Things to Do in Chengdu and Leshan: Travel Guide

Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan province, is best known as the city of giant pandas and for its cuisine, one of the most famous and spiciest in China. Unfortunately, we had limited time and only managed to spend half a day in the city, in addition to visiting the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding. From the little we saw, Chengdu felt lively and well kept, and we were sorry we did not have more time to explore it.

Less than an hour away by train is Leshan, best known for its enormous Buddha carved into the rock. We decided to spend one night there, but with hindsight we would not do it again. The city itself did not particularly impress us, and we would recommend visiting the Giant Buddha as a day trip from Chengdu instead.

In this guide, you will find the best things to do in Chengdu and Leshan, how to travel between the two cities and practical information based on our experience.

How to get to and around Chengdu and Leshan

We travelled from Xi’an to Chengdu by train, which took just over three hours. The two cities are well connected, and the train is one of the easiest ways to include both in the same itinerary.

Once in Chengdu, we mainly got around by metro and on foot. The city is huge, so the metro was essential for reaching more distant areas. From Chengdu, we then travelled to Leshan by train in under an hour. As mentioned above, with hindsight we would visit Leshan as a day trip and return to Chengdu to sleep.

In Leshan, we mostly got around on foot. To reach our hostel from the railway station, we took the bus. The fare was 4 yuan per person, but because we could not work out how to pay, the drivers simply let us ride for free. Maybe it was a case of “I do not want the hassle of dealing with these tourists” 😂. Either way, it was a very kind gesture and we really appreciated it.

Things to do in Chengdu and Leshan

Chengdu definitely deserves a few days, while Leshan can easily be visited on a day trip from Chengdu. Below are the places we visited in both cities, along with useful information to help you plan your visit.

Chengdu

Located in south-western China, Chengdu is the capital of Sichuan province and one of the most important cities in this part of the country. It is best known for its giant pandas and for Sichuan cuisine, famous for its bold and often very spicy flavours.

Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding

Around 40 minutes from central Chengdu is the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, one of the main centres dedicated to giant panda research, conservation and breeding. It is one of the biggest reasons travellers come to Chengdu, and it was one of ours too.

Practical information: we recommend arriving early in the morning, when the pandas tend to be more active. The centre is very large, so allow at least half a day to explore it without rushing.

We bought our tickets on the same day through WeChat, with help from Checco, an Italian-Chinese guy we happened to meet at our hostel. During our trip, we paid around €7 per person.

How to get there: there are several ways to reach the centre. We used one of the tourist buses running between central Chengdu and the Panda Base, easy to recognise thanks to the panda images on the outside. The journey takes around 40 minutes and cost us 10 yuan per person.

We entered through the main entrance and left through the south gate, where we easily found buses back to central Chengdu.

Alternatively, you can take the metro and continue by bus or shuttle to the entrance. Check the most convenient route on your map app depending on where you are staying.

Where to stay in Chengdu

In Chengdu, we also chose to stay in a hostel, the Chengdu Desti Youth Park Hostel, which we are happy to recommend. The hostel was very clean and comfortable, with pleasant common areas, and the staff were genuinely kind and spoke good English. We stayed in the dorms, which at the time were separate for men and women. Keep this in mind if you are travelling as a couple and want to stay in the same room.

Leshan

Located in Sichuan province, south of Chengdu, Leshan is easy to reach by train in less than an hour. The city is best known for the Leshan Giant Buddha, its main attraction and the reason most travellers come here. In our opinion, there is no need to stay overnight: you can easily visit Leshan as a day trip from Chengdu.

Leshan Giant Buddha

The Leshan Giant Buddha is an enormous Buddha statue carved directly into the rock face at the confluence of three rivers. At around 71 metres high, it is considered the largest ancient stone Buddha statue in the world.

Construction began in 713 under the monk Haitong and took around 90 years. According to tradition, the Buddha was meant to protect boats from the dangerous river currents. Interestingly, the huge amount of rock removed during construction and deposited in the river actually helped alter the currents, making navigation safer.

Practical information: we reached the site from Leshan railway station on bus K1. The bus fare was 4 yuan, although in our case the driver let us ride for free because we could not work out how to use the QR code payment.

We bought our entrance tickets on the spot through WeChat and paid around €10 per person. Separate tickets may be required for some additional areas and attractions.

You can see the Buddha from above and walk down the staircase carved into the rock, or take a short river cruise to view it from the water. We chose the first option and skipped the cruise because of the number of people there.

To be honest, we expected a little more from the visit. The Buddha itself is impressive and the setting is certainly unusual, but we found the site extremely crowded and this reduced our enjoyment. Of course, that was simply our personal experience and not a judgement on the attraction itself.

Where to stay in Leshan

We spent one night at the Peace Inn The Leshan Giant Buddha Branch. At the time of our stay, the photos on Booking did not really reflect the condition of the property. It was fine for one night, but it is not somewhere we would personally recommend. The main advantage is the location, just a short walk from the Giant Buddha site. With hindsight, though, we would not stay overnight in Leshan. We would visit as a day trip from Chengdu and return in the afternoon or evening.