240h Transit · Route template
Pandas, Sichuan food, mountain hotpot. Two cities, both major air ports.
240h route assumptions
Why this route shape works: Different entry/exit ports in western China: enter Chengdu, exit Chongqing to a third country/region.
Watchpoint: Sichuan has city-level stay-area limits under the official table. Keep the route to the listed cities and avoid assuming the whole province is open.
Who this is for
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Best season
March-May and September-November are best. Summer (June-August) is brutally humid in Chongqing ('one of the three furnaces' of China). Winter is cold and gray but uncrowded.
Daily budget
US $70-120 / person / day. Cheapest of the 5 itineraries — Sichuan is famously affordable, and street food is excellent.
General district recommendations — we don't recommend specific hotels because availability and pricing shift constantly. Use the district guidance to filter on any booking site.
Chengdu
Jinjiang (city center, near Chunxi Road shopping and Tianfu Square Metro) or Wuhou (closer to Wide and Narrow Alleys). Avoid Shuangliu near the airport unless you have early flights.
Chongqing
Jiefangbei (解放碑) area in Yuzhong District — central, walkable to Hongya Cave, Liberation Monument, hotpot streets. Skip the Jiangbei airport area.
One day per row. Morning / afternoon / evening blocks, plus what to eat and how to move around.
Land at TFU (Tianfu — newer, larger) or CTU (Shuangliu — older, closer to city). Metro Line 18 from Tianfu (~50 min) or Line 10 from Shuangliu (~30 min).
Hotel check-in. Walk to People's Park (Renmin Park) for Heming Tea House — the iconic Chengdu old tea house, locals doing mahjong, ear-cleaning service if you dare.
First Sichuan hotpot — try Shu Jiu Xiang or Xiao Long Kan (chain but reliably good). Order yuanyang (split-pot, half spicy half clear) if first-timer.
Hotpot, mapo tofu, kungpao chicken. Yes the real versions are very different from western Chinese restaurants.
Chengdu Metro is excellent and English-signed. Get the Alipay metro QR.
Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding — go at 7:30 am opening (pandas are most active 8-10 am, by 11 they nap). Allow 3 hours. Tickets ¥55. Combo with adolescent and red panda enclosures.
Wide and Narrow Alleys (Kuan Zhai Xiang Zi) — touristy but the food and tea houses are real. Late lunch.
Sichuan Opera with face-changing (bian lian) at Shufeng Yayun teahouse or Sichuan Opera Theatre. ¥150-250, worth it once.
Dan dan noodles, sweet water noodles (tian shui mian), street BBQ skewers.
Panda Base is in the northern suburbs — Didi ~¥40 from city center. Metro Line 3 to Panda Avenue station also works.
Wenshu Monastery (Buddhist temple, 1500 years old, free) — vegetarian lunch at the temple restaurant is fantastic and cheap.
Chengdu Museum (free, modern, near Tianfu Square) or Du Fu Thatched Cottage (Tang Dynasty poet's reconstructed home + gardens).
Jinli Old Street for street snacks + drinks. Touristy but lively. Or quieter neighborhood meal in Yulin (the Lu Yu street area).
Yulin neighborhood has great quiet restaurants — try Tang Song Beer Yard or one of the BBQ spots.
Walking + Metro Line 2 + 3. Chengdu's center is compact.
Option A: Day trip to Leshan Giant Buddha (1.5h by HSR each way, ~¥100 + ¥80 entry). World's largest carved Buddha. Or option B: Mt Qingcheng + Dujiangyan UNESCO water-engineering site (1h by HSR).
Option C if not doing A or B: shopping at Taikoo Li, Chengdu IFS, or Chunxi Road. Get massage or foot reflexology (cheap and excellent).
Last Chengdu hotpot — go local: try Big Dragon Hotpot or Liu's hotpot. Pack for Chongqing tomorrow.
Try yu xiang rou si (fish-fragrant pork) which is a household-name Sichuan dish not always good outside province.
HSR from Chengdu East to Leshan; from Chengdu South to Dujiangyan.
Chengdu East → Chongqing North (~1h15, ¥154). Metro Line 6 or 10 to Jiefangbei area.
Hotel drop-off. Walk Jiefangbei pedestrian zone. Take the Liziba Metro Station / building-through-tracks photo (Line 2 train passes through a residential building).
Hongya Cave (Hongyadong) — multi-level traditional-style stilted hillside complex, fully lit up after dark. THE Chongqing photo. Get there before 6 pm for sunset.
First Chongqing hotpot — different from Chengdu: heavier oil, more pepper, no spice tolerance built in. Try Liuyishou or Xiaobin hotpot.
Chongqing Metro is a 3D experience — stations are at multiple ground levels because of the topography.
Yangtze River Cable Car (Changjiang Suodao) — old commuter cable car across the river, ¥30 round trip. Great views.
Ciqikou Ancient Town (~30 min Metro) — old Ming-Qing era riverside town, touristy but pretty. Snack-hunting.
Eling Park or Nan Shan for the Chongqing skyline at night — much better than any single rooftop bar.
Chongqing xiao mian (small noodles) — every street has a stall. Mai La Bing for cold spicy ice (real, in summer).
Didi between Eling Park and city; the climb is steep.
Last hotpot brunch or noodle breakfast. Light shopping.
Metro Line 10 or Airport Express to CKG (Jiangbei Airport, 40-50 min). CKG is a 240h-eligible exit port.
Onward flight from CKG to a different country/region (commonly Tokyo, Seoul, Singapore, Bangkok).
Airport food at CKG is mediocre; eat in city first.
Allow 2.5+ hours pre-flight for international from CKG.
HSR / rail legs in this itinerary
Before paying, read the foreign-passport booking guide. The important details are passenger name, passport number, station choice, and whether you have enough buffer before the final mainland exit.
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Book after the route check
Use Trip.com for the itinerary pieces that matter at airline check-in (hotels and HSR). Use Klook for attractions, tickets, and local tours after the legal route shape is settled.
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Itinerary-specific tips
FAQ
Chengdu vs Chongqing hotpot — which is better?
They're different. Chengdu hotpot is more layered (sour, sweet, spicy notes balanced) and tourist-friendly. Chongqing hotpot is heavier, oilier, and unforgivingly spicy. Locals from both cities will argue forever. Try both, in that order — Chengdu first builds tolerance for Chongqing.
How much spice tolerance do I actually need?
More than you think. Sichuan peppercorn (huajiao) is numbing, not painful — it's a different sensation most non-natives have never tried. Many restaurants offer 'micro spicy' (微辣) which is roughly equivalent to medium Thai. 'Medium spicy' (中辣) is hot. Order down one level from your home tolerance.
Can I add Jiuzhaigou or Mt Emei to this itinerary?
Tight. Jiuzhaigou is 8 hours by car from Chengdu and needs 2-3 nights minimum — would extend the trip to 11-12 days. Mt Emei is 2-3 hours by HSR + 1 day on the mountain, more doable as an add-on to Leshan day-trip if you skip the buffer day in Chengdu.
Day-by-day timing and pricing are estimates as of 2026-05-18. HSR fares fluctuate ±10%; attraction tickets and hotel prices vary by season. Verify schedules and book in advance. Sponsored partner links (Klook, Trip.com) may pay us a commission — this never affects which templates or stops we recommend. See our disclaimer.