Eligible ordinary passports allow stays of up to 30 days. Entry deadlines vary by nationality: check the official country list and your embassy’s current notice.
City guide
Chengdu: what to arrange, and when
This is not a sightseeing guide. It lists the things in Chengdu that need arranging ahead as a foreign visitor. We have only just started on this city, so every local task is still unchecked.
Film
Chengdu in 55 seconds
What not to miss, set to original music. No narration. Captions are in English.
Every number in this film4 checked
- The Panda Base began in 1987 with 6 rescued pandas and now has more than 200.Advantour
- A panda’s diet is about 99% bamboo.chinatours.com
- Chengdu has been a UNESCO City of Gastronomy since 2010.City A.M.
- The Leshan Giant Buddha is 71 m tall, was carved between 713 and 803, and is about two hours away.Treksplorer · Audley Travel
Book before you go
Chengdu Panda Base tickets with a foreign passportBeing checked
Leshan Giant Buddha: tickets and getting thereBeing checked
Dujiangyan and Mount Qingcheng as a day tripBeing checked
Getting around
Get from Tianfu or Shuangliu airport into the cityBeing checked
Use the Chengdu metro as a visitorBeing checked
Before you fly
Link a supported foreign card to Alipay or WeChat Pay. Government guidance describes no standard platform fee up to CNY 200 and 3% above it; promotions and issuer charges can differ.
Bring your passport to an operator-run shop for a local SIM. Choose a plan with a phone number and SMS; a data-only eSIM does not supply them. Exact payment acceptance and delivery of every verification code are not established.
Register on the official 12306 English site or app with your passport, pass identity verification, then buy. Do the verification days ahead.
Turn this into a day-by-day plan
The planner puts these stops in a sensible order, keeps visits off closed days, and works out each booking deadline in your time zone.