China

Chengdu Travel Guide

Chengdu balances giant pandas, tea-house afternoons and the electric flavors of Sichuan cuisine. A city best enjoyed at an easy pace.

Giant Panda BasePhoto: Mikael Häggström · Public domain ↗

Before you go

When to go and how long to stay

Plan three to four days. Keep a morning for the pandas and a separate day for Dujiangyan or Mount Qingcheng. Pack a light rain layer and leave room in the schedule for long meals.

Entry documents

Check your passport’s eligibility with China’s National Immigration Administration before booking. A tourist visa, ordinary visa-free entry and visa-free transit are different options. Transit eligibility depends on your passport, approved ports, permitted area and confirmed travel onward to a third country or region. Save your first hotel’s address in Chinese and keep your onward itinerary handy for the arrival form.

Getting to the city

For Tianfu Airport (TFU), Metro Line 18 links the airport with South Railway Station. For Shuangliu (CTU), check your terminal and look for the Line 10 signs. Tianfu is farther from the center, so budget transfer time accordingly.

Chengdu East is a major high-speed rail station with Metro connections. For Dujiangyan or Qingchengshan, check the exact departure and arrival stations on 12306 before choosing your hotel-to-station route.

Getting around

Use Metro interchanges for cross-town trips. Line 3 and a final bus or taxi can work for the Panda Base. Treat the mountain and irrigation sites as out-of-town trips rather than squeezing them between central sights.

Payments and mobile data

Set up Alipay or WeChat Pay and link an eligible international card before flying. Keep some small RMB notes and a backup card, and save your hotel and station names offline. Check whether your phone supports roaming or a travel eSIM. When booking intercity rail through 12306, enter your passport name exactly and bring the same original document to the station.

Where to stay

For a first visit, choose Chunxi Road for food and transport, or Tianfu Square for a central interchange. Wenshu Monastery’s neighborhood suits slower mornings.