Chengdu Travel Forum

I am due to be in Chengdu on Friday for 4 nights but I will not be able to do all the tours I planned due the earthquake (such as the Wolong Panda Preserve). Also, if there is death and destruction in the city itself, I will want to leave early.
I see where Dragonair is not charging for rebooking flights away from Chengdu, but is Air China or the other Chinese airlines following suit?
Does anybody know if the city is crowded with media right now? Or if flights are full?
I couldn't have picked a worse time to be there, and it doesn't seem proper to be touring if the city is in bad shape but then again, people who live there may just want to get on with their lives. Any thoughts?

Hello everyone,
I'm going to be in Chengdu in a week or two, and am hoping to climb Emei Shan with my girlfriend. I just want to ask a few questions regarding it. Firstly, how long does it take to get from Chengdu to Emei Shan by bus? Is there an admission price in order to climb it? I've heard you can start your climb at different points on the mountain. Is it a good idea to start from the very bottom of the trail, or is recommended we start a little further up? I've also read that there are guesthouses on the way up, since it takes a few days to climb and descend; are these guesthouses expensive? How frequent are they on the climb? Also, we don't want to bring all our heavy luggage on the trip and would prefer to leave most of it in Chengdu while climbing the mountain. Should we rent out a hotel room just to leave the luggage in there, or is there a more economical way of keeping it in the city, like in safes or lockers of some kind perhaps?

And regarding other things to do in Chengdu: we are hoping to see the Panda breeding centre, Le Shan giant Buddha, Wenchu Temple, Du Fu's Thatched Cottage and perhaps get a bus to Jiuzhaigou if we feel we have the time and money. Can anyone recommend any other fun things to see and do in and around Chengdu city? Any interesting experiences to be had?

I know there are a lot of questions here, which I hope is okay. As always, any help is greatly appreciated.
Thanks very much,

Jim

Hi,
i am planning to visit chengdu and would also like to see some other sichuan World Natural & Cultural sites .

anyone has any particular recommendations, especially pasture, waterfalls, Tibetan villages, Qiang Villages, Taoism, Buddism, hot springs etc.

thanks

I only have a short time (2weeks) in China. I am visiting friends situated in Gansu province and am not sure if it is worth spending 1 or 2 days in Chengdu and visiting the Leshan Giant Buddah. Any suggestions?

Hi! I plan to travel to Lhasa from Chengdu.Is there any bus that I can take besides train? how long is the journey by train/ bus? how much by train/ bus? I'm a shoestring traveler.
Thanks!

Have not decided whether to include Chengdu in my 21 day itinerary.. apart from the cuddly Pandas I have not found much else to see there. Can anyone convince me it is worth including? So far I have BJ-Xian-Lijiang-Kunming-Yangshuo-Shanghai and I think that is enough.Does anyone agree?thank you

In Chengdu for the next week with work, however ,been dumped with no local guide apart from my lonely planet - which does not go into too much detail

would love some good information on night life (lively bars, rather than clubs) and reliable tours (something to fill the weekend)

Any help much appreciated

Rob

Hey Guys,

My girl friend and i are about to embark on a backpacking tour of asia we're starting in beijing and working our way down to singapore overland, i've got a good route in mind for most of our trip but i'm stumbling at the first hurdle in china!!!! from beijing we plan to catch train to xian then on to chengdu i'm really keen to see the leshan buddah!! but from there we're keen to see shanghai and i'm finding it hard to work out a good route. time is not a question but money is, i thought of getting the train right the way through but was wondering if anyone could come up with any good ideas or at least a good place to stop off on the way! looked at wuhan but doesn't seem to be much going on. PLEASE HELP!! thanks dan.

I'll be staying in the Chengdu Mix hostel. Has anyone stayed there before (in one of the dorms). How was it? Do they have lockers? Do they organize any tours? Thanks!!

I'll be arriving on the 10th of July in the evening and leaving on the 14th in th afternoon. That basically gives me 3,5 days to explore Chengdu. I was thinking about doing the following:
- 11th: visit panda reserve early in the morning + some more sights in the afternoon
- 14th: some more sights in the morning
--> which sights (temples, parcs, tea houses, ...) would you recommend to fill up the afternoon on the 11th and the morning on the 14th?

- 12th: Mt. Emei. I love hiking and would like to go there really early. How can I get there and how can I get back. Is this feasable for a 1 day trip? If not, is there an alternative? (besides the scenery, I would love to see the monkies as well).
- 13th: great Buddha. Same question here. How can I get there early in the morning and how can I get back? Is there something else close to the great buddha worth visiting or can I fill a whole day with this trip?

And finally, I would love to taste the Chendu food (I heard soo much about it). Where would be a good place for me to go in the evening for dinner. I'm a female travelling on my own, so safety is definately a concern.

Thanks a lot!!

I am looking for a holiday dialysis center for a family member in Chengdu in August this year. I could not locate any on the internet, could someone help please?
Thank You
Davidson

1. Is this area a good place for accomodation?
2. What are the surrounding environs?
3. Does the airport shuttle bus have any stops along this road?
4. What about buses to the Chengdu Breeding Centre? Do the buses have stops as well?

Cheers!

help!!
i'll be in chengdu for a day or a day and a half.
(in may)
any suggestions to what i can do?
is it possible to visit jiu zhai gou in a day?

thanks!!
huEy :)

I am going to be in Chengdu in early July, and would like to go to Lhasa from there. I was previously considering taking the train, but I think taking a jeep tour would be more fun.

I was wondering if anyone knew how much this would cost and how long it would take. Are there many travel agencies in Chengdu that deal with this? Will I have to get a group of people together on my own, or can I just join a group at the travel agency? Also, how long does it take to get the special visa for Tibet?

Thanks!

Hey !

I am slated to visit chengdu for about 5 days towards the end of May. This is my first visit to china (I have otherwise travelled a fair bit in SE.Asia).

I would like to know where the markets are that sell car accessories / audio goods if such places exist. I understand that language will be a major issue and bargaining might be difficult.

If someone can direct me to a particular area/ district or even provide me with address etc of stores I would really appreciate it :)

I would like to book a four star or five star hotel near or on zi jin xi lu near carrefour. Any recommendations?

Is my Chengdu itinerary realistic?
What have I miss out? Where to try good food?

Day 1
Arrival in Chengdu around 1pm.
Dufu's Thatched Cottage
Green Ram Monastery
Magical Face Change in Sichuan Opera
Jinli Jie

Day 2
Panda Research Base/Giant Panda Breeding Center (others are too far away)
Chengdu's Tibetan community
Wenshu Yuan
Wuhou Memorial Temple
Overnight train to Chongqing

Appreciate all suggestions and advise.

We will arrive Chengdu around 6.00pm and heading out next late evening by train to Chongqing.

1. Is the "Panda Research Base/Giant Panda Breeding Center" located in the northern suburb (1-hr bus journey), my best bet to see the pandas?

2. How is this place compared to Wolong Nature Reserve (too little time too far for us)?

3. Anyone been there recently, any comments about the Centre?

Appreciate all replies. Thanks!

are there fitness centers/gyms readily available in chengdu? im in training for marathons and cant skip many days of working out!!! :(

I was just wondering what the best way to get from Li Jiang to Chengdu is? Id like to take an overnight train/bus if that is possible. Cant seem to find any information on this route.
Thanks!!

My family of four (two young teenage daughters) intend to stay 3 days in Chengdu, 1 day at the China Dead Sea and then 2 days in Chongqing before flying home.

How best can we travel from Chengdu to Chongqing via the Dead Sea resort?

Appreciate all suggestions, and recommendations for hotels and activities. Not particularly keen on shopping - more on the people, culture, life travelling to Chongqing.

Hi all,
Just a quick question to find out what price is per night if I'm looking at staying in backpacker accomodation in Chengdu? Any ideas?
Thanks in advance,

James

I'm going to be in Chengdu in February. I've been trying to make a reservation at Sims Cozy Guesthouse, but their website isn't working (I think it's because of the earthquake). Does anybody know a phone number I can reach them at?

Has anyone ever done a volunteer vacation at the Wolong Giant Panda Research Center? If so, what was it like? How much contact with the animals vs. actual work was there? Thanks--

Hi, I will travelling to Chengdu on the 8th Dec. How's the weather? Very cold especially in Er Mei Shan and will it be very cold on the cruise? Have it started snowing already?

Hi I have decided to visit Jiuzhaigou in mid-late August - I know it rains a bit there but is it very heavy non-stop rain like those in Hong Kong in August or just short, light showers? And what about Chengdu - how is the rainy season like in August? Many thanks!

what is the best ski hill around chengdu? the only one i could find details on was XILING, and its vertical of 200m seems kind of dinky. are there any decent hills in sichuan? i heard they are building a ski resort at jiguanshan. does anyone have any information? thanks!

Hi ,



travelling light me and my friends wanna buy good quality clothes in Chengdu .
Teva sandals and gore-tec sweater/fleece are on the shopping list.
Is that advisable ore best buy it at home and carry it all the way.


Marina

Anyone know how I can get a copy of the mask changing DVD sold at the back of the theatre in Chengdu of the mask changing? I kick myself every day for not buying one when I was there!

hi - can anyone tell me about the weather in chengdu now? thanks!