Travel Guide for a 1-Day Trip from Chongqing Main City to Banan Nanping
(Camera slowly zooms in: early morning in Chongqing main city, the morning glow shines over the Yangtze River, Metro Line 2 passes through buildings, I stand on the Xiaoshizi platform with a backpack, turning to face the camera)
Hello, I’m a travel blogger!
Today, I’m not traveling far, not rushing for trains, and not spending a lot of money.
I want to take you to spend 1 day
rediscovering a hidden gem district—
📍 Banan · Nanping!
You heard right,
it’s that Nanping you thought was “just a business district,”
but this time,
I’ll take you—
from the old street’s everyday life to the secret riverside spots,
from the 8D magical overpass to tasting authentic alley flavors,
right in the city center, to awaken a micro-travel experience.
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🌆 Trip Overview | Chongqing Main City → Banan Nanping | 1-Day Tour (Independent Travel · City Stroll Edition)
📅 Recommended travel days: Saturday or Sunday (avoid weekday rush hours)
💰 Total budget: 150 RMB/person (extreme cost performance, suitable for students/local micro-vacation)
🎯 Core: Walking + Metro + Bus | In-depth experience | Local life | Food + Photography + Riverside views all included
📍 Highlights:
- Explore Nanping Old Street: 1980s local life vibe
- Check in at Nanbin Road Viewing Platform: facing Yuzhong Peninsula
- Walk through the Four-Kilometer Overpass: Chongqing’s magical traffic scene
- Food journey: Xiaomian noodles, skewers, iced jelly, oil tea, cold cake all arranged
- Afternoon tea time: riverside café watching the sunset
- Take the metro home at night, easy and stress-free
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🚇 Itinerary | Day 1 | City Stroll · Slow Pace in Nanping
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✅ 09:00 Departure | Xiaoshizi → Nanping (Direct Metro)
- Metro: Line 6 → transfer at Shangxinjie Station to Line 3 → Nanping Station
- Fare: 3 RMB
- Travel time: about 25 minutes
- Exit: Nanping Station Exit 1 (directly facing Nanping business district)
📌 Tips:
- Use the “Chongqing Public Transport Code” WeChat mini-program to scan and ride
- Wear comfortable sneakers, today you’ll be walking through streets and alleys
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✅ 09:30 First Stop | Nanping Old Street · Local Life (Free)
- Address: Rear alley of Nanping Main Street (near Nanping Middle School)
- Features:
- 1980s old residential buildings, handwritten signs, bamboo poles for drying clothes
- Old teahouses, shoe repair stalls, barbershops still operating
- Photo tips: shoot upward “drying poles + sky,” shoot downward “stone steps + old shoes”
📸 Must-shoot spots:
- “Nanping Old Street” red-letter wall (alley entrance)
- Weathered cement wall + green vines
- Silhouette of an old lady sitting at the door picking vegetables
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🍜 10:30 Breakfast | “Li’s Oil Tea Shop” (Local favorite)
- Recommended combo:
- Oil tea + crispy biscuit + soy milk (12 RMB)
- Features:
- Oil tea is dense and savory, paired with crispy biscuit it’s soul-satisfying
- Established brand, 30 years old, breakfast only
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✅ 11:00 Second Stop | Four-Kilometer Overpass · Magical Traffic Check-in
- Walk 15 minutes or take Bus 347 → Four-Kilometer Station (1 RMB)
- Features:
- Five-level overpass with metro running through it
- Photo tips:
- Use telephoto lens to shoot “metro passing through bridge”
- Low angle to shoot “busy traffic flow”
- Safety reminder: don’t run red lights, don’t climb railings
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🍢 12:00 Lunch | “Old Street Skewers” (Authentic alley flavor)
- Recommended combo (50 RMB per person):
- Choose-your-own skewers (30 RMB)
- Cold mixed houttuynia (8 RMB)
- Iced sour plum drink (6 RMB)
- Brown sugar cold cake (5 RMB)
✅ Total: 49 RMB
📌 Tips:
- Choose the spicy red soup base, the longer it cooks the more fragrant
- Skewers are charged by stick count, 30-50 RMB per person is enough
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✅ 13:30 Third Stop | Nanbin Road · Misty Rain Park Section (Free)
- Bus: 347 → Misty Rain Park Station (1 RMB)
- Features:
- Facing Yuzhong Peninsula, with views of Jiefangbei and Raffles City
- Riverside breeze, greenway stroll, perfect for daydreaming
- Photo tips:
- Use wide-angle to shoot “river view + city skyline”
- Set portrait mode for blurred background to enhance photos
📸 Must-shoot spots:
- “Nanbin Road” street sign + Yangtze River background
- Silhouette on riverside bench
- Reflection of Raffles City in the water
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☕ 15:00 Afternoon Tea | “Riverside Coffee” (Scenic spot)
- Recommended: Nuts Coffee or C’est La Vie Riverside Café
- Recommended combo:
- Iced Americano + Tiramisu (38 RMB)
- Features:
- Floor-to-ceiling windows facing the Yangtze River, sunlight on the table
- You can write postcards and send them to your future self
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✅ 16:30 Fourth Stop | Tongyuanju · Metro Passing Through Building (Free)
- Metro: Line 3 → Tongyuanju Station (2 RMB)
- Features:
- As stunning as Liziba Station, but 90% less crowded!
- Photo tips:
- Shoot upward from the platform below “metro passing through building”
- Use slow shutter to capture “train passing moment”
📌 Tips:
- Don’t stand near the tracks, stay safe
- Capture “residential building + metro” in one frame to show Chongqing’s magic
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🍜 18:00 Dinner | “Wang Sanjie Xiaomian” (Nanping old brand)
- Recommended combo:
- Dry tossed Xiaomian noodles + red oil wontons (18 RMB)
- Features:
- Noodles are chewy, red oil fragrant but not spicy
- Opened for 25 years, locals have eaten here since childhood
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🌆 19:00 Wrap-up | Nanping Pedestrian Street Night View + Return
- Stroll Nanping pedestrian street, watch neon lights flicker
- Metro: Line 3 → Xiaoshizi Station (3 RMB)
- Arrival time: about 20:00
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✅ Total Expense Breakdown (Precisely controlled within 150 RMB)
| Item & Cost | Description:
| Metro round trip | 6 RMB | 3×2 |
| Bus rides | 4 RMB | 1×4 times (347 round trip + short Line 3) |
| Breakfast (oil tea) | 12 RMB | Old street flavor |
| Lunch (skewers) | 49 RMB | Authentic alley taste |
| Afternoon tea | 38 RMB | Riverside café + dessert |
| Dinner (Xiaomian) | 18 RMB | Nanping old brand |
| Emergency snacks/water | 23 RMB | Bottled water + iced jelly + snacks |
| Total | 150 RMB | Exactly on budget, no overspending ✅
🎯 Budget notes:
- If you bring your own water, it can drop to 120 RMB
- If you only eat Xiaomian + skewers, it can be compressed under 100 RMB
- All spots are free to enter, pace is up to you
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🎒 Pre-trip Checklist
- ✅ ID card, phone, power bank
- ✅ Change of clothes, toiletries (if staying overnight)
- ✅ Comfortable sneakers (walking all day)
- ✅ Sun protection (hat, sunglasses)
- ✅ Camera or phone (with strap)
- ✅ Small cash (some old shops only accept cash)
- ✅ Common medicine, motion sickness pills, mosquito repellent
- ❌ Don’t bring valuables, don’t wear glasses (easy to fall off)
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(Standing on a riverside bench on Nanbin Road, the sunset shines on the river, I turn and smile)
They say: “What’s there to see in Nanping?”
I say: “
Precisely because it’s right here,
we are most likely to—
turn a blind eye.
But when you really walk in,
you’ll find:
an old street,
a bowl of oil tea,
a metro line,
a breeze from the river,
all quietly saying:
‘Chongqing is not just a trendy spot,
it’s life.’”
No need to take leave,
no need to travel far,
just 150 RMB,
and one day’s time,
in a familiar city,
to meet unfamiliar beauty.
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I’m a travel blogger, next stop, I’ll take you to Jiulongpo · Huangjueping,
between graffiti walls and old factories,
listen to art growing in ruins,
watch youth shine in the weathered spots.
Follow me to discover Chongqing’s most authentic and touching urban texture. 🎨📷