As a local guide in Chengdu, I've always been captivated by the city's unique charm. I've curated four city walks, each offering a different perspective of Chengdu.
Whether you're a foodie, a history enthusiast, a nature lover, or a fan of pandas, these walks will take you on a journey beyond the typical tourist path, immersing you in the authentic Chengdu experience. Curious? Come, let's explore together!
Route 1: From Taikoo Li to Anshun Bridge
The reason why I recommend this route is mainly due to the visual impact it gives us and the stunning combination of history and modernity it presents. Being the most photogenic City Walk, it encompasses Chengdu's local life, cyber aesthetics, and classical charm.
Experience more from nature's palette to urban rhythm: 8-Day Chengdu,Jiuzhaigou and Chongqing Tour
- Itinerary: Taikoo Li + Daci Temple - Tangba Street - Wangping Street + Xiangxiang Lane - Hejiang Pavilion - Jiuyan Bridge + Anshun Bridge
- Tour Duration: 3-4 hours
Taikoo Li and Daci Temple (太古里和大慈寺) are masterpieces of the collision between ancient and modern cultures. Hidden under the colored glaze light and shadow of Taikoo Li, Daci Temple is a thousand-year-old temple.
I love it here, not only because of the bamboo forest light and shadow outside its walls, but also because of the bowl-covered tea inside, and the Zen meaning of "cultivating in the bustling city".
Taikoo Li is like a glass jar that encapsulates Chengdu's spicy soul into cyberpunk. In the Gucci window, AI models' dressing shows, and in the 3D screen, giant pandas leap into virtual bamboo forests, the whole area is full of a sense of technology.
Taikoo LiTangba Street (镋钯街), originally named "Dangpa (挡耙)", was the place for weapon storage in the late Qing Dynasty. It has now become a place where old Chengdu confronts Western aesthetics.
The Japanese-style coffee shop, art gallery, bookstore transformed from the ground floor of residential houses, the grey tiles and green bricks of Chongde Lane, and the graffiti wall all interpret the word "literary".
Wangping Street + Xiangxiang Lane (望平街+香香巷): The reason why I recommend this place is definitely because of the Riverside Market. When the lanterns light up at night, Xiangxiang Lane is like a "Little Hong Kong in Chengdu".
Locals often come here to find a variety of food, and not far away, the market stalls along the river are also bustling. Handmade coffee carts, flower stalls, egg cakes, and other handmade works, here we can feel the leisure and life of Chengdu.
Hejiang Pavilion (合江亭): Love Zebra Crossing
The Fu River and Nan River converge here, so it is called Hejiang Pavilion. Chengdu people also regard it as a symbol of love.
On this street, whether on the ground or on the walls, there are designs about the theme of love everywhere. The local government has specially set up love traffic lights and zebra crossings. We locals like to take wedding photos here, and I also registered for a marriage certificate here.
Hejiang PavilionJiuyan Bridge + Anshun Bridge (九眼桥+安顺廊桥)
Speaking of Chengdu's night view, Jiuyan Bridge and Anshun Bridge are definitely not to be missed. This place is known as the most beautiful night view in Chengdu, even the Italian merchant Marco Polo was amazed by it.
The night view of Jiuyan Bridge in ChengduRoute 2: From Jinsha Site Museum to People's Park
It is a journey through three thousand years of life. If you want to understand Chengdu in the shortest possible time, this route is a must.
Like a string of pearls, it weaves together the mysterious civilization of ancient Shu, the leisurely Taoist philosophy, the compassion of Buddhism, the vibrant life of the marketplace, and the living heritage into a flowing feast.
- Itinerary: Jinsha Site Museum, Qingyang Palace, Wenshu Fang, Kuanzhai Alley, People's Park, Sichuan Opera Performance
- Duration: Full day
Morning: Jinsha Site Museum - Touching the Sun Code of Ancient Shu
The Jinsha Site Museum is the starting point of Chengdu's civilization. Its treasure, the Gold Foil of the Sun God Bird represents the cosmic view of the ancient Shu people 3000 years ago.
In 2011, this pattern was embroidered on astronauts' suits and flew to space. In 2012, the Gold Foil of Sun God Bird was chosen as the symbol of Chinese cultural heritage. You can see the totem culture of the Sun God Bird everywhere in Chengdu's streets and alleys.
Sun God Bird Gold Foil OrnamentWant to visit more museums? See our Sanxingdui Museum tour: 1-Day Chengdu Tour for Pandas and Sanxingdui Museum
Late Morning: Qingyang Palace - Seeking the Tao in the Bagua Array
Taoism, as a native religion of China, has a profound impact on Chinese civilization, such as Feng Shui culture and traditional Chinese medicine theory. Qingyang Palace houses a rare correct Tai Chi Bagua diagram.
Here, you can also have a cup of vegetarian tea, meet locals practicing Tai Chi, and in autumn and winter, you can pick up a few thousand-year-old ginkgo leaves to make bookmarks.
Qingyang PalaceAfternoon: Wenshu Monastery - Seeking the Taste of Life in Zen Tea
Wenshu Monastery is my favorite place. For me, this is where I live on a daily basis. On holidays, I come to Wenshu Monastery to burn incense and worship Buddha.
When I'm not working, I also come here to drink tea and copy scriptures. Because every time I come to this thousand-year-old Zen forest, my heart will involuntarily calm down. I think, for me, Wenshu Monastery is a door of wisdom, as if all the negative energy I encounter can be purified by the Buddha's compassion, tolerance, and tranquility.
Besides this thousand-year-old ancient temple, the vegetarian food here is also not to be missed, as is the daily long queue at Wenshu Fang's Imperial Pastry Shop. With just one bite, you will understand that the taste of Chengdu people is far more than spicy.
Wenshu MonasteryLate Afternoon: Kuanzhai Alley - A Historical Scroll Through Time
Kuanzhai Alley, named after two parallel alleys, is small but a microcosm of Chengdu, a book of this city. In this book, you can find well-preserved Qing Dynasty ancient buildings and experience the daily life of Chengdu people: drinking tea, listening to opera, and ear picking.
We will also guide you to discover Chengdu's cuisine, whether it's Dan Dan noodles, Three Big Cannons and other snacks, or the diverse flavors of Sichuan cuisine and boiling hot pot.
Kuanzhai AlleyDusk: People's Park - A Slow Motion View of Chengdu's Marketplace
At dusk, enter the century-old tea house in People's Park - Heming Tea House, find a vacant bamboo chair, watch the copper kettle spout draw a silver arc, slowly diffuse the jasmine tea, close your eyes, smell the tea, and all worries vanish.
The matchmaking corner of People's Park, full of matrimonial resumes, with aunties promoting their children in Chengdu dialect, rivals Wall Street elite roadshows. Joining the locals in exercise or square dancing will also become a beautiful travel memory.
People's ParkIf you're not too tired, the evening's face-changing Sichuan Opera will take us into Chengdu's chivalrous spirit.
Route 3: Stroll in Yulin, Experiencing Chengdu Community Culture
Having lived in Chengdu for 18 years, in my spare time, I would invite my friends to stroll around Yulin. Experience the local life style with us: 1-Day Chengdu Lifestyle Tour
First, it is a representative of Chengdu's community culture.
Second, it has both sides of local culture: half coffee, half teahouse; half artistic, half life; it is an excellent place to experience Chengdu's slow life and is loved by musicians, writers, and artists.
Third, this community has a variety of delicious food, from egg cakes to hot pot, a wide variety, and all taste authentic.
Finally, the street culture of this community has many elements. You can take photos of different themes.
- Itinerary: Fanghua Cross Street, Fanghua Street, Yutong Xinyuan, Yujie Lane, Yard Cultural and Creative Park, Yulin Comprehensive Market, Yulin Street, Mutual Aid Garden, Fuyuan Square, Yulin Fourth Lane, Yulin East Road, Yulin West Road
- Tour Time: Half day, recommended from 12:00 to 20:00
- Total Length of Route: 5km
Fanghua Cross Street/Fanghua Street (芳华横街/芳华街): The place with the highest concentration of coffee and trendy people in Yulin. There are also various treasure shops: old shops, grocery stores, fusion restaurants, dessert shops. Be sure to order a local coffee to taste. You can have a simple lunch here.
Yutong Xinyua (元通欣苑): This is Chengdu's most successful cultural community. All shops are opened on the first floor of the residential building, both quiet and lively.
Yujie Lane/Yard Cultural and Creative Park (玉洁巷/院子文化创意园): Many interesting small shops, the most famous is the Step Back Collection Old Bookstore (退步集旧书店). The Yard Cultural and Creative Park also holds various market activities from time to time.
Yulin Comprehensive Market (玉林综合市场): There are many authentic Chengdu snacks, the most grounded vendor stalls.
Yulin Street (玉林街): Gathered Chengdu's cuisine, the headquarters of Yulin Skewer Fragrance and Wang Ma Hand-Torn Roasted Rabbit are here.
Mutual Aid Garden/Fuyuan Square (互助苑/福苑广场): The famous Chengdu Disney is here. Don't miss the tea in Fuyuan Square, and the panda graffiti on the opposite residential building.
Yulin Fourth Lane/Third Lane (玉林四巷/三巷): As the Love Lane, the romantic pink covers the entire street. The newly built Folk Song Inside is full of 80s vibe.
Yulin East Road (玉林东路): The entire street has been renovated and renewed, becoming a benchmark for the renovation of the entire Yulin community and old communities in Chengdu.
Yulin West Road (玉林西路): The last stop, be sure to go to the small bar for a drink, and the folk song "Chengdu" will put a perfect end to this City Walk.
Route 4: From Tangba Street to Jinli Ancient Street
This route best reflects the authentic slow life of Chengdu while leading you to searching for hidden panda elements in the city streets. It is like a key, which can open the modern shell of Chengdu and explore its marketplace heart, seeing the 'double life' of Chengdu in one day.
Interested in Panda? See our Panda tour: 1-Day Panda Wonderland Tour
- Itinerary: Tangba Street → Taikoo Li → IFS → Shuwa Street → Binsheng Street → Kuanzhai Alley → Xiaotong Lane → Jinli
- Total duration: About 8 hours (including transportation, meals, and stops), suitable all year round.
First stop: Tangba Street (Artistic Awakening). Time: 9:00-10:00
- Tangba Street, a place where weapons were made in ancient times, has now been transformed into a collection of artistic small shops, cafes, and bookstores.
- Get up early, buy some buns for breakfast at the street corner bun shop, eat while walking, then go to a coffee shop for a cup of local coffee, stroll around the bookstore, and look for panda elements along the way.
- Panda Check-in Point: Panda Bookstore, Panda Graffiti Wall at the corner.
- Other Highlights: UID Café, Yiwu Bookstore, Tangba Street Historical Plaque, Old Courtyard Door Wrapped in Vines.
Second stop: Taikoo Li (Modern Magnet). Time: 10:15-11:30
- Taikoo Li, a masterpiece of tradition and modernity colliding. International luxury brand flagship stores hidden in Sichuan-style residential buildings, the Zen and tea fragrance in the red walls of Daci Temple. It is not only a visual feast but also a spiritual haven.
- Panda Elements: Panda Wall Climbing (7th floor viewing platform can take a "panda face" photo), Panda Bus, Panda Electronic Screen.
- Other Highlights: Newspaper wall at the entrance of the mall, occasional themed markets in the square.
- Lunch: Dragon Dumplings on Chunxi Road, tasting Chengdu local snacks.
Taikoo LiThird stop: IFS International Financial Center (Top Stream Panda). Time: 11:40-12:20
- It is a famous landmark in Chengdu and also the largest and busiest shopping center.
- Panda Elements: Climbing Panda (7th floor viewing platform can take a "panda face" photo), Panda Bus, Panda Electronic Screen.
- Other Highlights: Newspaper wall at the entrance of the shopping mall, occasional themed markets on the square.
- Lunch: Dragon's Hand Dumplings on Chunxi Road, tasting Chengdu-style snacks.
Climbing PandaFourth stop: Shuwa Street (Century-old Postal Memory). Time: 13:00-13:40 (10 minutes by taxi, 20 minutes on foot)
- The old building of the General Post Office, built in 1896, is a mix of Western clock tower and Chinese flying eaves. The Postal Museum offers free stamping, and you can deeply experience sending a postcard to yourself or a friend at Shuwa Street Post Office.
- Panda Element: Panda Post Office, separate from the General Post Office.
- Other Highlights: Old-fashioned barber stalls on the street, bamboo weaving shops, old teahouses with grandpas playing long cards.
Panda Post OfficeFifth stop: Binsheng Street (Artistic Vintage Street). Time: 14:00-14:40 (10 minutes on foot)
- This hundred-meter-long alley is a famous coffee street.
- Choose a coffee shop to order a "Sichuan Pepper Americano" (about 28 yuan) to refresh yourself, sit under the plane trees to watch the passers-by, look at the old neighborhood with clotheslines crossing the street, and form a contrasting cuteness with the literary shops, experiencing the leisurely life of Chengdu.
- Panda Element: Panda Graffiti Wall, Enter Grocery Store
Sixth stop: Kuanzhai Alley (Controversial Aesthetics). Time: 15:00-16:00 (8 minutes by bike)
- Kuanzhai Alley is the example of Qing Dynasty hutongs. The courtyard gate of Kuan Alley and the grey brick wall of Zhai Alley still have historical traces to follow.
- This is a popular place for cultural flash mobs, with Sichuan opera face-changing, Sichuan cuisine, Sichuan tea, Sichuan embroidery and other intangible cultural heritage, ear-picking experience (30 yuan/10 minutes), local designer collective stores, etc.
- Panda Element: 52TOY store's falling panda, wide alley garage graffiti bear, GO PANDA, Wuliangye Experience Store, Luzhou Laojiao Experience Store, Starbucks entrance.
- Other Highlights: Jian Shan Academy, ancient architectural gate, Jing Alley's brick culture theme wall, Yiding Coffee, occasional activities in the East Square.
People in Kuanzhai AlleySeventh stop: Xiaotong Lane (Healing Series Easter Egg). Time: 16:20-17:00 (5 minutes on foot)
- Adjacent to Kuanzhai Alley is a slow life block, with a mint green exterior dessert shop, a homestay with succulent plants covering the windowsill, and a handmade fabric workshop.
- This is also a concentration camp for cat cafes. During afternoon tea time, you can order a pancake at "Duo Duo's Home" cafe, paired with jasmine tea, and feel the slow time in the alley.
- Panda Element: Panda-themed element street, a super large panda graffiti wall.
Final stop: Jinli (Night Color Jianghu). Time: 18:30-20:00 (15 minutes by taxi, recommended for evening entry)
- An ancient street themed on Three Kingdoms culture, with red lanterns, opera stages, arch bridges, and food as its themes. Many people come here to take Hanfu art photos.
- Panda Element: Panda House
- Other Highlights: Wishing Pavilion, Song Youcai Dessert Shop, Small Tea House.
- Dinner Recommendation: Hot Pot.
Jinli night viewPractical Tips:
1. Optional: If you're not feeling energetic, you can skip Xiaotong Lane and Jinli, extend your visit to Kuanzhai Alley, and choose a restaurant in Kuanzhai Alley for dinner, which can be Chinese food or hot pot.
2. Dress: Vintage outfits are more photogenic (such as denim/Hanfu mix), be sure to wear sneakers!
Discover Chengdu with China Highlights
Embark on an unforgettable journey with China Highlights as we uncover the hidden treasures of Chengdu. From its vibrant streets to its tranquil parks, let's explore the city's unique charm together. Contact us, and experience the authentic Chengdu like never before!