5 days in Chengdu
The balanced first-trip route: three city days plus Sanxingdui and Dujiangyan as the two substantial excursions they deserve.
Choose five days if you want more than pandas and teahouses. The schedule protects one full day for the bronze world of Sanxingdui and one for the engineering landscape of Dujiangyan, without using either as a rushed add-on.
Pandas and modern east
Panda Base → rest → Eastern Suburb Memory → Taikoo Li.
Take the earliest Panda Base entry and give the animals your coolest morning. Rest after lunch, then use the late afternoon for Eastern Suburb Memory and an easy central dinner.
Old Chengdu rhythm
Chengdu Museum → People's Park → Heming Teahouse → Kuanzhai Alley → opera.
Start with the museum, move west for tea and continue to Kuanzhai Alley before your reserved evening performance. Confirm the museum's Monday closure and any passport ticket-exchange procedure.
See detailed Day 2 timing · Heming Teahouse guide · Opera guide →
Poetry and Three Kingdoms
Du Fu Cottage → Wuhou Shrine → Jinli.
Use the morning for Du Fu's gardens, then move to Wuhou Shrine for the historical halls and finish next door in Jinli after the lanterns come on. This remains a city day, so it is the easiest day to move around excursion weather.
Sanxingdui in Guanghan
Reserved museum entry → complete galleries → return to Chengdu.
Morning — travel to Guanghan
Use the train-and-shuttle route shown by the current booking platform, an official scenic bus or a pre-arranged car. “Sanxingdui” can refer to different sites, so save "Sanxingdui Museum" (三星堆博物馆) and verify the museum entrance rather than only the town name.
Late morning to afternoon — museum
Give the new galleries several hours. Start with the chronological story before the large bronze masks and trees, use the official audio guide if available and keep the original passport ready for real-name verification.
Evening — no timed attraction
Return transport can vary with traffic and train availability. Plan dinner near your hotel and keep the night free.
Move: reserve the museum and outward/return transport together; never assume a walk-up ticket will remain. Sanxingdui guide →
Dujiangyan water system
Early train → scenic area → old-town dinner or Chengdu return.
Morning — reach Dujiangyan early
Buy the correct train and confirm which station works with your chosen scenic entrance. Keep the Chinese name "Dujiangyan Scenic Area" (都江堰景区) saved and allow transfer time between the station and the site.
Midday — understand the system before walking it
The attraction is an operating irrigation project, not simply a river view. Learn the roles of Fish Mouth, Flying Sand Weir and Bottle-Neck Channel first, then follow the suspended bridges and viewpoints at a comfortable pace.
Afternoon — return without adding Qingcheng
With only five days, do not force Qingcheng Mountain into the same afternoon. The mountain deserves a separate day and can suffer weather or trail restrictions. Eat in Dujiangyan or return to Chengdu for hotpot.
Move: recheck the last practical train before entering the scenic area. Dujiangyan guide →
Why this five-day route works
- It keeps the Panda Base early and separate from a long-distance day trip.
- It gives Sanxingdui enough gallery time and protects the return journey from evening deadlines.
- It treats Dujiangyan and Qingcheng Mountain as different experiences instead of forcing both into one exhausting day.
- Days 2 and 3 remain movable if weather changes the outdoor excursions.