Sichuan, from the basin to the plateau
Sichuan beyond Chengdu: the turquoise lakes of Jiuzhaigou, the sacred Mount Emei and the edge of the Tibetan plateau.
The short answer
Sichuan is two places in one: a green, crowded basin of teahouses and hotpot, and a mountainous west that climbs to the Tibetan plateau. Give it a week. Jiuzhaigou's lakes need two days and a timed entry, Mount Emei and the Leshan Buddha two more, and Chengdu, with the pandas, is the doorway. March–June and September–November are the months to go.
- Jiuzhaigou and Huanglong are 400 km north of Chengdu — a 1-hour flight or an 8-hour drive
- Jiuzhaigou runs a daily visitor cap and timed entry; book the slot before the flight
- Chengdu to Mount Emei is 1h30 by high-speed rail; the Leshan Buddha is 1h
- The Tibetan plateau begins at Kangding, 2,600 m, five hours west of the basin
- Late October is the single best week, for colour at Jiuzhaigou
The city to base yourself in
Chengdu is the doorway to Sichuan, not the whole of it: the province runs north to the lakes of Jiuzhaigou and west to the Tibetan plateau at Kangding. Chengdu →
A basin and a mountain wall
Sichuan covers about 485,000 sq km (187,000 sq mi), roughly twice the size of the UK. The Chengdu Plain, in the east, sits at 500 m and holds 80 million people, heavy traffic and the best food in the country. West of the plain the land lifts in steps: 2,600 m at Kangding, 3,700 m at Tagong, 4,700 m at the Sichuan–Tibet border — climbing from subtropical to alpine in a single day's drive.
The lakes and the mountains
Jiuzhaigou, a valley of more than 100 lakes in the north of the province, reopened under a daily visitor limit after the 2017 earthquake; entry is by timed ticket, and the water is at its bluest in late October. Next door, Huanglong climbs to 3,600 m past terraces of travertine pools.
South of Chengdu, Mount Emei rises to 3,099 m and is one of the four sacred Buddhist mountains; the summit is a two-day walk or a bus-and-cable-car morning. The Leshan Giant Buddha, 71 m tall and carved between 713 and 803, sits at the river junction an hour away.
When to go
March to June and September to November are the comfortable months, at 15–25°C in the basin. July and August are 30–35°C and humid. Jiuzhaigou sits at 2,000–3,100 m and is cold by day even in summer, and the plateau edge is cold year-round, so pack layers whatever the month.
Jiuzhaigou
Over 100 lakes in the north, timed entry and a daily cap; best in late October.
Mount Emei
A sacred Buddhist summit at 3,099 m, 1h30 from Chengdu by high-speed rail.
The Leshan Giant Buddha
71 m tall and carved from the cliff between 713 and 803, an hour south of Chengdu.
Huanglong
Travertine terraces climbing to 3,600 m, an hour by road from Jiuzhaigou.
The plateau edge
Kangding at 2,600 m and the Tagong grasslands, a five-hour drive up from the basin.
Practical
| Province capital | Chengdu |
|---|---|
| Main airport(s) | Chengdu Tianfu (TFU) and Shuangliu (CTU); Jiuzhai Huanglong (JZH) for Jiuzhaigou |
| Direct flights from the UK | None scheduled; connect via Beijing, Shanghai, Doha or Istanbul |
| High-speed rail | Chengdu–Chongqing 1h · Chengdu–Mount Emei 1h30 |
| Best months | March–June and September–November |
| Typical length of stay | 7–8 days |
| Jiuzhaigou altitude | 2,000–3,100 m (6,600–10,200 ft); timed entry, daily cap |
| Mount Emei height | 3,099 m (10,167 ft) |
| Leshan Buddha | 71 m (233 ft), carved 713–803 AD |
| Time zone | GMT+8 (7 hours ahead of the UK in summer, 8 in winter) |
Getting there from the UK
There is no scheduled direct flight from the UK to Chengdu. Most travellers connect once — through Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Doha or Istanbul — which gives a total journey of about 13 to 15 hours door to door.
Air China and Hainan Airlines both serve the route with a change; the onward leg into Chengdu Tianfu (TFU) is 2 to 3 hours depending on the hub. Once in Chengdu, high-speed rail covers Chongqing in 1 hour and Mount Emei in 1 hour 30 minutes.
How many days
A week in the province is about right. Two nights in Chengdu for the pandas and the food, two for Jiuzhaigou and Huanglong, and two more for Mount Emei and the Leshan Buddha. If you are adding Sichuan to a Beijing and Xi'an trip, three nights in Chengdu is the minimum, and Jiuzhaigou needs its own two-day side trip by air from Chengdu.
Worth knowing if you're travelling from the UK
British passport holders can enter China visa-free for up to 30 days until 31 December 2026, so no visa is needed for this trip. When you book, check whether the 240-hour visa-free transit fits: a stop in Chengdu on the way to a third country can remove the need for a visa altogether. Sichuan is on GMT+8, seven hours ahead of London in summer. Cards are accepted in hotels; set up Alipay or WeChat Pay for meals, taxis and park tickets, and keep ¥300–500 in cash for the plateau.