3 Days in Chengdu: The Relaxed, Happiness-First Guide

Sanxingdui Museum → Wenshu Monastery → Sichuan Opera

Morning: Sanxingdui. We pre-watched the documentary Beyond Archaeology: My Life at Sanxingdui to prepare — or you can hire an on-site guide for more detail. Don't miss the B1 special exhibition (currently a Greek exhibit). 🚌 Take the scenic bus from under the IFS panda (¥25 big bus/1.5h, or ¥35 small car/1h). Also reachable by train from Chengdu East Station.

Afternoon: Wenshu Monastery. City traffic is rough — rush to get in before the 4:30 PM closing. The red wall with the giant "佛" (Buddha) character is the shot — skip the circle queue, find another angle and it's just as good.

Evening: Sichuan Opera. Pick any nearby venue — the live face-changing is electric!

Dujiangyan (Full Day)

🚇 Metro to Xipu → 🚄 High-speed to Liduigongyuan Station (fewer trains but the station is right at Yangtianwo Plaza) or Dujiangyan Station (more trains, taxi ~15 min to the site).

Route: Yangtianwo Plaza → Tianfu Yuan Bridge ("Blue Tears" at night) → Guanxian Ancient Town → Nanqiao Bridge → Dujiangyan Scenic Area.

Inside the park (tested, walkable): Gate 1 → Fulong Temple → Flying Sand Weir → Jingang Levee → Fish Mouth → Anlan Suspension Bridge → Erwang Temple → Qinyan Tower → Gate 6 exit. Tip: You can also enter from Gate 6 and walk downhill — much easier on the legs!

If it's clear, check out Liyutuo for the snow mountain train photo 📸

Giant Panda Base → Depart

Hua Hua doesn't "work" on Mondays 😆. We entered from the West Gate, took the sightseeing car straight to Star Nursery — six-month-old babies are unbelievably cute! Chengdu's base has way more pandas than Chongqing Zoo, but the bushes block some views and the park eats your legs. Each has trade-offs.

🚕 Taxi from hotel ~20 min. Afternoon: grab luggage → Shuangliu Airport (closer to the city center, more convenient).