Where Is Pride of Times and How Do You Get There?
One useful thing to know before you go: do not rely on searching “Pride of Times” on a Chinese map app.
Instead, search for its Chinese name:时代天骄
The building is located in the Chaotianmen area of Yuzhong District, close to Raffles City and the eastern end of the Yuzhong Peninsula.
By Metro
The easiest option for most visitors is to take the Chongqing Metro to Chaotianmen Station and continue on foot.
The area looks relatively compact on a map, but Chongqing has a habit of turning a short walk into something more complicated. Roads sit on different levels, entrances can be above or below you, and a route may involve stairs, slopes or walking through a building.
So if Google Maps tells you something is “300 metres away,” do not automatically expect a flat five-minute walk.
By Taxi or Didi
If you are taking a taxi or Didi, show the driver:时代天骄
Using the Chinese name is much more reliable than saying “Pride of Times,” which is mainly an English name used online.
What Is the View Actually Like?
Pride of Times is not necessarily where you go for the widest view of Chongqing.
That is also why I think it is interesting.
Raffles City and the Chaotianmen Skyline
The star of the view is Raffles City Chongqing, together with the dense collection of towers around Chaotianmen.
Because the surrounding buildings feel so close, the skyline looks much more compressed and dramatic than it does from viewpoints farther away.
You get layers of:
- skyscrapers
- residential towers
- elevated roads
- city lights
- riverfront buildings
This is the kind of view that makes Chongqing feel impossibly vertical.
If your goal is to stand somewhere high and understand the entire geography of Chongqing, there are better observation decks.
But if you want to see the version of Chongqing that looks like it came out of a science-fiction movie, Pride of Times is one of the better choices.
When Should You Go and What Can You Visit Nearby?
For the classic night view, go after sunset.
The rooftop currently operates roughly from 7:00 PM to 11:00 PM. The recommended period for city-light photography is around 7:30–9:30 PM from October to April and 8:00–10:30 PM from May to September.
Personally, I would not arrive too late.
Going around blue hour gives you a chance to see the sky gradually darken while the buildings begin to light up. It usually creates more depth in photos than arriving when the sky is already completely black.
Weather matters too. Chongqing can be foggy, especially when humidity is high. A clear evening — or sometimes an evening after rain — can give you much better visibility.
Make It Part of a Chongqing Night Route
You do not need several hours at Pride of Times itself. Around 30–60 minutes is normally enough.
A much better way to visit is to combine it with nearby attractions:
Chaotianmen → Pride of Times → Hongya Cave → Jiefangbei
Allow roughly 3–4 hours if you want to walk around, take photos and stop for food along the way.
This route also gives you several very different versions of Chongqing in one evening: the riverfront skyline at Chaotianmen, the rooftop city view, the illuminated architecture of Hongya Cave, and the busy downtown streets around Jiefangbei.
Pride of Times vs Cloud Eye vs Tian Tai 131
If you search for “Chongqing rooftop” or “Chongqing observation deck,” you will probably also come across Cloud Eye Observation Deck and Tian Tai 131.
They are not the same experience.
Pride of Times
Choose Pride of Times if your main goal is photography.
The buildings feel close, Raffles City makes a strong background, and the overall view has much more of that layered, cyberpunk Chongqing feeling.
Ticket: RMB 58 per person.
Cloud Eye Observation Deck
Cloud Eye (云端之眼) is located in the United International Building on Xinhua Road. It has indoor and open-air observation areas and offers a much wider 360-degree panoramic view across Chongqing.
Choose Cloud Eye if you want to stand high above the city and understand Chongqing’s mountains, rivers and skyscrapers as one huge landscape.
Tian Tai 131
Tian Tai 131 (天台131) is another high-altitude rooftop experience in the Jiefangbei area.
Its biggest advantage is convenience. If you are already spending your evening around Jiefangbei and Hongya Cave, it is easy to include without changing your route too much.
So the simplest way to choose is:
For photos, choose Pride of Times. For a wide panorama, choose Cloud Eye. For convenience around Jiefangbei, choose Tian Tai 131.
If those surreal, skyscraper-packed Chongqing photos are what made you want to visit the city in the first place, Pride of Times is probably the one you are looking for.
