火锅
Sichuan hotpot
Chili plus the numbing of Sichuan pepper. Order a split pot, and more vegetables than you think a hotpot needs.
成都 · 3 days
Chengdu
Chengdu is where a first trip should slow down. People sit for hours over a glass of tea. The pepper that makes your lips buzz is not a mistake in the kitchen.
Stay near
A central neighborhood with a metro stop
Give it
Three days, more if you add a mountain
Book first
Panda base, a morning slot
Watch for
Tianfu airport, not the older field
The main international airport is Tianfu, far to the east. Shuangliu is the older field and still appears on some tickets. Leaving from the wrong one is the classic last-morning mistake.
Book the panda base before you book hotpot, and go at opening, when the animals are feeding. People’s Park can be the same afternoon. Wuhou Shrine is the history. Kuanzhai is a walk you do once.
Say 微辣 if you want mild heat. Say 不要辣 only if you mean it, and even then expect the pepper. A split hotpot saves the person who does not.
Eat this, not a poster of it
What Chengdu actually tastes like
麻婆豆腐
Mapo tofu
At a specialist it should be hot, numbing, and still taste of beans. The hotel version is a different dish.
钟水饺
Zhong dumplings
Sweetish chili oil, and the breakfast people actually queue for.
The sights
Where to go, and whether you can just show up.
Passport reservation
Panda Base
The research base in the northeast of the city. Morning reservations, passport at the gate.
Free, just walk
People's Park
The teahouse park. Free, and the clearest introduction to the city.
Museum ticket
Wuhou Shrine
The Three Kingdoms memorial. A real ticket, sold by the museum.
Free, just walk
Kuanzhai Alleys
Three restored lanes. Free, walkable, and not where you should eat the best meal.