Chengdu’s recently renovated airport is a 20-30 minute taxi ride from the city center or a 30-40 minute bus ride. Bus no. 303 to the airport can be picked up next to the Minshan Hotel on Renmin Nanlu a few hundred meters south of Tianfu Square. The bus ticket costs Y10. The bus runs from about 6:40am to 10:00pm daily. From the airport into the city this bus costs Y10 and drops you off at the same place, but just shout to the driver if you want to be dropped off earlier. A taxi to the airport from the city center costs about Y35-40 plus a Y10 airport expressway toll. Currently Chengdu’s airport only offers international flights to Tokyo, Bangkok, Seoul, Hong Kong, and Singapore. And as of May 28, the Dutch airline KLM is now offering direct Amsterdam-Chengdu flights twice a week in each direction. Reserve tickets as far as possible in advance as this flight will surely be packed every time.
All travelers and local expats should be aware that it is possible to find large discounts at local travel agencies on domestic flights by purchasing tickets in the 1-5 days before you wish to fly. For those traveling to Kunming or Xian from Chengdu, you can often find plane tickets that are even cheaper than the soft sleeper train ticket and the flight will save you as much as 15 hours. Travel agencies that do not have English-speaking employees, and therefore do not receive foreign customers, often have even cheaper tickets. Those seeking assistance in acquiring budget tickets are welcome to email the Synotrip Chengdu manager.
User Reviews/TipsMy tips for the airport:
- A taxi there cost me 60 yuan. I came from the north-east side of the city.
- There isn't much there for "Western food". We had a hard time finding a Western breakfast. We ended up with super-oily eggs (no toast) and hot orange juice... All that for almost 150 yuan for 3 people.
- There's a KFC on the 2nd floor (departure level) at the very end of the right side. I mean, if you walk in the doors, turn right and walk straight all the way to the end to get there.
Fortunately, the old Chinese saying "It is easier to get to heaven than to get to Sichuan" no longer applies. Today transport facilities are fairly good here and, as the "Gateway to Tibet" many travelers pass through this city.
By plane:
There are direct flights from Shuangliu Airport in Chengdu to many domestic as well as international destinations. There are daily flights to Shanghai, Guangzhou, Beijing and Hong Kong as well as regular flights to Bangkok and other southeast Asian destinations. The airport is a twenty-minute drive from the China Southwest Airlines office on Renmin Nan Lu by shuttle bus (every half an hour). It costs RMB3. A taxi from the center of town to the airport should cost RMB30.
By train:
Chengdu is linked to 12 major Chinese cities including Beijing (8 hours), Shanghai (16 hours), Kunming (22 hours) and Xi'an (17 hours). Train tickets can be bought at the ticket booking office outside the railway station. It can be very difficult to get tickets and it is best to make your travel arrangements at least two days in advance. The railway station is in the north part of the city, a half-hour drive from the city center.
By bus:
You can take a bus to most of the scenic spots around Chengdu including Yibing, Emei Mountain (RMB20) and Leshan Mountain (RMB20). It takes approximately 5 hours to reach Chongqing by bus. There are two major bus stations in Chengdu. Buses from Xinnanmen bus station go to all destinations around Sichuan except north, and buses departing Ximen bus station in the northwest of the city head north.
By boat:
Chengdu is not directly accessible by boat but those who have traveled the "Three Gorges", can take a bus from Chongqing to Chengdu.
Railway Station:
There are two train stations in Chengdu, but the main is the north station. It is about 8KM from the center of Chengdu city.
You can go to the center of Chengdu city by bus (16,99,28), if you want to lodge in Wenjun mansion or dreams-travel youth hostel, we’ll pick you up at the station and send you there free of charge. About the reservation of the tickets, you can contact our receptionist .
Bus Station:
There are several bus stations in Chengdu, including Chengdu Bus Station (Wugui Bridge Bus Station), Xinnanmen Station, Ximen (Jinsha) Bus Station, Chadianzi Bus Station, Beimen (North Gate) Bus Station, and Gaosuntang Bus Station.
Here is the brief introduction of the main bus stations, for the self-tour passengers, it is very convenient to take a bus from the bus station directly.
Xinnanmen Bus Station, No. 57, Linjiang Road, provides bus service to some famous scenic spots, such as Jiuzhaigou Scenic Area, Mt. Leshan, and Mt. Emeishan, buses 6, 28, 49, 55 and 301 can get the bus station from Chengdu city.
Wugui Bridge Bus Station is near Tazishan Park, east part of Chengdu City. It provides bus service to Chongqing, Yibin City, Zigong County, Wanxian County, and Nanning City by expressway. For timesaving expressway service on high quality buses to Chongqin at the price of 120, the Wugui Bridge Bus Station is recommended.
Chadianzi Bus Station is seated in the Second Ring Road of Chengdu. Buses here run mainly to the famous scenic spots and Tibetan areas in the west and north of Sichuan, including Wolong Panda Reserve, Danba County, Mt.Siguniangshan, Jiuzhaigou Scenic Area, and Mt. Qingcheng.Buses 79,4,98 can get there.
Gaosuntang Bus Station is easily missed for its remote place from the Chengdu city, it provides buses to Lhasa, Tibet. It takes three days and two nights to run the whole distance at the price of more than RMB 620. At the same time, buses to Lanzhou, Xining, and Urumqi are available here. For the foreigners, we never recommend them choose this way to go to Tibet.
Car Rental:
Sichuan China International Travel Service Sichuan Chengdu New Journey Travel service
Tel:028-66002006 85555584902
Sightseeing Bus: Service No.
This bus service is catered to residents and tourists in Chengdu, allowing them to look at the Chengdu city on the bus, with a ticket price as cheap as RMB 2.
Service No. 902 operates from the Tourist Distribution Centre at New South Gate, to the Panda Reserve (Chengdu Centre for Giant Panda Research & Breeding). Like every ordinary bus in Chengdu, this service also has a TV set on the bus. However, it does not transmit signals from CDMTV (Chengdu Mobile Television), but plays videos on Chengdu, such as the Sing Chengdu music videos and the 7-episode documentary, Memories of the Land of Abundance, jointly produced by China Central Television, Chengdu TV Station, Publicizing Department of the Chengdu Municipal Committee in 2005.