Weather:

What is the best time for traveling Chengdu?

March to June and September to November are the best time to tour Chengdu when it's cooler and less rainy.

Chengdu is subjected to the sub-tropical monsoon climate as well as the basin climate for the surrounding mountain. Most of the time round the year is foggy and few sunny. Meanwhile, summer is sultry and rainy but autumn offers cool touch.

Transportation:

How can I go to Chengdu Airport from downtown?

• Option 1: Catch the airport shuttle bus (CNY10, 40 Minutes) on opposite side of the Jinjiang Hotel.
• Option 2: Take a taxi at around CNY60～CNY80 to transfer to the airport.

Where should I take bus from Chengdu to Leshan and Emeishan?

Chengdu-Leshan (CNY43):

There are quite a lot of buses from Chengdu to Leshan. It can be caught at Xinnanmen Bus Station, Shiyang Bus Station or Beimen Bus Station. The 2-hour bus ride charges about CNY43.

Chengdu-Emeishan (CNY45):

The bus to Emeishan is available at Chengdu Xinnanmen Bus Station. The 2.5-hour bus ride costs about CNY45. And then take a taxi to the nearby Emeishan Scenic spot.

Leshan-Emeishan (CNY10):

It is very easy to transfer from Leshan to Emeishan. A half-an-hour bus departing from Leshan Passenger Transportation Center can bring you there.

Shopping:

Are there any local specialties/souvenirs in Chengdu?

Yes. There are several specialties worthy of purchase.

Sichuan Brocade and Sichuan Embroidery are respectively noted in China. Bamboo-Woven porcelain, traditional silver inlay handicraft, Qingcheng silk carpet as well as Pixian bean paste (the crucial seasoning in Sichuan cuisine) are worth buying in Chengdu.

Where can I do the shopping?

Zongfu Road, Chunxi Road, Luoma Market have gathered many shopping malls, supermarkets like Wangfujing Department store, Parkson Shopping Mall, Toyokado supermarket, etc.

Cuisine:

What is Chengdu cuisine and where can I find them?

Hot and spicy is the distinct characteristic of Sichuan cuisine. Mapo Tofu, pork lungs in chili sauce, Kungpao Chicken, Poached Sliced Beef in Hot Chili Oil, Shredded Chicken, etc. nearly all the dishes are the most famous dishes in Chengdu. Hotpot that similar to fondue is a kind of dish to dip the meat and vegetables into the woks of spicy soup. And cheap snacks are dizzyingly available in Chengdu like the noodles, dumplings and barbecue and so on.

Yangxi Route and Zijin district are recommended for you to try the Sichuan dishes. Zongfu Road, Chunxi Road as well as the Jinli Street are the snacks' gathering places for your unforgettable snack banquet.

Tips:

Chengdu dishes and snacks usually are abundantly cooked with spicy ingredients like Sichuan peppercorn and can be fiercely hot and spicy.

Entertainment:

Is there any bar street in Chengdu for killing time?

Yes. There are several bar streets that could offer you the excellent chance to sample the authentic night life in Chengdu city like South Renmin Road, Yulin District, Yangshi Street.

There are pretty popular ones for your reference

• Roo Bar Add: NO.6 Kehua Street
• Anchor Bar Add: NO.6 Linjiang Zhong Road
• Bookworm Add: NO.28 Remning Nan Road

What kind of special activities can we do in Chengdu?

Chengdu specialty features with tea house, giant panda and Sichuan Opera. If you want to glimpse into the local life, these three things will provide good chance.

Sipping tea in the public tea house

Relaxing and leisure life are the characteristic of Chengdu people. Tea house is the window to observe the Chengdu people's daily life: chit-chatting, radio-tuning, paper-reading, Majoh-playing, even snoring nap, etc.

Giant Panda

Sichuan province is the hometown of the precious giant panda. There are two major places that you can visit the adorable panda: Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding (10km away from Chengdu city) or Bifengxia (150 kilometers from Chengdu, the biggest panda breeding center after Wonglong has been destroyed in the 5.12 earthquake). The pandas feeding can be seen in the morning and afternoon and their daily life. 8am-10am is good time to visit the active pandas.

Sichuan Opera

Sichuan Opera, one of the most popular plays in China, features with their fast face-changing, fire-spitting, etc. This opera performance can be seen in some tea houses like the branded Shunxing Tea House, Shufeng Square of People's Park and so on.

Festivals:

Are there any special local festivals in Chengdu?

Yes, there are some noted festivals in Chengdu:

Chengdu Lantern Festival takes place during the first month of Chinese New Spring Festival. Large scale colored-lantern exhibition is held, especially on the Lantern Festival day. The folk art, acrobatic and rich local snacks are also available in the park.

Chengdu Flower Festival is on during the second month of a Chinese new year at Qingyang Palace. It is the grand flower event for the florists gathering to exhibit their nurture works. The local also frequent it to feel the spring vigor.