Chengdu
Discover Chengdu
Chengdu (成都 Chéngdū) is the provincial capital and largest city of Sichuan Province in southwest China. The megacity is home to over 21 million people. Its main draw for most foreign tourists is perhaps the giant pandas, with the world's foremost giant panda research institute just outside the city. Among the Chinese, it is also known for being home to China's largest and most vibrant LGBT scene. Chengdu is on the edge of the fertile plains of the Red Basin in China's Sichuan Province. Due to its agricultural wealth, Chengdu is sometimes called the Heavenly Land of Plenty. The Funan River bisects the city, although boat traffic, common until the 1960s, has all but vanished.
What to Experience in Chengdu
Taste of Chengdu...
You will find no shortage of delicious Sichuan food in Chengdu. Most of the food is spicy, but not necessarily as hot as you expect. If you are obviously foreign and don't specify whenever you order (i.e. non-spicy (不要辣 búyàolà), a little spicy (微辣 wēilà) or 'old' (very) spicy (老辣 lǎolà)), the staff will assume that you can't take the heat. At best they will ask you whether you want chili (你想要辣椒?; Nǐ xiǎng yào làjiāo?), at worst they give you a severely toned down version of the food! If you want it how the locals have it, reassure the staff with "I like chili" (我喜欢辣椒 wǒ xǐhuan làjiāo), followed with "I like all the chili" (我都喜欢辣椒 Wǒ dū xǐhuan làjiāo) to really reassure the staff that it's OK. If you are not accustomed to it yet, a bottle of sweetened soy, almond, peanut, or cow milk, or something else sweet will work much better than water to quell the fire. If you are used to the hottest of authentic Indian or Thai food, the level of spiciness in Sichuan food should be no problem at all. Sichuan food also makes heavy use of Sichuan peppercorn (花椒 huājiāo), which looks like but is not a true peppercorn, and causes your mouth to water and to be somewhat numb (málà)––the effects are unique and very dissimilar to capsaicin. Sichuan peppercorn is added in most spicy dishes. If you can eat spicy food but do not like Sichuan pepper, you need to order so (不要花椒 bú yào huājiāo).
Essential Information
Getting There
Multiple OptionsTrain connections are available from Kunming in Yunnan, Chongqing and Xi'an. The Chengdu–Dujiangyan intercity railway connects Chengdu station and Chengdu's suburbans, namely Dujiangyan and Pengzhou. The service operates in a way similar to metro, and provides cheap ticket price (the highest ticket price is ¥15). There are three bus stations in Chengdu, serving different destinations. 30.7077104.011337 Chádiànzi (茶店子汽车站), ☏ +86 28 8750 6610. 30.64724104.071378 Xīnnánmén (新南门汽车站), ☏ +86 28 8543 3609. There is a tourist information center nearby, where you can get a free map of the city and ask for the bus to your hotel. 30.63797104.126349 Wǔguìqiáo (五桂桥汽车站), ☏ +86 28 8471 1692. See Driving in China for detailed advice if you want to get around by car. For the Chengdu Metro you can buy single ride tickets from ticket vending machines (English available) with Wechat and Alipay. Ticket booths are also available if you want to pay in cash....
Getting Around & Staying
Getting Around
See Driving in China for detailed advice if you want to get around by car. For the Chengdu Metro you can buy single ride tickets from ticket vending machines (English available) with Wechat and Alipay. Ticket booths are also available if you want to pay in cash. A contactless metro card is available (card or panda keyring) which gives you a 10% saving on all journeys. When entering the metro you need to put your bags through an x-ray machine. The ticket is flashed by the gates on the reader on your right side. You need the ticket to get out as well so keep it safe. When exiting the ticket is placed into a slot on the right side of the gate (the machine keeps the ticket when exiting). Lines 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10, and 18 all have interchanges with each other in the city center region. Chengdu has an extensive bus system, including a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) line in a loop.
Where to Stay
The vast majority of Chengdu's mid-range hotels are not affiliated with a national or international brand and generally charge ¥300-700. The hotels in this category can generally put up the facade of the more luxurious hotels, but often suffer noticeably from deferred maintenance or haphazard customer service. Many are geared mostly towards Chinese and Asian tour groups. The hotels listed below are the best of the bunch with lobby staff who speak at least a basic level of English and usually offer a free Chinese breakfast. Chengdu's luxury hotels provide world class service at very reasonable prices. Business and leisure travelers can expect, at a minimum, to find fluent English speaking staff, Western and Chinese restaurants, full conference facilities, business center, sauna and concierge service at all of these hotels. Room rates are US$115–200 per night for a standard or deluxe room. The Kempinski and the Jin Jiang Hotel are generally the lowest price within this category.
Money & Budget
Supermarkets are located throughout the city, although the selection of imported foods is limited. You will find no shortage of delicious Sichuan food in Chengdu. Most of the food is spicy, but not necessarily as hot as you expect. If you are obviously foreign and don't specify whenever you order (i.e. non-spicy (不要辣 búyàolà), a little spicy (微辣 wēilà) or 'old' (very) spicy (老辣 lǎolà)), the staff will assume that you can't take the heat.
Safety Information
Safety Overview
Thieves are prevalent around certain areas of Chengdu. Be careful around the Yanshikou markets, crowded buses, on bicycles and especially around the North Train Station. Traffic can appear hectic, and all motorists and cyclists drive as if they assume they have right of way/priority. Reassuringly, due to the volume of traffic in cities, it never travels fast enough to cause any damage. Walk with confidence and be aware of your surroundings when crossing streets; even when the walk sign is green, traffic will cross your path. See Driving in China for more information. Pyramid/ponzi schemes are endemic in Chengdu, and criminals operating these schemes can resort to violence if their scam is about to be exposed. Simply avoiding any dubious investment scheme is sufficient for normal visitors. You should also be careful if strangers try to talk to you in order to sell you something or lead you somewhere.
Nearby Destinations
Glimpses of Chengdu
a very tall building sitting in the middle of a city
Anshun coverd Bridges
a view of a city with tall buildings
A bridge over a body of water with buildings in the background
city skyline during night time
city skyline during night time
brown and gray concrete building
brown wooden bridge in the middle of green grass field
Financial center of Chengdu City, China.
A couple of pandas that are sitting in a tree
a very tall building sitting in the middle of a city
Anshun coverd Bridges
a view of a city with tall buildings