Top 6 Attractions in Leshan | What to See in Leshan

Many people will mistake Leshan as Leshan Giant Buddha. But actually, Leshan is much more than that. It is a city in Sichuan boasting time-honored history, profound Buddhist culture and primitive nature. The famous Giant Buddha and renowned Mount Emei are both in this city. And there are other sites such as Jiayang Steam Train and Heizhugou National Forest Park to take you embark on an in-depth exploration of this city. Here we have chosen 6 highly rated attractions in Leshan city for your reference to make your Leshan trip more memorable.

Top 1: Leshan Giant Buddha Scenic Area 乐山大佛景区

Leshan Giant Buddha

Address: No.2435 Lingyun Street, Shizhong District, Leshan (乐山市市中区凌云路2435号)

Ticket: CNY 80/person

Opening Hours: 07:30 - 18:30 (April 1st - October 7th); 08:00 - 17:30 (October 8th - March 31st)

Leshan Giant Buddha Scenic Area is only about 7 km from Leshan downtown. The Giant Buddha is probably what crosses people’s mind first when thinking about Leshan. This 71 m high Buddha statue carved out from a cliff is truly a wonder and has amazed every tourist coming to see it. You can choose to walk to the foot of the Buddha or take a boat trip to see it in the distance and observe the mountain in a sleeping Buddha shape. In the scenic area, there are many other attractions such as Oriental Buddha Park, Lingyun Temple and Wuyou Temple.

√ 1 Day Giant Panda Visit & Leshan Giant Buddha Tour

√ 2 Days Best Chengdu Leshan Giant Buddha Tour with Boat Sightseeing

Top 2: Mount Emei Scenic Area 峨眉山景区

Golden Summit on Mount Emei with Spectacular Cloud Sea

Address: NO. 41 Minshan South Road, Emeishan City, Leshan City, Sichuan Province (四川省乐山市峨眉山市名山南路41号)

Ticket: CNY 160/person (January 16th - December 14th); CNY 110/person (December 15th - January 15th)

Opening Hours: All day

Mount Emei Scenic Area is about 45 km (1 hour’s drive, about 1.5h by bus) to the west of Leshan Giant Buddha. It is one of the Four Great Buddhist Mountains in China and the ashram for Samantabhadra Bodhisattva. The temples, carvings and painting on Mount Emei all show its strong Buddhist culture. On the mountain top, there stands an eye-dazzling 48m high golden statue of Samantabhadra. On the way up to Mount Emei, you can see lush vegetation and naughty monkeys. If you get lucky, there is a chance to see the spectacular cloud sea and holy light.

√ 2 Days Mount Emei Leshan Giant Buddha Smart Tour

√ 4 Days Classic Leshan & Mount Emei Tour from Chengdu

√ 5 Days Chengdu, Leshan & Mount Emei Tour

Top 3: Jiayang National Mine Park - Jiayang Steam Train 嘉阳国家矿山公园

Jiayang Steam Train Running Through Golden Rape Flower Field

Address: Southwest of Bagou Town, Qianwei County, Leshan (乐山市犍为县芭沟镇西南)

Ticket: Free for the park, Jiayang Steam Train: CNY 80 (Single-way) / CNY 160 (Round-trip)

Opening Hours: All day for the park, 2 trains a day (10:30, 14:30)

Jiayang National Mine Park is about 70 km, 1.5 hours’ drive from Leshan downtown. This mine park dates back more then 70 years and is now a leisure park for sightseeing. Jiayang Steam Train here is known as the "living fossil" of industrial revolution. Taking the old-fashioned train travelling through the vast field, especially in spring and late summer when the rape flowers and sunflowers in full bloom, is quite relaxing and novel. Apart from that, there is a real former coal mine called Huangcunjing coal mine that has been transformed into a safe tourist site where people can go down there with helmet and lamp and have an authentic experience about what it is like to be in a coal mine.

√ 2 Days Leshan Giant Buddha Visit with Jiayang Steam Train Experience

Top 4: Sichuan Heizhugou National Forest Park 四川黑竹沟国家森林公园

Heizhugou National Forest Park

Address: Heizhugou Town, Ebian County, Leshan City (乐山市峨边县黑竹沟镇)

Ticket: CNY 50/person

Opening Hours: 08:00-17:00

Sichuan Heizhugou National Forest Park is about 160 km, 4 hours’ drive from Leshan downtown. Heizhugou is one of the most complete and primitive ecological communities in China, where ethnic customs are colorful, and cultural landscape and natural landscape are well integrated. Here is the habitat of Yi people. The ancient legends of the Yi people and the worship of them for this magical land have cast a mysterious aura on this area. What’s more, the latitude of Heizhugou is similar to that of the sensational Bermuda Triangle and the magical Egyptian pyramid. Therefore, it is called the "Bermuda of China".

Top 5: Luocheng Ancient Town 罗城古镇

Luocheng Ancient Town

Address: Northeast of Qianwei County, Leshan City (乐山市犍为县东北部)

Ticket: Free

Opening Hours: All day

Luocheng Ancient Town is about 60km, 1 hour’s drive from Leshan downtown. It was built in the Ming Dynasty (A.D. 1368-1644) with a unique architectural layout. The whole town is located on the top of a mountain. Liangting Street, the main street of the ancient town, is commonly known as "Boat Street" because of its boat-like shape with houses lining along the street sides. To this day, this surviving old street still retains the features of old Sichuan lifestyle. The ordinary life scene of several locals gathering in tea house and playing cards is one of its most attractive parts. Here live together seven peoples, namely, Han, Hui, Yi, Manchu, Tibetan, Li and Miao.

How to Plan a Leshan Tour

Starting from Chengdu, people usually spend 1-3 days visiting Leshan according to the attractions included in your travel plan.

If you just plan to visit Leshan Giant Buddha, 1 day will be sufficient. You can take a high speed train (about 1h) to Leshan in the morning and come back in the afternoon. There will even be extra time for you to pay a visit to Chengdu Panda Base if you are interested.

√ 1 Day Giant Panda Visit & Leshan Giant Buddha Tour

√ 2 Days Best Chengdu Leshan Giant Buddha Tour with Boat Sightseeing

If you plan to visit both the Buddha and Mount Emei, it is recommended to set aside 2 days. On the first day after you finish visiting the Giant Buddha, take bus (1.5h) at the scenic area or take high speed train (16 min) to Mount Emei and spend the next day hiking and appreciating the mountain scenery.

√ 2 Days Mount Emei Leshan Giant Buddha Smart Tour

Apart from that, you can also visit Leshan together with Jiayang Steam Train, which is most beautiful in spring and late summer when the train passes through the blooming canola flowers and sunflowers.

√ 2 Days Leshan Giant Buddha Visit with Jiayang Steam Train Experience

If you have 4 or more days traveling, you can extend your Leshan tour to Chengdu, wonderland Jiuzhaigou, or other popular cities in China such as Beijing and Xian. Or you can customize your own tour according to your interests, budget, traveling time, etc. Just tell us your needs, and we will provide you with a satisfactory tour.

★ Recommended Tours including Leshan:

√ 6 Days Chengdu Xian Leshan Emei Enjoyment Tour

√ 7 Days Sichuan Discovery Tour (Chengdu / Leshan / Emei / Chengdu / Jiuzhaigou)

Leshan Giant Buddha Golden Summit on Mount Emei