Jiangbei Airport (CKG) sits about 20–25 km north of Jiefangbei, the downtown most visitors stay in. Four ways cover that distance; two of them are how we’d send our own family, one is fine in a pinch, and one you should refuse every time.
Option 1 — Metro (best value, surprisingly easy)
Line 10 runs from Terminal 3 directly toward the city; transfer at Hongtudi to reach Jiefangbei, Guanyinqiao and the main areas. Trains run roughly every 6–10 minutes from early morning to around 23:00.
- Cost: about ¥2–7
- Time: 50–70 minutes door to door
- When to choose: daytime arrivals, light luggage, or if your hotel sits near a Line 1/6/10 station
- Tip: use Alipay’s transport code — no ticket machine, no card, no fuss
Option 2 — Official taxi from the rank (best door-to-door)
Follow the signed taxi queues outside the terminals. Taxis are metered and honest; the rank is marshalled and there’s an official receipt printer in every cab.
- Cost: ¥60–100 to Jiefangbei depending on traffic, plus ¥10 tolls
- Time: 30–50 minutes
- When to choose: after 23:00, with luggage or kids, or if your hotel isn’t near a metro stop
- Rule: only the official queue. Anyone who approaches you inside the arrivals hall offering a “cheap taxi” is a scam — wave them off and keep walking
Option 3 — Didi (best if you have the app working)
Didi’s English interface works well in Chongqing, pickup points are signed at the terminals, and payment happens in-app.
- Cost: similar to a taxi, sometimes a touch less with coupons
- When to choose: if Alipay/Didi are already set up (see our connectivity guide), or your hotel sent you a pinned location
- Catch: needs data and a working payment method — which is why we tell guests to sort both before flying
Option 4 — Airport bus (only if the metro has stopped)
Night buses cover the period after the metro closes, dropping at central stops. Fine after a late landing, slower and less obvious with luggage. If you land after midnight, honestly, take the official taxi instead.
The two scams that still exist
- “Taxi” solicitors inside the hall — unlicensed cars with inflated flat fares. Refuse. The real rank is outside, marshalled, metered.
- “Your hotel is closed, I take you to another one” — a classic worldwide; your hotel is not closed. Insist on your address, or show the driver the Chinese address screenshot we tell every guest to carry.
If you want zero navigation
Say the word and a local meets you at arrivals, gets you connected, books the ride and handles check-in — that’s the whole First Night in one sentence.
Last verified November 2026. Metro line numbers and night-bus routes do change; timings above are typical, not guaranteed.