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POST-MTP TRIP 4: Mini-trip: Chengdu + Chongqing

If you want to extend MTP Chengdu 2027 without disappearing for another week or two, this is probably the easiest trip to add. Chongqing, China’s viral Cyberpunk city, is one of the most visually insane cities in Chin. A giant mountain megacity of skyscrapers, rivers, bridges, cable cars and metro lines that seem to disappear straight through buildings.

Starting and finishing in Chengdu (so no need for any weird multi-ticket flights home, how nice is that?!) We’ll spend two nights properly exploring Chongqing before taking the bullet train back to Chengdu for pandas, Sichuan tea culture, old neighbourhoods and a traditional face-changing show.

It’s a much shorter (and cheaper option) than some of my bigger post-MTP adventures, but there’s still loads packed into the five days. And on our first night in Chongqing, we’ll also meet up with the guys joining my epic overland trip through Tibet and all the way to Kathmandu before they continue their own journey west.

TRIP HIGHLIGHTS:

• Experience the crazy futuristic cityscape of Chongqing
• Hongya Cave illuminated at night
• Jiefangbei and Chaotianmen
• Chongqing’s famous metro train running through a building
• Ride the Yangtze River cableway
• Cruise through Chongqing by river
• Bullet trains between Chengdu and Chongqing
• Sichuan tea in Chengdu’s People’s Park
• Kuanzhai Alley and Chunxi Road
• See Chengdu’s famous giant 3D panda
• Visit Chengdu Panda Base
• Wenshu Monastery
• Traditional Sichuan face-changing show

Itinerary:

Day 1 – 25 October: Chengdu → Chongqing

We’ll leave Chengdu after the MTP conference and take the one-hour bullet train to Chongqing. Once we arrive, we’ll get straight into exploring the city, walking through Shancheng Alley, Jiefangbei and Chaotianmen before finishing with the spectacular illuminated views around Hongya Cave at night.

We’ll also cross paths in Chongqing with the group joining my much bigger Tibet-to-Kathmandu overland adventure. They’re travelling Chengdu to Chongqing with us before continuing onwards through Tibet, Everest Base Camp and eventually Kathmandu, so it should be a fun first night with both groups together before our routes split.

Day 2 – 26 October: Chongqing

We’ve got a full day to experience just how bonkers Chongqing is. We’ll visit Liziba Station, where the metro famously travels directly through a residential building, ride the Yangtze River cableway, explore Xiahaoli Street and then see the city from another angle on a river cruise.

Chongqing is built vertically around mountains and two enormous rivers, so half the fun here is simply moving through the city and trying to understand how the whole place fits together.

Day 3 – 27 October: Chongqing → Chengdu

After breakfast, we’ll take the train back to Chengdu and spend the afternoon exploring the city. We’ll stop at People’s Park to experience traditional Sichuan tea culture, wander through Kuanzhai Alley, and then head towards Chunxi Road to see the huge 3D panda climbing over the side of the building.

It’s a completely different pace from Chongqing and gives us a chance to experience more of everyday Chengdu rather than simply flying in and out for the conference.

Day 4 – 28 October: Chengdu

Today we’ll visit one of Chengdu’s biggest attractions: the Chengdu Panda Base. From there, we’ll continue to Wenshu Monastery before finishing with one of Sichuan’s most distinctive cultural experiences, a traditional face-changing show.

It’s our final full sightseeing day and gives us a good mix of Chengdu’s most famous attraction, some traditional culture and a bit more time to enjoy the city after the madness of the MTP conference.

Day 5 – 29 October: Chengdu

We’ll have breakfast at the hotel, with rooms available until the 12pm check-out, and then the trip officially finishes. From here you can head home, stay longer in Chengdu or continue travelling independently through China

Cost and Price

$1,199*

*Per person sharing. Single Supplement available for $299.

Inclusions + Exclusions

Included:

• 4 nights in local 4-star hotels
• 4 breakfasts
• English-speaking guide
• Private transportation and transfers
• Guide and driver tips
• Entrance tickets listed in the itinerary
• Second-class bullet train tickets from Chengdu to Chongqing and back to Chengdu

Excluded:

• International and domestic flights
• Chinese visa
• Personal expenses
• Anything not specifically listed as included

HOW THIS TRIP CONNECTS WITH MTP CHENGDU 2027

This is one of my shorter post-conference adventures following the MTP Chengdu Summit from 21–24 October 2027. We’ll leave Chengdu together on 25 October, the morning after the conference finishes, and be back in Chengdu again just a few days later.

It also links up nicely with one of the biggest adventures I’m running after MTP. On our first night in Chongqing, we’ll be with the group doing my overland journey through Tibet to Kathmandu. After Chongqing they’ll keep heading west, eventually travelling through Tibet and Everest Base Camp before crossing into Nepal, while we’ll turn around and head back to Chengdu.

So if you love the idea of staying on for an adventure after MTP but don’t have another nine or eleven days available, this is a much easier option. You still get a completely different side of China, one of the craziest cities on the planet, bullet trains, pandas, Sichuan culture and five packed days of travelling — without needing to commit to one of the monster expeditions.

OTHER MTP CHENGDU 2027 TRIPS WITH ME

PPRE-MTP TRIP 1: Pakistan to China Overland (via Karakoram Highway and Khunjerab Pass)

PRE-MTP TRIP 2: Kazakhstan + Kyrgyzstan Overland

PRE-MTP TRIP 3: Mini-trip: Guilin + Yangshou

• MTP SUMMIT, CHENGDU 2027

POST-MTP TRIP 1: China to Tibet to Nepal overland (via Everest Base Camp)

POST-MTP TRIP 2: Bangladesh and the Sundarbans

POST-MTP TRIP 3: Staying with the Mongolian Reindeer Tribes

POST-MTP TRIP 4: Mini-trip: Chengdu + Chongqing

POST-MTP TRIP 5: Mini-trip: Shangri-La + Tiger Leaping Gorge