Chengdu Travel Guide: How Many Days, Panda Base Booking and Getting Around

Give Chengdu three days in the city and one or two more for trips out: one morning for the pandas, one or two days for the temples, teahouses and food, and a day each for the Leshan Giant Buddha or Mount Qingcheng if you want them. Getting around is easier than most first-timers expect, because the metro gates take a tap of a foreign Visa, Mastercard or American Express card. The one thing to sort out before you arrive is the Panda Base: every adult ticket is booked online in advance, with your passport.

How many days, when to come, and how the city is laid out

Three full days in the city is the right amount for a first visit. The pandas take a morning, and because they are only really moving early in the day, that morning sets the rhythm of the whole trip. The old-city sights — Wuhou Shrine, Jinli, Kuanzhai Alley, People's Park, Wenshu Monastery — fill a day and a half at an easy pace, and Chengdu is a city where an easy pace is the point: an afternoon in a teahouse is part of the plan, not wasted time. Add one day for Leshan or Dujiangyan and Mount Qingcheng, and a second if you want Mount Emei, which is much better with a night on the mountain. Four to five days total covers it well; two days means pandas plus one old-city day and nothing else.

The best months are spring (March to May) and autumn (September to November), when days are mild and you can walk all day without discomfort. Chengdu sits in the Sichuan Basin, ringed by mountains, and the air is often hazy and grey — sunny days are a bonus in any season. Summer is hot, humid and rainy, and the pandas spend the hottest hours indoors. Winter is not freezing, but it is damp and grey, and older buildings and teahouses are not always well heated, so bring warm layers. Avoid Chinese New Year and the first week of October if you can: every sight and train is at its busiest.

The city is easy to read. Tianfu Square (天府广场, Tiānfǔ Guǎngchǎng) is the center, and ring roads spread out from it. Inside the 1st Ring Road is the old city: People's Park, Kuanzhai Alley and Wenshu Monastery, all within walking distance or a short metro ride of each other. Just east of the square is Chunxi Road (春熙路, Chūnxī Lù) and Taikoo Li (太古里, Tàigǔ Lǐ), the shopping and nightlife core. Wuhou Shrine and Jinli sit just southwest, inside the 2nd Ring. Far to the south are the Hi-tech Zone and Tianfu New Area, full of offices and new towers, with little for a visitor. The Panda Base is north of the center, the new Tianfu airport a long way southeast.

Many travelers arrive visa-free. The 240-hour transit option needs an onward ticket to a third country, booked before you arrive. Both Chengdu airports, Shuangliu and Tianfu, are among the 65 entry ports for China's 240-hour visa-free transit. Under that scheme you may travel only within the permitted area — in Sichuan that is 11 cities — so check that every stop on your list is inside it. Separately, ordinary-passport holders from 50 countries can currently visit visa-free for up to 30 days. Who qualifies for what is in our 240-hour visa-free transit guide.

Getting in from the airports

Chengdu has two airports, and they are far apart, so check which one your ticket says. Tianfu International (TFU) is the new one, a long way southeast of the city; many international flights use it. Shuangliu (CTU) is the older airport, close to the southwest edge of the city.

From Tianfu, take Metro Line 18. You board in the Ground Transportation Center, level L1, and the full ride to Chengdu South Railway Station (火车南站) costs 10 yuan. The fastest trains run non-stop and take about 33 minutes, the express trains about 40, and the all-stops trains longer — check the platform screens for which one is next. At Chengdu South you change to Line 1 for the center. The first train from the airport leaves at 06:03 and the last at 23:34. If you land later than that, there are six airport bus routes covering the whole 24 hours; check routes and times in the Chengdu Bus app or mini-program. Taxis wait outside T1 gate G02 and T2 gate G04, and use the meter for any address in Chengdu. As a guide to the scale, the Panda Base quotes about 200 yuan and 60 to 70 minutes by taxi from Tianfu.

From Shuangliu, Metro Line 10 stops at both terminals and runs toward Wuhou Shrine; from T1 the first train that way leaves at 06:03 and the last at 23:15. In T1 the station is outside Exit 04 on the arrivals level (1F); in T2 it is on level B2. Line 19 connects the two airports directly, from Shuangliu's T2 East station, which helps if you are connecting between them. A taxi from Shuangliu to the Panda Base is about 100 yuan; central Chengdu is closer than the Panda Base. Buses, luggage and late-night options at both airports are in our airport-to-city transfers guide.

Getting around the city

Use the metro for almost everything. It reaches the Panda Base, both airports, the railway stations and nearly every sight in this guide, and it is signed in English. The big change for visitors is payment: Chengdu Metro gates now accept a direct tap of a UnionPay card or a foreign-issued Visa, Mastercard or American Express card, at every station and on the trams. The card needs a chip and contactless (tap) function, and some banks require small contactless payments to be switched on first. You are charged the standard single fare, and you can also use the same card at the ticket machines for a single ticket or a day pass. The rules are in the Chengdu Metro ticketing notice (in Chinese).

Fares go by distance and start at 2 yuan, so most rides across the center cost only a few yuan. Tap in and tap out with the same card. If you forget to tap at one end, you have seven days to fix the trip at a station's self-service machine or service center; after that you are charged the network's highest single fare. Paper single tickets from the machines are valid only on the day and from the station where you bought them. There are also QR ride codes in the Chengdu Metro, Tianfu Tong and Tianfu Citizen Cloud apps, with a 10% discount; if you want to use one, check that it accepts your foreign phone number and card first — for a short stay, tapping your card is simpler. For the same reason there is no need to buy a Tianfu Tong transit card.

Most lines run from around 6:00 to between 22:30 and 23:30, and each station has its own times. If you are out late at a hotpot dinner, check your station's last train before ordering another round: our Chengdu last-train page lists them, and the Chengdu metro map and route planner works out changes between lines. the WaysChina app

One current closure: six stations on the eastern end of Line 2 have been shut for rebuilding linked to a new high-speed rail line since December 20, 2025, and are expected to reopen around October 2026 — check the Chengdu Metro notices. Chengdu East railway station itself is still served by Line 2; only routes further east toward Longquanyi need another line, so check the Chengdu Metro notices if your plans go that way.

For door-to-door trips, especially at night or with luggage, use DiDi. The app works in English and takes a foreign card, and our DiDi guide covers setup. Street taxis are metered and fine, but few drivers speak English, so keep your hotel's name and address in Chinese on your phone. Shared bikes are everywhere and Chengdu is flat, but unlocking one with a foreign account doesn't always work, so check inside Alipay before you count on it. How metros work across China in general is in our China metro guide.

Where to stay

For a first visit, stay near Chunxi Road and Taikoo Li. It is central, it is on the metro, and it is lively until late, with restaurants, bars and shops on every side. The Panda Base is about 25 to 35 minutes away by taxi from here, which is what you want for an early start.

If you want an older feel, stay between Kuanzhai Alley and People's Park. You can walk to the teahouses, Kuanzhai Alley and Wenshu Monastery, and the streets are quieter at night than Chunxi Road. It is a good choice for a slower trip.

The area around Wuhou Shrine and Jinli suits travelers who want to be close to the old sights and the Tibetan quarter's small restaurants. Metro Line 10 stops at Wuhou Shrine (Jinli) station, three minutes' walk from the shrine, and Line 10 is also the line to Shuangliu airport — handy if you fly from there.

The Hi-tech Zone and the Financial City area in the south have big international hotels and business travelers, but they are far from the sights, so every day starts with a long metro ride. Choose them only if you are working there. If you land late at Tianfu or leave on an early flight, one night near the airport can make sense; otherwise stay in town.

Hotels register foreign guests with the police using your passport at check-in; if you stay in a private apartment, you or your host must register with the local police within 24 hours of arrival. Our hotel booking and registration guide explains it. Once you have picked an area, you can compare hotels there on Booking.com. For high-end options, see our luxury travel guide to Chengdu.

The Panda Base: how to book, when to go, how to get there

The Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding (成都大熊猫繁育研究基地) is why most visitors come to Chengdu, and the rules have changed from what older guides say. All tickets are sold online, in advance, with your real name and ID. There is a daily limit of 85,000 visitors, you can book up to 14 days ahead, and when a day is sold out, it is sold out. Don't plan to buy at the gate: the ticket window is only a fallback for people who can't pay online, and only if tickets are left.

The adult ticket is 55 yuan, students pay 27, and visitors aged 60 and over and children aged 6 or under (or under 1.3 m) go free without booking. Each ticket is for either the morning or the afternoon session on the date you chose, and lets you in once. The official channels are the base's own WeChat account and mini-program plus authorized platforms including Trip.com, which the base's English ticket page links to directly. For most foreign visitors the English route is the easiest: book with your passport details on Trip.com, then at the entrance use the lane marked for passports and other documents, where staff check your passport by hand.

Book the morning session and arrive when the gates open. Pandas are most active in the cool early hours, when they are fed and moving around; by late morning many are asleep, and on hot days they are moved indoors or into shade. From March to October morning entry runs 07:30 to 12:00, and from November to February 08:00 to 12:00. The afternoon session (from 12:00) is fine for the red pandas and the indoor enclosures, but you will see fewer active giant pandas. The Panda Tower inside the park is free but also needs an online reservation. The popular No. 6 Villa area closes on Mondays under a trial rest-day scheme, except on public holidays; the rest of the park stays open. In hot weather, head for villas 1, 2, 3 and 7 and the Sun, Moon and Star nursery buildings, which have indoor viewing.

The grounds are large and hilly. An electric sightseeing cart costs 30 yuan for the day, hop-on hop-off at any stop; it is worth it with children or on a hot day, and you can buy it on arrival. Allow three hours, more if you use the afternoon to walk the whole park.

To get there, take Metro Line 3. For the south gate, get off at Panda Avenue (熊猫大道) station, Exit A, and take shuttle bus 408; for the west gate, get off at Junqu Zongyiyuan (General Hospital) station, Exit B, and take shuttle bus 409, about 10 minutes. The first northbound Line 3 train (toward Chengdu Medical College) reaches Panda Avenue at 06:37, and the last train back toward the city leaves there at 23:13, so check your own station's first train if you want to be at the gate for opening. A taxi from Chunxi Road is about 40 yuan and 25 to 35 minutes, which is often the better choice for an early start.

The Panda Base in the city is not the only panda site. Dujiangyan Panda Valley, a branch of the same base out in Dujiangyan, also books online in advance with a passport. Don't confuse it with the separate Dujiangyan Panda Base of the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda (中华大熊猫苑, often called China Panda Garden), which has been closed for renovation since April 23, 2026, with no reopening date announced. Which panda trip outside the city is worth it is in our Chengdu day trips guide.

Which sights to see, and which need booking

The old city is best seen in pairs of places close to each other. Wuhou Shrine (武侯祠, Wǔhóu Cí) is the temple to Zhuge Liang, the statesman of the Three Kingdoms period, with red walls, old cypresses and a bamboo-lined walkway; it takes an hour or two. Jinli (锦里), the lantern-lit old-style snack street right next to it, is free on normal days, though during the Chinese New Year temple fair it becomes part of the paid fair area; it is at its best after dark. Wuhou Shrine itself costs 50 yuan and has to be booked with your real name on its official website or WeChat account, up to 14 days ahead; foreign visitors book with a passport, one ticket per passport per day. The booking page is on the Wuhou Shrine website.

Du Fu Thatched Cottage (杜甫草堂, Dù Fǔ Cǎotáng) is a quiet garden museum built around the home of the Tang-dynasty poet Du Fu, good for a slow walk among bamboo and ponds. Tickets are 50 yuan, and it is open every day with no regular closing day. Tickets are real-name and booked up to 14 days ahead through the museum's WeChat account, and its website has a "foreign visitors" ticket link that goes to Trip.com; if you booked with a passport, go to the ticket window first to collect a paper ticket. One point for older travelers: at both Wuhou Shrine and Du Fu Cottage the free entry for over-60s lists mainland, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan residents and foreign permanent residents, not foreign passport holders, so plan on buying a ticket.

Kuanzhai Alley (宽窄巷子, Kuānzhǎi Xiàngzi), three restored lanes of courtyard houses now full of cafés, snack shops and teahouses, is an open street you just walk into. People's Park (人民公园, Rénmín Gōngyuán) is free and a ten-minute walk away; it is where the city's most famous teahouse is (more below). Further north, Wenshu Monastery (文殊院, Wénshū Yuàn), a working Buddhist temple with a good vegetarian restaurant and teahouse, is free and open 8:00 to 17:00. Qingyang Palace (青羊宫), a Taoist temple, costs 10 yuan and is open 08:00 to 17:00. Chunxi Road and Taikoo Li are for shopping and people-watching; the giant panda climbing the IFS mall wall there is free to look at and the most photographed thing in the area.

For museums, the Chengdu Museum on the west side of Tianfu Square is the easiest: foreign visitors can book on its foreign-language booking page with just an email address, no WeChat or Chinese phone number needed, then swap the passport booking for a ticket at the ticket desk. Tickets are released 14 days ahead at 19:00 each day, details are in the museum's booking announcement, and it closes on Mondays but stays open until 20:30 on Fridays and Saturdays. The Sichuan Museum is open 9:00 to 17:00 and closed on Mondays; check its official account for the current booking and passport rules before you go. If you were planning the Jinsha Site Museum, it is closed for a full renovation until the end of April 2027, so leave it out of this trip.

The table has current prices, hours, closing days and booking rules for the main sights.

The simple rule: Monday is a good day for Wuhou Shrine, Du Fu Cottage and the temples, a fine day for the Panda Base apart from the No. 6 Villa, and a bad day for the city's museums. Book the Panda Base first, then Wuhou Shrine; everything else can be decided a day or two ahead.

Teahouses, Sichuan opera and the slow pace

Sitting in a teahouse for an hour or two is the most typical Chengdu pastime, and locals of every age do it. The best-known is Heming Teahouse (鹤鸣茶社, Hèmíng Cháshè) in People's Park, an open-air place under the trees where locals play cards and mahjong and talk for hours. Between 6:30 and 8:30 in the morning a cup of tea costs 3 yuan, and the stage shows — face-changing, storytelling, long-spout teapot pouring — are free for anyone who has bought tea, apart from the 8 pm evening show. Later in the day tea costs more; the price board at the counter shows the current prices, so check it before you sit down. You pay for a cup of tea and can keep your seat as long as you like.

You will see ear cleaners (掏耳朵, tāo ěrduo) walking between the tables with long metal picks and a tuning fork they ring to announce themselves. It is a real local habit, not a show for tourists. If you want to try it, agree the price first, and say no clearly if you don't want it.

For Sichuan opera, the evening show at Shufeng Yayun (蜀风雅韵), inside the Culture Park on Qintai Road, is the usual choice for visitors: it is a mixed program of short scenes that includes face-changing (变脸, biànliǎn). The show starts at 20:00 every night, you enter 30 minutes before, and extra shows are added on holidays. The ticket includes a bowl of tea per person, and some packages add a back massage, ear cleaning or trying on a costume; check prices on the booking page, as they depend on seat and package. Take a taxi and give the driver the theater's Chinese name; the Culture Park (文化公园, Wénhuà Gōngyuán) is not the same place as Wenhuagong (文化宫) metro station, despite the similar name.

The rest of the slow pace is simply time: a long lunch, a walk along the river in the evening, a second pot of tea. Don't fill every hour.

If you only have three days in total

With three days in total, one of them out of town: day one, the Panda Base in the morning, then Wuhou Shrine in the afternoon and Jinli after dark. Day two: People's Park teahouse in the morning, Kuanzhai Alley and Wenshu Monastery, and Chunxi Road and Taikoo Li in the evening. Day three: out of the city, to the Leshan Giant Buddha or to Dujiangyan and Mount Qingcheng. The timed version, with metro directions for each day, is our 3-day Chengdu itinerary.

What to eat

Sichuan food is famous for málà (麻辣), chili heat plus the tingling numbness of Sichuan pepper. Hotpot (火锅, huǒguō) is the classic group dinner; chuànchuàn (串串) is hotpot's cheaper cousin, where you pick skewers and pay by the stick; mào cài (冒菜) is a one-person bowl cooked in the same broth. Ask for wēi là (微辣, mild) or order a split yuānyāng (鸳鸯) pot with one plain side. Dan dan noodles and Zhong dumplings (钟水饺, in a sweet chili sauce) are good first dishes; spicy rabbit head is a real local favorite, but most visitors try one bite. Restaurants have to post a food-safety grade sign in a clear spot such as the entrance or dining hall — a big smiling face, or the letter A, is the best rating. Dishes, streets and ordering tips are in our Chengdu food guide.

Money and internet

Almost everyone in Chengdu pays by scanning a QR code with Alipay or WeChat Pay, and both work with a foreign card. Alipay accepts Visa, Mastercard, JCB, Diners Club and Discover cards — check the list in the app when you add yours. WeChat Pay also accepts American Express and UnionPay International cards — again, check in the app for your card. Set one of them up before you fly; our Alipay setup guide walks through it, and understanding Chinese payment systems explains cards, cash and the rest. Carry a little cash as a backup for the odd small stall.

Tapping your card on the metro is a Chengdu convenience, not a China-wide one. If you go on to Chongqing, its metro gates don't take foreign cards: there you buy single tickets with a foreign card at the staffed windows, or use a QR ride code.

For data, an eSIM bought before you fly (for example from Airalo) means you land connected and can open DiDi and maps at the airport. Google, WhatsApp, Instagram and most Western news sites are blocked on Chinese networks; a roaming eSIM usually gets around that, otherwise you need a VPN set up before you arrive. Our China SIM and eSIM guide and internet and VPN guide compare the options. Boil tap water before drinking it. Most hotel rooms have a kettle.

Trips out of the city

Trains from Chengdu East station cover most day trips. The Leshan Giant Buddha is the easy one: around 78 trains a day from Chengdu's stations, most of them from Chengdu East, taking 46 to 60 minutes. From Leshan station, bus K1 or bus 3 goes to the Buddha. The Nine-Turn Plank Road beside the Buddha is closed for maintenance, but you can still walk down to the Buddha's feet on the Lingyun Plank Road, and a river boat gives you the full front view. Dujiangyan's ancient irrigation works and Mount Qingcheng use a different station, Xipu, with trains taking 20 to 35 minutes. Mount Emei is better with a night on the mountain: the Golden Summit has a daily visitor cap while its cable car is rebuilt, and the bus up must be booked for a time slot. Jiuzhaigou is not a day trip: the fastest train takes 1 hour 39 minutes to Huanglong Jiuzhai station, then it is about two more hours by road to the park. Jiuzhaigou is in Aba Prefecture, outside the Sichuan area allowed under 240-hour visa-free transit, so transit travelers can't go there. All of these are in our Chengdu day trips guide, and booking train tickets with a passport is in how to book train tickets.

Chongqing is the natural next stop: well over a hundred high-speed trains a day, the fastest taking about an hour. See our Chongqing complete guide.

If something goes wrong

Call 110 for the police and 120 for an ambulance; both calls are free, but the ambulance ride is not. For problems that are not emergencies, such as a price dispute or a complaint, Chengdu's 12345 hotline has an English service. For medical care in English, West China Hospital's VIP and International Medical Center at 37 Guoxue Alley runs weekday outpatient clinics for foreign patients, booked online, and can bill some international insurers directly. In an emergency, call 120 or go straight to a hospital emergency department; our health and medical care guide covers the rest. Which consulate covers Sichuan depends on your country: South Korea and Germany have consulates in Chengdu, the UK covers Sichuan from its consulate in Chongqing, and the US covers it from the embassy in Beijing. Contacts are in our embassy contacts guide, and the full list of numbers is in emergency numbers in China.

Last updated: October 2026