Chengdu · Uncle Panda Travel

Sichuan's relaxed capital: giant pandas in the morning, tea in a park in the afternoon and some of China's best food at night.

Altitude

500 m

Best time

Mar–Jun, Sep–Nov

Suggested stay

2–3 days

Chengdu

Chengdu is a city to enjoy slowly. It is home to the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, its teahouses are part of daily life, and UNESCO named it a City of Gastronomy in 2011. It is also the base for Leshan, Dujiangyan and Sanxingdui.

Best way to see it

Be at the Panda Base when it opens. Pandas are usually most active in the cool early morning.
Keep the afternoon slow: tea in People's Park, then Kuanzhai Alleys or Jinli in the evening.
Add a day out of town for the Leshan Giant Buddha, Dujiangyan or the Sanxingdui Museum.

When to go

Mar–Jun and Sep–Nov are the most comfortable months. Summer is hot and sticky, with heavy downpours in Jul–Aug.

Panda Base tickets are real-name: book a morning or afternoon slot with your passport details and bring the same original passport to the gate.

Sights

A large research and breeding campus where you can watch giant pandas and red pandas in leafy enclosures. Pandas tend to eat and move around in the cool morning, then nap later in the day.

A lot of walking with some slopes; allow 3–4 hours. A sightseeing bus runs inside.

Good to know

Book the Panda Base in advance with your passport details (bookings open up to 14 days ahead) and aim for the opening of the morning slot.
Chengdu is humid and often overcast. Summer is hot with heavy rain in Jul–Aug, so pack light clothes and an umbrella.
Avoid Leshan on weekends and Chinese public holidays if you can: the queue for the cliff stairway can take hours.