CN · Sichuan · 30.66°N 104.06°E

chengdu

Pandas in the morning, mala hotpot at night, chill teahouses in between.

Best time
March to May and September to November are mild and comfortable. Summers are hot and sticky, winters are grey and damp, and the sky is often overcast whatever the season.
How long
3–4 days
Getting there
Direct flights from KL take about 4.5 hours. Most international flights use Tianfu International Airport, about an hour from the city centre by metro or car.
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CN · Sichuanchengdu30.66°N 104.06°Egowherelah.com
Dear group chat,Pandas in the morning, mala hotpot at night, chill teahouses in between.— gowherelahTo: whoever’s drivingChengduCN, Sichuan
KLchengdu
≈ 3,070 km from KL, as the crow flies
Chengdu skyline with mountains, the highest peak in the picture is the main peak of Mount Siguniang at 6,250 meters above sea level, Yaomei Peak. Taken from Longquan Mountain in Chengdu

Photo: FISU · CC BY 3.0

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Photos: Wikimedia Commons, credited on each.

Sichuan's capital is a big, easy-going city known for two things: giant pandas and fiery, numbing food. UNESCO named it a City of Gastronomy, and locals take their teahouse afternoons and late-night hotpot seriously. It's also the base for day trips to the Leshan Giant Buddha, Dujiangyan and Sanxingdui.

Makan

  1. HotpotBeef-tallow mala broth packed with chilli and Sichuan pepper. Ask for a split pot if not everyone can take the heat.Map ↗
  2. Mapo tofuSoft tofu in a chilli, bean paste and minced meat sauce. The dish was created in Chengdu.Map ↗
  3. Chuan chuanSkewers you cook yourself in a bubbling pot, counted up by the stick at the end.Map ↗
  4. Chilli oil wontonsSilky wontons, known locally as chao shou, swimming in red chilli oil.Map ↗

Things to do

  1. Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda BreedingGo first thing in the morning, when the pandas are fed and most active. They nap through the afternoon.Map ↗
  2. A teahouse in People's ParkSit in a bamboo chair by the lake with a pot of tea and watch the mahjong games. It's the most Chengdu thing you can do.Map ↗
  3. Kuanzhai Xiangzi (Wide and Narrow Alleys)Restored Qing-era lanes of courtyard houses, snack stalls and cafés.Map ↗
  4. Wuhou Shrine and JinliA shrine to Zhuge Liang and Liu Bei of Three Kingdoms fame, next to the lantern-lit Jinli street.Map ↗
  5. Sichuan operaCatch a show for the face-changing act, where the masks switch in a blink.Map ↗

Good to know

  • Spice levels run high. Ask for 'wei la' (mildly spicy), though mild here is still spicy back home.
  • Most places expect Alipay or WeChat Pay. Link your card to one before you fly and keep some cash as a backup.
  • Google, WhatsApp and Instagram are blocked in mainland China. A roaming plan or an eSIM bought outside China usually gets around this.

Last checked October 2026. Things change, so check opening times, fees and transport before you go.