Atlas of China
Chengdu to Kangding 成都 – 康定
Door to door, the road comes out ahead: about 3½ hours against about 3½ hours by flight, counting about 20 minutes to board a train and 2½ hours of airport time for a flight. Fares run about ¥110 against about ¥400.
| Way | Time | Door to door | Fare | A day |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FlightChengdu Shuangliu (CTU) → Kangding (KGT) | —in the air | about ¥400varies by day | listedmay not fly daily | |
| By road266 km | 3 h 40 min | 3½ hours |
By train
The timetable has no train for this pair.
Chengdu: Tianfu (TFU), about 50 km south-east, is the busier airport; Shuangliu (CTU) is closer in, and Trip.com's CTU city code covers both. Kangding: No railway yet (the line west of Ya'an is under construction); the airport is about 40 km north-west at 4,280 m, with flights to Chengdu.
By air
A nonstop route is listed between Chengdu Shuangliu (CTU) and Kangding (KGT), but it may not fly every day: check your date.
By road
266 km by road, about 3 h 40 min of driving: routed on OpenStreetMap, with speeds calibrated on measured trips.
At the other end
Featured places around Kangding in Ganzi.
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Hailuogou Glacier 海螺沟
A glacier spilling down into fir forest beneath Mount Gongga, Sichuan's highest peak
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Kangding 康定
An old tea-trading town where Tibetan and Han cultures meet, made famous by a love song
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Tagong Grassland 塔公草原
Yak pastures, a revered monastery and the snow peak of Zhara Lhatse on the horizon
Around Chengdu: Chengdu Giant Panda Base, Sanxingdui Museum, Dujiangyan Irrigation System, Mount Qingcheng, Wuhou Shrine & Jinli Street.
On the map
Open either city on the illustrated map, or put both in a trip and let the planner lay out the days and the legs between them, with the same tables these numbers come from.
Book
About Chengdu · Ganzi, with Kangding · Where Chengdu reaches in a day · All routes
Trains are every direct train on 2026-10-28 or 2026-11-11 in the 12306 timetable, with standard-class fares; one weekday, so weekend and holiday services differ, and the fastest train may not run every day. Flights are the airlines' schedules for 2026-10-28, plus routes Wikipedia lists for small airports. Drives are routed on OpenStreetMap roads (extract of 2026-10-21) where the pair was routed, else estimated from the distance. Door-to-door times add about 20 minutes to board a train and 2½ hours of airport time to a flight. How to book is in the guide to trains and 12306; the rail times are open data on the data page.