Chengdu is the relaxed capital city of the Sichuan Province in China, home to pandas, many teahouses, trendy markets and a whole lot of culture.

There’s so many things to do in Chengdu so we really had to narrow it down to create this 3 day Chengdu itinerary. From exploring the panda-themed city centre and seeing one of the largest Buddhas in the world, we were very busy!

During our 3 days in Chengdu, we indulged in the most incredible Sichuan food. Chengdu is the heart of the Sichuan province with one of the most famous Chinese cuisines. We’ve suggested a few places to eat in our guide!

Chengdu is also home to the most teahouses in China which makes it the perfect place to try herbal tea! Jasmine Green Tea is especially popular here, although it’s pretty strong.

So let’s jump into our Chengdu travel guide where we share all the tips on which area to stay, how to get around and what to do in Chengdu!

Exploring Leshan from Chengdu, China
Exploring Leshan from Chengdu, China

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Quick Tips for 3 days in Chengdu

  • Currency – Chinese Yuan CN¥ (compare your own currency here)
  • Language – Mandarin
  • Cuisine – Chinese (Sichuan, Hotpot, Dandan Noodles, Chili Wontons & Mapo Tofu)
  • Apps – Trip.com, Alipay, WeChat, Didi App (like Uber) & Baidu Maps or Amaps
  • Power Voltage – Plugs A & C (220 V)
  • E-Sim in ChinaGrab an E-Sim on Airalo
  • Travel InsuranceCheck out Safetywing for your flexible adventures!

Where to stay in Chengdu? Howdy Smart Hotel – Find on here!

The Best 3 Day Chengdu Itinerary

Our 3 day Chengdu itinerary will show you how to spend two amazing days in the city and how to do a day trip to Leshan to see the most impressive Buddha. We’ve included well-known spots and a few unique gems in this travel guide!

Day 1 – Parks, Charming Alleys & Tianfu Square

We arrived in Chengdu around midday, so we lost a little time on our first day, but this may be the reality if you’re spending 3 days in Chengdu. Head to your accommodation to drop your bags off and start exploring the city!

Explore Chunxi

Start your day with a visit to Chunxi Road Pedestrian Street! It’s where you’ll find the 3D Panda billboard and tonnes of shops. We stayed at Desti Youth Park Hostel which was in Chunxi, so we recommend picking somewhere close. Browse the main shops and wander through the malls before heading for some lunch.

3D Panda Board in Chunxi, Chengdu
3D Panda Board in Chunxi, Chengdu

Try DanDan Noodles

Now head to Su Shan Mian to grab some authentic Dan Dan Noodles! This Chinese noodle dish originated in Sichuan, so Chengdu is the perfect place to try these spicy noodles! Sichuan pepper (also spelt Szechuan) is a spicy peppercorn that numbs the tongue! It’s really unique and if you’ve never tried it before it will feel different!

We don’t have a big spice tolerance and we managed these noodles okay, but if you don’t like spicy food, you may want to pick a safer dish. Su Shan Mian also has wonton soups and other non-spicy noodle dishes, including mochi-type desserts.

DanDan Noodles in Chengdu
DanDan Noodles in Chengdu
Su Shan Mian in Chengdu
Su Shan Mian in Chengdu

Visit Tianfu Square

Next up on our 3 day Chengdu itinerary is a visit to the large Tianfu Square in the middle of the city. Tianfu Square is surrounded by tall skyscrapers and is the largest square in the city.

Around the Square, you’ll find the Sichuan Art Museum, Chengdu Museum, Sichuan Science and Technology Museum, Sichuan Library and Sichuan Theater. There’s also a metro underneath the square!

Tianfu Square is also where you’ll find Chairman Mao’s Statue! Mao Zedong was the first Chairman of the Chinese Communist Party (as he founded the People’s Republic of China) from 1943 until his passing in 1976.

You can now find his statue standing 30 metres high in front of the Science Museum in the north of Tianfu Square.

On your way to People’s Park check out the Chengdu Huangcheng Mosque – the largest mosque in the Sichuan province!

Chairman Mao’s Statue
Chairman Mao’s Statue
Tianfu Square in Chengdu
Tianfu Square in Chengdu

Walk through Peoples Park

If you’ve seen our Shanghai guide, you’ll know that there’s also a People’s Park in Shanghai!

Chengdu’s People Park is a lot different and has a lovely teahouse in the middle! We didn’t have time to grab a drink here, but we found another teahouse on day 3 of this Chengdu itinerary!

People’s Park has a lovely atmosphere and you’ll find locals practising Tai Chi here. There are ponds, fish, birds and lots of greenery!

Exploring Peoples Park during our Chengdu 3 day itinerary

Also planning a trip to the capital of China? Check out our Beijing Travel Guide!

Discover Kuan Alley and Zhai Alley

A visit to these panda-themed alleys is a must on your Chengdu itinerary, although it is pretty touristy. Here you’ll find travel gifts, handicrafts, Sichuan snacks and lots of tea!

Don’t forget to admire the old buildings amongst all of the modern shops. These streets are truly a beautiful way to see Old Chengdu!

If you want to experience the ancient street without crowds, visit early in the morning! Although most of the shops won’t be open.

Cute Panda Streets
Cute Panda Streets
Kuan Alley and Zhai Alley in Chengdu
Kuan Alley and Zhai Alley in Chengdu

Spend your evening browsing around the Chunxi area or resting ready for a big day tomorrow! We grabbed some veggie food near Wenshu Yuan Monastery.

Day 2 – Leshan Buddha & Night Browsing

On day 2 of this Chengdu itinerary, we’re going to show you how to visit the world’s tallest stone Buddha statue!

Visit The Leshan Giant Buddha

The Leshan Giant Buddha is a whopping 71 metres high sitting next to the riverside in Leshan nestled in a mountain.

The Buddha was carved out of a cliffside during the Tang Dynasty and took around 90 years to finish!

It can take a little while to get there so we chose to wake up really early – it was worth it. The Buddha complex can get really busy with numerous tour groups a day. There isn’t a lot of space around the Buddha, so it can feel a little overwhelming when there’s too many people.

We left Chengdu at 7 am and managed to reach the Giant Buddha just before it got really busy! Book your Leshan Budda Tickets on Trip in advance!

The Buddha is super impressive though! It’s HUGE. You can see in our photos that the people look like ants compared to the Buddha’s head. There’s a path to follow all the way down to reach the Buddha’s feet and it can often get pretty congested, so you need some patience.

Leshan Giant Buddha near Chengdu
Leshan Giant Buddha near Chengdu
Exploring The Leshan Giant Buddha Complex

A few other places to visit in the Leshan Giant Buddha complex are:

  • Puli Temple – a very peaceful and quiet temple up a big flight of steps, it was one of our favourite spots after the Buddha.
  • Lingyun Temple – a beautiful temple in the Buddha complex (extra entrance fee)
  • The Gardens & Woodlands – simply walk around the experience the peace of the park!

There’s a vegetarian restaurant on the left side of the Buddha alongside a burger and fries hut, so we grabbed a tasty plate of vegetables, tofu and rice!

Another impressive way to see the Leshan Giant Buddha is by boat along the river! Due to low water, the boats were cancelled on the day of our visit.

How to get from Leshan from Chengdu

Take an HSR from Chengdu to Leshan Railway Station. The journey takes around 1 hour and we paid 54 yuan, but there are multiple different prices and times. We recommend booking a few days in advance on Trip or Railway 12306.

Once you arrive in Leshan, head over to the bus station and take the number 3 bus (costs 1 yuan). This bus journey should take around 40 minutes to the North Gate entrance. Alternatively, you can also get a Didi Taxi to save time, but the buses are so unique in Leshan!

We paid 80 yuan each for Leshan Giant Buddha tickets which included a shuttle to take you down the long road closer to the complex. We then did the reverse to go back to Chengdu around 3pm.

Leshan Giant Buddha - 3 Days in Chengdu
Leshan Giant Buddha – 3 Days in Chengdu

We visited Xi’an just before our Chengdu itinerary. Check out our 3 Days in Xi’an!

See the Panda Statues at IFS

We arrived back in Chengdu around 4pm and decided to check out more of the city centre near our accommodation. The first place we visited was the huge International Finance Center to see the adorable panda statue climbing the building from the outside.

The building itself is a mall which we didn’t go inside, but there’s lots of shopping to be done around the area!

Panda climbing the building
Panda climbing the building
Chengdu’s Main City Centre

Relax at Daci Temple

Next on this 3 day Chengdu itinerary is a visit to Gudashengci Temple to grab a snack and some Chinese tea before it gets dark.

Daci Temple is a peaceful spot in the middle of the city and is the perfect place to spend your afternoon. Admire the traditional architecture of the temple whilst being surrounded by modern buildings! It’s still used as a place of worship and is well-maintained.

We took a seat in the teahouse and had a cup of Green Tea and Jasmine Flower Tea. It was a little pricey for tea, but a lovely place to have it in a temple! There’s also a vegetarian food stall and a tonne of sunflower seeds to snack on.

Tea at Daci Temple, Chengdu
Tea at Daci Temple, Chengdu
Daci Temple
Daci Temple

Grab an E-Sim on Airalo for your trip to China!

Wander around Taikoo Li

Gudashengci Temple is inside the Taikoo Li area, but you can now explore until you’re ready for dinner! It’s quite an upmarket shopping area with high-end stores and very clean and new buildings. It feels like something we’d find in Shanghai in the modern core of the country!

There’s a few places to eat in the area and it’s a lovely area to walk around day or night!

Day 3 – Shrines, Hot Pot & Chinese Opera

At this point in our 3 days in Chengdu, you may be wondering why we haven’t added a trip to see the pandas. If you decide to visit the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, the early morning of day 3 is the best time to go.

Explore Wu Hou Shrine

Start your morning with a visit to Chengdu’s beautiful Wu Hou Shrine! This is a great place in China to learn about the Three Kingdoms era.

Liu Bei was the creator of the Shu Han dynasty in China and he was also the first Emperor. We didn’t know too much about the Shu Han Dynasty before our visit but found out that this dynasty was part of the Three Kingdoms era from 220 to 280.

Here’s a few places to see during your visit:

  • Triple Success Stele – the largest stone monument in the complex
  • The front gate & the second gate – hard to miss as you’ll walk right through them!
  • Temple of Liu Bei & Temple of Zhuge Liang – sculptures of them and their family
  • Tomb of Liubei – the real tomb

This temple complex is dedicated to Liu Bei and Zhuge Liang! We also loved strolling through the gardens and museum finding out more about China’s cultural history.

If you want to learn more information about the shrine there’s lots of guides offering tours at the entrance or you can buy an audio guide. You can buy tickets on Trip to skip the queues!

Liu Bei at Wu Hou Shrine
Liu Bei at Wu Hou Shrine
The red walls of Wu Hou Shrine
The red walls of Wu Hou Shrine

Don’t forget to find the alley with red walls and towering bamboo! We couldn’t resist taking some photos! It reminded us of our time at the Arashiyama forest in Japan!

Enjoy Jinli Road

Attached to Wu Hou Shrine is the bustling Jinli Road. You can even exit out of the temple complex right onto the street.

The streets are filled with beautiful red lanterns and Chinese architecture.

Jinli is a little similar to Kuan Alley and Zhai Alley with the same kind of souvenir shops and food. We tried a sweet fried mochi ball with sesame. You’ll find them everywhere!

After a while, Jinli feels like a maze that leads into a lovely park next to the Wuhou Shrine.

Jinli Road Stalls, Chengdu
Street food snack at Jinli Road

See the Tibetan District

On our 3 days in Chengdu, we found ourselves wandering the Tibetan District in search of food after visiting Wenshou Temple.

We found Water Lotus which was super good and we’re thankful it made us get a look into the culture of Tibet.

We saw shops selling traditional colourful clothes and lots of golden Buddhist items. It felt different to other streets on this Chengdu itinerary, so it’s worth a browse!

Experience a Chengdu Hot Pot

One of the best things to do in Chengdu is indulge in Hot Pot!

We chose to visit a vegetarian place near Wenshu Monestry called One Leaf, One World and it was perfect! The place is super warm though as everyone is having hot pot!

It’s definitely an experience to try when you’re in China, especially Chengdu.

A quick brief on how to hot pot:

  • Choose a base, and pick your food such as veggies, tofu, noodles or dumplings!
  • Add your food, wait for it to cook, then eat it as it is or with a dipping sauce!
  • It’s going to be pretty hot straight out of the pot, so it’s best to cool it.

If you like spice, try a spicy base! We opted for mushroom and tomato, but wish we had chosen a spicy Sichuan base.

One Leaf, One World Hotpot in Chengdu
One Leaf, One World Hotpot in Chengdu
Hotpot at One Leaf, One World

Visiting more of China? Here’s our 4 Day Shanghai Itinerary!

Explore Qin Tai Lu

After your hotpot head to Qin Tai Road in the evening to see the beautifully lit red lanterns and romantic lights.

The street is very cultural with Chinese opera theatres, lovely teahouses and lots of boutique shops. You’ll also find the Qingyang Palace here but it closes at 6pm and we didn’t have time to visit.

See the Chinese Opera

The best way to end your 3 days in Chengdu is with a Chinese performance! It’s nicknamed the opera, but it’s actually a traditional performance including mask changing, shadow puppets, tricks and more!

We visited Shufengya Yun on Qin Tai Road, which was a beautiful show. They gave us complimentary unlimited tea and sunflower seeds.

The 1-second mask changing is the highlight of the performance! It feels like a magic trick! We highly recommend seeing it during your Chengdu itinerary.

We paid around £13 each and booked our tickets on Trip. They gave us seats upon arrival and we recommend getting there early as the best seats in a section are first come first allocated. We had the seats near the back, but they were actually pretty decent!

3 Day Chengdu Itinerary - The Chinese Opera
3 Day Chengdu Itinerary – The Chinese Opera

So that’s the end of our 3 days in Chengdu. If you’re still wondering what to do in Chengdu, we’ve added a few alternative ideas for you.

More things to do in Chengdu:

Browse more things to do in Chengdu!

3 Day Chengdu Itinerary Breakdown

Day 1 – Parks, Charming Alleys & Tianfu Square / Day 2 – Leshan Buddha & Night Browsing / Day 3 – Shrines, Hot Pot & Chinese Opera

Why we didn’t visit the Panda’s in Chengdu

So you might be wondering why we didn’t visit Chengdu’s favourite animal – the pandas. Especially as it’s one of the most popular things to do in Chengdu!

The truth is, as vegan travellers, we don’t like zoos. Although we still believe that the research panda base is helping pandas from becoming extinct, it’s still very much a zoo.

We absolutely love seeing animals in the wild and we didn’t want to stand around crowds of people watching pandas through a window. People have told us it’s more like a theme park layout and it would have just made us feel uncomfortable.

We’re not discouraging anyone from going, but just keep in mind it’s going to be really busy! As you can see there’s loads of things to do in Chengdu anyway, so you won’t be bored if you don’t visit the Pandas.

If you want to visit head there as early as possible to see the pandas awake and hopefully less people around.

Toy Panda's in Chengdu
Toy Panda’s in Chengdu
Panda statue in Chengdu
Pandas are everywhere!

Where to stay in Chengdu, China

There’s quite a few good areas to stay in Chengdu! A lot of the main highlights are spread out. We recommend staying near Tianfu Square in the city centre. This is where we stayed at Desti Youth Park Hostel and it was great! Near Wenshu Monastery or Wuhou Temple are also great places to stay.

Desti Youth Park Hostel – We stayed here during our 3 day Chengdu itinerary and it was the perfect location for us! We stayed in a dorm but there’s a lovely common area and it’s also close to a metro to get around Chengdu – Find it on Trip.com here!

Howdy Smart Hotel – Affordable private rooms in Chengdu, some even have balconies. You can add a breakfast for a small price too – Find it on Trip.com here!

Senberstan Hotel – Stay near Wuhou temple in a lovely decorated hotel – Find it on Trip.com here!

Find more hotels in stay in Chengdu!

Vegan Places in Chengdu

As Chengdu is in the Sichuan province it’s the perfect place to try authentic food! We recommend trying a hot pot, mapo tofu and Dan Dan Noodles. You’ll notice the Sichuan peppercorns straight away!

  • Su Shan Mian – authentic Sichuan noodles!
  • Leshan Buddha (restaurant) – a great veggie buffet in a busy place!
  • Water Lotus – amazing service and great food in the Tibetan district!
  • One Leaf, One World – the best vegan hot pot!
DanDan Noodles in Chengdu
DanDan Noodles in Chengdu
Water Lotus Restaurant
Water Lotus Restaurant

How to get to Chengdu, China

Chengdu is in the heart of China so you’ll either have to fly or take a train. There may be bus options also. As we arrived from Xi’An, we used the HSR to travel!

By Train – There are three stations in Chengdu in the East, North and South. They’re all well connected by public transport. Our train from Xi’An took just over 3 hours and it will take over 5 hours to arrive from Guilin.

By Plane – Chengdu Tianfu airport is southeast of the city centre and is easily connected by a metro line. The journey can take around 1 hour.

You can book your trains on Trip or use Railway 12306!

How to get around Chengdu, China

Chengdu is an easy city to get around due to the metro system! The buses are also great. Wherever you find a route that will take too long, you can order an affordable Didi (taxi)!

A tip before visiting Chengdu is to download Ali Pay or WeChat so you have a digital Transport Card all over China. Use Amap, Apple Maps or Baidu Maps to get around as Google Maps won’t work well enough (even with a VPN)

  • Metro & Bus – The public transport in Chengdu is affordable and is great for getting to train stations or the airport. It’s also quick to get around the city when walking is too far!
  • Walking – Ultimately the best way to get around Chengdu is on foot, but the city is pretty big. Day one of this Chengdu itinerary is pretty walkable.
  • Didi Taxi – Download the Didi app to get around faster when you’re in Chengdu. Prices are affordable.
Wuhou Shrine's Red Walls
Wuhou Shrine’s Red Walls
Chengdu at night
Chengdu at night

Best time to visit Chengdu

The best time to visit Chengdu is between April to May and September to November! Although you’ll want to avoid the Golden Week at the beginning of October.

Spring and Autumn are both the best times of year to visit Chengdu and the Sichuan province.

Chengdu can get very hot and humid in the summer months so it may not be a great time to visit! The winter also gets very cold with short days! You can still find the positives all year round but we recommend spending 3 days in Chengdu in Spring or Autumn!

How many days to spend in Chengdu

We recommend spending at least 3 days in Chengdu to really experience the city. Some people push through with two days but there’s honestly too much to do. Plus the city has a more relaxed vibe compared to other major cities.

On one of the days we recommend visiting the Leshan Buddha, but it’ll take up just over half a day so you can still see some of the city’s highlights. We arrived around midday on day one of our itinerary and managed to squeeze everything in.

Wuhou Shrine in Chengdu
Wuhou Shrine in Chengdu

Is Chengdu worth visiting?

Yes, Chengdu is definitely worth visiting in China. We strolled through beautiful alleys, saw the biggest stone Buddha in the world and ate the most incredible Sichuan food.

The city is filled with beauty from its temples to its romantic lantern-spread streets. We loved our 3 days in Chengdu and would honestly visit again to experience more of the Sichuan province. Add it to your China itinerary!

Where to visit after Chengdu

Chengdu is located in a beautiful area of China with so much nature around. We only managed to see Chengdu in the Sichuan province but on our next trip to China, we’d love to visit Jiuzhai Valley National Park in the north! We’d also love to see Chongqing and Zhangjiajie.

However, we did visit Xi’an to experience the cultural and historic city with the Terracotta warriors. We also spend a few days in Guilin in Yangshuo in China’s countryside.

Need travel insurance? Check out SafetyWing!

That’s the end of our 3 Day Chengdu Itinerary! Check out our other China travel guides to plan your trip!

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