Chongqing Zoo Entry Ticket with Pandas

Chongqing Zoo: pandas in the mountain city

Chongqing Zoo opened in the 1950s in the Yangjiaping area of Jiulongpo District and has grown into a large green park of hills, lakes and tree-shaded paths covering dozens of hectares. It is best known for its giant pandas: the zoo became one of the earliest panda breeding centres in China, and many cubs, including twins, have been born and raised here over the decades.

Beyond the pandas, the zoo houses a wide variety of animals from China and around the world, with many rare species. Is Chongqing Zoo worth visiting? If you are in Chongqing and want to see giant pandas without a long trip to Chengdu, it is the easiest choice, and families appreciate the shade, the open space and the relaxed pace compared with the busy city streets.

The giant panda house and breeding area

The panda area is the heart of every visit. Indoor halls and outdoor enclosures planted with bamboo let you watch giant pandas eating, climbing, napping in the trees and, with luck, young pandas playing together. Information panels explain their diet of bamboo, their slow reproduction and the breeding work that helped bring the species back from the edge of extinction.

Pandas are most active early in the morning and again in the late afternoon, around feeding times; at midday they often sleep. With the guide service included in our default option, you head to the panda house at the right moment and learn how keepers care for the animals. Nearby, the red pandas, smaller cousins with russet fur and ringed tails, are just as popular with children.

Golden monkeys, big cats and Dino Valley

After the pandas, the zoo offers plenty more to discover. Golden snub-nosed monkeys, with their bright orange fur and blue faces, come from the mountain forests of central China and are among its rarest primates. You can also see big cats such as tigers, as well as orangutans, kangaroos and birds of prey in large aviaries, plus many smaller mammals and reptiles.

Children love Dino Valley, an area with life-size prehistoric scenes and real fossils that recalls the many dinosaur discoveries made in the Sichuan Basin around Chongqing. Allow three to five hours to see the main areas at a comfortable pace, with breaks at the rest areas, snack kiosks and play zones along the way. A zoo map is available at the entrance.

Chongqing Zoo opening hours and how to get there

Chongqing Zoo is open every day from 08:00 to 18:00, and your ticket is valid for one day. How to get to Chongqing Zoo? Take Light Rail Line 2 to Zoo station, right beside the East Gate. The same line passes through the famous Liziba station, where the monorail runs through a residential building, so you can combine both in one easy morning.

The best time to visit Chongqing Zoo is early morning on a weekday, especially in spring and autumn, when the animals are active and the paths are quiet; summer afternoons are very hot. After your visit, the Yangjiaping district next to the zoo has shopping streets and restaurants, including halal noodle shops run by Hui Muslim families, which are common across Chongqing.