Chengdu is really a relaxing and fun city to explore. Here, the laid-back lifestyle, lovely pandas, tasty Sichuan cuisine, and more, all make it a popular travel destination in China. If you're also planning a trip to Chengdu, you may want to know what the top things to do here.
With over 26 years of experience creating China tours, China Highlights knows the best spots. And I just visited Chengdu myself in March. This guide combines insights with my personal highlights to help you make the most of your trip.
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- Panda Base
- Streets and Food
- Sichuan Opera
- Local's Lifestyle
- Shopping
- Dujiangyan Irrigation System
- Mt.Qingcheng
- Leshan Giant Buddha
- Mt.Emei
- Xiling Snow Mountain
1. Meet Lovely Pandas and Pick Your Panda Base
Chengdu is home to pandas, and has 5 panda bases:
- Chengdu Panda Breeding and Research Center (City Panda Base): crowded, but the most classic one with the most pandas and easily accessible. It is recommended for a quick visit.
- Dujiangyan Panda Base: Recommend for a panda volunteer program, or an easy visit with relatively fewer crowds. It also has shuttle buses for transfer in the base.
- Wolong Panda Base is also good for a volunteer program, but far from Chengdu city, a half-hour drive longer to Wolong than to Dujiangyan. (recommended if you prefer baby pandas, as there is a panda kindergarten)
For the Volunteer Program, you can see more details on our One-Day Dujiangyan Panda Volunteer Program Tour, or 1-Day Wolong Panda Volunteer Program Tour.
Panda volunteer, our guests are cleaning the panda playground- Dujiangyan Panda Valley: tourists here are fewer than at other bases, and you could view pandas at a closer distance because the pandas' playground there is closer to travelers.
- Bifengxia Panda Base is the furthest one, and it offers no particularly special points. It is not recommended.
If you are traveling with kids and want to make the panda visit more memorable, you could choose to take part in a panda ink painting class to make a painting as a souvenir. During the painting process, your kids could make friends and interact with local children.
Read more details on One Day Panda Wonderland Tour.
Best Time to See Pandas:
Pandas are most active during feeding times: 9:00-10:30 AM and 2:00-3:30 PM. Morning visits are highly recommended as it gets hotter in the afternoon, and pandas are usually moved indoors when the temperature exceeds 25°C.
2. Stroll, Snack, and Soak in Chengdu's Old Streets
Chengdu is a foodie paradise approved by UNESCO. From spicy Sichuan dishes to yummy street snacks, it will get you addicted. Have no idea what or where to find? Let us show you the way.
Jinli Ancient Street is packed with traditional snacks, and also lively with a historical vibe. But you'll also meet large crowds and higher prices. Recommend visiting at night, as it's especially beautiful when the lanterns light up (around 8pm). But this is also the most crowded time.
If you're a history lover, pair it with a visit to the nearby Wuhou Shrine. You can learn about the history of the Three Kingdoms. Head there around 4pm to catch the sunset views of red walls and bamboo. Then after having dinner nearby, you can walk over to Jinli for a night stroll.
Jinli StreetWide and Narrow Alleys is also popular and seems like hutongs. There you can find many social-media famous restaurants and stalls. It's also trendy, full of stylish shops, teahouses and panda-themed souvenirs.
If you want to avoid the crowds, go in the morning when it's quieter, and you can combine it with a visit to People's Park nearby to explore local laid-back life. See our 1-Day Chengdu Lifestyle Tour.
Wide and Narrow AlleysFor some local-flavored, cost-effective and less-crowded streets, consider Jixiang Street or Kuixinglou Street. They're only 10-minute walks from Wide and Narrow Alley. Go early around 4-5pm, as the seats can be hard to find after 6pm.
I also personally recommend Wenshu Monastery. Besides being a popular cultural site, the area around it offers lots of time-honored eateries and vegetarian options. If you love snacks and pastries, don't miss the Imperial Pastry Shop. Their pastries, like peach crisps and mille-feuille, are tasty and cheap. Me and my friends always buy some whenever we're in Chengdu.
Is there any hands-on food experience?
Of course! If you want, follow our guide to a local market to buy ingredients, then try to cook Sichuan dishes like Mapo Tofu at a local chef's home. Or you can head to Sichuan Cuisine Museum. It offers a nicer environment, and you'll get a certificate after cooking.
Start your food tour with this 3-Day Chengdu Cuisine Experience Tour.
3. Enjoy a Sichuan Opera with Face-Changing
If you're interested in traditional culture, you cannot miss a show with face-changing, fire-spitting, puppet, rolling oil lamp, folk music performances and more.
We recommend Shu Feng Ya Yun. It's foreigner-friendly with bilingual (Chinese-English) introductions. Unlike some other venues, there's no pushy sales, and you can also get a tea sipping, massage, or traditional ear-cleaning experience while visiting.
Unlike other tourists just sitting in the audience, we could arrange a backstage visit where you can meet the actors and watch them do their makeup. And with VIP seats, you might even have a face-changing actor stop right in front of you to perform the show up close!
4. Join Local's Laid-back Life
People's Park is always a popular place for visitors to experience Chengdu's daily life. It's lively and full of public activities, such as singing and dancing, a matchmaking corner, and you can even join locals to sip tea or play mahjong. Just note that it's quite large and you need to walk a lot.
But based on our last trip to Chengdu, we also found a hidden spot, Qingyuan Community.
It's relatively small and walkable, with hardly tourists but locals. You'll see both young and old immersed in their hobbies, from snuff bottle acrobatics and embroidery to reading. It also offers a traditional teahouse and restaurant for a relaxing tea or meal.
For nightlife, head to Jiuyan Bridge Bar Street or Yulin West Road to enjoy cocktail hours. Jiuyan Bridge offers brilliant night views, best for photos. While on Yulin West Road, there are also more shops to stroll.
5. Go Shopping in Trendy Chengdu
Chengdu isn't just laid-back and historical. It's also a fashion hub and shopping paradise.
Chunxi Road is the city's most iconic shopping street. There are many shops and brands, from luxury to affordable. For example, at Taikoo Li, you can buy and see many stylish and unique dresses. While the Panda Bookstore in Tangba Street is best for panda-themed souvenirs and an afternoon tea. Also, you cannot miss punching the card of the IFS climbing panda statue.
The climbing panda in Chunxi RoadSKP Chengdu is a high-end mall. Besides luxury brands, it's also home to the world's first Pop Mart Collection store. Recommend visiting after 7pm. Its iconic landmark, the bamboo fountain, will be more spectacular for photos at night.
If you look for some trendy but budget-friendly shops, then Dongjiao Memory is your place. It's a cool industrial-style district packed with niche-designed clothes and items. Also, you can find a lot of social media famous photo spots here, such as the vintage locomotive and red wall.
Besides malls, souvenir shopping is a must. For panda goodies, check out Grandpa Panda Store near Wide and Narrow Alleys. Panda goods there are various and cheap. For food gifts, the Chengdu Specialty Market on Chunxi Road has many local snacks with affordable prices.
6. Witness the Magnificent Dujiangyan Irrigation System
Besides pandas, the Irrigation System is a highlight in Dujiangyan. Many visitors would combine it with Dujiangyan Panda Base or Panda Valley, as they're close to each other.
While visiting Dujiangyan Irrigation System, the South Bridge is the most popular viewing and photo spot. But I also recommend the nearby Tianyuanfu Gallery Bridge. There's a vertical walkway in the middle of the river, offering you a better viewpoint.
It's more spectacular when the lights come on at 7pm. You can catch that internet-famous scene, "Blue tear" (lighting effect). In fact, what you see with your eyes may look different from what the camera captures. For me, I saw it as green in person, but it appeared blue in photos.
7. Step into Po's World—Mt. Qingcheng
Mt. Qingcheng is one of the filming inspirations for Kung Fu Panda 3. If you're a fan of this movie, you can step into the world of Po here, visit the scenes that inspired the film, and try his favorite noodles and bun. Join this 1-day Kung Fu Panda Tour.
It is also a famous Taoist site, and perfect for escaping from summer heat. It is divided into front and back mountains. Both with cable cars, but some hiking is still required.
The Front Mountain is recommended, with the most scenic and cultural highlights, taking 2-3 hours to visit. The Back Mountain features forests and streams, better for hiking, but takes 5+ hours.
You can combine it with Dujiangyan Irrigation System for a day trip, as they're located nearby. But a same-day return from Chengdu can feel rushed, so it's best to spend a night here. Also, if your Chengdu itinerary also includes Mt. Emei, you can consider skipping Mt.Qingcheng.
8. Marvel at the Grandest Leshan Giant Buddha
Leshan Giant Buddha is the largest stone Buddha statue in the world, and also one of the UNESCO sites. You can explore by either hiking or a boat tour, or choose both.
The mountain hike takes 2-3 hours up and down. It's the best way to witness the Buddha up close and find many photo spots. But it can also get crowded with queues. If you prefer less walking or have limited time, the 30-minute boat tour is less crowded, and you can have full views as well.
It takes a day from Chengdu to visit by both hiking and boat. Typically, you'll end the trip around 11am (by boat) or 1pm (by hiking). But if you choose just one way to explore, you'll have half the day free.
For the rest of the day, you can explore nearby activities, like a half-day Leshan food tour, a half-day trip to Huanglongxi Ancient Town (great for summer water play), or head back to explore downtown Chengdu.
9. Ascend and Hike through the Sacred Mt. Emei
Also a UNESCO World Heritage site. The highlights include the Golden Summit for cloud sea, famous Buddhist temples like Baoguo Temple, Fuhu Temple, and Wannian Temple (best for hiking), as well as wild monkeys.
Friendly reminder, you might be robbed by the monkeys. Don't bring too many things, especially food.
Although it is just a two-hour drive from Chengdu, visiting and waiting in cable car lines can take a long time, making a same-day return quite rushed. If you plan to combine Leshan and Emei in one trip, consider staying overnight nearby.
10. Ski at Xiling Snow Mountain in Winter
It's the largest and best-equipped ski resort around Chengdu, only a 2-hour drive from Chengdu. It offers slopes ranging from beginner to advanced, perfect even if it's your first time skiing.
Besides skiing, there are also many snow activities to enjoy, such as a snow-themed park, snowmobiles, archery, ice slides, ice sculptures and more. You can also capture snow forests and red Swiss-style castles, making it a winter feast to enjoy for all ages.
The snow season is usually from December to February, worth spending 1-2 days to visit. There are plenty of hot spring hotels to relax in. But winter hotel rates at Xiling Snow Mountain tend to be high. High-end options can cost over ¥1,000 per night.
Recommend 6-Day Chengdu and Xiling Snow Mountain Tour.
Our Popular Chengdu Tours
Let China Highlights plan a unique Chengdu experience for you today. Choose from one of our pre-designed trips, which feature the best Chengdu has to offer. Or try out a custom tour designed specifically with you in mind.
Here are some Chengdu itineraries for your reference (all of them can be customized):