Short answer
Two days works if you split the city in half. Day 1 is the panda base in the morning and the old city south of the centre in the afternoon — Wuhou Shrine, Jinli, then Kuanzhai Alley and a hotpot dinner. Day 2 is Chengdu at ground level: a teahouse morning in People's Park, Wenshu Monastery, and an evening around Chunxi Road or a Sichuan opera show.
The panda base is the one hard constraint on the whole trip. Every visitor needs an online real-name reservation, the base publishes a daily visitor cap of 85,000, tickets can be reserved up to 14 days ahead, and sales stop once the day's quota is gone. The morning entry window is the one you want, because pandas eat and move early and sleep through the afternoon heat. Book the panda morning first.
Getting around is the easy part. Metro fares start at ¥2 and most central rides cost ¥2–5, English signage is on every station and train, and you pay by scanning the Alipay or WeChat transit QR code at the gate. The panda base trip is about ¥4 on Line 3 plus a shuttle bus.
The two days at a glance
This assumes you sleep somewhere central and have booked the panda morning before you land.
| Morning | Afternoon | Evening | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | Panda base at opening, arrive by metro and shuttle | Wuhou Shrine, then Jinli street next door | Kuanzhai Alley, then hotpot |
| Day 2 | People's Park and a teahouse | Wenshu Monastery and its teahouse or vegetarian restaurant | Chunxi Road and Taikoo Li, or a Sichuan opera show |
If you only have one full day, keep Day 1 and drop Day 2. The pandas and the old city are the two things Chengdu does better than anywhere else in China.
Book the panda morning first
The panda base publishes its own rules, and they are stricter than most visitors expect.
| What the base publishes | Detail |
|---|---|
| Reservation | Online real-name booking is required for all visitors; you present the original ID document used for the booking at entry |
| Booking window | Tickets can be reserved up to 14 days in advance; sales end when the daily quota sells out |
| Daily capacity | 85,000 visitors, with entry split into morning and afternoon windows |
| Opening hours, March–October | Morning entry 7:30–12:00, afternoon entry 12:00–17:00; park clearance from 18:00 |
| Opening hours, November–February | Morning entry 8:00–12:00, afternoon entry 12:00–16:30; park clearance from 17:30 |
| Channels | Official WeChat account and mini program, plus authorised platforms including Meituan, Trip.com, Douyin and Tongcheng |
| Refunds | Free before 17:00 on the day of the visit; a 20% fee per ticket within the following 7 days; no refunds after that |
Buy through the official WeChat channel or an authorised platform. Prices and quotas are set by the base and change — check the official channel when you book.
Day 1 — pandas, then the old city
- Metro Line 3 north to Panda Avenue, earlyThe station sits north-east of the centre, with a shuttle bus from there to the base gates.
- Be inside for the morning windowMarch to October the gates open for morning entry at 7:30, November to February at 8:00. Pandas eat and climb before the heat; by early afternoon most of them are flat out and the site is at its busiest.
- Give the base three hours, then leaveIt is a large, spread-out park. Walk it once at pace rather than doubling back.
- Metro back south to Wuhou ShrineA museum and garden complex around the tomb of Liu Bei. The museum publishes hours of 08:30–18:30 with ticket sales ending at 17:30, and it runs on a reservation, so book before you go.
- Walk straight into Jinli next doorThe reconstructed Qing-style street on the shrine's doorstep, free to walk, dense with snack stalls and teahouses. Touristy, and still the easiest place in the city to eat six Sichuan snacks in an hour.
- Kuanzhai Alley in the late afternoonThree parallel Qing-era lanes, Wide, Narrow and Well, a short metro or taxi ride away, with the best courtyard architecture and teahouses in the centre. Entry is free and it stays lively into the evening.
- Finish with hotpotOrder a split pot if anyone is unsure about the spice, and build your own dipping sauce at the sauce station.
Day 2, parks, teahouses and temples
- Start in People's ParkFree, and open early. Locals arrive before 8am to dance and play mahjong; by mid-morning the paths are full.
- Sit down at a teahouse and order one bowlHeming Teahouse, inside the park, has served tea since 1923, bamboo chairs, ear-cleaners, free hot-water refills. Budget two hours and do nothing.
- Metro to Wenshu MonasteryA working temple with free admission, a garden teahouse and a vegetarian restaurant on the grounds.
- Lunch, then choose one museumStay for the monastery's vegetarian kitchen, or head to Du Fu's Thatched Cottage on Line 4.
- Chunxi Road and Taikoo Li in the eveningThe commercial centre: the pedestrian street, the IFS building with the panda climbing its wall, and Taikoo Li's low-rise luxury blocks.
- Or a Sichuan opera show insteadFace-changing (biànliǎn) is the piece everyone comes for, usually with fire-spitting and comic sketches. Long-running theatres sell tiered seats; teahouses run shorter shows. Book ahead in high season.
Getting around: the lines that matter
Fares are distance-based, from ¥2 for the first 4 km, with most central rides at ¥2–5 and a network cap of ¥12. The Alipay or WeChat transit code discounts every ride; use the same method to enter and exit.
| Where you are going | Station | Line |
|---|---|---|
| Panda base | Panda Avenue, then the shuttle bus | Line 3 |
| Wuhou Shrine, Jinli | Wuhou Shrine / Gaoshengqiao area | Line 3 |
| Kuanzhai Alley | Kuanzhai Alley | Line 4 |
| People's Park, Heming Teahouse | People's Park | Line 2 or Line 4 |
| Chunxi Road, Taikoo Li | Chunxi Road | Line 2 |
| Dujiangyan and Qingcheng Mountain | Line 2 to Xipu, then the intercity railway booked on 12306 | Line 2 + rail |
Ride-hailing through DiDi works with a foreign card bound to Alipay, and a taxi is the right answer for the panda base on a rainy morning. Central traffic is heavy at peak hours, but the distances are short.
Arriving: which Chengdu airport are you flying into?
Chengdu has two international airports about 50 km apart. Read the three-letter code on your booking, not the city name.
| Shuangliu (CTU) | Tianfu (TFU) | |
|---|---|---|
| Distance to the centre | Close in — roughly 20 km | About 50 km south-east, out on the Jianyang side |
| Metro | Line 10 | Line 18 express to Chengdu South, roughly 33–34 minutes and about ¥10 |
| Taxi or DiDi | Roughly ¥50–70 off-peak | Roughly ¥150–200, an hour or more in traffic |
| Other options | Airport buses | 24-hour airport coaches into town; T1 and T2 board separately |
| Note | Terminal 1 handles international and regional traffic | T1 is international and regional, T2 domestic, with a free people-mover between them |
If you get a third day
- Leshan Giant Buddha, the 71-metre cliff carving about an hour south by high-speed train, inscribed by UNESCO in 1996 with Mount Emei. Climb down beside the statue or see it whole from a boat; the tickets are separate, and the stairway queue is the thing to plan around.
- Dujiangyan and Qingcheng Mountain, the irrigation system and the Taoist mountain west of the city, both UNESCO sites, reached by intercity rail from Xipu after Line 2. A full day, and cooler than the city in summer.
- The city itself, a slow day of teahouses, the Jin River and the streets around Kuanzhai. Chengdu rewards doing less.
Frequently asked questions
Is two days enough for Chengdu?
Yes, for the pandas, the old city, one teahouse morning and a hotpot night. Add a day for Leshan or Dujiangyan; those are full-day trips, not add-ons.
Do I have to book the panda base in advance?
Yes. All visitors need an online real-name reservation; capacity is published as 85,000 a day, bookings open up to 14 days ahead, and sales stop when the quota is gone. The original ID used for the booking is checked at entry.
What time should I arrive at the panda base?
For the morning window: 7:30 March to October, 8:00 November to February. Pandas are most active early. If you hold an afternoon ticket, the base asks you not to arrive early.
How much is the panda base ticket?
The base sets its own pricing and sells through its official WeChat channel plus authorised platforms such as Meituan and Trip.com. Check the official channel when you book.
Can I pay for the metro with a foreign card?
Indirectly, you pay by scanning the Alipay or WeChat transit QR code, which draws on the card you bound to the wallet. Fares start at ¥2, most central rides cost ¥2–5, and the QR code gets a discount.
Which airport should I fly into, CTU or TFU?
Whichever your booking says. Tianfu (TFU) is the long-haul default, about 50 km out, with Line 18 reaching Chengdu South in roughly 33–34 minutes for about ¥10. Shuangliu (CTU) is closer, on Line 10. They are not interchangeable.
When is the best time to visit Chengdu?
Spring (March to June) and autumn (September to November) give mild temperatures and less rain, and pandas are more active in cooler weather. Summer is humid, winter grey and damp.
Related reading
Panda base hours, capacity, reservation window, booking channels and refund terms follow the base's official visitor pages; metro fare bands and lines follow Chengdu's published transport guidance; Wuhou Shrine hours follow the museum's official site. Hours, quotas, fares and prices are set by the operators and change, confirm them on the official channel before you travel.