4 Days Chengdu Tour with Pandas, Food & Local Experiences

Visit Wenshu Temple in Chengdu

Chengdu Giant Panda

Today's highlights: Chengdu Panda Base, Sichuan Hot Pot, Wenshu Monastery, Sutra Copying

Start your first full day with Chengdu's most famous residents: giant pandas.

Visit the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding in the morning, when the pandas are generally more active. Walk through the leafy park and watch them eating bamboo, climbing trees, playing, or simply stretching out for a nap. Depending on the season, you may also have the chance to see young panda cubs.

After meeting the pandas, it's time for another Chengdu favorite: Sichuan hot pot.

Sit around a steaming pot of flavorful broth and cook different ingredients at the table as you eat. Your guide can help you choose ingredients and adjust the spice level, so don't worry if you're not ready for Chengdu-level heat.

In the afternoon, visit Wenshu Monastery, a peaceful Buddhist temple in downtown Chengdu. Walk through its traditional courtyards and halls and enjoy a quieter side of the city.

You'll also have the chance to try hand-copying a Buddhist sutra with brush and ink. There's no need for previous experience. Simply slow down, follow the characters, and enjoy the quiet process.

After the visit, return to your hotel.

Want to do more tonight? You can watch a Sichuan Opera performance and see the famous face-changing show.

Visit Chengdu Museum near Tianfu Square

Sichuan Cuisine Cooking Class in the Cuisine

Today's highlights: Local Spice Market, Sichuan Cooking Experience, Chengdu Museum, People's Park

Today, get closer to Chengdu through something locals take very seriously: food.

Start at a local spice market with your guide. Walk between stalls filled with chilies, Sichuan peppercorns, spices, and everyday ingredients while learning what gives Sichuan food its distinctive flavors.

Then head to a traditional Sichuan courtyard for a hands-on cooking experience. With guidance from a local cook, prepare several Sichuan dishes step by step and learn a few techniques you can take home with you.

And of course, the best part comes next: sitting down and eating what you've made.

In the afternoon, visit Chengdu Museum for an easy introduction to the city's long history and culture.

Finish your day at People's Park, where the pace slows right down. Find a seat at a traditional teahouse, order a cup of tea, and spend some time enjoying Chengdu life around you.

If you're up for it, try a game of Mahjong with some guidance. You may also come across the park's matchmaking corner, where parents and relatives post information in hopes of finding potential partners for family members.

There's no need to hurry here. Having tea and letting the afternoon pass is part of the Chengdu experience.

Afterwards, your guide and driver will take you back to your hotel.

Enjoy a relaxed final morning in Chengdu.

Depending on your departure time, have breakfast at the hotel, sleep in a little, take a walk nearby, or squeeze in one last bowl of Chengdu noodles.

Your private guide and driver will meet you at your hotel and take you to the airport or railway station for your onward journey.

Your 4-day Chengdu tour ends here, hopefully with plenty of panda photos, a few new cooking skills, and a much better understanding of why Chengdu locals know how to enjoy life.