7 Days Xi'an, Chengdu & Chongqing: The Ultimate Central China Itinerary (2026)

Xi’an, Chengdu, and Chongqing form an inland triangle of remarkable diversity — an ancient imperial capital, a relaxed panda city, and a cliff-built megacity — all connected by high-speed trains and sharing a Sichuan culinary tradition that produces some of the world’s most complex spiced food.

This 7-day circuit is ideal for travellers who want China’s historical and cultural core without the overwhelming scale of a multi-week trip. It works as a standalone China experience or as the middle section of a longer journey.

Table of contents

Getting To and From the Circuit

Entry options:

• Fly into Xi’an Xianyang International Airport (start in Xi’an)
• Fly into Chengdu Tianfu International Airport (reverse the route)

Exit options:

• Fly out of Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport (end in Chongqing)
• Or: Chongqing → High-speed train to Shanghai (10 hours, or overnight) for a gateway to international connections

Internal connections:

• Xi’an → Chengdu: 3.5 hours HSR
• Chengdu → Chongqing: 1 hour HSR (or 2 hours by regular train)

Day 1: Xi’an Arrival

Afternoon: Arrive Xi’an. Check in near the Ancient City Wall (城墙) — staying inside the wall gives the most atmospheric experience.

Evening: Muslim Quarter (回民街) — the covered food street running through Xi’an’s Muslim district. Open-air lamb kebab stalls, persimmon cake vendors, pomegranate juice presses, sesame flat bread shops. This is one of China’s best evening food experiences.

Must try:

• Roujiamo (肉夹馍) — slow-braised pork in a sesame flatbread
• Biangbiang Noodles (biángbiáng面) — wide hand-pulled noodles with chilli oil
• Yang Rou Pao Mo (羊肉泡馍) — lamb soup with chunks of bread torn in by the eater
• Pomegranate juice — fresh-pressed, perfect with spiced food

Day 2: Terracotta Warriors and Imperial Xi’an

Morning — Terracotta Warriors

8:30am: DiDi or group bus to the Terracotta Warriors (兵马俑), approximately 40 minutes east of Xi’an city.

Pit 1 — the main excavation hall, containing over 6,000 warriors in military formation — is the most dramatic sight. Walk the elevated perimeter path at a slow pace. The scale is extraordinary: a real army, in real formation, underground for 2,200 years.

Hire a guide at the entrance: licensed guides (look for official badges) provide the discovery story (a farmer drilling a well in 1974) and explain the military formation, rank indicators, and ongoing excavation. 2 hours, ¥200–350.

Pit 2 and 3: Smaller but contain specific military units — cavalry, command post — and have better close-up views of individual warrior faces and craftsmanship.

Huaqing Pool (华清宫) — 20 minutes from the Warriors — is an optional add-on: the Tang dynasty imperial hot springs, now a park with reconstructed palace buildings and pools. Historically significant as the location of the Emperor Xuanzong and Yang Guifei love story, and the 1936 Xi’an Incident that changed Chinese history.

12:30pm: Return to Xi’an for lunch.

Afternoon — City Wall and Drum Tower

2pm: Ancient City Wall cycling — rent a bike at the wall’s south gate (Nan Men) and cycle the full 13.7km circuit on top of the wall. The wall is 12–14 metres wide at the top — wide enough for four horse-drawn carriages side by side. Time: approximately 1.5–2 hours at a relaxed pace. Cost: ¥45 for bike rental.

4:30pm: Drum Tower (鼓楼) and Bell Tower (钟楼) — the two landmark wooden towers at the city centre. The Drum Tower has regular drumming performances; the Bell Tower has a bell-ringing ceremony. Together, a 45-minute visit.

Evening: Dinner: try Jia San Soup Dumplings (贾三灌汤包子) near the Drum Tower for Xi’an-style steamed dumplings filled with soup.

Day 3: Xi’an to Chengdu

Morning — Shaanxi History Museum

9am: Shaanxi History Museum (陕西历史博物馆) — free entry (limited daily tickets, book online). One of China’s best provincial museums, covering 1.15 million objects from prehistoric time to the Qing dynasty. The Tang dynasty section is exceptional — gold and silver artifacts, Buddhist sculptures, and the famed ceramic glazed horses and camels.

Allow 2 hours. The English audio guide is useful.

12pm: Lunch near the museum.

Afternoon — High-Speed Train to Chengdu

1:30pm: High-speed train from Xi’an North to Chengdu East. Duration: 3.5 hours. Book in advance: this route is popular and tickets sell quickly.

The train passes through the Qinling Mountains — the geological divide between northern and southern China. The scenery is excellent.

6pm: Arrive Chengdu. Check in near Tianfu Square or the Jinli/Wide and Narrow Alley area for easy access to the city’s main attractions.

Evening: Wide and Narrow Alley (宽窄巷子) — two preserved Qing-dynasty lane complexes (Broad Alley and Narrow Alley) now lined with restaurants, tea houses, and Sichuan snack vendors. A good gentle introduction to Chengdu’s atmosphere. Try the dan dan mian (担担面) noodles and rabbit head (兔头) — the latter a Chengdu specialty that most visitors at least try.

Day 4: Chengdu — Pandas and Sichuan Culture

Morning — Giant Panda Base

8:30am: DiDi to Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding (成都大熊猫繁育研究基地), approximately 30 minutes from central Chengdu.

Arrive early: Pandas are most active in the morning (8:30–11am). By 11:30am, most are sleeping in their enclosures and the visitor experience becomes less dynamic.

What to see:

• Adult panda enclosures: Multiple enclosures, typically 6–8 pandas visible
• Sub-adult enclosure: Young pandas playing together
• Red panda section: Often overlooked but charming — smaller, fox-like creatures with extraordinary colouring

Book tickets online in advance (especially weekends and holidays). Tickets: ¥90.

11:30am: Return to Chengdu.

Afternoon — Wenshu Monastery and Jinli Street

12:30pm: Lunch at Wenshu Monastery’s Buddhist canteen (文殊院素餐) — one of the best Buddhist vegetarian canteens in China. Low cost (¥15–30), genuinely excellent food, peaceful courtyard setting.

2pm: Walk Jinli Ancient Street (锦里) — a reconstruction of Han-dynasty architecture now filled with Sichuan craft shops, snack vendors, and tea houses. More touristy than the monks’ canteen courtyard, but the snack variety (pork skewers, sweet dumplings, rice wine) is good.

4pm: Check out the Sichuan Opera face-changing performance (变脸) — if your hotel doesn’t organize one, the Shufeng Yayun Tea House in the People’s Park area runs nightly performances.

Evening: Sichuan hotpot dinner — Chengdu’s signature communal dining experience. Choose a local restaurant rather than a hotel option:

• Haidilao — the famous chain, exceptional service but pricier than local options
• Xiaolongkan (小龙坎) — classic Chengdu-style hotpot, branches throughout the city
• Order a 鸳鸯锅 (yuānyāng guō) — half spicy, half mild — if you’re uncertain about your spice tolerance

Day 5: Chengdu — Leshan Giant Buddha

Full Day — Leshan Giant Buddha

8:30am: Long-distance bus or DiDi to Leshan, approximately 1.5 hours from central Chengdu.

The Giant Buddha (乐山大佛) is 71 metres tall — the largest pre-modern stone Buddha in the world, carved into a cliff face above the confluence of three rivers during the Tang dynasty (construction: 713–803 AD). The thumbnail alone is 1.5 metres long.

Viewing options:

• By boat: Charter a boat from the Leshan docks to approach the Buddha from the river. The full figure is only visible from the water — from the cliff path, you see sections. ¥70 per person on a tourist boat, 30-minute circuit.
• By cliff path: The path descends along the Buddha’s side — head, torso, feet visible in sequence. Requires queuing on a narrow cliff path on busy days.

Do both if time allows.

Lunch in Leshan town: Leshan’s local specialty is Leshan Bobo Chicken (乐山钵钵鸡) — cold skewers of meat and vegetables dipped in spiced broth.

3:30pm: Return to Chengdu.

Evening: Moderate dinner (by Day 5 of Sichuan food, most stomachs appreciate a milder option). Teahouse evening in the People’s Park (人民公园) — the teahouse under the willows is one of the most genuinely local Chengdu experiences.

Day 6: Chengdu to Chongqing

Morning — Sanxingdui Museum Day Trip

Optional early start: Sanxingdui Museum (三星堆博物馆), 40 minutes north of Chengdu, houses the extraordinary bronze artifacts of a 3,000-year-old Bronze Age civilization discovered in 1986. The bronze masks and tree sculpture are unlike anything else in Chinese archaeology — alien-looking, enormous, and deeply strange. If you have intellectual interest in archaeology, this is one of the most surprising museums in China. Takes 2.5–3 hours.

12:30pm: Lunch in Chengdu or on the route.

1:30pm: High-speed train from Chengdu East to Chongqing North. Duration: 1 hour 10 minutes.

Afternoon — Chongqing Arrival

3pm: Arrive Chongqing. Check in near Jiefangbei (解放碑) central district for maximum access to the city.

Evening: Hongyadong (洪崖洞) — the 11-story cliff-side building complex. Walk to the bridge (about 15 minutes from Jiefangbei) for the iconic view of the hanging facade and neon reflections. This is one of China’s most-photographed night scenes.

Dinner: Chongqing hotpot — the original, spiciest version. Choose the local oil-based broth (not the Tokyo-friendly “health soup” variants). Recommended: Lao Wang Hotpot in the Shapingba district, or any of the Nanbin Road restaurants with Yangtze views.

Day 7: Chongqing — City Architecture and Departure

Morning — Chongqing’s Vertical City

Chongqing is built on steep cliffs between two rivers and has an urban architecture unlike any other city on earth. Morning exploration:

9am: Eling Park (鹅岭公园) — elevated park with views over both the Yangtze and Jialing rivers and the canyon of the city between them. The best free city viewpoint.

10am: Explore the Jiaochangkou area — the old commercial district built on slopes where shops, restaurants, and apartment blocks appear stacked on top of each other, connected by steep escalators and hillside stairs.

11:30am: Ciqikou Ancient Town (磁器口) — a well-preserved 1,000-year-old town at the western end of the city. Stone-paved main street, Ming and Qing wooden architecture, street food including stinky tofu and peanut candy.

1pm: Lunch in Ciqikou — try the traditional Sichuan snacks (liangfen cold noodles, dumplings in chilli oil).

2:30pm: DiDi to Chongqing Jiangbei Airport for departure, or head to the train station for onward connections.

Getting Around This Circuit

Xi’an: Metro (Line 2 to Terracotta Warriors area is the starting point; taxis for final approach) or DiDi for the Warriors and wall cycling. Most central sights are walkable.

Chengdu: Metro Line 3 to Panda Base. DiDi for Leshan day trip and airport. Cycling or walking for the city centre.

Chongqing: The most complex city for navigation — the cliff city means metro lines, escalators, monorail, and DiDi all play roles. Use Amap for route guidance at each specific journey.

Budget Estimate

Also see: Xi’an Terracotta Warriors Guide | Chengdu Complete Guide | Chongqing Food Guide