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Voykit pocket guide · China
Dazu
大足区
Give Dazu one full day for Baodingshan and Beishan carvings, or two nights if you also want Nanshan and Shimenshan; skip it if you only have a Chongqing city break.
Dazu is a district of Chongqing Municipality, about 55 km west of the city centre, built around the UNESCO-listed Dazu Rock Carvings — five cliff sites carved between the 9th and 13th centuries. Baodingshan is the headline site and needs half a day; Beishan is a 30-minute walk from the bus stations and works as an afternoon. Most travellers come as a day trip from Chongqing, but one night in Dazu removes the 1.5–2 hour bus each way and lets you see two sites properly.
- Country
- China
- Local name
- 大足区
- Best months
- Mar–May, Sep–Nov
- Avoid
- Jul–Aug (hot, humid, heavy rain), Chinese New Year week
- Stay
- 1–2 nights
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- CNY
- Money
- Alipay and WeChat Pay accept Visa, Mastercard, JCB and Amex cards; single payments over ¥200 carry a fee of about 3% on a foreign card (smaller ones are free), and per-payment and yearly caps apply — check the app. Keep a second way to pay.
- Daily spend
- Budget ¥250–400 excl. bed · Mid ¥400–700 excl. bed · High ¥700+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- A roaming eSIM from outside China routes traffic through its home network, so Google, WhatsApp and Instagram work without a VPN — the simplest setup.
- Emergency
- Police 110 · Fire 119 · Ambulance 120
- Plugs
- Types A, C, I · 220 V · 50 Hz · Many sockets take flat two-pin (A), round two-pin (C) and angled three-pin (I) plugs; UK plugs need an adapter.
- Tipping
- Restaurants: No tip; upmarket hotels add 10–15% service.; Taxis and DiDi: No tip.; Tour guides and drivers: Expected on organised tours: about ¥100–200 a day for a guide, ¥50–100 for a driver.; Hotel porters: Not expected; ¥10–20 in luxury hotels.
- Water
- Not for drinking from the tap; bottled water ¥2–5, and kettles and free bottles in hotel rooms. Restaurants serve hot water or tea.
- Toilets
- Public toilets are frequent and free; squat toilets outside hotels and malls. Carry tissues — many have no paper.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Noodle bowl or rice plate in Longgang | ¥15–35 |
| Coffee | ¥15–30 |
| Beer: draught in a restaurant / can at a convenience store | ¥10–20 / ¥5–10 |
| Taxi across the urban area | ¥10–20 |
| Songuo shared e-bike, first 4 kmSonguo shared e-bike, first 2.5 mi | ¥2 |
| Dazu Rock Carvings Digital Cinema | ¥80 |
| Beishan night tour | Included with the Beishan ticket |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- CKG · Chongqing Jiangbei International
- About 100 km and 1.5 h by car; seven daily coaches to Dazu leave from the coach station between Terminals 2A and 2B. Metro Line 3 links the airport to Chongqing North for high-speed trains to Dazu South.About 62 mi and 1.5 h by car; seven daily coaches to Dazu leave from the coach station between Terminals 2A and 2B. Metro Line 3 links the airport to Chongqing North for high-speed trains to Dazu South.
Typical fares
- Chongqing West → Dazu South, high-speed
- ¥40 second class, 26–33 min
- Chengdu East → Dazu South, high-speed
- ¥108 second class, 55–73 min
- Caiyuanba bus station (Chongqing) → Dazu
- ¥43, 1.5–2 h
- Taxi, Jiangbei Airport → Dazu
- ¥250–350 including tolls, about 1.5 h
Get around
Taxis start at ¥5 daytime (¥6 at night) for the first 2 km, then about ¥1.2 per 0.5 km. Shared Songuo e-bikes need the app or a WeChat/Alipay mini-program, identity verification and no deposit; ¥2 for the first 4 km. Bus 205 runs from the bus stations to the Baodingshan visitor centre, roughly ¥3–6 and 30–45 min. Dazu South high-speed station is 37 km from the carvings, so most people use the bus stations instead.Taxis start at ¥5 daytime (¥6 at night) for the first 1.2 mi, then about ¥1.2 per 0.3 mi. Shared Songuo e-bikes need the app or a WeChat/Alipay mini-program, identity verification and no deposit; ¥2 for the first 2.5 mi. Bus 205 runs from the bus stations to the Baodingshan visitor centre, roughly ¥3–6 and 30–45 min. Dazu South high-speed station is 23 mi from the carvings, so most people use the bus stations instead.
See and do
Known for
- Dazu Rock Carvings (UNESCO)
- Baodingshan cliff carvings
- Beishan carvings
- Shengshou Temple
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Chongqing | High-speed train from Dazu South to Chongqing West, 26–33 min, ¥40 second class; or coach from Dazu bus station, 1.5–2 h, ¥43 | 2–2.5 h |
| Tongnan | Coach or car west along the Chengdu–Chongqing corridor | About 1.5 h |
| Wulong | Train or coach via Chongqing, then onward bus | 4 h+ |
| Chengdu | High-speed train from Dazu South to Chengdu East, 55–73 min, ¥108 second class | 2–2.5 h |
Sleep
- Longgang (Dazu old town)
- Around the two bus stations on Shuangta Road and Longzhong Road; walkable to Beishan, buses to Baodingshan. Best for a one-night stop.
- Baodingshan scenic area
- Guesthouses near the visitor centre; saves the morning bus but little else is within walking distance.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Hello | 你好nǐ hǎo |
| Thank you | 谢谢xièxie |
| How much is it? | 多少钱？duōshǎo qián |
| Where is the ticket office? | 售票处在哪里？shòupiàochù zài nǎlǐ |
| Can I pay by card? | 可以刷卡吗？kěyǐ shuākǎ ma |
| Please take me to this address | 请带我去这个地址qǐng dài wǒ qù zhège dìzhǐ |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Handshake and a nod; use surnames with a title; avoid: Hugs and cheek kisses
- Face: Disagree privately and indirectly; avoid: Correcting or embarrassing someone in front of others
- Gifts: Give with two hands; expect the gift to be refused once or twice and opened later; avoid: Clocks, umbrellas, white flowers, sets of four
- Business cards: Present and receive with both hands, read it, keep it on the table; avoid: Writing on it or pocketing it at once
- Queues and crowds: Hold your ground politely in scrums at buses and lifts; avoid: Taking pushing personally
- Temples: Walk clockwise around Tibetan stupas and prayer wheels; remove hats; avoid: Touching statues or photographing where signs forbid
- Politics: Listen; follow your host's lead; avoid: Raising Tibet, Taiwan, Xinjiang, 1989 or the party leadership
- Numbers and colour: Red and 8 are lucky; red envelopes carry money gifts; avoid: Writing names in red; the number 4
Scams and watch-outs
- Baodingshan ticket sales stop at 16:00 and the visitor centre at 16:10; arrive by early afternoon.
- The Dazu Rock Carvings Museum closes on Mondays.
- Dazu South station is 37 km from the carvings — do not plan to walk or taxi cheaply from there.
- Summer downpours are sudden and heavy; carry a poncho, not just an umbrella.
- Most buildings have no heating, so winter nights indoors are colder than the daytime temperature suggests.
Dazu is a low-crime district and the main risks are practical: summer heat and downpours, uneven steps and wet stone at the cliff sites, and taxi or e-bike fares you should confirm before setting off.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Dazu yet. Suggested stay: 1–2 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Dazu Rock Carvings (UNESCO)
- Baodingshan cliff carvings
- Beishan carvings
- Shengshou Temple
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Dazu Rock Carvings official site: www.dzshike.com/en/index.html
- Wikivoyage: Dazu, revision 5305791 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5305791
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Dazu大足区
请带我去这个地址
Please take me to this address
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
No embassies in Dazu; most are in Beijing, with consulates-general in Chengdu and Chongqing (check your own country's list).
Alipay or WeChat Pay is close to essential for e-bikes, small shops and tickets; set it up before you arrive.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/dazu). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.