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Chengdu Travel Guide
Buy Chinese YuanChengdu at a glance
Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan, is China's most relaxed big city: teahouses, hotpot and Sichuan pepper, a UNESCO City of Gastronomy since 2010, the first in Asia, and the best place in the country to see giant pandas. Three to four days covers the city and a day trip. There is no nonstop passenger flight from India, so connect through Guangzhou or Shanghai.
At the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, adult tickets cost CNY 55 and must be booked online in advance in your own name, with your passport; the gate window only sells what is left. From March to October it opens at 7:30 am, and that is when to go: the pandas are most active in the cool of the morning. The South Gate is the original, busier entrance and the West Gate the newer, quieter side, joined by an internal bus (CNY 30). Take Metro Line 3 to Panda Avenue, then the shuttle bus to the South Gate.
The Leshan Giant Buddha, 71 metres tall and carved into a riverside cliff between 713 and 803, is the classic day trip: about an hour by high-speed train to Leshan, then a short taxi ride, with entry at CNY 80. Dujiangyan, an irrigation system still working after more than 2,200 years, is closer (CNY 80). In town, the Wide and Narrow Alleys and Jinli street are free to wander, and Wuhou Shrine beside Jinli costs CNY 50.
Most international flights use Tianfu International (TFU), about 50 km south-east of the centre: Metro Line 18 reaches Chengdu South station in about 35 minutes, and the centre takes about an hour in all. The older Shuangliu airport (CTU) is 16 km out. Indian passport holders need a visa, and Alipay or WeChat Pay should be set up before you fly.
Where to stay
All three are central and close to the metro.
Chunxi Road and Taikoo Li
The central shopping district, on the metro and full of places to eat; hotels cost a little more here.
Near People's Park
In the old heart of the city, walkable to the Heming teahouse and the Wide and Narrow Alleys.
Yulin
A local neighbourhood south-west of the centre, known for hotpot and small bars, with a more everyday feel.
Paying in Chengdu
For the yuan itself, the visa for Indians, setting up Alipay and WeChat Pay, and how much cash to carry, see the China travel guide.
Chengdu's metro gates take Alipay and WeChat QR codes and, since July 2025, a tap of a foreign Visa, Mastercard or Amex card. Small restaurants and teahouses expect a QR payment or cash. Payments above CNY 200 through the apps generally carry a 3% fee on a foreign card; smaller ones are free. Keep CNY 500 to 1,000 in cash as a backup: refusing yuan is against Chinese law, so cash always works.
What Chengdu actually costs
Set the length and style of your trip to see what to budget, in Chinese yuan and Indian rupees.
Indicative, excluding international flights and accommodation, per person per day. Converted at the verified mid-market rate on 29 September 2026, CNY 1 ≈ ₹14.31, not a Matrix board rate.
Budget roughly ₹2,580 to ₹11,450 per person per day on the ground, excluding flights and accommodation.
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| Dan dan noodles or street snacks | CNY 10-30 |
| Hotpot, per person | CNY 80-150 |
| Panda Base, adult | CNY 55 |
| Leshan Giant Buddha | CNY 80 |
| Wuhou Shrine | CNY 50 |
| Metro Line 18, Tianfu Airport to the city | about CNY 10 |
Getting around
The metro has 17 lines with English signs, and its gates take Alipay or WeChat QR codes or a tap of a foreign bank card. DiDi and taxis are cheap for anything the metro misses. For Leshan, take the high-speed train from Chengdu East or South station, about CNY 54 in second class, and a taxi from Leshan station.
Common mistakes in Chengdu
Assuming a visa-free or transit stay
India is on neither list. Apply online well ahead, then submit your passport at a visa centre in New Delhi, Mumbai or Kolkata.
Arriving at the Panda Base at midday
The pandas are most active from opening until about 10 am. Later, many are asleep and the crowds are bigger.
Turning up without a Panda Base booking
Book online in your own name before you go. The window only sells leftover tickets.
Treating Tianfu Airport as close
It is about 50 km from the centre. Allow an hour to the city, and more to the Panda Base.
Chengdu FAQs
Yes. India is on neither China's 30-day visa-free list nor its 240-hour visa-free transit list. Since December 2025 you apply online, then hand in your passport at the Chinese Visa Application Service Center in New Delhi, Mumbai or Kolkata. Until 31 December 2026 a single-entry visa costs ₹2,900, and fingerprints are waived for short-term visas.
CNY 55 for adults, booked online in advance in your own name; children under 6 and visitors over 60 go free. It opens at 7:30 am from March to October and 8 am in winter.
At opening. The pandas are most active in the cool early morning, before about 10 am.
Most international flights use Tianfu International (TFU), about 50 km south-east of the centre and an hour away by metro. Shuangliu (CTU) is 16 km out.
By high-speed train to Leshan, about an hour, then a short taxi ride. Entry to see the 71-metre Buddha is CNY 80.
On 29 September 2026 one yuan was ₹14.31 at the mid-market rate, so CNY 100 is about ₹1,430.
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