Giant Pandas & Yangtze Express

Upon arrival at Chengdu Airport, please find a way to the hotel you booked before. We recommend you the Civil Aviation Hotel, located at No. 31 of Beixin Street, very near to the city center, Tianfu Square, which is loved by a great many backpacking travelers. You can take the airport shuttle bus line 2 with a fare of CNY10 and get off at Tianfu Square East stop, about 1,300 yards west of your hotel. Then you can take a taxi to the hotel at a cost of CNY8. Alternatively, you can take a taxi the whole journey, costing about CNY 60. Have a good rest at the hotel to prepare your Chengdu, Chongqing, Yangtze River tour starts tomorrow.

Accommodation Suggestion: Civil Aviation Hotel

In the morning, we recommend you visit the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, which is a popular spot in most China independent tours. Have early breakfast and set off from the hotel by 8:00. You can take a taxi to the base, taking about 40 minutes and costing CNY50. The pandas are very active from 8:00 to 10:00 in the morning when they have their breakfast and play with each other. There is one restaurant in the attraction just next to the Swan Lake. You may try the Sichuan cuisine and the bamboo shoots for lunch. In the afternoon, continue to visit the Jinsha Site Museum by taxi, which takes about 30 minutes and costs around CNY70. 

After visiting the museum, you can leave from the east gate and walk north along the road for 900 yards to Yipin Tianxia subway station. Take subway line 2 to Chunxi Road. On this famous commercial street, you can shop around and enjoy your dinner in a nice restaurant. For the way back to the hotel, you can walk to the north end of the Chunxi Road to enter the Zongfu Road. And then walk northwest along the road for 150 yards, and turn south to Beixin Street for another 100 yards walking, you will reach the hotel.

Our suggestion for this day's China tour from Melbourne is to visit the Leshan Giant Buddha and then the Wide and Narrow Alley. As the Giant Buddha is about 2.5 hours' drive away from the Chengdu City, you had better get up early and take a taxi at a cost of no more than CNY10 to Xinnanmen Bus Station, where you can catch a coach to Leshan Xiaoba Bus Station. The bus fare is CNY 42 per person, and the bus ride takes about 2 hours. The bus leaves every 20 – 30 minutes from 6:45 to 19:30. Upon arrival, transfer to the bus No.13 to Leshan Giant Buddha (Leshan Dafo), which may take about 40 minutes. Recommended visiting time is two to three hours. Then reverse the trip back to Chengdu City; and you may have lunch around Xiaoba Bus Station. Upon arrival at the Xinnanmen Bus Station, walk south 400 yards to Xinnan Road bus stop and take bus No. 62 to Wide and Narrow Alley (Kuanzhai Xiangzi). When alighting, go northwards to find the entrance. You may try local snacks for dinner and enjoy the local nightlife. After that, take a taxi back to your hotel for a fare of about CNY10.

You will take a bullet train to Chongqing North Railway Station this morning. Check out of the hotel and get to Chengdu East Railway Station by taxi with a 30 minutes' ride. The cab fare may cost you CNY25 or so. Among the frequent train schedules, you are suggested to take the train leaving at around 9:00 or 10:00. For detailed train timings, you can search and book the tickets with TravelChinaGuide using the search tool at the bottom of this page. When arriving in Chongqing after about 2 hours' ride, please check into a local hotel to settle your luggage. The recommended hotel is the Wanyou Conifer Hotel, near the Daping subway station. Please take subway line 3 from the railway station to Lianglukou and change to line 1 to Daping station. Take Exit 3, you will see the hotel in front of you. 

Check in and have a short rest before visiting the famous Ci Qi Kou Village. You can take subway line 1 from Daping to Ciqikou. Take Exit 1 and walk eastward along the Citong Road for 400 yards, you will reach the entrance to the village. You will find all kinds of souvenir shops and local snacks along the old and narrow lanes. After having your dinner there, you can reverse the trip back to the hotel. 

Accommodation Suggestion: Wanyou Conifer Hotel

Our suggestion for today is to visit the Dazu Rock Carvings in daytime. At night, you will board the Yangtze River cruise ship, which is the highlight of this China tour from Australia. You can check out of the hotel after breakfast and take a taxi with a fare of CNY25 to the Chaotianmen Port and leave behind your bags at the left luggage in the Chongqing Port Ticket Hall. Then take a taxi at a cost of CNY15 to Chongqing Railway Station and catch a bus to Dazu from the nearby Chongqing Bus Terminal. The bus trip takes about 2 hours and the bus fare is around CNY43 per person. Upon arrival, take bus No. 205 to rock carvings scenic area in Baodingshan, or you can take a taxi to the attraction with a fare of CNY40. After the visit, reverse the trip back to the Chaotianmen Port to collect your luggage and then board the 5-star President No.6 cruise ship. Your Yangtze River cruise tour starts as the ship sets sail at 22:00, so you would better get to the port by 20:00. 

Cruises: President No.6

The cruise company will arrange the following two days' trip for you with three meals a day on the ship, so just enjoy a leisurely cruise trip along the Yangtze River. Breakfast and morning coffee start at 7:00 and the guide on the ship will give a short announcement on itinerary and facilities on board at around 8:00. For the rest of the morning, you can either enjoy the beautiful scenery of Yangtze River on the top deck or take part in the cultural activities. Lunch will be served at 12:00. In the afternoon, you will take an onshore excursion to Shuangguishan National Forest Park. At 18:00, the captain invites everyone to a welcome banquet. There are also interesting singing and dancing performances at 20:00, and you are encouraged to show yourself in the party.

The ship sails from qutang gorge to Wu Gorge in the morning. After lunch, you will disembark to take a side trip to the Shennong Stream by small wooden boats. The boatmen will sing their folk songs while you enjoy the elegant scenery along the stream. Then you will board the cruise ship again and continue the sail to the Xiling Gorge. As your cruise tour will draw to an end the next day, a farewell party will be thrown at 18:00 tonight. 

After breakfast, you should pack your luggage and check out. Then take a shore excursion to the Three Gorges Dam. After that, the cruise ship company will drive you to the Three Gorges Tourist Center in Yichang city. At this moment, your impressive Chengdu, Chongqing, Yangtze River tour itinerary also comes to its end. 

You can take a taxi to Yichang Sanxia Airport for your onward flight. The cab fare may cost you CNY60 and the driving ride takes about 50 minutes. You can also book our guided tour packages and we will provide easy transfer from the port to Yichang City and the transportation to your next destination.