How to Travel from Chengdu to Songpan? - Detailed Chengdu to Songpan Transportation Guide

Situated in the northwestern Sichuan province in China, Songpan has been acted as a vital gateway connecting Jiuzhaigou at the north for its strategic location since Yuan Dyansty and has been re-constructed in Ming Dynasty for its military and economic importance. Since then, the city walls have been preserved and remained, which becomes a precious historical scenery spot. Also, Songpan is famous for its convenient transportation status where many people getting to Jiuzhaigou would pass by.

Songpan Ancient Town

As to Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan province, is the most developed city in Sichuan and inevitable transfer station for tourists. Whoever wants to go to Jiuzhaigou, Songpan and other places inside Sichuan would choose Chengdu as his starting point. Chengdu is famous for its delicious cuisine, cute giant pandas and leisure life pace. Some commemorative museums like Du Fu’s cottage and the temple of Marquis Wu are worldly famous attracting millions tourists to come. It is highly suggested to spend 1-2 days in Chengdu before you go to another city to enjoy the slow lifestyle.

Cute giant panda in Chengdu

How to Get to Songpan from Chengdu

There are 4 ways to go to Songpan from Chengdu.

Chengdu to Songpan by Bus

One of the most convenient ways going to Songpan is taking the public bus which departs in the morning at 7:00 and 11:30 separately in Chadianzi Bus Station in Chengdu. Tourists can take the No.4, 17, 25, 29, 46, 82,113, 310, 663, 805 city bus and the No. 2 line of MTR to Chadianzi Bus Station. The distance between Chengdu and Songpan is 332km which takes you about 10 hours. The ticket price of Chengdu to Songpan bus is 109 RMB and you can contact us to book the ticket online or go to the bus station to buy a ticket yourself in advance, which is necessary in peak seasons like the autumn.

Chadianzi Bus Station

If you missed the bus, you can buy a ticket in Xinnanmen Bus Station and Chadianzi Bus Station to Jiuzhaigou and get off at Songpan. The ticket price is from 141 RMB to 301 RMB.

Chengdu to Songpan by Train

There is NO direct train from Chengdu to Songpan. But most of the tourists have to take the train to Chengdu then transfer to Songpan. There are 3 train station in Chengdu: Chengdu Railway Station, Southern Train Station, and Eastern Train Station. Please make sure which one is the station you are arriving at before you book a hotel.

Chengdu to Songpan by Plane

The flight to Songpan will arrive at the Jiuzhai Huanglong Airport, which is only 55km away from Songpan Ancient Town. At present, there are 2 to 3 flights to Jiuhuang Airport from Chengdu Shuangliu Airport every day. The ticket price is about 1450 RMB in the peak season and 50%-70% percent off in low season like winter. The whole journey is 240km which would take you 40 minutes. Once landing off at Jiuhuang Airport, you can take the taxi or rent a car to Songpan which costs you 1 hour and about 200 RMB for ONE car.

Chengdu Shuangliu Airport

Chengdu to Songpan by Self-driving

If you have the driving license in China, self-driving from Chengdu to Songpan is a good choice. You can not only enjoy the charming view along the way but also control your own schedule because when you take the bus, you have to go whenever be asked. When you drive a car by yourself, you can stop at wherever you like and take photos.

The famous route to Songpan is Chengdu-Dujiangyan-Wenchuan-Maoxian-Songpan. The whole route is about 349km which takes you 6-7 hours depending on the weather and car condition. After 5.12 Wenchuan earthquake, this route has been re-built so the road condition is great.

The road condition to Songpan is great

After arriving at Songpan, you can continue your journey to the southern Gansu province or go to Ruoergai Grassland.

Ruoergai Grassland

In 2017, with the opening of Xueshanliang tunnel, the driving time would shorten 30 minutes and the car doesn’t have to climb over the peak of Xueshanliang at the altitude of 4017m.

Xueshanliang

Where to Live in Chengdu

The departing time is quite early, so you’d better stay at the hotel near Chadianzi Bus Station for a night. The price of different hotels varies from 500 RMB to 50 RMB. There are some guest house and family hostel pricing lower. Before you choose a room to stay, you should always check the environment inside and outside, and leave your luggage near you. Also, you can choose to live in the hotel in Chengdu city center. It takes about 30 to 40 minutes to get to Chadianzi Bus Station from the downtown area.

Where to Live in Songpan

Nomally, tourists starting from Chengdu by bus and car in the morning would arrive at Songpan in the afternoon. The accommodation condition in Songpan is well.

One of the most welcomed hotels named Fengyu Shangyuan Hotel. The average price for a room is about 400 RMB for a night. It equipped with Western restaurant in case foreign tourists are not suitable for the Chinese cuisine. The front desk and duty manager are offering service for 24 hours. In the room, you can enjoy 24-hour hot water, electric kettle, free toiletries, LCD TV, spare bedding, airport pickup service and most importantly, Free in-room WIFI.

Fengyu Shangyuan Hotel

Amdo Coffee House Inn is a famous guest house in Songpan Ancient Town with a more affordable price level ranging from 130 RMB to 250 RMB. The equipment there is not as sufficient as in high-end hotel, but the environment is clean and friendly to foreign customers. The location of Amdo is good that right on the main street, and the coffee in Amdo Coffee House Inn is such a relief for people who suffers a lot for being far away from Starbucks. Besides, they offer western restaurant. The best advantage of living in a hostel or guest house is the local people would offer you a lot information about the city, the culture and the transportation tips. You can also find some friends in such a warm and friendly environment.

Amdo Coffee House Inn

What to Bring

For the 10-hour ride, some fruits, water and snacks are necessary not only to make you full but also refresh you up. Medicine is necessary for people who are easily have the carsick.

The way from Chengdu to Songan would go through the peak of Xueshanliang at 4017m, which might be a challenge. And some tourists would suffer from the altitude sickness. Bringing a bottle of oxygen is essential.

Bringing a bottle of oxygen is essential

The higher the UV level stronger. In high altitude region, the air is thin, so the sunshine would bring much more harm to people’s skin. Tourists should wear sun cream every day and duplicate filling sun cream every 2 hours at most. Hat and long-sleeves shirt are always in need. Also because of the high altitude, even in summer, the temperature in the night is pretty low. Bring a sweater or thick coat with you.

You should wear sun cream every day

Located at the junction of the Indian Ocean plate and Eurasian plate, earthquakes may happen in Songpan region, so that the geological structure is loose. In summer time with the huge precipitation, land slide and rock flows may cause some disaster. Tourists should always be careful, and carry enough food and medical supplies just in case.