3 Days in Chengdu, China

All of the best things to do if you only have 3 days in Chengdu, China in our perfect itinerary.

Ah Chengdu – now this was a place that really surprised us. After our incredible overland journey from Shangri La through the Tibetan Kham province, we really weren’t looking forward to getting to a big city.

We had visions of crazy traffic, heavy pollution and relentless crowds. Instead we found Chengdu to be a relaxed destination with a hip and fun vibe. It was quite clean (by Chinese standards) and not too bad to get around.

READ MORE: Here’s everything you need to know about travelling in China.

3 Days in Chengdu – The Perfect Itinerary

We spent three days in Chengdu and honestly, we would have happily spent an extra few days hanging out. But if like us you are on a tight schedule when you are in the city, here are some of the best things to do with only three days in Chengdu!

Day 1 – Research Base Of Giant Panda Breeding

It would almost be criminal to come all the way to Chengdu and not see those black and white bundles of cuteness. Indeed, the panda bears usually are the main reason people visit this modern city in Central China.

Even if you aren’t the type of person to buckle at the knees at adorable, cuddly creatures, you still need to go visit the pandas. Even if you hate zoos, you still need to go. No arguing.

We suggest waking up early and aiming to be at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding for when it opens at 8am. Not only will you beat the majority of the crowds, but also this is when they feed the pandas.

During the day they tend to sit around and scratch themselves, those damn cute bastards, but when it is feeding time they are full of energy. We arrived just as the gates open and sprinted to the enclosures like crazed Justin Bieber fans (don’t laugh, you will too).

Our timing was perfect, as the pandas spent the next hour munching on bamboo, wrestling with each other and climbing trees (then falling off of them).

We had managed to visit a good part of the centre before the stampede of camera happy domestic tourists showed up, so it almost felt like we had the pandas all to ourselves.

We stayed at the centre until about 2pm, watching the bears drift off to sleep and then checking out some of the documentary movies and the museum that is also included in your entry price. After that we (reluctantly) jumped on a bus and headed back into Chengdu for some spicy Sichuan food and cold beer. A nice solid day…