Chengdu, the capital city and transition center of Southwest China, is a city of incredible landscape and rich history. It is called the "Land of Abundance" and home to some of the most amazing heritages of China. The city is also renowned for its spicy cuisine, pandas, and relaxed people, who bring life to its bustling streets and lively markets. Chengdu is a place where ancient history blends seamlessly with modernity, and where traditional architecture coexists with modern technology. It's a city of endless surprises and unforgettable experiences, making it a true gem in the inland of China.
Giant Pandas
Chengdu has a long history, which can be traced back to 2300 thousand years ago. Sanxingdui Museum and Dujiangyan Irrigation System are the most significant cultural sites of Chengdu.
Recommended Length of Visit:
- 1~2 days
Chengdu has a long history of over 2300 years old. Sanxingdui Museum tells the pre-historical side of Chengdu. Dujiangyan Irrigation Park is the No.1 cultural side of Chengdu. Wuhou Shrine is a must-see place for Three Kingdom lovers. Jinsha Museum is another pre-historical museum of bronze age Chengdu smaller than Sanxingdui. Chengdu Museum tells the full history of Chengdu. Sichuan Provincial Museum is a big museums of different themes showing the history and culture of Sichuan. Jianchuan Museum is a collection of different museums showing the recent history of Sichuan and Chengdu. Chengdu Shu Brocade and Embroidery Museum is a small museum dedicating to Shu Brocade and Embroidery works.
There are total 5 major panda bases in and around Chengdu. Chengdu Panda Breeding Center is the largest and closest to Chengdu City. Dujiangyan Panda Park provide Panda Volunteer Program. Wolong Panda Base is the one that is located in the actual panda reserve of Sichuan. Yaan Bifengxia Panda Base is the oldest panda base of all. Dujiangyan Panda Valley is a small panda base in Dujiangyan that also has red pandas.
Jinli Street is an old street of Chengdu and a must go place. Kuanzhai Alley is also a renovated ancient street of Chengdu. Tibetan Quarter is a street of Tibetan Population & Shops near Jinli. Tianfu Square is the geographic center of Chengdu. The other interesting streets and sites of Chengdu also include Eastern Suburb Memory, Yulin Streets.
People's Park is highly recommended for a must-see site in Chengdu. Culture Park is another nice park where the Shufengyayun Sichuan Opera is located. Wangjianglou Park is another historical park of Chengdu. Pengzhen Old Tea House is an old tea house outside of the downtown Chengdu. There are also other parks including Baihuatan park, Huanhuaxi Park as well as the modern Qinglonghu Park, Xinglonghu Park.
The old towns and villages in and around Chengdu include Huanglongxi Old Town, Luodai Old Town, Jiezi Old Town, Wufengxi Old Town, Yuantong Od Town.
Wenshu Monastery is the most significant Buddhist Monastery in Chengdu. Zhaojue Monastery is the largest Buddhist Monastery in Chengdu. Qingyang Taosit Temple is the only Taoist Temple in Chengdu downtown.Baoguang Monastery is a big and significant monastery in Sichuan. There are also other significant Buddhist monasteries including Shijing Monastery in Longquan, Puzhao Temple in Dujiangyan.
The modern part of Chengdu is also interesting. This include the SKP square, Twin Tower of Chengdu, Global Center, Taikooli and Chunxi Street.
The mountains around Chengdu provides good natural views and day hikes including Taoist Mountain Qingcheng and Buddhist Mountain Emei as well as the winter snow mountain Xiling.
There are 2 international airports and three railway stations in Chengdu. Shuangliu International Airport (CTU) is 16 km southwest to the center of Chengdu City. It is connected with downtown Chengdu with expressway and a subway train to downtown too. The other bigger international Tianfu Airport (TFU) that is further from downtown 60km that normally requires 1 hour to get to. TFU is now the main airport being used for any domestic or international flight from/to Chengdu.
It is also convenient to get to Chengdu by rail from other major cities and popular travel destinations of China, such as Xi'an, Kunming, Chongqing, Guilin, Zhangjiajie, etc, etc.
East Railway Station, about 10 km from city center, is the largest fast train station in southwest China (the title will soon be replaced by Tianfu Railway Station by south of the city). It mainly operates the high speed trains from/to Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chongqing, Xian, Guilin, Zhangjiajie, etc.
Chengdu Railway Station(or North Railway Station) is the major passenger train station of Chengdu for many years. It is the closest railway station to the city center and is still under rennovating (2026) and estimated to open in the next 2 years.
Chengdu South Railway Station and
Chengdu West Railway Station are the two smaller railway stations in Chengdu.
The best time to visit Chengdu city is in all seasons. The weather of Chengdu city can be summarized as an early spring, a hot summer, a cool autumn and a warm winter. Spring is from March to May. July and August are the hottest months in this city, with the average temperature range from 28 °C and 32 °C. Summer will last till September. From October to November is the Autumn season. It never snows in winter in the city.
Chengdu tour packages including the classic short tours of Chengdu as well as the Chengdu-based West Sichuan Adventures.
