle, 5–6 people a 9-seat vehicle and 7–8 people a 15-seat vehicle. For more people, tell us how many and we match the vehicle to the group. With older parents or children, the guide plans to your energy and pace.

Which vehicle for how many people

• Chongqing is a hilly city: many sights have steps and slopes. If anyone is over 70 or finds walking hard, tell us before you come. The guide plans to your energy and pace, and places with a lot of steps can be cut short or swapped. See Chongqing for seniors.
• Children: kids love the panda house at Chongqing Zoo, the Yangtze River Cableway and the Two Rivers night cruise. See Chongqing with kids and pandas at Chongqing Zoo.
• Three generations together: one vehicle for the whole family, a midday rest in the plan, and a pace set by the older members.
• Mandarin-speaking guides: many Malaysian and Singapore guests prefer to speak Mandarin. A Mandarin-speaking guide can be arranged; tell us when you book.

Worried about spicy food, or have dietary needs? What about meals?

Chongqing food is hot and numbing, but you can eat well without chilli. For hotpot, order a yuanyang pot: half red spicy broth, half clear broth. When you order dishes, ask for "a little spicy" (微辣) or "no chilli" (不要辣). For dietary needs such as vegetarian food, not eating certain meats, or allergies, tell us before you come, and we tell the restaurant in advance when we book.

• For how to order and dip on your first hotpot, see Chongqing hotpot for first-timers.
• If you cannot eat spicy food at all, see what to eat in Chongqing without chilli.
• Meals are not in our quote. We book tables at the restaurant's own prices, with no mark-up.

Money, phone and plugs: what should you sort out before you go?

Paying by phone is easiest. Alipay and WeChat Pay can be linked to a foreign bank card, and you can scan to pay on the metro, buses and taxis. At major transport hubs and metro stations you can also buy tickets with foreign cards such as Visa, Mastercard and JCB. Bring a plug adapter: Malaysia and Singapore use the British three-pin plug (type G), and sockets in mainland China are different. The voltage is about 220–240V in all three, so phone and laptop chargers usually work as they are.

• Set up at home: install Alipay or WeChat and link your card before you leave. It is easier than doing it after you land.
• Hotels: at check-in the front desk registers your passport. This is a required step.
• Time: Chongqing is on the same time as Kuala Lumpur and Singapore, so there is no time difference to work out when you call home.
• Cash: bring a little Chinese yuan just in case.

Private tour, group tour or on your own: what is the difference?

A private tour is only your own group: one vehicle, one driver and one licensed guide come as one unit. The car is yours until 11 pm, and the guide stays with you for the agreed plan. The route is built around your flights, your ages and what you want to see, and it can change along the way. There are no shopping stops. Ticket prices follow the scenic area's notice on the day. We book at the actual price with no mark-up, and every item is set out in the quote before you pay.

Prices depend on group size, hotel level, season and route. For starting prices and how quotes work, see how our pricing works.

Why a local DMC matters

We are in Chongqing

Anjia Travel is a licensed travel agency based in Chongqing, licence number L-CQ-100787. The vehicles, drivers and guides are all sent out by us in Chongqing. Plans like Wulong and snow days we decide by that week's weather and the scenic area's notices. Airport pickups and drop-offs we time to your flight or train.

A guest from Singapore wrote after an 11-day trip in November 2025: “These 11 days were beautifully arranged, and we were thoroughly satisfied… If we visit Chongqing or Chengdu again, we'll be in touch.” For more reviews from Malaysian and Singapore guests, see our guest reviews.

FAQ

Where every figure comes from