Quick answer
The Yangtze River Cableway costs 30 yuan one way and 50 yuan return, with no seasonal difference. The north-bank station sits at No. 151 Xinhua Road in Yuzhong District, 20 metres from Exit 5B of Xiaoshizi metro station. Operating hours run 08:00 to 22:00 from March to November and 08:00 to 21:00 in winter. It closes for a full day about once a month for maintenance, announced only days ahead.
- One way at 30 yuan usually beats the 50 yuan return fare.
- Queues are heaviest in the hour before sunset.
- Check for a maintenance closure before building an evening around it.
Yangtze River Cableway price and hours in 2026, and where each figure comes from
Every figure below comes from a Chinese government source, with that source's publication date shown so you can judge how current it is. All re-checked on 12 August 2026.
| Detail | Published figure | Source and date |
|---|---|---|
| Fare | 30 yuan one way, 50 yuan return (same peak and off-peak) | Chongqing Culture and Tourism Commission register of graded scenic areas, published 6 January 2026 |
| Grade | National 4A scenic area, graded January 2018 | Same register |
| Hours, 1 Mar – 30 Nov | 08:00–22:00 (public holidays 07:30–22:30) | Operating-hours notice, 2 March 2025 |
| Hours, 1 Dec – end Feb | 08:00–21:00 (public holidays 07:30–22:30) | Operating-hours notice, 27 November 2025, running to 28 February 2026 |
| Monthly closure | One full day, roughly monthly, for maintenance | Maintenance notice, 27 March 2026 |
| North-bank station | No. 151 Xinhua Road, Yuzhong District · in service since 24 October 1987 | Chongqing municipal government attraction page, 5 September 2024 |
| Operator | Ropeway division, Chongqing Public Transport Group · 023-68816888 | Scenic-area register |
Two official sources give different hours, and which one to follow
This is worth being explicit about, because it explains why published opening times for the cableway vary so much. The dated operational notices — issued when the schedule actually changes — give 08:00 to 22:00 from 1 March to 30 November and 08:00 to 21:00 from 1 December to the end of February, with 07:30 to 22:30 on public holidays in both seasons. The Chongqing government's static attraction page, last updated in September 2024, instead gives 7:30 to 22:30 from 1 March to 31 October and 7:30 to 21:30 from 1 November to the end of February: different boundaries and different times.
We follow the dated notices, because they are published specifically to announce a change and the most recent of them ran explicitly to 28 February 2026. We could not find a 2026 seasonal notice on the open web replacing it, so treat the March–November figures as the last published schedule rather than a guaranteed current one. Guides that quote a single time without saying which source it came from are usually reproducing the older static page.
The monthly closure most guides do not mention
The cableway shuts for a full day roughly once a month for scheduled maintenance, and the notice usually appears only a few days ahead. The most recent case we verified was published on 27 March 2026 and closed the line for all of Tuesday 31 March, with service resuming at 08:00 on 1 April. If your Chongqing time is short, this is the single most likely way to lose the ride, and it is not something you would discover from a guidebook. We check the current notices when we build an itinerary and move the crossing to another evening if a closure lands on your date.
Getting there
The north-bank station is unusually easy to reach: 20 metres from Exit 5B of Xiaoshizi station, served by Rail Transit Line 1 and Line 6. Buses T002, T480, 881 and 0491 also stop at Xiaoshizi. On the south bank, tourist route T026 serves the far end. Our Chongqing metro guide covers how the network works if this is your first time using it, and Hongya Cave is a short walk from the same Xiaoshizi exits, which is why the two are usually done on the same evening.
One way or return, and how it fits a trip
One way at 30 yuan is usually the better buy. The 50 yuan return only pays off if you plan to come straight back, and most travellers do better crossing once and continuing on the south bank, where the riverside viewpoints look back at the peninsula skyline. The ride itself is short, so treat it as one element of an evening rather than a destination. Our night views guide sets out how the evening sequence works, and the two-day private tour shows where it lands in a short first visit.
Closure days and schedule changes are local knowledge
Anjia is based in Chongqing, so maintenance closures, seasonal schedule changes and queue conditions are checked on the ground rather than copied from an article. During the trip, the local ground team can respond 24 hours to urgent questions, weather changes, hotel issues and route adjustments.
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FAQ
30 yuan one way and 50 yuan return. The Chongqing Municipal Culture and Tourism Development Commission's register of graded scenic areas, published on 6 January 2026, lists the same price for both peak and off-peak season, so there is no seasonal discount. The fare is set under a Chongqing Development and Reform Commission price ruling that took effect on 1 January 2025.
The dated operational notices give 08:00 to 22:00 from 1 March to 30 November, and 08:00 to 21:00 from 1 December to the end of February, with 07:30 to 22:30 on public holidays in both seasons. Note that the Chongqing government's static attraction page, last updated September 2024, gives different season boundaries and times. We treat the dated notices as authoritative because they are published specifically to announce schedule changes, and the most recent one ran explicitly to 28 February 2026.
Yes, and this is the detail most guides leave out. It shuts for a full day roughly once a month for scheduled maintenance, announced only a few days in advance. The most recent case we verified: a notice published on 27 March 2026 closed it for all of Tuesday 31 March, resuming at 08:00 on 1 April. If your Chongqing time is tight, a maintenance day is the most likely way to lose the ride.
The north-bank station is 20 metres from Exit 5B of Xiaoshizi station, served by Chongqing Rail Transit Line 1 and Line 6. By bus, routes T002, T480, 881 and 0491 stop at Xiaoshizi. On the south bank, tourist bus route T026 serves the other end.
The north-bank station is at No. 151 Xinhua Road, Yuzhong District, in the peninsula core near Xiaoshizi. It crosses the Yangtze to the Nan'an side. The Chongqing government attraction page does not publish a street address for the south-bank station. The line entered service on 24 October 1987 and is operated by the ropeway division of Chongqing Public Transport Group.
One way at 30 yuan is usually the better buy. The return fare of 50 yuan only pays off if you intend to come straight back, and most travellers are better served crossing once and continuing on the south bank, where the riverside viewpoints look back at the peninsula skyline. Queues at the north-bank station are heaviest in the hour before sunset.