Must-See Sights
What to see in Chengdu
Open one for why it is worth the trip and how to visit; the four decisions below show how to fit them into your days.
Chengdu Panda BaseGo at opening time, when the pandas are usually most active
Sanxingdui MuseumBronze masks and sacred trees from ancient Shu, over 3,000 years old
Leshan Giant BuddhaA 71-metre Buddha cut into a river cliff, a day out from Chengdu
Photo (cropped and resized): Sanxingdui Museum (STW932, CC BY-SA 4.0)
Four city decisions
Understand the city, then plan the details.
How many nights, which area to stay in, how to arrive and leave, where to go next. How to book each part is in Travel Advice.
Time
Three nights give you two full days in the city.
Land in the evening and the first day is just dinner. Three nights give the pandas a morning of their own, and tea in People's Park and Wuhou Shrine another day. Add Sichuan opera after dark if you still have the energy. A fourth night adds one day out, to Sanxingdui, Dujiangyan or Leshan.
Stay base
First time? Stay around Chunxi Road and Taikoo Li.
Dinner and evening streets are on your doorstep, Daci Temple is close and the metro runs in several directions. A hotel “near Taikoo Li” can open deep inside a mall, so check the walk from the metro and where a car can stop. For slow tea-house mornings, look at Kuanzhai Alleys or People's Park.
Gateways
Check whether your ticket says Tianfu or Shuangliu, then plan the ride.
Tianfu lies far to the south-east, a long ride in even with Metro Line 18; Shuangliu, to the south-west, is usually closer to the centre. Flights move between the two, so check again shortly before you fly. Many high-speed trains use Chengdu East, but South and West are separate stations.
Next place
Chongqing is the natural next stop, steeper and faster than Chengdu.
After slow days of tea houses and long meals, the contrast is the reason to go. To see more of Sichuan instead, sleep a night at Leshan or Dujiangyan so the day out is not a race. Jiuzhaigou, in the mountains far to the north, needs several days and beds of its own.
Chengdu's sights, and three cities beyond it
- People's Park · Tianfu SquareTea in the park, museums, central walks
- Chengdu Panda BaseCity's edge; a morning, best at opening
- Wuhou Shrine · JinliThree Kingdoms shrine, shops beside it
- Dujiangyan · Panda ValleyA separate city to the west; a whole day
- Sanxingdui, GuanghanBronze faces, north-east; a whole day
- LeshanThe Giant Buddha, south; a long day
- TFU Tianfu AirportFar south-east; a long ride in
- CTU Shuangliu AirportSouth-west; usually closer to the centre
- Chengdu EastMany high-speed trains; check your ticket
- City centre
- Half a day or more
- A whole day out
- Airports and station
Not to scale. The Panda Base sits on the city's edge; Dujiangyan, Sanxingdui and Leshan are other cities, each a whole day out.
Why Chengdu is where a China trip slows down
Chengdu is a huge city that still lets you take your time. Tea in People's Park can take up a late morning, and a long lunch can stretch into the afternoon. Around Daci Temple, an old temple sits among today's shops, and at Wuhou Shrine you can follow the Three Kingdoms story. At dusk, walk to a covered bridge over the Jin River, watch the office towers mirrored in the water, and let a hotpot dinner carry you through the evening.
After Beijing or Xi'an, Chengdu turns the trip towards everyday life, Sichuan cooking and the landscapes beyond the city. Give it at least three nights, so the pandas and the tea houses each get a day. Squeeze it into a tight Beijing, Xi'an and Shanghai trip just for a panda photo, and it can become an expensive detour.
Your first Chengdu trip: three nights, four days
Arrive on day one and leave on day four, with two full days between. Give one to the pandas, the other to tea in People's Park and Wuhou Shrine.
- Day 1 — Check in to a central hotel and have dinner nearby. Land in the evening and dinner is the whole day, so don't prepay a show that needs an on-time flight.
- Day 2 — Go to the Panda Base at your booked morning entry and watch the pandas eat breakfast, bamboo in both paws. The visit and the ride there and back are enough for one day, so have lunch in town and take the afternoon easy.
- Day 3 — Start with tea in a bamboo chair at a People's Park tea house, then give Wuhou Shrine time to tell its Three Kingdoms story. Have hotpot as spicy as your group enjoys, and add Sichuan opera only if you have the energy and the theatre isn't far.
- Day 4 — Check out and move on. First check how long it takes to reach the exact airport or station on your ticket; add breakfast or a short walk only if there's time.
A fourth night adds a third full day. Keep both city days and add a day out to Sanxingdui, Dujiangyan or Leshan, after reading its guide below. With two nights, keep the panda morning and one day in town, and leave day trips for next time. If you can't get a Day 2 morning panda entry, swap Days 2 and 3; don't squeeze both into one afternoon.
Deeper answers
More on Chengdu
From where to stay to getting in and out of the city, one guide for each question.
Private tours
Private tours that include Chengdu
Ready-made routes with their itinerary and price on each page. Just your group, on your dates.
Chengdu, Pandas & Sanxingdui: 5-Day Private Tour
Chengdu · Panda Base · Sanxingdui · DujiangyanTravellers drawn to pandas, archaeology and a slower look at Chengdu life.Itinerary & price
Chengdu, Jiuzhaigou & Huanglong: 6-Day Private Tour
Chengdu · Jiuzhaigou · HuanglongTravellers who want pandas, Chengdu city life and Sichuan's mountain scenery in one route.Itinerary & price
Chengdu, Leshan, Chongqing, Wulong & Dazu: 8-Day Private Tour
Chengdu · Leshan · Chongqing · Wulong · DazuTravellers who want Sichuan culture, a riverfront megacity and karst mountain scenery in one trip.Itinerary & price
Photos (cropped and resized): Chengdu, Pandas & Sanxingdui: 5-Day Private Tour (George Lu, CC BY 2.0)Chengdu, Jiuzhaigou & Huanglong: 6-Day Private Tour (Chensiyuan, CC BY-SA 4.0)Chengdu, Leshan, Chongqing, Wulong & Dazu: 8-Day Private Tour (Jonashtand, CC BY-SA 4.0)
