Liziba Metro Station in Chongqing

Liziba Metro Station (李子坝轻轨站) is located in Yuzhong District (渝中区), Chongqing, on CRT Line 2 (Chongqing Rail Transit Line 2) and is one of the world’s most iconic urban rail landmarks, famous for the unique visual phenomenon where a monorail train passes directly through a residential building between the 6th and 7th floors, forming the globally recognized “train-through-building” scene and representing Chongqing’s signature 8D mountain city landscape.

Built in 2004, it is the world’s first residential-integrated elevated monorail station designed for a high-density mountain city. The building structure is split into independent upper residential and middle rail transit layers, with a fully separated vibration and noise isolation system, ensuring trains passing every few minutes do not affect residents’ daily life, making it a globally referenced urban engineering solution.

The site is composed of three connected tourism zones: the official viewing platform (main photography point), the Liziba War Relics Park (李子坝抗战遗址公园) featuring preserved historical buildings and riverside trails, and the Three-Level Road (三层马路) cultural stair street with cafés, viewpoints, and hillside urban life, combining transport spectacle, historical heritage, and local lifestyle experience in one compact destination.

Basic Information & Visitor Guide

Address: No.39 Liziba Main Street, Yuzhong District, Chongqing (CRT Line 2 Liziba Station)
Ticket: Free entry (no admission fee for all viewing areas)
Opening: 24-hour access for outdoor viewing zones

Train Operation:

• Frequency: every 3–8 minutes
• Direction Jiaochangkou: 06:32–23:16
• Direction Yudong: 06:30–22:42

Recommended Visit Duration: 30–60 minutes for photo stop, 2 hours for full exploration including surrounding streets

2026 Notice: Partial renovation in progress, but all main viewing platforms and train photography points remain fully open and unaffected.

Transportation Guide

Metro is the most efficient option. Take CRT Line 2 directly to Liziba Station. Exit 1 leads directly to the main viewing platform for classic train-through-building shots. Exit A connects into the residential building with elevator access to the 6th-floor station level for close-up train tunnel photography. Exit 2/B leads uphill to New Du Alley (新都巷) for elevated panoramic viewpoints.

Bus access includes routes 215, 261, 424, 862, 871, 873 stopping at “CRT Liziba Station,” followed by a 3-minute walk. Taxi is convenient: about 25 RMB from Jiefangbei, 10 RMB from E’ling Factory, and 15–20 RMB from Longmenhao Old Street. Self-driving is not recommended due to extremely limited parking and steep pedestrian access. The most popular route is combining Chongqing Cableway (长江索道) with Liziba visit.

Must-Visit Photo Spots & Photography Guide

The official viewing platform (Exit 1) is the primary shooting location capturing train entering and exiting the building, residential structure split view, and layered hillside city background; best for wide-angle and “train illusion” creative shots. The 6th-floor interior station (Exit A) provides the closest perspective of the train passing through the tunnel, ideal for architectural detail and documentary-style photography. The New Du Alley upper platform (Exit 2/B uphill) offers a quiet panoramic view of the entire rail line with green stairways and mountain city layering, suitable for cinematic wide shots. The Lansheng Pavilion viewpoint (~700m uphill) is best for sunset compositions combining train, river, and skyline in golden light. The riverside relief walkway below the station provides low-angle shots of trains passing overhead with Chongqing stone carvings, creating strong vertical motion compositions.

Best Time to Visit

Morning 07:00–09:00 offers the lowest crowd density and soft natural light for clean architectural photography. Golden hour 17:00–19:00 is the most recommended time, with warm sunlight, river reflections, and train silhouette moments creating the strongest visual impact. Night period 19:30–21:00 delivers full urban illumination with glowing residential buildings and light trails from passing trains, forming a cyberpunk-style city atmosphere. Avoid 14:00–16:00 due to harsh overhead lighting and overexposure, as well as foggy or rainy days that reduce visibility and increase slip risk.

Photography & Outfit Tips

Use ultra-wide lens (0.5x mobile mode) for full building framing, burst mode for capturing train timing, and night mode for low-light scenes. Slow shutter is effective for motion blur and light trails. Outfits should be light, neutral, or retro-style for contrast against concrete architecture; minimalist fashion, streetwear, or traditional-inspired styles work best. Avoid dark outfits in daytime as they blend into shadows. Flat shoes are essential due to steep stairs and sloped terrain. Bring weather protection as riverside wind and rain can make surfaces slippery.

Nearby Attractions (Walking Distance)

The Liziba War Relics Park (李子坝抗战遗址公园) is about 7 minutes away, featuring a 1.8 km riverside walking trail and preserved wartime buildings such as Liu Xiang Mansion and Gao Mansion, offering a quiet historical and green riverside environment. The Three-Level Road (三层马路) is a 5-minute walk hillside stair street combining colonial-era architecture, cafés, and local lifestyle scenes, often used for filming-style photography. The New Du Alley (新都巷) is a hidden green stairway connecting Liziba and E’ling, ideal for low-crowd creative walking routes.

Food Recommendations

Signature dish is Liziba Liangshan Chicken (李子坝梁山鸡), a spicy herbal chicken served with taro, averaging around 80 RMB per person and often requiring queueing during peak hours. Nearby Three-Level Road offers riverside hotpot dining where visitors can watch trains pass while eating. Street food options include Chongqing small noodles, sour noodles, ice jelly, tofu rice sets, skewers, and snacks priced around 5–15 RMB, representing authentic local street food culture.

Recommended One-Day Routes

Route 1: Jiefangbei → CRT Line 2 → Liziba → Three-Level Road → Liangshan Chicken → E’ling Factory sunset park (classic half-day experience). Route 2: E’ling Factory → New Du Alley → Liziba viewing platform → War Relics Park → riverside walking route (cultural slow travel). Route 3: Liziba daytime visit → Yangtze River Cableway → Longmenhao Old Street sunset → Nanshan Tree Viewing Platform night skyline (full Chongqing panorama route).

Travel Tips & Safety Advice

All viewing areas are completely free; avoid any paid guide or “ticket” scams. Wear flat shoes due to continuous slopes and stairs. Train arrival interval is 3–8 minutes, no long waiting required. Do not enter restricted construction zones during renovation. Midday sun is strong, so sun protection is necessary. Riverside paths may be slippery in rain. Keep photo time short at the main platform during peak hours. Do not confuse Liziba with Niangkou Station (牛角沱), which is a different dual-line river-crossing station; Liziba is specifically the train-through-building landmark.