A three-day Chengdu itinerary works best with a small number of fixed plans: a panda visit, a walk through Kuanzhai Alley, and time around Wuhou Shrine and Jinli Street. Put the appointment that matters most on a full day. Keep arrival and departure days flexible.
The schedule below is a suggested order of stops. It assumes you have usable time in the city after airport procedures and rest. If your flights leave you with less, use the two-day version instead of trying to compress every stop.
Check your route before choosing your days
Start with the transit eligibility and deadline checker. Select the airport on your ticket and enter your expected entry time in Beijing time. The 240 hours start at 00:00 on the day after entry, in Beijing time (Asia/Shanghai). Use the estimate for planning and follow the stay permission issued at entry.
The National Immigration Administration lists Chengdu Shuangliu Intl Airport (CTU) and Chengdu Tianfu Intl Airport (TFU) for transit within 24 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities. Within Sichuan, the permitted cities are: Chengdu, Zigong, Luzhou, Deyang, Suining, Neijiang, Leshan, Yibin, Ya'an, Meishan, Ziyang.
The permitted area for both Chengdu entry airports includes Chongqing, so you can plan a stay in both cities. Use the checker’s full area list before adding other destinations.
If you bought your flights independently, read the separate-ticket pre-boarding checklist before paying for attractions.
Work out the time you can actually use
Write down your arrival, expected entry, hotel arrival, and onward departure separately. Allow time after landing for entry procedures and luggage collection. Leave that time free of nonrefundable activities.
Then plan backward from departure. Ask the operating airline for its check-in and boarding deadlines, choose your airport journey, and allow room for disruption. Deduct that whole departure block before deciding how much sightseeing fits. Do not use the end of the permitted stay as your target arrival time at the airport.
Finally, protect sleep and meals. If you reach your hotel late, make the next morning optional. Three calendar dates between flights can still give you fewer than three useful sightseeing days. Move the panda visit or drop a walk if the schedule feels tight.
Shuangliu and Tianfu: check the airport, then the route
Match the full airport name and code to the ticket: Chengdu Shuangliu Intl Airport — CTU; Chengdu Tianfu Intl Airport — TFU. Save your arrival and departure airports as separate entries, even when the booking page labels both simply “Chengdu.”
Shuangliu’s official metro information lists Line 10 and a Line 19 route linking the airport areas. Plan the ground journey for the airport on your ticket, including its station and terminal.
For a late arrival, check the current service information before choosing rail. For departure, ask your hotel to confirm the destination in Chinese against your ticket. If the airports differ, treat the transfer as a separate part of the trip with its own luggage and timing plan.
Three days, with one main plan each day
- DAY 01
Kuanzhai Alley, tea, and an easy arrival
After settling in, make Kuanzhai Alley your main stop. The municipal tourism guide describes its courtyards, shops, and teahouses. Choose a short walk, look at a menu, and stop for tea if it appeals. Leave room to turn back when you are tired.
Before leaving your hotel, save its name and address in Chinese and choose a return route. Keep the evening free of another reservation. If arrival takes longer than expected, move this walk to the final day; it is the easiest part of the plan to shorten.
Check the permitted area - DAY 02
Give the panda visit its own day
Make the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding today’s anchor. Use the base’s official ticket page to check the current reservation rules and authorized channels. The standard process uses online real-name booking. Bring the original valid identity document used for your reservation; passports are accepted. Check the official page for any exemptions.
Book the intended date and entry session, save the confirmation, and carry the passport you used. The same official page distinguishes these tickets from admission to Dujiangyan Panda Valley. Confirm the venue name before paying. Leave the rest of the day open for a meal and a return to your hotel.
Check the permitted area - DAY 03
Wuhou Shrine and a flexible final walk
If your departure leaves enough time, choose Wuhou Shrine for a history-focused visit. The museum’s introduction explains its connection to Liu Bei, Zhuge Liang, and other Shu Han figures. Check its official visitor information for current admission arrangements before setting out.
Jinli Street is another possible stop for tea and a walk, as described in the municipal tourism guide linked above. Check your route between the stops instead of assuming a particular entrance connects them. On a departure day, choose the shrine or the street if both would make the airport journey tight. Collect your luggage before the departure block you set aside.
Check the permitted area
Two days or five days in Chengdu
For a Chengdu itinerary of two days, keep the panda visit if it is your priority, then choose Kuanzhai Alley or Wuhou Shrine for the other day. Put the reservation on the fuller day. If your usable time is mostly an arrival evening and a departure morning, choose a city walk instead of treating that as two full days.
For a Chengdu itinerary of five days, keep the same opening sequence and use the additional days to slow down. Separate Wuhou Shrine and Jinli Street, repeat a walk you enjoyed, or keep a day without advance bookings. Check current visitor information before adding another ticketed venue.
If you want both cities, a possible five-day outline is two days in Chengdu, a transfer day, then two days in Chongqing. This replaces the longer Chengdu stay. Start with the city on your arrival ticket and finish in the city best suited to your confirmed international departure. Reverse the order when the flights support it; avoid adding a return journey just to follow an article’s order.
Use the Chongqing three-day itinerary to choose which parts to keep. For a rail transfer, look up the exact stations, dated service, fare, and ticket availability on China Railway’s official booking site. Include hotel checkout and the journey from the arrival station in your transfer day.
Before you leave Chengdu
- Reopen the onward booking and confirm the date, full airport name, terminal, and passenger details with the airline.
- Recheck your transit deadline before adding another outing.
- Keep your passport, onward ticket, hotel address, and booking references available offline.
- Confirm the airport destination against the ticket before starting the ground journey. Ask about current service conditions and airline deadlines.
- Check where your luggage is stored and when you can collect it. Keep the last activity optional until that plan is clear.
- If changing flights or adding Chongqing, rerun the route and area checks and ask the carrier to review the revised journey.
Keep the plan within reach
Save the confirmed arrangements alongside a few useful phrases and your departure reminder. The airline makes the final boarding decision, and border inspection decides admission. Leave enough space in the itinerary to act on new information without losing the whole day.
Take it with you
Keep the details close.
Your stay countdown, Chinese phrase cards, and help card, together in Stopover.
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