Climbing Panda: A Perfect 3-Day 2-Night Chengdu Travel Guide

Experience the "Bashidehen" (super comfy) Chengdu rhythm: Slow walks, deep eats, and authentic experiences—no rushing, just heartfelt moments!
📍Theme: Pandas·Alleys·Sichuan Cuisine Duration: 3 days 2 nights💰Total budget: ¥2,500 🗓️ Best season: Mar-May or Sep-Nov (pleasant weather, less fog, more sun)
✈️Prep: ID card, fully charged phone, power bank (tea houses can take half a day) - Download Gaode Map + Dianping + Sichuan dialect translator (optional for fun). Pack comfy shoes (lots of walking), light jacket (cool mornings/evenings), stomach meds (hotpot warning) - Book tickets in advance via "Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding" official WeChat.
🗺Itinerary: Days | Plan | Accommodation
Day1 Arrive → Kuanzhai Alley → People's Park → Chunxi Road night views | Near Chunxi Road/Kuanzhai Alley
Day2 Panda Base → Wenshu Monastery → Taikoo Li → Jinli Night Walk
Day3 Du Fu Thatched Cottage → Qingyang Palace → Departure
Detailed Itinerary
Day1: First Encounter · Slow Time in Alleys✈️🚄 Arrive: Fly to Shuangliu Airport or take HSR to Chengdu East/Chengdu Station. Transport:
-Shuangliu Airport→City: Metro Line 10 → Line 2, ¥6 | Chengdu East→City: Metro Line 2 direct, ¥4
🏡 Stay: Budget hotels/hostels near Chunxi Road/Kuanzhai Alley - Rec: Kuanzhai-side homestays or Atour S Hotel (discount rooms), book early ¥260-320/night
🌆 Afternoon: Stroll Kuanzhai Alley (free, explore main + side lanes). Must-see: Kailu, Brick Culture Wall, Sanlian Bookstore. Snacks: Tangyou Guozi ¥10, Sandanpao ¥15, Bingfen ¥12. Walk 15min to People's Park - Sip tea at Heming Teahouse ¥25 (2hr chill time). Watch ear-cleaning (optional, ¥40+).
🌃 Evening: Walk to IFS for rooftop "Climbing Panda" photo. Dinner: Jianshe Road or Kuixinglou Street. Rec: Ye Popo Bobo Chicken ¥35, Gangguancheng Xiao Junjian Skewers ¥50, Danhonggao ¥6.
✅ Daily est: Transport ¥10 + Stay ¥300 + Snacks/tea ¥60 + Dinner ¥50 = ¥420

Day2: Panda Day · Temples & Flavors🐼 Morning: Chengdu Panda Base (arrive by 7:30). Ticket: ¥55 (book via WeChat, ID entry). Transport: Metro Line 3 → Panda Ave Station, taxi to West Gate (less crowded) ¥15. Highlights: Moonlight Nursery (baby pandas active 8:00-11:00), Sunshine Nursery, Young Panda Villa. Take 2.5hrs, no rush.
🍜 Lunch: Base snacks or return downtown - Rec: Chen Mapo Tofu (West Branch) ¥45.
🏯 Afternoon: Taxi/bus to Wenshu Monastery (free). Temple serenity - Try veggie dishes at monastery canteen ¥25. Opposite: Yantaipo Pancake (brown sugar ¥6, worth the queue!). Walk/metro to Taikoo Li + IFS (great daytime photos) - Check Fangsuo Bookstore.
🌃 Night: Walk to Jinli Ancient Street (free, more local than Kuanzhai). Lit-up bridges/red lanterns are magical. Must-eat: Zhangfei Beef ¥20, Lianggao ¥8, Feichang Fen ¥15. Optional Sichuan Opera face-changing show ¥60.
✅ Daily est: Panda ticket ¥55 + Transport ¥30 + Lunch ¥45 + Snacks ¥30 + Dinner ¥40 + Stay ¥300 = ¥500

Day3: Poetic Chengdu · Dawn with Du Fu🌅 Morning: Taxi/Metro Line 4 to Du Fu Thatched Cottage ¥50 (book ahead). Explore 1.5hrs: Thatched home, Shaoling Stele, Flower Path - feel the poet’s retreat. Spring plums/fall ginkgos are stunning. 10min walk to Qingyang Palace (Taoist temple ¥10) - ancient architecture, bronze goats, ginkgo trees.
🍱 Lunch: Back downtown - Rec: Mingting or Taolin Restaurant (authentic Sichuan, boiled fish/kung pao chicken under ¥60).
🎒 Afternoon: Head to airport/HSR (allow 2hrs) - Grab Long Chaoshou dumplings at Shuangliu Airport T2 before leaving.
✅ Daily est: Du Fu ¥50 + Qingyang ¥10 + Transport ¥25 + Lunch ¥60 = ¥145

💰Budget Summary: Round-trip transport ¥1,200 | Local transit ¥80 | Stay (2 nights) ¥600 | Food ¥350 | Tickets ¥115 | Extras (tea/souvenirs) ¥150 | Total ¥2,495 (under ¥2,500!)

🌟Tips:
1. Panda Base: Go early (7:30-8:30 AM) - pandas nap afternoons.
2. Spice level: Choose "mild" for hotpot/skewers - locals’ "normal" may be too hot! Pair with Bingfen or Vitasoy to cool down.
3. Top photo spots: Kuanzhai Alley·Xiaotong Alley (artsy shops) | People's Park·Heming Teahouse (tea + bamboo chairs) | Jinli·night lantern bridge | Taikoo Li·Climbing Panda + IFS rooftop garden.

📌 Closing: This 3-day trip chases not sights but Chengdu’s soul—sipping tea to breeze sounds, eating spicy in alleys, laughing at pandas, losing yourself in Jinli’s glow. That’s the real "Bashidehen".