8 Days Chongqing & Chengdu Tour: Jiuzhaigou, Hongyadong & Panda Base

Your guide and driver meet you at Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport or the high-speed railway station as soon as you step into the arrivals hall. A comfortable private car whisks you to your hotel in central Chongqing — the drive takes roughly 40 minutes from the airport and lets you catch your first glimpses of this mountain city: towers stacked on steep slopes, bridges spanning the Yangtze and Jialing rivers, and neon beginning to flicker on as dusk falls. Check in, settle in, and let the city's famous humid warmth greet you. Your guide will confirm the pickup time for tomorrow's walking tour over a quick chat, and you can spend the rest of the evening at your own pace — perhaps a stroll to a nearby hotpot joint for a fiery Chongqing dinner.

Your guide picks you up from the hotel and walks you to the Liziba monorail station — the famous spot where Line 2 threads straight through the middle of a residential apartment block. You watch a train glide into the building from the ground-level viewing platform, a signature Chongqing moment that looks surreal in person. Next, you stop at the Great Hall of the People, Chongqing's landmark 1950s circular building with a double-eaved crimson roof, for exterior photos across the square. A short walk takes you along Zhongshan 4th Road, a tree-lined avenue of Republican-era buildings now home to cafés and art spaces. Continue to Jiefangbei, the city's commercial heart anchored by the 1945 Liberation Monument; wander the surrounding pedestrian streets and grab a snack at the nearby Bayu food alley. As dusk falls, you reach Hongyadong, an eleven-story stilted village clinging to the Jialing River cliff. When the lights come on, the whole complex glows gold against the darkening sky — like a scene from Spirited Away. Walk the riverside path for the classic photo, then head back to your hotel.

After breakfast, you start at Shibati Old Street, a 2,300-year-old alleyway recently revived with restored Qing-dynasty façades, boutique tea shops and street art. Wander the stone-paved lanes that climb the hillside, catching views of the Yangtze between old brick walls. A short drive takes you to Ciqikou Ancient Town, a riverside settlement from the Ming and Qing eras. Stroll the narrow lanes, watch locals spinning sugar on a marble slab, and sample the famous Chen mahua — twisted fried dough that's been the town's signature for a century. After lunch in the town, you walk the Huangge Ancient Path, a mossy stone stairway tucked into the forest that was once the main road to Chengdu before the highways. Continue up to Nanshan Laojun Cave, a Taoist temple perched on a forested peak with sweeping views over the Yangtze valley. Descend to the Yangtze River Cableway station and glide across the wide river in a wooden-floored carriage, watching cargo barges slip below and the skyline rise behind you. In the evening, your guide escorts you to Chongqing North station for the high-speed train to Chengdu (roughly 1.5 hours). Your Chengdu guide meets you at the platform and transfers you to your hotel.

Your guide meets you at the hotel after an early breakfast and drives you to Chengdu East station for the high-speed train to Huanglongjiuzhai station (roughly 4-5 hours, depending on the schedule). The train winds through the mountainous western Sichuan basin, with tunnels and bridges flashing past the window. At the station, your local driver picks you up and drives about two hours to Huanglong Scenic Area. The park sits at 3,100-3,600 meters, so take it easy on the boardwalks as you ascend. The highlight is the Five-Color Pools, a series of shimmering calcite terraces fed by snowmelt, each pool a different shade of turquoise, emerald and sapphire. Continue along the wooden walkways past the Contending Beauty Pools and the Golden Sand Beach, with forested peaks rising above. After the visit, your driver takes you to Jiuzhaigou county (about 2 hours) where you check into your hotel for the night. Dinner is on your own — try the local Tibetan-style yak meat hotpot.

After an early breakfast at the hotel, you arrive at Jiuzhaigou National Park right when the gates open. A UNESCO World Heritage site, the valley is famed for its emerald lakes, layered waterfalls and forested slopes that feel lifted from a painting. Your guide leads you along the Shuzheng gorge first, stopping at the Shuzheng Lakes — a chain of 19 turquoise pools linked by cascades — and the Nuorilang Waterfall, the widest in the park. Ride the park shuttle to the Rize gorge and walk the boardwalks around the Five-Flower Lake, where submerged tree trunks rest in crystal-clear water that shifts from jade to cobalt depending on the light. Continue to Pearl Shoal Waterfall, where the river tumbles over a fan-shaped calcite shelf. Lunch is a packed box from your hotel (no restaurants inside the park). In the afternoon, take the shuttle to the Zechawa gorge to see Long Lake, the largest and highest lake in the valley, and the Five-Color Pool beside it. Your guide adjusts the pace to your energy; by late afternoon you leave the valley with a head full of blue light.

After breakfast, your driver takes you back to Huanglongjiuzhai station for the high-speed train to Chengdu (roughly 4-5 hours). On arrival, your Chengdu guide meets you at the platform and you drop your bags at the hotel before heading out. Start at Wenshu Monastery, Chengdu's best-preserved Buddhist temple, where incense curls around Tang-dynasty statues and locals come to pray or just sit in the courtyards. Walk to People's Park and settle into the bamboo chairs of Heming Teahouse, where waiters pour cover-bowl tea from copper kettles and locals play chess, chat and watch the world go by. Continue to Daci Temple, a Tang-dynastery temple tucked between modern malls, then step next door to Taikoo Li, an open-air lifestyle hub built around the historic temple. Stroll Chunxi Road, Chengdu's most famous pedestrian street, and stop at the IFS building to see the giant climbing panda sculpture — a signature Chengdu photo. Dinner is on your own; your guide can recommend a local Sichuan restaurant for a proper mapo tofu and kung-pao chicken.

An early start today — you leave the hotel around 7:30 to reach the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding by 8:30, when the pandas are most active during their morning feeding. Watch giant pandas lumber through bamboo groves, climb trees, and tumble over each other in the outdoor enclosures. Visit the Moon Breeding Center to see the tiny pink cubs in the nursery (seasonal). Your guide shares stories about each panda's personality and the conservation work behind the scenes. By late morning, you head to Kuanzhai Alleys, a Qing-dynasty neighborhood of wide and narrow lanes restored into a cultural hub. Stroll the flagstone paths, pop into a tea house for a quick cup, and try street snacks like san-da-pao (sweet rice balls) and 伤心凉粉 (spicy cold noodles). After lunch, walk to Jinli Ancient Street, a lantern-lit lane built in the style of the Three Kingdoms period. Watch sugar painters draw dragons with molten sugar, try your hand at shadow puppetry, or just soak up the atmosphere. In the evening, you can either stay overnight in Chengdu or take the high-speed train back to Chongqing (roughly 1.5 hours) — your choice.

Your final morning is free until your flight. If you are flying out of Chengdu (Shuangliu or Tianfu airport), your guide and driver take you to the terminal; if you chose to return to Chongqing the night before, your Chongqing guide takes you to Jiangbei airport. Depending on your flight time, you may have a chance for one last stroll, a quick visit to a nearby market, or a final cover-bowl tea at the hotel. Your guide stays with you until you check in at the departure hall, and waves goodbye with a promise: Chengdu and Chongqing will welcome you back. The private transfer and guide service end here.