3 Days Chengdu Highlights Tour plus Leshan Giant Buddha
From Home to Panda to Giant Buddha
From Home to Panda to Giant Buddha
Chengdu is a super city to deliver travellers end up fun, and 3 days is a perfect time to tour Chengdu at a comfortable pace. This tour covers the highlights tour of Chengdu as well as airport/train station pick-up and delivery service. In these three days, you won't miss the world's most loveable animal – Giant Panda and the Chengdu's iconic site - People Park to experience Chengdu's typical laid-back living style. Moreover, enjoy a convenient visit to somnolent-looking but inspiring Leshan Giant Buddha which is acknowledged as World Cultural Heritages by UNESCO.
Day 1 Chengdu Arrival
Chengdu Airport or Train Station Pick-up
Welcome to Chengdu, the hometown of the Giant Panda. Your local guide will meet you at the airport/train station and then escort you to your hotel in a private vehicle. The rest of today is yours to relax in the panda city on your own.
Arrival Ideas: Chengdu is only about 2~3 hours flying from the majority of big cities in China, such as Beijing, Xian, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shanghai, etc. You can also get to Chengdu by high speed trains from Xian (4hrs), Chongqing (1hrs), Guilin (6hrs), Kunming (6hrs), etc.
Welcome to Chengdu (Night view of Jiuyanqiao)
Day 2 Chengdu and Leshan Highlights Tour (B, L)
Today's highlights: Leshan Giant Buddha, Jinli Old Street
This morning you will drive about 2 hours from Chengdu to visit the UNESCO World Heritage Site - Leshan Giant Buddha which is the largest and tallest stone-carved statue of Buddha in the world. It was carved during AD713~803 on a mountain rock cliff by the river, with its head reaching to the mountain top and its feet standing next to the river. The total height is 71m; while the head is 14.7m high and 10m wide, ear is 7meters high, 28 meters between knees and insteps. Its insteps can hold over a hundred people. You may be wondering why such a giant Buddha was built? It is said to have been built to calm the turbulent waters that plagued passing boats and killed many people each year in ancient time. On the right cliff of the Giant Buddha, there is a plank road built along with the Giant Buddha. From the top to foot, the plank road has nine turns, thus it’s called Nine Bends Plank Road. The widest part of the road is 1.45m and the narrowest part is only 0.6m, and there are 217 stone steps in total. You will walk down the plank road to the feet of the Giant Buddha for a closer view.
After sightseeing, drive back from Leshan to Chengdu. Next is an impressive trip to the famous Jinli Old Street. Time steals away from you quietly while walking on the lively streets which are full of delicious local snacks, delicate artifacts, interesting folk shows, etc.
Recommended Optional Activities: 1) take a 30 minutes' sightseeing boat to enjoy a wonderful panoramic view of the Giant Buddha on the river; 2) enjoy a delicious dinner of Sichuan cuisine (or hotpot) at a local restaurant; 3) watch a wonderful performance of Sichuan Opera which includes folk opera, face changing, fire spitting, rolling lights, and other delightful entertainment (usually performs during 20:00~21:30).
Lastly, drive back to your hotel in Chengdu.
Day 3 Chengdu & Chengdu Departure (B, L)
Today's highlights: Chengdu Panda Base, Wenshu Temple, People's Park
After breakfast, you will make a stirring visit to Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding which is not only the most important panda scientific research center, but also dwelling home for more than 100 Giant Pandas. Walk at leisure through the bamboo framed paths, and closely observe giant pandas of different ages eating bamboos, playing with each other, tumbling, climbing trees, etc. Be sure to not miss the chance to visit in the nursery rooms and panda kindergartens where you may see the adorable panda babies. There is also a very informative Panda Museum for you to learn more scientific facts about Giant Pandas.
Then you will be taken to a hidden spiritual Buddhist temple in the hustling downtown of Chengdu – Wenshu Temple. Marvel at the exquisite Buddhist architecture, soak in the reverent atmosphere, and wander on the peaceful paths. Adjacent to the monastery is a small bazaar (Wenshufang) where you can enjoy a leisure stroll through to experience local market and living style. Chengdu is famous for its relaxing and leisure pace throughout China, which will be proved after a stay in People's Park. Sit down, order a pot of Chinese tea, make a casual chat with your friends and watching locals indulging themselves in different kinds of folk entertainment – napping in a lively teahouse, playing mahjong, disco dancing, neck massage, ear cleaning…
At the end, your guide and driver will escort you to catch your flight/train to next destination. Our service ends.
1. This price is for one person, based on a group of 2 adults sharing one standard double-bed room in 4-star hotel and traveling with our private tour in low seasons.
2. This price is subject to change according your traveling season, group size, hotel class, change of activities in your itinerary and possible fluctuation of currency exchange rate. If you want a lower price, you can get more people to join you, or use economy class hotels.
3. This price is only valid to March 31, 2025.
4. Reference exchange rate of USD 1= RMB 6.45. The final quote is based on current exchange rate. It may change according to the currency fluctuation, while the RMB quotation will be remained the same.
Hi Rita,
The trip was fantastic and there were no problems. I made a couple of mistakes, but the wonderful guides were of great assistance.The tour arrangements were excellent. All connections and meetings with guides went perfectly.
I would recommend your service to others with an interest in China.
Cheers and thanks….and I may book another tour next year!!
Wilson
Hi April
We are glad to have chosen to Century Oasis. The ship is new, spacious and clean. Staff were friendly and provided excellent service.
Thank you for checking with us and I'm really pleased to have booked with Yangtze River Cruises and for your prompt service.
Regards
Heong
Hi April,
Absolutely fantastic, can’t fault. On board food was awesome and me being vegetarian they even made me special meals each day. Staff were wonderful. I also had laundry done, no issues and very good price. Bar was well stocked and well priced. I also got a foot massage and my daughters hair washed and blow dried also value for money.
Concierge did only once on check in to offer an upgraded package for food and cabin. Then never asked again which was perfect.
Porters hired by ship in Chongqing tried to charge me 100rmb for their service but the English speaking concierge told them off very sternly.
Shore excisions included were awesome. I only did 1 optional which was the show on the second night which was absolutely amazing, it felt like I was in the show.
Only complaint is the ships announcements came into cabin speakers.
Dane
Hi Tracy,
Apologies for the late reply.
We thoroughly enjoyed the 3 days at Bifengxia. We arrived with an open mind, so I cannot really say that the program met our expectations or not. We learned a lot about the animals, which was great and we spend a lot of time observing them, which was fun. The program itself was more like a 3-day VIP arrangement with backstage passes rather than a volunteering program. Volunteering sounds like you have to make an effort and we were not really put to work, we were treated like guests, which is of course always positive. You prepared us well about the restrictions on interaction with the panda's which was much appreciated, and we did not expect much interaction for starters because we were visiting a research base, not a circus! The panda base itself is a tranquil site and we had a lot of people approaching us for a short conversation, really nice.
If you would ask me if I had any suggestions for improvement, then I do not really have an answer. We enjoyed the hospitality of the hotel, really nice place with a beautiful room, friendly staff and good food. Your team added to the fun and made the visit more memorable when we managed to add a visit to an old village on the last day.
I would recommend this program to anyone who is interested in a laid-back panda learning experience in a mountainous area in rural China.
Hope this helps!
Jeroen
Hi Tracy,
Sorry, didn’t respond to you earlier. Since the China trip, we are trying to catch up with everything that we held off for month.
Here is the list of our ranking of each Tour Guides we had in each city.
Guilin - Sharon
Beijing - Linda
Shanghai - Liqi
Zhangjiajie - Nancy
Xi’An - Lily
All the Tour Guides and Drivers provided the service that we needed. Our family really appreciate their hospitality and enjoyed our visit in China. Everyone was an excellent representative of their city and an ambassador to the visitors. They make us proud as a native Chinese, who have excellent command of the English language. The professionalism and knowledge on each city’s history is outstanding. I know our kids have learned a little more about Chinese historical facts and their heritage. For those who speaks Cantonese, Grandpa is very thankful.
Above all we rank Sharon in Guilin as the best of our guides along with the driver. Sharon was very attentive, detailed, and caring of our group and especially grandpa who’s over 90 years old. In addition, she was very open to exposing us to local cultures and food. We thought she went above and beyond her duties and responsibilities.Overall, thanks much to you and to the China Discovery team for a very memorable trip.
Kin
We are one of the few China travel agencies who have kept active and received lots of feedbacks and reviews during pandemic years
"Highest Standards of Quality and Honesty" is the core value of each specialized team at China Discovery.
Eveyone in our company is working hard for only one goal, which is to ensure the highest level of service, luxury, and attention to detail from the minute you begin planning your trip, to the day you return home.
Our travel consultants are professional, experienced and responsible, helping you from the very beginning to the end of your China trip!
After sending us an inquiry, one of our travel consultants will get back to you within 0.5~23.5 hrs. In the next few days, he/she will be working closely with you to formulate a customized tour plan, as well as providing professional suggestions based on your travel interests, time, and budget.
Beside, he/she will keep in contact with you during your entire tour in China, continually checking if everything is going well as planned.
We're working at Chengdu Bamboo International Tours, local based in Chengdu.
Our local guide in every destination is not only very friendly, enthusiastic but also very informative and knowledgeable.
Once you arrive in the destination, the patient and punctual guides will pick you up and take you to get under skin of the city at your own pace. By in-depth discovery and explanation, they’ll show you more about the history, culture, customs and authentic local life. Throughout the journey, they're not only expert guides who take care of all the details but also fellow travelers who are dedicated to help you explore in comfort and style.
Our guides are passionate about what they do, and it shows all the way!
Using our private transfer service makes you comfortable, relaxed and worry free all the way!
Our private service includes licensed drivers with many years’ driving experience and air-conditioned, non-smoking, clean and well-maintained cars/vans. Drivers are local, polite, friendly and helpful, taking you to your tourist sites, hotels, airport/train stations in safety. All kinds of vehicle are offered, and yours depends on the size of your group. Usually, we offer sedan cars, SUVs, business vans (MPV) and different types of buses, all with extra space for your luggage.
Our private transfer service guarantees you the highest comfort!
In each destination, you’ll enjoy a comfortable stay in a great location!
The hotels we choose are based on star rating, great locations, well-equipped facilities, cozy bed, high quality service and guests’ feedbacks. Choices are a lot ranging from luxury 5 star, comfortable 4 star to budget 3 star. You could decide where to stay to best suit for your budget and likes. Generally, the hotels have both Western and Chinese breakfast with a wide choices.
If you have already got an ideal hotel, please feel free to tell our travel consultants and they'll book the hotel for you.
Have good sleep in our well-selected hotels in all the destinations of China.
We can satisfy all the dietary requirements no matter you want Chinese local food, western food, vegetarian food or muslin food.
The restaurants we will take you for lunch or dinner are all designated tourist restaurants approved by local tourist administration bureau. They have very good sanitary conditions and the food is prepared fresh and clean.
There will be some meals excluded in your itinerary as you like, and your private guide will be delighted to give you some suggestions and take you to the local restaurants to taste like Beijing Roast Duck, Xian Dumpling Dinner, Sichuan Hotpot, etc., if you are interested in local food tasting.
All the dining options will satisfy your stomach!
Welcome to Chengdu (Night view of Jiuyanqiao)
Leshan Giant Buddha in summer
Beautiful Jinli Old Street Shot by Our Customer Rick
Our dear client visited Wenshu Monastery like local
Adorable cubs of Giant Pandas in Chengdu Panda Base
As a leading travel agency based in Chengdu, China Discovery masters the first-hand travel information to make your amazing travel experiences happen. Our private Chengdu tour packages assure you a high-quality journey with great flexibility, comfort and personalized arrangement. No matter you want to join a panda volunteer program or explore the local culture, or take sidetrips to Leshan Giant Buddha, Mount Emei, etc., don’t hesitate to tell your needs and interests because all tours can be tailor-made. During your tour, you will have your very own personal guide, with a private vehicle and driving exclusively serving for your party - nobody else.
We suggest you apply for a China Tourist Visa (L Visa) so that you can extend your tour to other worth-visiting destinations, like Beijing, Xian, Shanghai, Guilin… For just a short stay in/around Chengdu, tourists from appointed 53 countries with valid travel document & connecting flights to a third country/region can enter Chengdu via Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport and stay in Chengdu as well as Leshan (Leshan Giant Buddha & Mount Emei), Ya'an (Bifengxia Panda Base), Yibin (Shunan Bamboo Forest) and some other cities (Jiuzhaigou Valley not covered) up to 144 hours without a Chinese visa.
Chengdu enjoys a subtropical monsoon climate with distinct four seasons – warm spring, hot summer, cool autumn and cold winter. The annual average temperature is 16°C / 61°F. It is available to visit Chengdu all the year around, but the best periods are from March to June and September to November when the temperature is most moderate.
Wearing Ideas: Shirts, long skirts and thin sweaters, windbreakers, casual clothes are recommended for spring travel and autumn travel in Chengdu. Sun block shirt, sunhat, cotton and linen shirts, thin T-shirts and other breathable clothes are recommended for summer travel in Chengdu. Winter coats, leather jackets, down coats, woolen hats, scarfs, gloves, sweaters and snow boots are recommended for winter travel in Chengdu.
Chengdu can be reached easily by flight or high speed train from many big cities of China, including Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Guangzhou, Xian, Chongqing, etc. Besides, there are also frequent international or regional flights from San Francisco, Singapore, Melbourne, Kathmandu, Paris, Amsterdam, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Seoul, Tokyo, Hong Kong, Taiwan, etc. and some non-scheduled flights from Sydney, Dubai, Frankfurt, Madrid and Moscow to Chengdu.
In Chengdu, there are lots of different kinds of hotels ranging from international brands to boutique style and providing you easeful stay. First-timers are strongly suggested to accommodate inside the downtown, including Chunxi Road Area, Jinli Area, Tianfu Square Area and Wenshu Monastery Area, where there are accessible shopping malls, great restaurants and metro stations within walking distance. China Discovery only uses those hotels with full-equipped amenities, fine services and great reputations. Most of them are located in the city center as well, so you can dine, shop and go around conveniently.
As a city of UNESCO City of Gastronomy, Sichuan food and snacks are a must-try in Chengdu. Want to enjoy hot pot? Chunxi Road and surrounding streets are full of great hot pot restaurants. Want to have some authentic local snacks? Lots of food streets await. Jinli Old Street and Kuanzhai Alley are two popular food streets with numerous kinds of snacks. Besides, there are also many traditional folk products sold in their antique shops. Wenshu Monastery block also serve mouth-wateringly delicious dishes and snacks.
Usually, the highlights of Chengdu can be discovered in brief one or two days, but it is a wonderful gateway city to Sichuan’s UNESCO World Cultural Heritages sites, especially Jiuzhaigou Valley, which acts as the second best travel place (after Chengdu) and most picturesque place in Sichuan. Besides, you can visit Leshan Giant Buddha, Emeishan Mountain, Dujiangyan Panda Base and Mount Qingcheng. If you like an adventure to more primitive and breathtaking natural world, go western Sichuan. China Discovery can provide tailor-made tours to all above destinations with great prices.
Chengdu / Leshan Giant Buddha / Chengdu
Chengdu: Jinli Street, Giant Panda Base, Wenshu Temple
Chengdu / Leshan / Mt. Emei / Chengdu
“Very good experience”
“WONDERFUL 25 DAYS IN CHINA - PRIVATE TOUR”
“Awesome China tour from northeast to southwest”
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