As one of the most popular tour destinations worldwide, Chengdu boasts an advanced transportation network, which allows tourists to travel smoothly. With double airports, Chengdu makes people conveniently fly here from abroad or other cities in China; wide-ranging metro and bus systems in downtown Chengdu link each fantastic tourist attraction; direct tourist buses extend people’s footprints into scenic spots in the suburbs; and you can gain diverse and flexible journeys by taxi, cruise boat, and shared bike.
How to Get to Chengdu?
By Air
There are two airports in Chengdu, the Chengdu Tianfu International Airport (TFU) and the Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport (CTU). CTU is closer to the city center of Chengdu, and a taxi ride from CTU to the downtown takes about 40 minutes, while 1.5 hours from TFU.
If you fly to Chengdu to start your China tour, the Tianfu International Airport is the only gateway. With more than 70 international air routes, TFU has direct flights to Los Angeles, Vancouver, Melbourne, Paris, Milan, Madrid, Moscow, Seoul, Tokyo, and Singapore City.
If you travel from other cities in China to Chengdu by air, it’s recommended to fly to the Shuangliu International Airport, to save your time for traveling to the city center. Flights connect CTU and more than 70 first-and-second-tier cities and popular tourist cites in China, such as Beijing, Shanghai, Hangzhou, Kunming, Lhasa, and Hongkong. It generally takes you 1.5 to 3.5 hours to fly from these cities to CTU. As for TFU, it connects Chengdu and more Chinese cities with over 200 air routes. If there’s no direct flight from your departure city to CTU, just choose to fly to TFU. Besides, in comparison, the airfare of TFU is relatively low.
It’s worth noted that even though you arrive in Chengdu very early in the morning, you don’t need to worry about how to get to the downtown area. The Night Line 1 Bus of the CTU operates between 21:00 and 04:30, and the airport bus of TFU operates all day long, so even in the period when metro and high-speed trains stop operating and it’s difficult to hail a taxi, you can still take the airport bus to the city center.
By High-speed Train
If you travel from Chongqing / Xi’an / Guiyang to Chengdu, it’s suggested to take a high-speed train to Chengdu East Railway Station, and the ride takes you about 1.5 / 3.5 / 3.5 hours. For those who travel around Jiuzhaigou first and then visit Chengdu, they can take an intercity train from Huanglong Jiuzhai Railway Station / Songpan Railway Station to Chengdu East Railway Station, and the journey lasts for 2.5 to 3.5 hours.
It takes a person about 7.5 hours / 10.5 hours / 7 hours and 40 minutes the fastest from Beijing / Shanghai / Shenzhen to Chengdu by high-speed train. Given that the journey is simply too long, it would be better to take a plane traveling from these three cities to Chengdu, and the flight takes about 3 / 3 / 2.5 hours respectively.
How to Get Around Chengdu?
By Metro
Chengdu has a total of 17 metro lines, and Chengdu Metro operates from 6:00 to around 00:30. Since bad weather barely affects the operation of Chengdu Metro, and you needn’t spend long time waiting for the train or worry about traffic congestion, it’s the most recommended to travel around Chengdu by metro.
The dense metro system of Chengdu enables you to smoothly get to the downtown area after you arrive in the city. The metro rides from TFU, CTU, and Chengdu East Railway Station to downtown Chengdu respectively last for 50 minutes, 1 hour and 10 minutes, and 20 minutes.
In addition, metro lines of Chengdu cover all the popular tourist attractions in the downtown area. For example, Chengdu Metro Line 1 passes the Wenshu Monastery; Line 2 connects the Chunxi Road, the Chengdu People’s Park, and the Chengdu Museum; Line 3 links the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, the Jinli Ancient Street, and the Wuhou Temple; and Line 4 runs through the Wide and Narrow Alleys. The single metro ride from one attraction to another in the downtown area generally takes less than 1 hour, with the fare no more than CNY 10, so it’s cost-effective to travel around Chengdu by metro.
By Taxi
To achieve point-to-point transportation from the hotel to attraction entrance, it’s the most suitable to take a taxi, by which you can skip the walk to the metro / bus station. Furthermore, for a family or travel companions within 4 people, to take a taxi makes their travel experiences more convenient and comfortable.
It takes no more than 40 minutes and costs CNY 9 to 60 to get to the most attractions downtown. Plus, it’s also suggested to hail a taxi to directly travel to the attraction in the suburbs. For instance, you can spend about 1.5 hours and CNY 80 to 150 on a taxi ride to the Dujiangyan Irrigation System or the Sanxingdui Museum.
By Bus
(1) Direct Tourist Bus
The direct tourist bus is the most frequently used bus for tourists during their trips in Chengdu, and direct tourist buses run between almost all the top tourist spots in and around the Chengdu City. The Chunxi Road is a crucial direct tourist bus station, from which you can take a direct bus to the Chengdu Giant Panda Base, the Sanxingdui Museum, and the Dujiangyan Irrigation System, and the journey takes 1 to 1.5 hours.
(2) Sightseeing Bus
Unlike ordinary sightseeing buses in other cities, the sightseeing bus in Chengdu boasts distinctive local activities, which are even more wonderful than the scenery outside the bus window.
The Hot Pot and Tea Break Buses allow you to enjoy authentic Chengdu delicacies while enjoying city views. The Bus featuring Chengdu Folk Art will present you fantastic performances from professional artists. The Happy Trip Bus is like a mobile concert, on which rock singers will show you the most vibrant nightlife of Chengdu. These four types of sightseeing bus all start from the Chunxi Road, and the bus journeys last for 1 to 1.5 hours. The fare for the Hot Pot Bus is CNY 138 / 238 / 298 depending on the variety of dishes, and the fare for the other three types of sightseeing bus is from CNY 49 to 69.9.
(3) City Bus
City buses in Chengdu can not only take you to attractions that are relatively far from metro stations, but also offer you an in-depth travel at a leisurely pace. You can take Bus Line 82 to visit cultural attractions in Chengdu, such as the Thatched Cottage of Du Fu and the Wuhou Temple; Bus Line 58 connects the popular Chunxi Road Commercial District and the Chengdu People’s Park, a good place to immerse yourself in the slow-paced life of Chengdu people; and on Jinjiang Park Inner Loop Line, you can enjoy sightseeing along the bank of the Jinjiang River, the Mother River of Chengdu
By Cruise Boat
It’s recommended to add a cruise on the Jinjiang River to your Chengdu tour. When night falls, take a cruise boat at the Dongmen Wharf, and then you’ll gain a special travel experience here. During the cruise, you’ll hear buskers singing songs at the Music Square Wharf and see that buildings along the Jinjiang River are decorated with red lanterns. The most impressive part of the night cruise is to pass through the magnificent Anshun Bridge with three arches that is illuminated by orange and golden light. Finally, the cruise boat will return to the Dongmen Wharf. The night cruise takes about 40 minutes and costs each person CNY 118.
Here’s a more luxurious option for a night cruise between the Music Square Wharf and the Anshun Bridge. Can you imagine enjoying delicious Hot Pot on the Jinjiang River? Spend CNY 468 and 1.5 hours, and you can get this unique experience by cruise boat
By Shared Bike
There are a great number of shared bikes on streets of Chengdu, and you can use it by scanning the QR code on the bike with your mobile phone. It’s the most suitable to have a city ride on Yulin Road and in Fuqin, two places remarkable for slow life in Chengdu. On the cycling route, you can take a short break in a street-side café or at a stall of Chengdu snacks, replenish your energy, and continue your ride. Plus, a night ride along the Jinjiang River is also worth a try, during which you can admire the sparking river and the illuminated buildings.
What’s more, Chengdu boasts a circular cycling path over 100 kilometers (62 miles) long, which passes by multiple parks and is quite rare throughout China. Why not spend an entire morning / afternoon and have an immerse cycling in nature?
Transportation to Other Cities
How to Pay for Public Transportation in Chengdu?
1. NFC
This’s probably the most convenient payment method. Currently, six types of bank card including Union Pay, Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Diners, and Discover can be used to pay metro fare. You can add your debit card with a sufficient balance or credit card to the E-wallet Application like Apple Pay or Google Pay on your phone, activate the small-amount password-free payment agreement, turn on NFC, and swipe your phone to take the metro train.
2. Cash
In Chengdu, you can use cash for payment at metro stations, on buses, and in taxies. Each bus ride costs CNY 2. At the metro station, you can buy a metro ticket in cash at the service center or insert CNY-5/10/20 banknotes or CNY-0.5/1 coins into the automatic ticket vending machine to buy metro tickets.
3. Chengdu Metro Day Pass
Chengdu Metro offers One/Three/Five-day Pass for tourists, which costs CNY 20 / 50 / 70. You can buy it from the automatic ticket vending machine at the metro station or on the Chengdu Metro APP. Please note that the period of validity of the pass ends at 24:00 each day, so it’s the most cost-effective to buy the pass in the early morning to use it as long as possible.
4. Tianfu Pass Card
Tianfu Pass Card can be used for payment at the metro station or on bus in Chengdu. The physical Tianfu Pass Card can be bought from the automatic ticket vending machine at the metro station. In addition to the conventional card shape, the Tianfu Pass Card is made in the shape of a giant panda, a mahjong tile, or a golden mask in the style of Sanxingdui, which can be preserved as a souvenir.
The electronic Tianfu Pass Card can be added to your e-wallet on your mobile phone, and you need to firstly spend CNY 19.9 to buy the card, deposit money into the card, and use the NFC function of your phone for payment
5. Transit QR Code on Alipay / WeChat
The Chengdu Metro / Bus Ride QR Code on Alipay / WeChat Mini Program can be used for fare payment, offering a 90% discount.
