3-Day Chengdu Itinerary: Pandas, Giant Buddhas, and Authentic Sichuan Food
- 4 days ago
- 5 min read
If you are looking for an epic, budget-friendly adventure in China, Chengdu needs to be at the top of your list. From up-close panda viewing and massive historical monuments to an introduction to world-famous Sichuan culture and cuisine, this city is vibrant, affordable, and incredibly welcoming.
We squeezed the absolute best of the city into just three days. Whether you are coming for the spicy hot pot or the adorable pandas, here is the ultimate 3-day Chengdu itinerary to help you plan your trip.
Know Before You Go: Chengdu Travel Tips
Before diving into the itinerary, here are a few essential tips for traveling in China:
The Visa: We visited Chengdu using the 240-hour visa-free transit option. It is a fantastic program. Just make sure you have all your hotel information with phone numbers, purchased train and plane tickets with assigned seats, and a rough itinerary saved on all travelers phones with info in English and Chinese.
Essential Apps: Public transportation in China is clean, efficient, and super easy to use, but you will need the right apps. Be sure to download and set up Alipay and WeChat before you arrive. You will use these for everything from paying for resturants, shopping, street food to navigating the metro and ordering rides (DiDi). Amap is also essential for navigating the metro system and the bustling streets of China.
Where to Stay: We stayed at the St. Regis, accessing it easily via an hour metro and bus ride from the airport. By utilizing our American Express Platinum hotel credit, we booked five nights in a massive room with butler service for an absolute steal. Click here to book through Expedia. (Affiliate Link)
Day 1: City Exploration, Street Food, and the Original Mapo Tofu
Morning: Chunxi Road and Cute Coffee
Start your day exploring Chunxi Road. It is an incredible shopping street packed with restaurants, international brands, and local stores. It is reminiscent of Nanjing Road in Shanghai but much less touristy. If you love shopping, the quality and affordability here are unmatched, especially if you are looking for panda souvenirs.
Navigate with your Amap app to find a local cafe. We stopped at a spot with an English menu and ordered the "Panda playing with latte" and "Frog playing with latte." They are essentially iced matcha and vanilla lattes topped with multiple scoops of ice cream and decorated to look like adorable animals.
Afternoon: Street Food, Crazy Malls and People's Park
Chengdu is a food paradise. Keep an eye out for local stalls serving items like:
Crispy Beef Patties: Flaky, buttery, and packed with cabbage, garlic, and beef.
Nougat: A highly popular local treat packed with nuts and flavor. Great to take home as a souvenir.
Cubed Yogurt Ice Cream: Head down into the underground mall at Tianfu Square to find these healthy-tasting, lavender and strawberry flavored frozen yogurt cubes.
Next, walk over to People's Park. A major highlight here is the "Dating Park." It is essentially Tinder in real life. Parents and singles post printed dating profiles detailing their height, degree, housing status, and what they are looking for in a partner. While you are in the park, you might even catch a pop-up musical act and so many shopping and food stalls.
Evening: The Original Mapo Tofu
For dinner, you cannot leave Chengdu without visiting the restaurant famous for creating the original Mapo Tofu, located right off Chunxi Road. Invented in the mid-1800s by a pockmarked old woman (which is what Mapo translates to), this dish features silken tofu, minced meat, and an abundance of Sichuan peppercorn oil. Order it alongside salt and pepper fried peanuts, shredded potatos, and spicy chili wontons.
If you are still hungry later, hit the night streets for some freshly pressed fruit juice or try Chengdu's famous Moldy Tofu. It is dry-aged, sauteed on the street with Sichuan seasoning, and has a crispy outside with a gooey, blue-cheese-like center.
[Day 1 Total Cost: $44 ]
Day 2: The Leshan Giant Buddha and Chuan Chuan Hot Pot
Morning to Afternoon: Day Trip to Leshan
Grab a quick breakfast pastry and a strong coffee and head to the Chengdu East Railway Station. The station is super modern, and security is a breeze. Take the high-speed rail to Leshan (about an hour ride and very cheap). Once you get off, use your Alipay app to hail a DiDi to the North Traveler's entrance.
The Leshan Giant Buddha is a sight to behold. It took 90 years to build and is the largest stone Buddha in the entire world, standing over 230 feet tall with shoulders 90 feet across. You can view it from eye level, walk down to its feet, or take a cheap hop-on-hop-off boat tour to see it from the water.
Evening: Yulin District Chuan Chuan (Hot Pot on Sticks)
Head back to Chengdu and make your way to the Yulin district for a classic Sichuan experience: Chuan Chuan. This is hot pot served on skewers.
You pick your skewers from massive refrigerated aisles. Bamboo sticks are incredibly cheap, while larger steel skewers cost a little more. Choose a split broth (we recommend spicy and mushroom) and go wild. Look out for slippery beef, Chinese sausage, tied tofu noodles, and endless fresh vegetables.
Head to the self-service sauce bar and build a dipping sauce using a sesame paste base, sour ingredients, garlic, and dried chickpeas for crunch. The value here is unbelievable; you can easily eat dozens of skewers for a fraction of what a meal would cost back home.
[Day 2 Total Cost: $62 ]
Day 3: Spicy Noodles, Giant Pandas, and Water Beacons
Morning: A Classic Sichuan Breakfast
Start your final day with a classic: spicy sweet water noodles for breakfast. We found a spot that has been open since 1924. Order a bowl of thick, handmade udon-style noodles in a sweet, sour, and chili-heavy sauce. Pair it with a bowl of thin tofu noodles topped with ground pork, green onions, peanuts, and chili oil. The Sichuan peppercorn flavor in the morning is the perfect way to wake up.
Afternoon: Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding
This is the main event. Housing over 240 pandas, this research base is massive. Tickets are very affordable and can be purchased easily on WeChat or Trip and linked directly to your passport.
Pro-Tip: Buy the internal shuttle ticket. The grounds are enormous, and you will be doing a ton of walking regardless.
While many recommend going first thing in the morning when the pandas are most active, we found them waking up and happily munching on bamboo around 1:00 PM. The enclosures are sprawling, and every few feet, you will spot another group of pandas. Be prepared to wait in a short line if you want to see Hua Hua, the famous "onigiri-shaped" panda who has won the hearts of the internet.
Evening: Global Center Water Beacons
Wrap up your Chengdu itinerary by visiting the water beacons at the Global Center (for FREE!) These massive pillars are double the size of the supertrees in Singapore. Water cascades off of them, creating a cool mist that takes over the sidewalks. It is a fantastic, uncrowded spot to take some photos and reflect on your trip before packing your bags.
[Day 3 Total Cost : $22 ]
Have you ever been to Chengdu, or are you planning a trip to China soon? Let us know in the comments if you have any questions and be sure to watch the entire video on YouTube!
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