Cities
Chengdu in 2 days: pandas, tea houses, and Sichuan food
How to book the Chengdu Panda Base with a passport, the best time to see pandas awake, and a relaxed 2-day plan for Chengdu.
Chengdu is the home of the giant panda and of Sichuan cooking, and it’s one of China’s most relaxed big cities. Two days covers the pandas, the old quarter, and plenty of eating.
The Panda Base: tickets and timing
The Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding is where most visitors see pandas.
- Price: about ¥55 for adults.
- Book ahead, with your passport. Entry is real-name, with morning (from 7:30) and afternoon (from 12:00) sessions. Tickets can sell out on weekends and holidays, so book a few days ahead, and one to two weeks ahead for public holidays. Booking through Trip.com or GetYourGuide is easiest in English.
- Bring the original passport you booked with. It’s scanned at the gate, and on the shuttle buses inside the park.
- Go first thing in the morning. Pandas eat and move around early, then sleep through the warm part of the day. Aim to be at the gate soon after 7:30 and head straight to the enclosures.
- Hours are shorter in winter (from November): last entry is earlier in the afternoon.
Getting there: Metro Line 3 to Panda Avenue station, then the panda shuttle bus to the base; about an hour from the centre. A DiDi is quicker for an early start.
Day 1: pandas and the old city
- Morning: the Panda Base (see above). Allow three hours.
- Afternoon: Wenshu Monastery, a peaceful Buddhist temple with a vegetarian restaurant, then People’s Park. Sit in the park’s tea house with a cup of jasmine tea and watch Chengdu relax: mahjong, ear cleaners, and dancing.
- Evening: hotpot. Ask for a split pot (yuanyang) with one spicy and one mild side if you’re not used to Sichuan peppercorns.
Day 2: alleys, temples, and an opera show
- Morning: Kuanzhai Alley (Wide and Narrow Alleys), restored Qing-dynasty lanes with snacks and shops.
- Afternoon: Jinli Street and the Wuhou Shrine next to it, a temple dedicated to the heroes of the Three Kingdoms.
- Evening: a Sichuan opera show with the famous face-changing act. Shows can be booked in advance.
What to eat
Mapo tofu, kung pao chicken, dan dan noodles, zhong dumplings in chilli oil, and hotpot. Sichuan pepper makes your mouth tingle and go numb: that’s normal, and part of the experience.
Day trips
- Leshan Giant Buddha: a 71-metre Buddha carved into a cliff, about an hour by high-speed train.
- Mount Emei: one of China’s four sacred Buddhist mountains; best with an overnight stay.
Where to stay
Stay near Chunxi Road or Taikoo Li for food, shopping, and metro links. Compare on Trip.com or Agoda, and check the hotel accepts foreign guests.
