Sichuan 四川Sìchuān

About Sichuan

Sichuan pairs a fertile, crowded basin with high western mountains that climb onto the Tibetan Plateau. Chengdu, the capital, moves to an unhurried rhythm of teahouses and mahjong, cooks some of China's most celebrated food, and is the base for seeing giant pandas at breeding and research centres. Beyond it lie the turquoise lakes of Jiuzhaigou, the Leshan Giant Buddha carved into a riverside cliff, and Tibetan towns beneath the snow peaks of the west.

Sichuan at a glance

Area

485,000 km²

Population

83.7 million 2020

Highest point

Mount Gongga 贡嘎山7,556 m

Borders

Chongqing, Gansu, Guizhou, Qinghai, Shaanxi, Tibet, Yunnan

Area, population and highest point from Wikidata; the population is the latest census or official estimate there.

What to eat in Sichuan

• Mapo tofu (麻婆豆腐)
• Kung pao chicken (宫保鸡丁)
• Dandan noodles (担担面)

Places to visit in Sichuan

• 

  Chengdu Giant Panda Base 成都大熊猫繁育研究基地

  Watch giant pandas munch bamboo and tumble about among the trees

  Best time: Year-round; Mar–Jun and Sep–Nov are most comfortable · Time needed: Half a day · 4A scenic area

• 

  Jiuzhaigou Valley 九寨沟

  Lakes so clear you can count the fallen trees lying on their beds

  Best time: Late Sep–Oct; also May–Jun · Time needed: 1–2 days · 5A scenic area · UNESCO World Heritage

• 

  Leshan Giant Buddha 乐山大佛

  A 71-metre Buddha carved from a riverside cliff where three rivers meet

  Best time: Mar–May, Sep–Nov · Time needed: Half a day to 1 day · 5A scenic area · National heritage site · UNESCO World Heritage

• 

  Daocheng Yading 稻城亚丁

  Three sacred snow peaks, glacial lakes and Tibetan meadows high on the plateau

  Best time: May–Jun, Sep–Oct · Time needed: 2–3 days · 5A scenic area

• 

  Huanglong Scenic Area 黄龙

  Thousands of terraced travertine pools spill down a mountain valley like a golden dragon

  Best time: Jun–Oct · Time needed: Half a day to 1 day · 5A scenic area · UNESCO World Heritage

• 

  Sanxingdui Museum 三星堆博物馆

  Goggle-eyed bronze masks and a towering bronze tree from a lost Bronze Age kingdom

  Best time: Year-round · Time needed: Half a day · 4A scenic area · National heritage site

• 

  Dujiangyan Irrigation System 都江堰

  A 2,200-year-old waterworks that tamed the Min River without a dam and still runs today

  Best time: Apr–Oct; early April for the Qingming Water-Releasing Festival · Time needed: Half a day · 5A scenic area · National heritage site · UNESCO World Heritage

• 

  Hailuogou Glacier 海螺沟

  A glacier spilling down into fir forest beneath Mount Gongga, Sichuan's highest peak

  Best time: Sep–Nov; Dec–Feb for hot springs · Time needed: 1–2 days · 5A scenic area

• 

  Mount Emei 峨眉山

  A sacred Buddhist mountain of mist, monasteries and a golden summit above the clouds

  Best time: Apr–Jun, Sep–Nov · Time needed: 2 days · 5A scenic area · National heritage site · UNESCO World Heritage

• 

  Mount Siguniang 四姑娘山

  Four 'sister' snow peaks above three alpine valleys of forest, meadow and lakes

  Best time: May–Jun, Sep–Oct · Time needed: 2 days · 5A scenic area · UNESCO World Heritage

• 

  Zoige Grassland & First Bend of the Yellow River 若尔盖草原与黄河九曲第一湾

  Highland marsh, grazing yaks and the Yellow River looping across the plain at sunset

  Best time: Jun–Sep · Time needed: 1–2 days · 4A scenic area

• 

  Kangding 康定

  An old tea-trading town where Tibetan and Han cultures meet, made famous by a love song

  Best time: May–Oct · Time needed: 1–2 days

• 

  Langzhong Ancient City 阆中古城

  Lantern-hung lanes laid out by feng shui in a loop of the Jialing River

  Best time: Mar–May, Sep–Nov · Time needed: 1–2 days · 5A scenic area · National heritage site

• 

  Mount Qingcheng 青城山

  A cradle of Taoism, where forest stairways climb past temples and cave shrines

  Best time: Apr–Jun, Sep–Nov · Time needed: 1 day · 5A scenic area · National heritage site · UNESCO World Heritage

• 

  Xichang & Qionghai Lake 西昌与邛海

  A sunny lakeside city at the heart of Yi country, ablaze with torches each summer

  Best time: Nov–Apr (dry and sunny); late Jul–early Aug for the Torch Festival · Time needed: 1–2 days · 4A scenic area

• 

  Zigong, City of Salt and Dinosaurs 自贡

  Jurassic dinosaurs, ancient brine wells and the lanterns that made the city famous

  Best time: Jan–Feb (lantern festival); Mar–May, Sep–Nov · Time needed: 1–2 days · 4A scenic area · National heritage site

• 

  Jiaju Tibetan Village 甲居藏寨

  Painted Gyalrong Tibetan farmhouses on a mountainside, in a valley of ancient towers

  Best time: Late Mar–May, Sep–Oct · Time needed: 1–2 days · 4A scenic area · National heritage site

• 

  Jianmen Pass 剑门关

  The cliff-walled gate on the old road to Shu that Li Bai said one man could hold

  Best time: Mar–May, Sep–Nov · Time needed: 1 day · 5A scenic area · National heritage site

• 

  Shunan Bamboo Sea 蜀南竹海

  Ridge upon ridge of feathery bamboo, laced with misty trails, waterfalls and cliff shrines

  Best time: Apr–Jun, Sep–Oct · Time needed: 1–2 days · 4A scenic area

• 

  Songpan Ancient Town 松潘古城

  A walled market town of the old tea-and-horse trade, and a base for horse treks

  Best time: May–Oct · Time needed: Half a day · National heritage site

• 

  Tagong Grassland 塔公草原

  Yak pastures, a revered monastery and the snow peak of Zhara Lhatse on the horizon

  Best time: May–Oct · Time needed: 1–2 days

• 

  Wuhou Shrine & Jinli Street 武侯祠与锦里

  Cypress-shaded halls honouring Three Kingdoms heroes, with a bustling snack lane next door

  Best time: Mar–May, Sep–Nov · Time needed: Half a day · 4A scenic area · National heritage site

• 

  Jiayang Little Steam Train 嘉阳小火车

  A coal-era steam train puffing through rapeseed fields to an old mining town

  Best time: Late Feb–Mar (rapeseed); Apr–May, Sep–Nov · Time needed: Most of a day · 4A scenic area

• 

  Mount Mengding 蒙顶山

  Misty tea terraces and an imperial tea garden where tea growing is said to have begun

  Best time: Mar–May, Sep–Oct · Time needed: Half a day to 1 day · 4A scenic area

• 

  Taoping Qiang Village 桃坪羌寨

  A lived-in Qiang stone village of watchtowers, rooftop paths and hidden water channels

  Best time: Apr–May, Sep–Oct · Time needed: Half a day to 1 day · 4A scenic area · National heritage site

• 

  Anyue Rock Carvings 安岳石刻

  Tang and Song Buddhas carved into quiet hillsides, led by a 23-metre Buddha at rest

  Best time: Mar–May, Sep–Nov · Time needed: 1–2 days · 4A scenic area · National heritage site

• 

  Du Fu Thatched Cottage 杜甫草堂

  Bamboo groves and plum blossom where Du Fu, China's 'Poet-Sage', once lived

  Best time: Mar–May, Sep–Nov; plum blossom around Jan–Feb · Time needed: 2–3 hours · 4A scenic area · National heritage site

• 

  Kuanzhai Alley 宽窄巷子

  Three restored Qing-era lanes of courtyard gateways, teahouses and Sichuan snacks

  Best time: Mar–May, Sep–Nov · Time needed: 2–3 hours

• 

  Luodai Ancient Town 洛带古镇

  A Hakka market town on Chengdu's edge, with grand guild halls built by Qing-era settlers

  Best time: Mar–May, Sep–Nov · Time needed: Half a day · 4A scenic area · National heritage site

• 

  People's Park & Heming Teahouse 人民公园与鹤鸣茶社

  Bamboo chairs, jasmine tea and roving ear cleaners in Chengdu's favourite park

  Best time: Mar–May, Sep–Nov · Time needed: 2–3 hours · National heritage site

• 

  Wenshu Monastery 文殊院

  An active Buddhist monastery of incense-filled courtyards, a teahouse and vegetarian food

  Best time: Mar–May, Sep–Nov · Time needed: 2–3 hours

Listed sites in Sichuan

405 sites in Sichuan are on the official lists, 8 of them rated 5A and 202 protected as national heritage. They are listed by city, with what each is and how to get there.

Cities and prefectures of Sichuan

• Aba 阿坝 Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture · Barkam
  Turquoise lakes, golden travertine terraces and Tibetan and Qiang highlands
• Bazhong 巴中 City
  Tang Buddhas on a city cliff, and beech forests that blaze red each autumn
• Chengdu 成都 City
  Pandas, teahouses and the home kitchen of Sichuan's fiery cooking
• Dazhou 达州 City
  A quarter of China's surviving Han stone gates, amid the Daba foothills
• Deyang 德阳 City
  Bronze Age masks at Sanxingdui and hand-coloured door gods from Mianzhu
• Ganzi 甘孜 Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture · Kangding
  Glaciers, holy peaks and monasteries across the high plateau of Kham
• Guang'an 广安 City
  Rolling hills, a walled clan fortress and the long ridge of Huaying Mountain
• Guangyuan 广元 City
  Cliffs of Tang Buddhas and a temple to China's only woman emperor
• Leshan 乐山 City
  A giant cliff Buddha, a sacred mountain and a town of snack lovers
• Liangshan 凉山 Yi Autonomous Prefecture · Xichang
  Yi highlands of torch festivals, a sunny lake city and a spaceport
• Luzhou 泸州 City
  Baijiu cellars, a dragon-carved Ming bridge and old market towns
• Meishan 眉山 City
  The home town of Su Dongpo, the Song dynasty's celebrated poet and essayist
• Mianyang 绵阳 City
  Li Bai's boyhood country, from the Fu River plain to the Qiang hills
• Nanchong 南充 City
  Silk, rice noodles and an old town laid out by the rules of feng shui
• Neijiang 内江 City
  Sugar-cane country, stone memorial arches and a famous painter's home town
• Panzhihua 攀枝花 City
  Named for the kapok tree's red flowers, a sunny steel city in the far south
• Suining 遂宁 City
  Guanyin's legendary home, and an underground salt lake to float in
• Ya'an 雅安 City
  Rain, tea and pandas on the old road from Sichuan to Tibet
• Yibin 宜宾 City
  Bamboo forests, cliff-hung coffins and burning noodles in Sichuan's deep south
• Zigong 自贡 City
  Dinosaur bones, deep brine wells and the lanterns of the 'Salt Capital'
• Ziyang 资阳 City
  Lemon orchards and Tang Buddhas in the quiet hills east of Chengdu

Before you go

• Visas and visa-free entry Can I visit China without a visa?
• Paying for things How do I pay for things in China without a Chinese bank account?
• Internet and apps Will Google and my other apps work in China?
• Trains and 12306 How do I book train tickets in China with a foreign passport?
• Book popular sights early Which sights in China need booking in advance, and how?
• When to go When is the best time to visit China?

On the map

Open Sichuan on the illustrated map to see where its places sit, how far apart they are, and to add them to a trip.

Learn more

• Wikipedia
• Official website
• Wikipedia (Chinese)