After landing at Chengdu Tianfu International Airport, allow roughly 1–1½ hours to reach central Chengdu. The metro is usually the most predictable option: follow signs for Line 18 toward the city, then change according to your hotel’s location; for four adults with luggage, a DiDi or airport taxi may be simpler and often costs around ¥180–300 overall, depending on traffic and destination. Staying near Qingyang District or Mosque Street makes tonight especially easy, with halal food and the historic Huangcheng Mosque nearby. Keep your passport and hotel address available in Chinese for the driver.
Once checked in, visit Huangcheng Mosque, Chengdu’s historic central mosque, for about 45 minutes. It is an active place of worship rather than a conventional tourist attraction, so dress modestly, keep voices low, and visit outside congregational prayer times; access can vary, particularly around evening prayers. Afterwards, walk through Mosque Street for a halal dinner. Look for a busy Hui-Muslim restaurant serving hand-pulled noodles, beef or lamb dishes, and cumin-seasoned meats—around ¥40–80 per person is a reasonable estimate. If you are unsure about ingredients, ask for “清真” (qīngzhēn, halal) and confirm that dishes contain no pork or alcohol.
After dinner, take a DiDi or metro ride to Tianfu Square, Chengdu’s broad civic center, for an easy 45-minute evening stroll. The illuminated city hall and surrounding high-rises make it a pleasant first look at central Chengdu, though it can be busy and chilly in January. Continue by taxi or metro to Chunxi Road, where you can spend about 1½ hours browsing shops, street-food stalls, and the lively pedestrian areas. Most shops stay open until around 10 PM, but keep the evening flexible after your flight; return to your hotel by DiDi if the metro is closing or you are carrying shopping bags.
Start around 9:00 AM at the lanes around Wenshu Monastery, but keep your visit to the atmospheric streets, gardens, teahouses, and craft shops outside the religious complex, as requested. The area is especially pleasant before the tour groups arrive: look for old timber-fronted buildings, calligraphy shops, and locals settling into morning tea. Plan about 1½ hours here. From central Chengdu, take Metro Line 1 to Wenshu Monastery Station, Exit K, then walk roughly 5–10 minutes; a DiDi is usually ¥20–35 depending on your hotel. Continue on foot to Wenshu Fang, a restored traditional-style quarter where you can browse small boutiques, architecture, and snack stalls for about an hour. It is more polished than the surrounding lanes, so treat it as a relaxed wander rather than a major shopping stop.
After a light lunch nearby, take a short taxi or DiDi—usually 10–20 minutes—to Chengdu People’s Park. Spend around two hours at a teahouse such as Heming Teahouse, ordering a pot of jasmine or green tea and enjoying Chengdu’s famously unhurried people-watching; tea commonly costs about ¥20–40 per person, with snacks extra. The park is generally open from around 6:00 AM to 10:00 PM, and you can wander the lake paths without needing to enter any religious site. Continue to Kuixinglou Street, about 10–15 minutes by taxi or roughly 20 minutes on foot, for an early dinner or snack crawl. Allow ¥30–70 per person and ask specifically for 清真 (qīngzhēn, halal) or choose vegetarian dishes; confirm ingredients carefully, since “spicy” street food may use lard or cooking wine.
Finish with a gentle walk through the Qingyang Palace area and nearby park paths, without entering the religious complex. The surrounding west-central district is attractive in the early evening, when locals exercise and the streets begin to glow with shop signs; allow about an hour. Then take a DiDi to a Hui-Muslim restaurant near Mosque Street for dinner, allowing roughly 15–25 minutes depending on traffic and ¥50–100 per person. Look for a restaurant displaying 清真 certification and order familiar Hui dishes such as hand-pulled noodles, lamb skewers, beef dishes, or dumplings; ask whether dishes contain alcohol, pork-derived ingredients, or lard. Restaurants in this area commonly serve dinner until around 9:30–10:00 PM, but verify hours on Amap or Dianping that day, as Chengdu businesses can change opening times.
Leave central Chengdu around 7:00 AM for the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding in northern Chengdu. A DiDi is simplest for four adults with luggage-sized day bags—allow 45–60 minutes depending on traffic—and ask the driver for the south gate or the entrance shown on your ticket. The base generally opens around 7:30 AM; arrive early because the giant pandas are most active before late morning, and the red panda enclosures are quieter then. Set aside four to five hours, wear comfortable shoes, and bring water. Tickets are commonly around ¥55–60, but check the official booking channel before January 2027; January is cool, so the animals may be particularly visible in sunny patches.
Have lunch at the Panda Base café if you want convenience, although vegetarian and halal suitability can be limited—ask clearly about ingredients and avoid dishes containing pork, lard, or alcohol. For a more reliable halal meal, use DiDi after the panda visit to reach a Muslim restaurant in central Chengdu; allow roughly 45–60 minutes and budget ¥40–80 per person. Continue to the Jinsha Site Museum in Qingyang District, another 30–45 minutes by taxi depending on traffic. Spend about two hours with the ancient Shu gold masks, ivory, jade, and archaeological displays; the museum usually operates from approximately 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM and is commonly closed on Mondays, so this Tuesday visit is well timed. Keep your passport details handy if online ticket reservations are requested.
Head to Yipintianxia Food Street in Jinniu District, around 20–30 minutes from Jinsha Site Museum. This is a good place to compare menus rather than settle at the first busy restaurant: look for clearly marked halal signs and choose a beef- or lamb-focused restaurant, confirming “no pork, no lard, no alcohol” with the staff. Allow about 1½ hours and ¥50–100 per person. Finish at Chengdu Sichuan Opera House in the city center; take a DiDi or metro, allowing 25–40 minutes. Book an evening performance in advance—usually around 7:30 or 8:00 PM—and expect 1½–2 hours of face-changing, fire-spitting, puppetry, and musical scenes. Tea and snacks may be included, but confirm the seating and return route before the show; after 10:00 PM, a DiDi back to your hotel is more convenient than changing metro lines.
Take the reserved high-speed train from Chengdu East Railway Station to Leshan Station around 7:30–8:00 AM. With four adults, a DiDi is the easiest onward transfer; allow 45–75 minutes to reach the Leshan Giant Buddha Scenic Area, depending on traffic. The scenic area generally opens around 8:00 AM, and admission is roughly ¥80 per person, though prices and entry arrangements can change. Follow the riverside route toward the approved viewpoints for the best perspective of the Buddha and the meeting of the Min, Dadu, and Qingyi Rivers. Allow three to four hours, including queues for the cliffside steps; stay on the signed public paths and skip the temple areas if you prefer not to visit religious sites.
For lunch, leave the scenic area and choose a Hui-Muslim beef-noodle or lamb restaurant around the nearby riverside streets—ask your driver for 清真牛肉面 (halal beef noodles) or 清真羊肉 (halal lamb), and confirm the restaurant displays the 清真 sign before ordering. Budget about ¥40–80 per person. After lunch, take a 15–25-minute DiDi into central Leshan for the Leshan Museum, allowing about 1½ hours; it is a useful, low-key introduction to the city’s river trade, local history, and the Buddha’s setting, with admission often free or nominal. Check the weekly closing day and last-entry time before setting out, as smaller Chinese museums commonly close in the late afternoon.
Continue by DiDi, usually 10–20 minutes, to Jiazhou Green Heart Park for an easy late-afternoon walk beneath leafy paths and broad lawns—pleasant after the crowded scenic area and free to enter. Stay until dusk, then head to your central Leshan hotel and look for a well-reviewed Hui-Muslim restaurant nearby for dinner. Order clearly marked halal dishes such as hand-pulled noodles, lamb skewers, or beef dishes, and budget ¥50–100 per person; carry a translation note stating “I only eat halal food” (我只吃清真食品). Keep your train tickets, passports, and hotel address saved offline, since English signage and restaurant listings are limited outside the main attractions.
After arriving at Chengdu East Railway Station from Leshan, allow 30–60 minutes by DiDi or metro to reach Eastern Suburb Memory in Chenghua District. This former industrial complex is an easy, unhurried first stop back in Chengdu: converted factory buildings, murals, design studios, bookstores, and cafés spread around broad pedestrian spaces. Plan roughly two hours, and check individual shop hours on arrival—many cafés open around 10:00 AM, while some smaller studios may open later. A taxi is simplest with four people; the complex is also near Dongjiao Memory metro station, depending on the entrance you use.
From Eastern Suburb Memory, take a short DiDi ride to the Dongmen Market area for lunch. Look for a clearly marked 清真 (qīngzhēn, halal) beef-noodle, lamb, or hand-pulled-noodle restaurant rather than relying only on a translated menu; expect about ¥40–80 per person. After lunch, continue by metro or DiDi toward Chengdu Museum at Tianfu Square. The museum is usually open Tuesday–Sunday, approximately 9:00 AM–5:00 PM, with last entry around 4:00 PM; admission is generally free with passport registration, but bring passports and allow time for security. Spend about two hours in the city-history galleries and Sichuan cultural displays, keeping the pace relaxed.
A 10–15-minute DiDi ride from Chengdu Museum brings you to Wide and Narrow Alleys, where the best experience is simply wandering rather than shopping at the first souvenir stall. Walk through Kuan Alley, Zhai Alley, and the quieter connecting lanes for about 1½ hours; the area is busiest after 5:00 PM, so stay on the main pedestrian paths and agree on a meeting point. Finish with halal dinner near Huangcheng Mosque, choosing a Hui-Muslim restaurant for grilled lamb, beef dishes, or noodles. Allow ¥50–100 per person, and confirm that the kitchen is still serving before ordering—some restaurants close or stop taking orders around 9:00 PM. DiDi is the easiest return option for four adults; saved Chinese names for your hotel and Huangcheng Mosque will make the ride much smoother.
Start around 8:00 AM with a DiDi to Chengdu Botanical Garden in Xindu District; from central Chengdu, allow 40–60 minutes depending on traffic. The garden is a calm choice for your final morning, with winter greenery, broad paths, landscaped sections, and plenty of space to walk without rushing. Allow about two hours, and bring a warm layer—January mornings can feel damp and cool. Check the official listing before leaving for the exact opening time and any seasonal entrance arrangements; budget roughly ¥10–20 per person, if an admission fee is being charged.
Around 10:30 AM, continue by DiDi to Jinniu Wanda Plaza, allowing approximately 30–45 minutes. Have lunch in the surrounding commercial streets rather than relying only on the mall food court: look for clearly marked 清真 restaurants serving beef noodles, beef rice dishes, lamb skewers, or hand-pulled noodles. Confirm that the kitchen is halal before ordering, as some nearby restaurants may use pork despite similar-looking menus. Set aside about ¥40–90 per person and allow an hour.
After lunch, head south by DiDi to Sichuan Science and Technology Museum at Tianfu Square, usually 30–45 minutes in daytime traffic. This is a useful indoor stop before the airport, with hands-on science displays and enough space for a relaxed 1½–2-hour visit. Opening hours and weekly closure days can change, so verify them through the museum’s current official listing; admission is often free or inexpensive, but identification and advance reservation may be required. From there, continue to Taikoo Li Chengdu around Chunxi Road—allow 15–25 minutes. Spend about 1½ hours browsing the open-air lanes, contemporary architecture, and window displays rather than treating it as a shopping-only stop.
Have an early dinner at the Isetan Chengdu food area or a nearby Chunxi Road halal restaurant, ideally starting by 5:00 PM if your flight is in the evening. The department-store food options are convenient, but check ingredients carefully; for a reliable halal meal, choose a nearby restaurant displaying 清真 signage and budget approximately ¥60–120 per person. Leave the area 3–4 hours before your flight: Chengdu Tianfu International Airport is connected by metro, but with four adults and luggage a DiDi or pre-booked taxi is usually easier. Allow roughly 1–1½ hours for the journey, then complete international check-in, security, and immigration with plenty of margin.