Chengdu

Shop

Get even more with a Lonely Planet guide.

China

$34.99

Shop Book

Pandas at Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding.

Getty Images/Lonely Planet Images

LONELY PLANET’S RECOMMENDED eSIM

Stay connected in Chengdu

with

Saily is an affordable eSIM service that helps you stay connected and secure, anywhere in the world.

Get your eSIM

Overview

Chengdu (成都, Chéngdū) is no great draw when it comes to major tourist sites, yet this is one of the few super-sized Chinese cities that most visitors do end up enjoying. There's a relaxing teahouse culture – favorite local institutions have been serving the same brews for generations; a lively nightlife that mixes craft beer bars and super-hip clubs with Sichuan opera shows; and delicious food that is famous for its heat, history and variety even in cuisine-rich China, and is very much a point of pride: Chengdu is, after all, Unesco's first-ever City of Gastronomy. Oh, and as if that's not enough, this is the place to come to see China's cutest residents – the giant pandas.

Attractions

Must-see attractions

Giant Panda Breeding Research Base

Chengdu

One of Chengdu’s most popular attractions, this panda park 18km north of the city centre is the easiest way to glimpse Sichuan’s most famous residents…

Wenshu Monastery

Chengdu

This Tang dynasty monastery is dedicated to Wenshu (Manjushri), the Bodhisattva of Wisdom, and is Chengdu’s largest and best-preserved Buddhist temple…

Chengdu Museum

Chengdu

Spanning ancient Shu and pre-Qin dynasties to the Revolutionary era and modern Chengdu, this spectacular five-storey museum (completed in 2016) is packed…

Jinsha Site Museum

Chengdu

In 2001 archaeologists made a historic discovery in Chengdu’s western suburbs: they unearthed a major site containing ruins of the 3000-year-old Shu…

Tomb of Wang Jian

Chengdu

Built for Wang Jian (847–918), a general who rose to power following the collapse of the Tang dynasty to rule as emperor of the Shu kingdom, this above…

Chengdu Museum of Contemporary Art

Chengdu

This privately funded museum aims to create a space for the development and exhibition of contemporary and abstract art in Chinese society. Works on…

Wuhou Temple

Chengdu

Located adjacent to Nanjiao Park and surrounded by mossy cypresses, this temple (rebuilt in 1672) honours several figures from the Three Kingdoms period,…

Sichuan Museum

Chengdu

Aficionados of Chinese history will enjoy a stop here for a look at Sichuan's past through Shu-era calligraphy and painting, bronze works and ceramics,…

View more attractions