Chengdu

Highlights

• Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding
• Jinli Ancient Street
• Wuhou Shrine (Three Kingdoms memorial)
• Leshan Giant Buddha (day trip)
• Mount Qingcheng Taoist temples
• Kuanzhai Alley heritage lanes

Getting Around

Chengdu Tianfu International Airport (TFU) opened in 2021 and handles long-haul international routes, while the older Shuangliu Airport (CTU) continues to serve domestic and regional Asian flights. High-speed rail connects Chengdu to Chongqing in about 1 hour and to Xi'an in roughly 3.5 hours. Both airports are linked to the city centre by metro, making the 40-minute journey straightforward.

Food

Sichuan cuisine is China's most internationally recognised regional food, defined by the numbing heat of Sichuan peppercorns combined with dried chilies. Chengdu hotpot — a bubbling communal broth with tripe, beef slices, and vegetables — is the city's signature meal, best experienced at Haidilao or any of the hundreds of neighbourhood hotpot canteens. Mapo tofu (silken tofu in a fiery fermented-bean sauce) and dan dan noodles (sesame-chili peanut sauce on wheat noodles) are essential lunch stops.

Stay

The Jinjiang district, centred around Tianfu Square and the wide boulevards of the old city centre, offers the best metro access and proximity to Jinli Street and Wuhou Shrine. For a quieter atmosphere, the Qingyang district around Kuanzhai Alley has boutique hotels in renovated courtyard houses. Budget travellers cluster around the Wuhou district, where hostels and cheap guesthouses cater to the backpacker trail heading west to Tibet.

Budget