Chengdu & Sichuan · Food, tea, mountains, pandas
Chengdu runs on tea and conversation. This journey uses the city as a soft base for pandas at feeding time, a 2,200-year-old irrigation system that still works, the Leshan Giant Buddha, and the most interesting regional cuisine in China — from the kitchens where it’s actually eaten.
Day by day
Slow by design. If you want more mountain, we extend west; if you want more kitchen, we stay in town.
Private welcome and transfer. First stop is not a sight but a tea house: bamboo chairs, thermos flasks, and the afternoon to arrive properly. Hotpot tonight, mild-to-wild as you dare.
At the Panda Base for the 8am feeding, before the paths fill. Afternoon in People’s Park — matchmaking corner, ear cleaners, mahjong — Chengdu at its most itself.
Morning wet market walk with a chef — chillies, peppercorns, pickles — then a hands-on cooking class and the lunch you just made. Evening free for street food or a proper table.
The irrigation system that has watered this plain since 256 BC, then an easy afternoon among the Taoist temples and moss-green paths of Qingcheng’s front mountain.
Day trip to the 71-metre Tang-dynasty buddha carved into the river cliff — seen properly from the water and the path beside it. Return via Suji town for its famous slow-cooked beef.
Kuanzhai alleys early, a calligraphy or tea-ceremony session with a master we rate, and the Sichuan opera’s face-changing performance after dinner.
Yours to wander. Suggestions we happily arrange: the Jinsha archaeological site and its gold sun bird, a countryside tea farm, or simply a long lunch.
Private transfer, unhurried timing, help until you’re airborne.
Indicative pricing
| Party | Guide price, per person | Includes |
|---|---|---|
| 2 travellers | from €3,200 | Character hotels, one room |
| 4 travellers | from €2,900 | Character hotels, two rooms |
| 6 travellers | on request | Rooming to suit your party |
Seven nights’ character accommodation with breakfast · private English-speaking local guide · private car and driver throughout · all day trips, entrances and class fees as described · daily operations support · payment setup and local SIM/eSIM advice.
International and domestic flights to Chengdu · most lunches and dinners (the point of this trip — we’ll set the table; budget €45–70 per person per day) · travel insurance (required) · personal spending and optional gratuities.
Make it yours
We reply within one working day — including honest advice on season, spice levels and whether the mountains are right for your party.