Chengdu & Sichuan in 5 Days: Pandas, Hotpot & Sacred Mountains
Trip Overview
Best For
Highlights
- See giant pandas eat breakfast at the breeding base
- Visit the 71-metre Leshan Giant Buddha by boat and on foot
- Hike (or cable car) the sacred Mount Emei
- Cook Sichuan dishes in a hands-on class
- Eat your way through Jinli Ancient Street
Total Estimated Budget
¥2,500–4,000 (~$350–560)
Covers accommodation, transport, food & activities for 5 days
Day-by-Day Itinerary
Follow this 5 days plan from start to finish, with real costs and local tips.
Day 1
Arrive & Chengdu Old Town
Settle in near Chunxi Road, explore Kuanzhai Alley, and dive into your first Sichuan hotpot.
Budget options around ¥150–250/night. The area is walkable and well-connected by metro.
Three restored Qing-dynasty lanes packed with tea houses, snack stalls, and souvenir shops. Free to enter.
Try a local favourite — Xiaolongkan or Huangcheng Laoma. Order the yuanyang (half-and-half) pot if you can't handle full spice.
Tip: Ask for má là (numbing spice) on the side so you can control the heat level.
Day 2
Panda Base & People's Park
Early morning pandas, afternoon tea culture, evening street food on Jinli.
Arrive before 8am — pandas eat breakfast 8-10am, then sleep. The red panda section is less crowded and equally charming.
Tip: Book tickets on Klook in advance — walk-up queues can be 45+ minutes.
Try dandan noodles (¥12) and mapo tofu (¥18) at a no-frills spot near the base.
Join locals drinking jasmine tea under covered pavilions. A cup costs ¥15–30 and you can sit for hours.
Evening stroll with lanterns lit up. Street snacks: rabbit heads (¥15), sweet potato noodles (¥10), sugar figurines.
Day 3
Leshan Giant Buddha Day Trip
Boat cruise and clifftop walk to see the world's largest stone Buddha.
C-train, 45 minutes, ¥54. Book on Trip.com or at the station.
71m tall, carved into the cliff face in the 8th century. Walk down the Nine Turns Stairway beside the Buddha.
See the Buddha from the water — the only way to get the full perspective. 20-minute ride.
Same high-speed train back. Use the evening for a Sichuan cooking class.
Learn to make kung pao chicken and mapo tofu. Most classes include market tour.
Day 4
Sanxingdui Museum & Wuhou Shrine
Ancient bronze masks that rewrote Chinese history, then the shrine of the Three Kingdoms.
One of China's most important archaeological sites. Bronze masks, gold foil, jade — 3,000+ years old. New museum building opened 2023.
Tip: Hire the English audio guide (¥20). The exhibits are extraordinary but poorly labelled in English.
Try local Guanghan-style noodles before heading back to Chengdu.
Memorial to Zhuge Liang and the Three Kingdoms. Beautiful gardens and the Red Wall corridor (great photos).
One more hotpot because you can't leave Chengdu without at least two.
Day 5
Departure Day
Last-minute shopping and departure.
Pick up Sichuan peppercorns, dried chili flakes, and tea as souvenirs. Taiping Department Store has a good supermarket basement.
Metro Line 10 goes directly to Shuangliu Airport (45 min, ¥7). Tianfu Airport is further — budget 90 minutes.
Packing Tips
Bring antacids if your stomach is sensitive — Sichuan food is no joke.
Comfortable walking shoes for Leshan — the stairway is steep and can be slippery.
A light rain jacket — Chengdu is overcast and drizzly year-round.
Cash for small street vendors, though most accept WeChat Pay.
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