2020 Chengdu Self-Driving Tour Ultimate Guide
Due to work, I came to Chengdu again. This time, while on a business trip, I managed to take 2 days off to thoroughly explore Chengdu. This time it turned into a proper stop-and-go self-driving tour. When talking about Chengdu tourism, everyone immediately thinks of Kuanzhai Alley, Jinli, Wuhou Shrine, but if time is limited, these places are definitely not a priority to recommend. It’s not that they aren’t worth visiting, but because there are too many tourists, the experience tends to be poor. In fact, besides the popular attractions, Chengdu has many lesser-known but wonderful places! Today, centering on the new local landmark Chengdu IFS and radiating outwards, I’ll recommend some delicious and fun spots, and use 48 hours to discover a different Chengdu!
As usual, we must first settle the accommodation, so we can leisurely eat and explore. Since I drove my own car and took the Chengyu Expressway, I chose a hotel near Chengdu East Railway Station, where parking is easy, there are fewer tourists, and it’s relatively quiet. As a Ctrip VIP member, I directly chose this highly-rated hotel near the East Station—Kaiyouwell Hotel (Chengdu East Railway Station 468 Flagship Store).
The hotel is located in the East Station 468 commercial area, a 10-minute drive from the East Station, and adjacent to Chengdu’s landmark building Greenland 468. Along Jinjiang Avenue, you can directly reach the Sansheng Township Scenic Area. The transportation is extremely convenient, making it an excellent tranquil retreat in the midst of the hustle and bustle.
At Kaiyouwell Hotel (Chengdu East Railway Station 468 Flagship Store), there are two adorable little ones, the small shop assistants VV and UU, who will instantly melt your heart, whether you’re a girl or a boy.
Pick a sunny day, order a coffee at the U Coffee lounge, taste the exclusive Tibetan tea, and you can also pet the little cuties along the way! In early winter Chengdu, this is absolutely an extremely cozy thing to do!
If you drive yourself or are transferring at Chengdu East Railway Station, staying at Kaiyouwell Hotel (Chengdu East Railway Station 468 Flagship Store) will definitely bring you a surprise. With 60 uniquely styled guest rooms, it can meet all your accommodation needs.
Once the accommodation is settled, let’s begin our itinerary of eating, shopping, and checking in at hotspots.
When it comes to traveling in Chengdu, you definitely can’t miss Chengdu IFS. Its most prominent symbol is the giant panda climbing the building, a true internet-famous check-in spot! Chengdu IFS is a new landmark for Chengdu fun! It showcases the most fashionable and trendy side of Chengdu, attracting the nation’s hippest young people to come and take photos!
If you don’t have time to visit the Panda Breeding Base in two days, you might as well get your fill here! Take the elevator from the 1st floor of Chengdu IFS directly to the 7th floor, and you can see the cute front face of the panda. This giant panda art installation stands 1.5 meters tall, weighs 13 tons, created by internationally renowned artist Lawrence Argent, named “I AM HERE”, but everyone still calls it “Wall-Climbing Panda”, haha.
Because the panda is so popular, you need to queue up to take a photo with it. I’ll tell you the best photo spot: the outdoor seating of the neighboring Pizza Marzano restaurant. You can enjoy delicious food while getting a close-up shot with the panda. P.S.: Make sure to choose the middle seat, the prime spot!
Besides seeing the panda on the 7th floor, the Sculpture Garden is also well worth a visit. It displays the works of 10 renowned domestic and international artists, each piece full of character and artistic flair.
The entire Chengdu IFS feels like a treasure trove of a mall, where you can eat, drink, and have fun all in one place, especially with an incredible selection of restaurants! Photography-loving ladies should not miss the Hua Chu restaurant, decorated with fresh flowers, exuding a Moroccan vibe, and every casual snapshot makes you look like a fairy.
With its fresh color palette and unique décor, photos taken with a phone always turn out beautiful!
If you want hot pot, you can try this Bang Zhong Hot Pot, which is also very stylish. Unlike traditional hot pot restaurants, this one is full of trendy vibes and a strong presence. If you’re a tourist, remember to go to the mall service desk to pick up a ONE-DAY PASS, which includes a 200-100 coupon for this restaurant. More details later...
The duck intestine, tripe, and aorta are must-orders at this place!!
After eating, you can stroll around the mall. Friends who like luxury goods can carefully hunt for great finds. The mall gathers many global luxury brand stores, with many brands having their largest flagship stores in Southwest China, such as Louis Vuitton, Dior & Dior Homme, and more. Ladies can also check out GUCCI beauty, China’s first store. This time, I also popped into a few brands I usually like, and the selection was quite comprehensive. They happened to have my size, so I bought it without hesitation, very happy.
After seeing a photo with a Hong Kong vibe, I grew really interested in this little alley! Xiangxiang Alley has been super popular online recently. Upon arrival, I found the whole alley isn’t long at all, only about 100 meters, and just two or three meters wide. Visiting during the day feels ordinary, but as dusk falls and it gets dark, a different look emerges. The neatly arranged Hong Kong-style neon lights gradually light up, making you feel as if you’re in a Hong Kong neighborhood. Many people call it the “Hong Kong Mini Night Market”.
Doesn’t it feel like a Hong Kong night market?
Although the alley is small, it gathers many restaurants, such as Sichuan cuisine, hot pot, barbecue, Western food, Thai food, bars, etc. Especially at night, it’s bustling with noise and immediately full of lively atmosphere.
If you come here, just pick any restaurant you like for dinner.
Chengdu has several internet-famous bookstores: Fangsuo, Yanjiyou, and this Geometry Bookstore. Over the years, major cities have launched various high-aesthetic bookstores, and I’ve become somewhat used to them. Yet when I came across this Geometry Bookstore, I was still attracted. Because its interior decoration is very distinctive—it’s Chengdu’s first cave bookstore, instantly becoming a newly popular photo spot in Chengdu.
The concept of Geometry Bookstore originated in Xining, Qinghai, and is divided into Heavy Reading, Snowy Pure Land, City in the Sky, Time Library, Space Gate, and Rediscovering Life. However, Geometry Bookstore has different styles in different cities. This time I visited the Mengzhuiwan branch not far from Chunxi Road. Its most attractive feature is the spiral staircase inside, spanning three full floors, also nicknamed the “Nine-Story Demon Tower”.
Chengdu has countless delicious restaurants, especially hot pot and skewer places, each with long queues. Amid the dominance of hot pot and skewers in Chengdu, this Taolin Sichuan Restaurant carved out its own path and became an internet-famous spot. When I went, it was right at mealtime, and the entrance was already packed. I thought we wouldn’t get a table, but then a waiter called out if anyone wanted to sit at the entrance! I immediately rushed forward, which gave me the chance to eat at this web-famous Sichuan restaurant as I wished.
Right at meal times, the entrance is already full of people, so I suggest coming early!
I noticed many diners in the restaurant were Chengdu locals, speaking the Chengdu dialect and chatting casually, which immediately made me feel I had chosen the right place.
I ordered several signature dishes, such as Ancient Town Intangible Heritage White Meat, Black Tofu, Spicy Chicken, and Gourmet Vegetable King—each one suited my taste! Even for someone who can’t handle much spicy food, I could completely accept it. Highly recommended!
Tangba Street (tang ba), I guess many people at first glance don’t know how to pronounce it, right? After checking online guides, I found this street has quite a background. The authoritative British travel guide magazine Time Out selected the “50 Coolest Neighborhoods in the World”, and China had four city neighborhoods on the list, one of which was Chengdu’s Tangba neighborhood.
The name Tangba also has a history. In the early years of the Guangxu reign, this area was a weapons warehouse for Daci Temple (tangba itself is a type of weapon), hence the name “Tangba Street”. After renovation, it gradually became a residential area, and later more and more young people moved in, turning it into an artsy neighborhood.
Tangba neighborhood is very close to various popular spots; for instance, just one street away is Chengdu IFS, less than a 10-minute walk. Lan Kwai Fong, Jiuyan Bridge, and Sansheng neighborhood are also nearby. Compared to the hustle and bustle of those places, Tangba feels much more artistic and leisurely...
Here it’s perfect for a brunch or an afternoon tea with friends. The surrounding area gathers dessert shops, coffee shops, Western restaurants… each one is quite good-looking and full of youthful vitality. If you go, I recommend a few places that won’t disappoint: MONDOLI, Cafe Sunset·Sansheng Canteen, Before Start Coffee, Fenglan Haoli, Wuzao Snacks. There’s also a Xuankehui Style Bookstore on the roadside to browse, which is Chengdu’s first 24-hour bookstore.
The most eye-catching on the street is this Leimen Hot Pot, which integrates coffee, hot pot, bar, and gallery. With its brick-red geometric design, it’s especially suitable for photos. I walked around for a long time and couldn’t believe it was actually a hot pot restaurant!?
When you come to Tangba Street, there’s actually one place you definitely should know: Chongde Lane. The once unknown small alley Chongde Lane has now been transformed into a place for tea, dining, and lodging. Chongde Lane is a representative work of Tangba Street.
On the day I went, I also encountered a group of young people setting up a vintage market, selling all sorts of interesting little items.
This Li Space Coffee Shop in Chongde Lane is also highly recommended by me. A nondescript little door, but once inside, it’s full of surprises. In the center, there’s an area displaying retro furniture. If you make an appointment in advance, the staff will also guide you around.
Jianshe Road Food Street
Before coming to Chengdu, my friend kept recommending this internet-famous food street to me. It’s said to be a memory of a generation’s school days. Back then, because of the University of Electronic Science and Technology’s Shahe campus, this snack street grew bigger and bigger, and now it can be considered the second cafeteria of UESTC. Gradually, besides students, more and more visitors from other places come here to check in. As soon as I got out of the taxi, waves of aroma hit my nose. The cross-shaped street is lined with all kinds of snacks, forming a food matrix. I remember watching an episode of Day Day Up before, which highlighted Jianshe Road’s cuisine.
There were so many snacks that I was overwhelmed with choice. I asked my friend which ones were worth eating. He told me just pick the ones with the longest queues! Like Fu’s Ribs, Gao’s Tin Foil Grilled Brain Flower, Ye Popo’s Bobo Chicken, Xu Liang’s Grilled Pig Trotters, Zhou Qianqian’s Crispy Potatoes, and Little Crispy Meat—these all have long lines all year round. And the prices aren’t expensive, ranging from a few yuan to over ten yuan. With 100 yuan, you can eat until you’re stuffed!
Looking at the color, my mouth couldn’t stop watering!
After eating and drinking your fill, have a bowl of special ice jelly to wrap it up perfectly!
Lan Kwai Fong, Jiuyan Bridge Bar Street
After coming to Chengdu, I realized just how rich the nightlife is. The night before last, at 1 a.m., I went to Wuchazi Bridge and found quite a few people still strolling on it. I couldn’t help but wonder: do Chengdu people not sleep? As for the main venue of nightlife, bars definitely have to be mentioned. According to surveys, Chengdu is the city with the second most bars in the country, with bars everywhere, only surpassed by Shanghai, and slightly ahead of first-tier cities like Beijing, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen. If you’re bored at night, just go sit in a bar. The hottest bar streets are Jiuyan Bridge and Lan Kwai Fong, just one kilometer from Chunxi Road.
The street isn’t long, but it’s densely packed with bars. From 8 p.m., guests start arriving one after another. Every bar has a resident singer, so just pick one you like. What I quite like is that most bars here are quiet ones, very suitable for someone like me who doesn’t enjoy noise.
In recent years, Chengdu has been developing faster and faster, both leisurely and trendy. There are so many things worth experiencing that I simply can’t list them all. Every time I come to Chengdu, I discover different surprises.
