What to do and see in Sichuan, China: The Best Things to do

May 18, 2021 Claudia Navarrete

Sichuan, formerly romanized as Szechuan or Szechwan, is a province in southwest China occupying most of the Sichuan Basin and the easternmost part of the Tibetan Plateau between the Jinsha River on the west, the Daba Mountains in the north, and the Yungui Plateau to the south. Sichuan's capital city is Chengdu. The population of Sichuan stands at 81 million.
Restaurants in Sichuan

1. Jiuzhaigou Natural Reserve

Zhangzha Town, 623400 China +86 837 773 9753 http://www.jiuzhai.com
Excellent
81%
Good
16%
Satisfactory
2%
Poor
1%
Terrible
0%
Overall Ratings

5.0 based on 4,177 reviews

Jiuzhaigou Natural Reserve

Jiuzhaigou Valley, eulogized as a world of magical fairytale, has for years enchanted tourists with its mountains and luxuriant forests, colorful lakes, gushing waterfalls and abundant wildlife. To its south is the Huanglong (Yellow Dragon Scenic Area). Jiuzhaigou Valley is located in Nanping County, 450 kilometers (about 280 miles) to the north of Chengdu City, Sichuan, covers a total area of 720 square kilometers and the valley is 50 kilometers in length. In 1992, UNESCO entered this scenic area onto the world natural heritage list.Jiuzhaigou, literally the Nine Village Valley, is hence known for the nine Tibetan villages within its boundary, Inhabited by Tibetans, the nine villages and alpine lakes, are like reflecting mirrors or crystal jade blocks inlaid in snow mountains and forests.

Reviewed By petersjsim - Tawau, Malaysia

There is a saying in China that after visited JiuZhaiGou, you would not want to visit places with waterfalls and lakes. This natural reserve is indeed a paradise for people who enjoy seeing waterfalls and lakes. As for photography enthusiasts, this is the place that you should not miss.

2. Sichuan Tibet Highway (southern route)

China
Excellent
83%
Good
17%
Satisfactory
0%
Poor
0%
Terrible
0%
Overall Ratings

5.0 based on 6 reviews

Sichuan Tibet Highway (southern route)

Sometimes there are problems for foreigners to travel on this road so a review would probably be helpful for others.

3. Mount Emei (Emeishan)

Emeishan 614201 China
Excellent
54%
Good
30%
Satisfactory
11%
Poor
3%
Terrible
2%
Overall Ratings

4.5 based on 838 reviews

Mount Emei (Emeishan)

A scenic mountain area houses important Buddhist temples.

Reviewed By MattwalesNorthWales - Chengdu, China

A must see place if you are in this part of the world. One of the important Buddhist Mountains in China. If, unlike me you love walking uphill you can climb this on foot but it will take about 4 days. I settled for a full day trip. Wrap up warm in winter as the top will be a lot colder than the bottom. You can buy a combined ticket for 160¥ which will take you from Emeishan railway station up the mountain. The journey is not for those, weak of stomach as the road snakes up the mountain, contains a lot of chicanes, and the drivers don't hang around. There is a pee stop half way and the bus may stop to add snow chains to the wheels in winter. Once at the top bus station you have to walk for about 2km through the monkey reserve to get the cable car which will whizz you right to the summit. At the summit you may be rewarded with a spectacular view as well as a variety of temples, shops and restaurants to explore. You can stay in a hotel at the top so that you can see the sunrise, but its not cheap. Please note the last cable car is at 5.30 and the last bus home is at 6pm. Great day trip

4. Mount Qingcheng

Qingcheng Mountain Town, Chengdu 611844 China +86 180 8015 8435 http://www.localchinaguide.com/attractions/mount-qingcheng/
Excellent
49%
Good
40%
Satisfactory
10%
Poor
1%
Terrible
0%
Overall Ratings

4.5 based on 1,118 reviews

Mount Qingcheng

A natural scenic area and a holy mountain of Taoism.

Reviewed By jonascn - Singapore, Singapore

Mount Qingcheng is a short distance away from Dujianyan. There is an excitement in the desire to reach the highest peak when climbing the mountain. However the steps up the mountain is quite steep, especially the last 30 minutes and can be slippery during winter. There are porters to help you up the mountain at a cost (though one does sympathise the porters who are in their 50s too). There is also a photo taking service a the top of the mountain which a beautiful temple, especially during winter due to the thick clouds. The air is filled with the smoke from the joss sticks. There is a certain level of accomplishment amid the achy legs when you reach the top. Hence, this is well recommended for travellers looking for adventure. However, the main drawback of the area is the hidden costs you have to bear with to enjoy a complete experience. The site ticket is 80RMB. To proceed to the mountain, you have to 20 RMB for a 2 way mini bus journey to the river coast, after which you have to pay 10 RMB for a 2 way boat ride to an area closer to the mountain. There is also a 60RMB cable car to proceed to the base of the mountain before walking up. There is a need to factor in these costs when you are planning your trip. It is also difficult to avoid this payment as the journey without is much longer. Do also take note of the different operating hours during winter. It opens 8.30am to 5.30pm from May to October, and 9am to 5pm from November to April. Overall, if you can get over the hidden costs and the physical requirements, this is well worth the trip.

5. Giant Panda Breeding Research Base (Xiongmao Jidi)

No.1375 Xiongmao Avenue the Outside Northern Third Ring Road, Chenghua District, Chengdu 610081 China +86 28 8351 0033 [email protected] http://www.panda.org.cn/
Excellent
69%
Good
24%
Satisfactory
5%
Poor
1%
Terrible
1%
Overall Ratings

4.5 based on 6,601 reviews

Giant Panda Breeding Research Base (Xiongmao Jidi)

Reviewed By 1st_Time_in_DR - Bridgewater, United States

You will see adorable giant pandas playing on the well maintained ground. Walking the paths itself is also very pleasant with lots of bamboo providing shades and look very cool. This place is not only for kids, there are many adults coming by themselves and enjoy the nice walking and watching the playful pandas. The park is huge, there are many pandas spread out at different locations. I would be surprised if you don't see one out there during your visit. We saw different groups of pandas - baby pandas, adult pandas, red pandas,....on the ground, on trees, and on wooden structures,....They are so cute! We took lots of pictures and video clips. A place with lots of fond memories.

6. Wenshu Yuan Monastery

No.66 Wenshuyuan Street, Qingyang District, Chengdu 610017 China +86 28 8695 0699 http://www.localchinaguide.com/attractions/wenshu-yuan-monastery/
Excellent
47%
Good
41%
Satisfactory
11%
Poor
1%
Terrible
0%
Overall Ratings

4.5 based on 1,083 reviews

Wenshu Yuan Monastery

Reviewed By SILBERSTEINSKY

A nice temple with lovely park. Vital. Wonderful tea garden to relax and take some energy. Close to the city center

7. Leshan Giant Buddha (Da Fo)

No.2435 Lingyun Street, Shizhong District, Leshan 614000 China +86 833 230 2048 [email protected] http://www.leshandafo.com/
Excellent
52%
Good
35%
Satisfactory
10%
Poor
2%
Terrible
1%
Overall Ratings

4.5 based on 1,471 reviews

Leshan Giant Buddha (Da Fo)

Carved out of a hill, the largest Buddha in the world dates back to the 8th century.

Reviewed By mosto - Hong Kong, China

A few people discouraged me from visiting as it was quite far from Chengdu. Good thing I did not listen to them! Plan the visit as a full day outing to Leshan - boat ride, lunch and visit the amazing Oriental Buddha Capital which is adjoining to the Leshan Buddha and you can walk to the entrance where you walk down to be near the Leshan Buddha. The boat ride is well organized- you have to put on life vests which are provided. There are some photographers in the boat who will take photo for you for RMB20 and you collect them (laminated) near the booth where you bought your boat tickets. I think they do a good job of it and is worth RMB20.

8. Rong Xian Big Buddha

East of Rong Xian China http://www.rxdafo.com/
Excellent
67%
Good
33%
Satisfactory
0%
Poor
0%
Terrible
0%
Overall Ratings

4.5 based on 3 reviews

Rong Xian Big Buddha

9. Dujiangyan Panda Base

Dujiangyan 611830 China [email protected] http://www.pandasinternational.org/panda-reserves/dujiangyan-panda-center/
Excellent
78%
Good
15%
Satisfactory
5%
Poor
2%
Terrible
0%
Overall Ratings

4.5 based on 343 reviews

Dujiangyan Panda Base

The China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda Dujiangyan Base is a post-earthquake reconstruction project in Sichuan Wolong Nature Reserve funded by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government. It is 760 mus and close to the Giant Panda Habitat World Nature Heritage Area. The Base is dedicated to the conservation, research and education in the giant panda disease prevention and control, wild rescue, international cooperation and public science education.

Reviewed By paulinel956

Lily Chen from WestChinaGo was very accommodative and customised my trip to the Panda base , according to my travel needs. She is super patient, has good command of English and gives sound advice on my trip. She also assigned a good English speaking guide Shelley who went over and beyond by helping us change our train tickets timing. Me and my daughter thoroughly enjoyed the “volunteering” activity at the Panda base , where we had a chance to clean the Panda enclosure and feed bamboo snack to the Panda (within 0.5m). It was an awesome experience!

10. Jinli Pedestrian Street

No.231 Wuhouci Street, Wuhou District, Chengdu 610041 China +86 28 8551 1800 http://www.localchinaguide.com/attractions/jinli-pedestrian-street-chengdu/
Excellent
37%
Good
40%
Satisfactory
18%
Poor
3%
Terrible
2%
Overall Ratings

4.0 based on 2,783 reviews

Jinli Pedestrian Street

Reviewed By Marienguyen2014 - Clarks Summit, United States

It’s crowded, noisy and great! We tried a lot of things barbecued on skewers, and there’s plenty of exotic dishes to try like roasted silk worms and the tongues of many animals. Festive atmosphere, shops, street performers, ice cream stands, souvenirs, etc. Plenty of public restrooms, the best being upstairs at Starbucks.

ThingsTodoPost © 2018 - 2024 All rights reserved.