Weekend Escape in Chengdu | A Day Trip to Dujiangyan is So Chill

When visiting Chengdu in summer, a trip to Dujiangyan is a must.
Gaze at the misty green mountains, listen to the roaring river,
silence your phone, and spend a day as a carefree wanderer in the hills.
For a day trip, it's recommended to choose either the Dujiangyan Scenic Area or Mount Qingcheng.
"Special forces" travelers won't find much relaxation here though 😂

【Transportation】
Take the high-speed train from Xipu Station. For Dujiangyan Scenic Area, get off at **Lidui Park Station** (about 20 minutes). For Mount Qingcheng, alight at **Qingchengshan Station**. Driving takes about 1 hour.

【Itinerary Suggestions】
**First Stop: Yangtianwo Square**
Right across the station is the giant selfie panda at Yangtianwo. It's fun to look at, but getting a photo like Dilraba's requires a telephoto lens or a drone—otherwise, it's tough to capture well~

**Second Stop: Guanxian Ancient Town**
This place has strong commercial vibes, but it's worth a stroll. The old architecture still carries a lot of charm~

**Third Stop: Dujiangyan Scenic Area**
The millennia-old irrigation project is truly awe-inspiring, and the rain adds an extra layer of tranquility and poetry 💦
The route we took: Qinyan Tower → Erwang Temple → Anlan Bridge → Yuzui Levee → Songmao Ancient Road → Yulei Pavilion. It's touted as the "energy-saving" route online, but personally, it didn't feel any easier 😂😂—just a mix of uphill and downhill the whole way 🤦🏻‍♀️

**Fourth Stop: Blue Bridge**
The "Blue Tears" effect is purely a tourist trap—just blue lights. No idea who turned it into a photo spot, but the bridge was packed shoulder-to-shoulder.

【Food】
Dujiangyan has a rich variety of snacks 🍜. Grandma Ye’s soybean steamed buns, leaf-wrapped rice cakes (Ye’erba), and Taiping Zhang’s fermented glutinous rice are all excellent 😋. The Open-Mouth Dumplings were just okay, in my opinion~

【Accommodation】
This time, we stayed at the Holiday Inn Express Tianhe, near **Tianhe Station** on Line 2, just one stop from Xipu Station. The service was surprisingly good—better than some Indigo hotels. The only odd rule was having to use scissors under staff supervision (??), but overall, the hotel staff were great~