Chengdu is relaxed and spicy: giant pandas at the research base, hot pot, teahouses, Leshan Giant Buddha and Mount Emei. March to June and September to November are best.
Good to know
- See pandas at the research base at opening (7:30am) when they are active.
- Order less spicy (wei la) if you are sensitive to chili.
- Chengdu's metro is easy to use.
Eat this
Places the planner can use
Mark places as a must or something to skip. The itinerary is built only from this list; ★ marks the destination’s highlights.
Restored Qing-era lanes of teahouses, crafts and snacks.
Sip tea, get your ears cleaned and watch locals play mahjong.
Active Buddhist temple with a vegetarian restaurant.
Bamboo-shaded garden and reconstructed cottage honoring the Tang poet Du Fu, peaceful in the morning.
Large provincial museum with Sanxingdui-style bronzes, jade, Buddhist sculpture and Tibetan art.
See pandas munching bamboo and playing; go at feeding time.
Fiery mala broth with sliced meats and vegetables.
71-meter Buddha carved into a cliff above the river.
Sacred Buddhist mountain with monasteries and monkeys.
Pedestrian street with snacks, lanterns and tea shops.
Colorful opera with fire-spitting and mask changes.
Ancient irrigation system still working after 2,000 years, set in a riverside park with temples.