Getting Around

Bikes, inexpensive buses, pedicabs and taxis have the city covered for you. Bus 16 runs from the north train station to the south train station, via People's Square. Bus 12 circles the city via Yihuan Lu. Rent bikes for around 10 RMB a day, plus 100 RMB deposit at the Traffic Hotel. The new sight-seeing bus routes 901 and 902 hit most of the city's tourist destinations and cost 10 RMB for five boardings, 3 RMB for one. The sightseeing bus departs New South Gate Tourist Distributing Center every 30 minutes from 8:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Look for the open-air double-deckers around town.

Uniformed pedicab driver rove the city. Interested parties need to bargain, rates start at 5 RMB. Tourists may also rent a private car to get around. Rates range from 650 RMB a day for a minibus and 700 RMB/day for a car. A driver comes for an additional 50 RMB/day (8 hours).

To and from Chengdu

Air

Shuangliu Airport, 18 km (11 miles) west of Chengdu, offers service to several domestic and international destinations. Regular destinations include Shanghai, Guangzhou, Beijing, Hong Kong and Dalian as well as frequent flights to Bangkok, Singapore, Seoul and Lhasa. Departing visitors from Chengdu can take a 20-minute shuttle bus (3 RMB) from the China Southwest Airlines office on Renmin Nan Lu. A taxi from the center of town to the airport costs around 30 RMB.

Train

Rail links Chengdu to a dozen some major Chinese cities including Beijing (8 hours), Shanghai (16 hours), Kunming (22 hours) and Xian (17 hours). Purchase tickets at the ticket booking office outside the railway station. Same-day tickets are scarce so make rail travel arrangements at least two days in advance. Some hotels arrange train tickets for guests. The railway station is in the north part of the city, a half-hour drive from the city center.

Bus

Buses offer easy access to most of the scenic spots around Chengdu including Yibing, Emei Shan, and Le Shan. The bus to Chongqing takes five hours. Three bus stations service Chengdu. The Xinnanmen bus station near the Traffic Hotel travels to most Southern, Western or Eastern destinations around Sichuan, the North Bus Station near the North Train Station offers frequent minibuses to Chongqing, and buses departing Ximen bus station head north to places like Jiuzhaigou and Songpan.

Moving on to Lhasa

Foreign travelers require an official permit to enter Tibet which can be purchased, along with the flight, at a travel agent. China Southwest Airlines currently offers the only Chengdu-Lhasa flight so tickets are limited. Tibet flights leave from Gonggar Airport, a two-hour drive from Chengdu. Land travel to Tibet is not allowed.