How to Get to Chengdu, City Transportation: By Air, Train, Bus

By Air
Chengdu has one airport, the Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport (CTU), in the southwest of Chengdu City. It is about 20 kilometers (12 miles) from the center of Chengdu City. The facilities in the airport are complete.

CTU offers flights to more than 70 domestic cities, including Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Qingdao, Nanjing, Hangzhou, and Xian. International flights include service to over 20 cities such as Tokyo, Shanghai (Beijing)-Fukuoka, Osaka, Seoul, Bangkok, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Katmandu, and Beijing-Paris and regional flights of Chengdu-Hong Kong and Chengdu-Macau. In July 2005, six international lines were opened including Chengdu to Los Angeles, Vancouver, London, Sydney, Melbourne (Australia) and Delhi. In addition, flights inside the province are available: Chengdu to Dazhou City and Xichang City, etc.

Chengdu has also opened the first cargo flight to Frankfort of German. That is a great achievement.

Chengdu is the transportation hub of Southwest China, providing access to Yunnan, Qinghai and Tibet.

Frequent one-hour flights are available to Kunming, capital of Yunnan Province. Flights to Xining, capital of Qinghai Province, take about one and a half hours, with two-hour flights available to Lhasa, capital of Tibet.

It is convenient to visit the Jiuzhaigou Scenic Spot by air from Chengdu, a 40-minute flight from CTU to Jiuhuang (Jiuzhaigou and Huanglong) Airport with one-way fare of about CNY 700. Visitors are advised to book flights early for this popular trip. Discounts may be available through hotels or travel agencies.

Note: Tourists bound for Chongqing and places inside Sichuan Province such as Jiuzhaigou must take flights from the old lobby of CTU, a short distance away from the new one.

Additionally you can fly to Nyingchi in southeast Tibet. Nyingchi Airport is located in a valley surrounded by mountains, usually covered in low clouds which affect the take-off and landing of planes. This flight is consequently regarded as the most difficult in China. However, Nyingchi is also considered to be the best entry point to Tibet because of its comparatively low altitude and rich oxygen which enable tourists to acclimatize to the low oxygen levels of the Tibetan Plateau. This flight operates only one round trip between Chengdu and Nyingchi per week, on Fridays. Tickets are only sold during the week and can not be reserved for the next week.

A shuttle bus is available at 20-minute intervals from airport to city center, about 35 minutes, fare CNY 8-10. The first bus starts at 5:00, starting point, Lantian Hotel Stop, at second section of Renmin South Road (beside China Southwest Airlines ticket office).

Taxi fare, CNY 50 -- with bargaining -- is reasonable from airport to city center.

By Train
As the largest railway hub in southwest China, Chengdu Railway Station has trains to major cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chongqing, Urumqi, Xian, etc. A tourist express train serves neighboring areas including Guangyuan City, Yibin City, and Panzhihua City.

Where to buy tickets
Ticket Office in the city: Dongyujie Street
Chengdu Throughtransit Industry Co., Ltd: No. 91, second section, north of Second Ring Road, Chengdu
Chengdu Railway Station Transportation Office: No. 6, first section of Renmin North Road, Chengdu
Sichuan University: No. 24, first section, south of First Ring Road, Chengdu
Provincial Government Collective Economy Office: No. 31, third section of Renmin South Road, Chengdu

By Bus
Chengdu has several main coach stations including Chengdu Bus Station (Wugui Bridge Bus Station), New South Gate Bus Station, Ximen (West Gate) Bus Station, Dongmen (East Gate) Bus Station, Chadianzi Bus Station, Beimen (North Gate) Bus Station, and Gaosuntang Bus Station.

Wugui Bridge Bus Station is near Tazishan Park, east part of Chengdu City. It provides bus service mainly to cities along the Chengdu-Chongqing expressway and Neijiang-Yibin expressway such as Chongqing, Yibin City, Zigong County, Wanxian County, and Nanning City. For time-saving expressway service on high quality buses, the Wugui Bridge Bus Station is recommended.

New South Gate Bus Station, No. 57, Linjiang Road, provides bus service to renowned scenic spots, including Jiuzhaigou Scenic Area, Mt. Leshan, and Mt. Emeishan via buses 6, 28, 49, 55 and 301.

Chadianzi Bus Station is seated in the Second Ring Road of Chengdu. Buses here run mainly to the famous scenic spots and Tibetan areas in the west and north of Sichuan, including Wolong Panda Reserve, Danba County, Mt.Siguniangshan, Jiuzhaigou Scenic Area, and Mt. Qingcheng.

Beimen (North Gate) Bus Station is situated in the first Ring Road of Chengdu. The buses here serve primarily south Sichuan Province, such as Zigong County and Yibin City.

Located in the third section, north of the Second Ring Road, Gaosuntang Bus Station is easily missed. It is the station that provides buses for Lhasa, Tibet. It takes three days and two nights to run the whole distance at the price of about CNY 616. In addition, buses to Lanzhou, Xining, Shigatse and Urumqi are available here.