Chengdu is a vibrant city and a popular tourist destination, with its cute pandas, natural beauty, rich cultural heritage, and delicious food.
Are you planning a trip to Chengdu and wondering how much time you need to fully experience this vibrant city and its surroundings? Let us help guide you with our ultimate Chengdu itineraries.
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How Long to Spend in Chengdu
We recommend spending three days in Chengdu for a more varied and in-depth experience at a relaxed pace.
However, if you only have one or two days to spare, you can still focus on the pandas and some city sightseeing.
Alternatively, if you have a longer holiday, consider extending your trip from Chengdu toJiuzhaigou(3-5 days), thewestern Sichuan regionsuch as Daocheng (4-5 days), or the northern Sichuan region (4-5 days).
98.8%Positive Customer reviews among 10,000+
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2 Fantastic Days in Chengdu with Helen
我们有一个了不起的几天在成都作为标准t of our 2 week holiday in China. Helen was our tour guide and she was fabulous!! She had so much passion for her job it was infectious!! We went to see the pandas and Helen was able to navigate the site to ensure we were able to see the various panda houses and try and minimise the waiting time, we then experienced very local Sizhuan Opera which was intriguing and very entertaining. The following day we went to the peoples park which was very interesting and Helen was able to give us the background to the park and introduced us to some amazing activities and encourage us to participate. Our last stop was the Wenshu Monestry which was beautiful and again Helen was very knowledgable and led us around the monestry with great explanations behind what we were seeing. Helen also took us to some fabulous local restaurants and we ate incredibly well. Thank you Helen for making the few days in Chengdu so special and we will for sure be back!! more
Aug 2023, Sandra
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Qingcheng Mountain Your Chengdu
I booked a tour with China Highlights to visit Qingcheng Mountain. Aaron was a brilliant tour guide! It was great to visit the birthplace of daoism- the temples were breathtakingly beautiful and the atmosphere was serene. Aaron was incredibly knowledgeable about the mountain, and was a really helpful guide for my stay in Chengdu! more
Aug 2023, Stuart
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Chengdu Guide was Awesome!
Our guide, Helen, made our time in Chengdu terrific! She was very knowledgeable and got us to everything we wanted to see efficiently. She knew all the "insider tips", like which restrooms to use to avoid long lines, excellent food for lunch, etc. Helen was very flexible and changed our itinerary so we could see an additional site. She even entertained our six year old so we could enjoy more of a museum. Definitely NOT her job, but greatly appreciated! Helen was awesome and we would recommend her VERY highly! more
Jul 2023, Suzann Demianew
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Best guide in Chengdu
Our expert guide in Chengdu, China, was Helen. She was just totally amazing! She had lots of energy and was able to get us everywhere we wanted to go. She was very flexible and changed the itinerary to add an additional site. That meant she and our driver had an extra long day. She really knew all the sights and little things like which bathrooms to use to avoid long lines. Restaurants she took us to had very tasty food. Could not have had a better guide. I highly recommend Helen! more
Jul 2023, Suzann D
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excellent trip
We spent few wonderful days at Chengdu as part of our China trip. Our guide - HenryLi from China Highlights did a wonderful job and everything went as planned in the itinerary. Henry answered all our questions was flexible and made sure all our needs were met. I would highly recommend China Highlights and if you are going to Chengdu more
Jul 2023, Viki B
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Best Tour of Chengdu
今年7月,我们去了成都作为我们大的一部分tour of China. We went to see the pandas, visited a Sichuan Opera, and toured the local streets of Chengdu with traditional Sichuan Cuisine. Our guide Helen was very helpful during this trip. She was always trying to get us to places on time and made sure we did everything we could. This was especially helpful during our stop to see the pandas as it was really crowded and busy. In addition to this trip, she was able to get us last-minute tickets to visit an authentic opera with famous face-changing masks. During our car rides, she was very informative, making sure we had all the information about the beautiful city. We recommend staying there for more than a day as there are more things to do other than seeing the pandas. Helen was very attentive and always cheerful. We definitely recommend her for people who want to be more knowledgeable of Chengdu and want someone who is very caring towards their needs. more
Jul 2023, Jimena M
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Helen wad fantastic!
Helen in Chengdu was absolutely fantastic! She is very knowledgeable, speaks English well and is very active. She was flexible, practical and ready to make changes. She offered various extra options and was very sweet with my child.Highly recommended! more
Jul 2023, Chiara G
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Chengdu more than pandas
Our family of 4 including 2 teens visited Chengdu. I just want to say that we did much more than the Panda activities. Our favourite one was cooking and talking with a local family in their house. We had a hands on cooking experience. It was fun, relaxing and got us to catch a bit of real chinese lifestyle. Our guide Alex was so great at arranging this! He understood our preferences in all the trip. We had a great time. By the way I accidentally lost my phone one day. Sharon (the planner girl) and Alex solved the situation in no time. More than I expected from an agency. 5 out of 5. more
Jul 2023, gilberto b
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Jiuzhaigou/Huanglong in Sichuan is a must visit!!!
my mom and I had a fantastic time in Chengdu visiting the city, Leshan Big Buddha and Panda Conservation. But the best part of the trip was travelling to Jiuzhaigou and Huanglong (these two scenic spots are a MUST visit!!!) Our guide Mary was fantastic! We highly recommend her. She was accommodating, knowledgeable, and super friendly. She even helped carried our heavy water bottles for us (thank you so much). I highly highly recommend her and would seek her out again if I go again! more
Jul 2023, Sandy
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Custom Chengdu with great guide!
Our guide Jason was a joy to travel with! He answered our million and one questions that had nothing to do with our itinerary, made us comfortable in unusual situations, was flexible, and made sure our every need along the way was met. We had a great time and would highly recommend China Highlights—and if you’re going to Chengdu, definitely request Jason as your guide. more
Jun 2023, Renata R
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Great trip around Sichuan
My girlfriend and I booked a tour with China Highlights (Lucia Zheng was our contact there) around Sichuan. We have been visiting Emei Mountain, Kangding, Danba, Wolong Giant Panda Nature Reserve, and many other impressive locations always accompanied with our guide Dong Jing and our driver. We are very satisfied with the attention and service offered by them, always being helpful and adapting to our needs. Dong Jing speak great english an german even better :) We would very happy do another travel with them. Thanks for a great experience! more
Jun 2023, Alberto S
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Great Trip Planning Experience
我的家人决定在12月去成都-2023 and due to the winter time concern, I have decided to try a trip planner instead of self planned tour; and I found Chinhighlights,com.Roger Li is assigned as my trip planner and it is a great to have him assisting in my trip. Roger is very knowledgeable in what he is doing with a great sense of urgency; He is very upfront on his proposal and willing to listen on my feedback. Roger also taking the extra steps to prepare itinerary in 2 different language; English and Mandarin as my kids prefer to have details in chinese and my wife only on English. Thanks a lot Roger. We managed to finalize and signoff the trip plan within 1 week. Well done. I hope I will have an equal or better experience with china highlights on my upcoming china trips. Will update with next review after my trip ends. Cheers. more
Jun 2023, Kenneth Chin
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Family China trip
我们喜欢旅行在成都与杰森,China Highlights. We were on two trips - Panda Research Base and Leshan Budda. Jason took us to really good restaurant with dumplings as we told before that we like them :) The next day he presented the famous hot pot and helped us to cook it. During the trips he was very careful with our needs and was following them, what is really important while travelling with small kids. Our driver was also good, helpful with luggage and good-driving. They also had 2 baby carseats. Definitely recommend. more
Jun 2023, XX
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Chengdu visit - Henry Li guide
I traveled to Chengdu and visited the Giant Buddha statue that is carved in the mountain. We had Henry Li as a guide and he was excellent. He knew a lot of history about the place and answered a lot of our questions. He also took us to the local restaurants so we can experience the local cuisine. I recommend Henry, as a guide, to anyone that wants to visit Chengdu and the surrounding areas. Thank you Henry for the amazing experience. more
Jun 2023, Adrian Iancu
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Great long weekend in Chengdu
My husband and I are Aussie expats living in China. We just finished a great 3 day weekend in Chengdu with China highlights and our wonderful guide Helen. It was a real pleasure to have Helen as our guide - she was friendly, enthusiastic and very knowledgeable about Chengdu and the sites we visited. She was also very diligent at meal time to ensure my food intolerance was accommodated - so we were able to still enjoy the delicious and famous food in Chengdu without any worries. Helen also organised for us to go to an evening show at the professional Opera one night which we really enjoyed. During our trip we also visited a little local opera house and had tea, saw the panda sculpture at IFS, went to Jinli old street, day trip to Leshan for a boat ride and walk at Leshan Buddha, Panda Breeding and research centre and a stroll around a local park to see how the locals enjoy their leisure time. The itinerary was great for the time we had and we enjoyed everything. It was also a very comfortable trip - our driver Mr Ren was very nice and we always felt safe with him at the wheel. more
Jun 2023, Rhiannon E
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Memorable family vacation in Chengdu
As our group has elderly and children, our guide Michael was knowledgeable and flexible when we had to change plans. The LeShan journey was pleasant, driver was careful on the road, the MPV transport and freeway are in good condition. Thoroughly enjoyed the Giant Buddha river cruise. Hike to the pagoda was perfect for close-up photos. My parents were happy to experience the local delicacies, and we were pleased to stop by Taikoo Li for a personalised Lego minifigure, perfect Chengdu souvenir for our kids. more
Jun 2023, Jean
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Loved Chengdu!
Jason was our wonderful guide. It was the perfect day to see the pandas. A little misty and few people. The pandas were out at every stop, along with the red pandas and peacocks. A fun walk at a great outdoor shopping area more
Jun 2023, Pamela B
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Fantastic Chengdu family visit
我们探索奇妙的成都和周边环境4 days. City tour in a relaxed way with delicious local snacks, really nice! Spectacular new dinosaur museum, Dujiangyan (combined Panda and dam in one outing, very recommendable), Leshan Buddha. All above super cool with the kids (ours are 7 and 4). Emei Shan impressive, maybe a little long driving to explore it and watch out for the hotels there, not all are nice and in the town itself there is nothing. But we were blessed with perfect weather on the top and perfect views. Eating hot pot is spectacular in Chengdu, but watch out how spicy it can be. Michael is just a perfect tour guide! He speaks super fluent German and has a very relaxed and competent style of explaining, which made the whole tour so nice. We love Chengdu and will definitely come back! more
Apr 2023, Stefan P
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Giant Pandas - Giant Buddha - Mount Emei
We had a wonderful 3 days in Chengdu area,visiting the Panda breeding Center, Leshan Giant Buddha and hiking at Mount Emei.We have been travelling several times with Chinahighlights and everything was well organised as usual. Our guide Michael (fluent in English and German) was great showing us the beauty of Sichuan. We can highly recommend travelling with him and Chinahighlights. more
Mar 2023, steffenwet
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Two amazing tours
Both tours were led by excellent guides who knew a lot about everywhere we went, and were very helpful and friendly. The agent was equally helpful and quick in responding to questions which was ,especially in covid restrictions time, extremely convenient. more
Jul 2022, Elizabeth
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Chengdu in 3 Days (Classic)
With three days in Chengdu, you can indulge in a range of activities, such as visiting the adorable pandas, enjoying a food tour, and paying a visit to the famous Leshan Giant Buddha, the world's largest Buddha carved in a huge mountain.
- Day 1: Arrive in Chengdu and go on a panda tour and a food tour
- Day 2: Visit Leshan Giant Buddha
- Day 3: Departure
The Chengdu Panda Base is currently home to the largest number of giant pandas. Here, you could see pandas playing outdoors, eating bamboo, climbing trees, and even their babies!
If you would like a closer encounter with these creatures, we can arrange for you to participate in a one-day panda volunteer program, where you could make panda cakes, clean panda enclosures, watch them being fed, and receive a volunteer certificate.
After visiting Leshan, you could also plan a one-day trip to Mount Emei if you have more time, and enjoy the beauty of the sub-tropical forest and waterfall. Check out our5-Day Chengdu, Leshan, and Mount Emei Tour.
Chengdu in 2 Days (Essence of Chengdu)
For a two-day trip to Chengdu, you can dedicate one day to pandas and the other day to sightseeing in the city.
- Day 1: Arrive and go on a city sightseeing tour (such as a food tour, museums, and more)
- Day 2: Experience a panda volunteer program and depart
For the best panda experience,our panda volunteer programwill allow you to observe pandas more closely and understand them better.
But if you only want to have a look at the pandas, we could make adjustments for you. All our tours are customized based on your interests and needs. Justcontact usto create your Chengdu itinerary.
Chengdu in 1 Day (Time-Smart)
If you only have one day to spare in Chengdu and you're a big fan of pandas, we recommend spending an entire day participating in the panda volunteer program. Check out our1-Day Dujiangyan Panda Volunteer Program Tour.
While If you want to enjoy other visits in Chengdu besides pandas, consider combining it with a visit to the Sanxingdui Museum ora food tour. Check out our1-Day Pandas and Sanxingdui Museum Tour.
Side Trip Itineraries from Chengdu
If you have time, we highly recommend taking a side trip from Chengdu to explore the many natural and cultural highlights in the surrounding areas – from unspoiled colorful pools to breathtaking valleys, snow-covered mountains, and off-the-beaten-path Tibetan villages.
1. Jiuzhaigou – Most Popular
Jiuzhaigou is the most popular choice for its quiet environment and unspoiled beautiful scenery. In the summer, it is also an excellent place to enjoy cool weather.
There, you could see colorful alpine lakes that change color throughout the day and year. Walk around the valleys to feel the fresh air and immerse yourself in harmony with streams, waterfalls, and mountain forests.
A trip to Jiuzhaigou will cost about three to five days from Chengdu. Here is a classic five-day itinerary from Chengdu that includes a panda experience:
- Day 1: Arrival in Chengdu and free exploration
- Days 2-4: Visit Jiuzhaigou and nearby Huanglong, a plateau wetland national reserve
- Day 5: Visit pandas at Dujiangyan Panda Base
For more options, check out these popular itineraries for Jiuzhaigou and Chengdu:
- 6-Day Essential Chengdu and In-Depth Jiuzhaigou Tour
- 3-Day Jiuzhaigou and Huanglong Highlights Tour
- 7-Day Chengdu, Buddha, Mount Emei, and Jiuzhaigou Tour
2. Daocheng Yading – Best for Autumn
Yading Nature Reserve in Daocheng offers breathtaking natural views, especially in autumn when the leaves turn golden, complemented by snow-capped mountains, crystal rivers, rolling meadows, and lakes.
There, you could also immerse yourself in the culture of Tibetan Buddhism. The scenery along the way from Chengdu to Daocheng is also spectacular. We will arrange a private car to escort you all the way, so you can enjoy the views at your own pace and in comfort.
It will take about five days for a trip to Yading:
- Day 1: Chengdu to Xinduqiao (gorges, mountains, and bridges)
- Day 2: Xinduqiao to Daocheng to Riwa (grasslands, mountains, and monasteries)
- Day 3: Riwa (snow mountains, lakes, and farms)
- Day 4: Daocheng (lakes, mountains, and old towns)
- Day 5: Departure
3. Holy Tibet
After enjoying Chengdu's leisurely pace of life, delicious food, and cute pandas, you can explore further west into Tibet for different cultures and plateau scenery.
Chengdu, on the east side of the Tibet Plateau, is the most surefire way to get into Tibet (especially for flights with more routes than anywhere else).
A trip to Tibet would take about four to eight days to visit its essential highlights. Here is an 8-day Tibet itinerary:
- 天1 - 3:到达拉萨城市亮点之旅
- Days 4-5: Shigatse (visit Lake Yamdrok, glaciers, and visit a Tibetan family)
- Day 6: Mt. Everest Base Camp
- Day 7: Visit a canyon when driving back to Lhasa
- Day 8: Departure
4. Bipenggou – Best for Winter
If you want to find a natural ski resort with stunning winter views around Chengdu, Bipenggou Valley is an excellent choice.
There, you could enjoy the winter charm of plateau lakes, glaciers, and snow-capped mountains, ski on a less-crowded slope, and relax in a hot spring.
A trip to Chengdu and Bipenggou will take about five days:
- Days 1-2: Chengdu city tour (such as a Sichuan cooking experience, enjoying a Sichuan opera, visiting a tea house, and more).
- Day 3: Watch pandas at Dujiangyan Panda Base
- Day 4: Sightseeing in Bipenggou with a skiing experience
- Day 5: Visit some minority villages on your way back to Chengdu and departure
5. Northern Sichuan – Less Touristy
If you want to find an off-the-beaten-path route from Chengdu, consider going to Northern Sichuan. There's a lot of undiscovered beauty there.
You could find the source of the Yellow River and enjoy stunning sunsets when the glow is sprinkled on the ribbon-like bends of the Yellow River. Explore the homeland of Tibetan and Qiang people, and visit less touristy monasteries.
You may need about five days to explore the highlights of Northern Sichuan:
- Day 1: Chengdu to Songpan (visit Songpan ancient town)
- Day 2: Visit Ruoergai and Tangke (lakes, grasslands, and the Yellow River sunset)
- Days 3-4: Aba (monasteries, lamaseries, lakes, and peaks)
- Day 5: Visit a Tibetan village on your way back to Chengdu
Tour China with Us
All our tours can be adjusted to meet your needs – whether you're traveling with friends, or with family. We welcome you to have us customize your trip based on your group size, interests, and other needs. Tell us your needs in ourCreate My Tripservice.