Chengdu Transportation

As the famous hub of transportation in Southwest China, Chengdu has developed its extensive transportation system as the largest transportation junction in Sichuan and southwest of China with flights, bullet trains or long-distance bus extending in all directions. Moreover,there are buses, taxis, subways and many other vehicles for passengers to choose from.

How to Get There & Away

By Air

At present, Chengdu has only one airport, namely Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport. Located in the north of Shuangliu, southwest of Chengdu city, Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport is the largest and busiest civil airport in central and western China with two terminals.The airport operates flight service to dozens of cities in China, as well as international cities and regions such as Hong Kong, Bangkok, Singapore, Tokyo, etc.

Transportation from/to airport:

Airport Shuttle Bus:

There are five airport shuttle bus lines:

  • Line 1: Starting at Minshan Hotel (close to Metro Line 1), with stops at Huaxiba, Provincial Stadium, Nijia Bridge.
  • Line 2: Starting at Chengdu Railway Station, with stops at Renmin North Road, Renmin Middle Road and Tianfu Square East.
  • Line 3: Starting at Chengdu East Railway Station,with stops at Sichuan Normal University South Gate, Hongzhuan Bridge and Chengdu South Railway Station.
  • Line 4: Starting at New Convention and Exhibition Center South Entrance, with stops at Tianfu Road, Defense Paradise.
  • Line 5: Starting at Xipu Bus Station in Pixian Ancient Town, with stops at Chadianzi Bus Terminal.

Subway

It is the most convenient and efficient way between Shuangliu International Airport and downtown by taking subway line 10.

Route:
Airport Terminal 2 (T2) - Airport Terminal 1 (T1) - Jinhua - Huaxing - Cujin - Taiping Garden

Entrance and Exit:
T1 -- Arrival Layer (1F) -- Outside of T1 and in parking lot of T1 ;
T2 -- Negative 2 (B2) -- Inside the channels of L2, L3 and L4.

Time of departure: 6:05-23:05

Taxi

Terminal 1: Outside of Gate No. 2 of Arrival Hall

Terminal 2: Outside of Gate No.4 and No.5 of Arrival Hall

Long-distance Bus

The Passenger Station between Terminal 1 and Terminal 2 has buses to other cities of the province, such as Dayi, Dujiangyan, Leshan, Luzhou, Xichang, Yibin, etc.

Visa-Free Transit: From Sept. 01, 2013, visitors with flight tickets to a third country/region can stop in Chengdu for 72 hours without visa.

By Train

As the largest railway hub in southwest China, Chengdu is the departure station of many lines, such as Chengdu - Chongqing, Chengdu - Baoji, Chengdu - Kunming, etc. There are more than 20 trains from other main cities in China. At present, there are three main train stations in Chengdu: Chengdu (North) Train Station, Chengdu East Train Station and Chengdu South Train Station. Chengdu West Train station is still under construction and when completed, the "two main(north and east railway stations) two auxiliary(south and west railway stations)" pattern will be formed and better service passengers.

  • Chengdu (North) Train Station

Located in Jinniu District, Chengdu (North) Train Station is the main passenger center of Chengdu railway as the terminal of most conventional train lines. In addition, it is the departure station of Chengdu–Dujiangyan Intercity Railway, by taking which to the surrounding scenic spots such as Dujiangyan and Mount Qingcheng.

  • Chengdu East Train Station

Located in the southeast of Chengdu, Chengdu East Train Station mainly has the intercity trains and bullet trains to shorten the journey time, such as 1 hour to Leshan, 2 hour to Chongqing, 14.5 hours to Beijing, and 14 hours to Shanghai.In the future, there are more bullet trains to Kunming, Guilin, Xinan, etc. What’s more, there are one tourist ticket office specialize for tourist routes.

  • Chengdu South Train Station

The trains from Chengdu-Kunming, Chengdu-Chongqing pass here, arriving to Panzhihua, Xichang, Chongqing North, and so on.

  • Chengdu South Train Station

The trains from Chengdu-Kunming, Chengdu-Chongqing pass here, arriving to Panzhihua, Xichang, Chongqing North, and so on.

By Highways

Chengdu is the largest highway hub in the southwest, where there are 6 national highways intersecting in, including 108 National Highway, 213 National Highway, 317 National Highway, 318 National Highway, 319 National Highway and 321 National Highway.

There are over a dozen of long-distance bus stations to different directions in Chengdu, among which Xinnanmen Bus Station (Tourism Bus Center), Chadianzi Bus Station, Wuguiqiao Bus Station (Chengdu General Bus Station) and Chengdu Chengbei Bus Station are the major and frequently used ones.

  • Xinnanmen Bus Station (Tourism Bus Center)

Located in the center of the city, Xinnanmen Bus Station is a tour bus center to the renowned scenic spots in Sichuan and there are+ special lines for the scenic spots, such as Jiuzhaigou, Leshan Giant Buddha, Mt. Emei, Mt. Qingcheng, etc.
Location: No.57, Linjiang Road, Xinnanmen, Wuhou District
Transportation: Bus No. 28, 48, 82, 237, and 904; subway line 1 (Huaxiba Station)
Opening Time: 06:30 – 19:30

Chadianzi Bus Station mainly provides service to Tibetan areas in west and north Sichuan, as well as some famous scenic spots, such as Jiuzhaigou, Dujiangyan, Xiling Snow Mountain, etc.
Location: No.289, Fifth Section, West Third Ring Road, Jinniu District.
Transportation: Bus no. 4, 62, 82, 86, 310, 338, 341, 716, and 805; subway line 2 (Chadianzi Bus Station)
Opening Time: 06:00 – 19:30

  • Wuguiqiao Bus Station (Chengdu General Bus Station)

Near Tazishan Park on the east side of Chengdu, Wuguiqiao Bus Station mainly provides bus service to the places along the Chengdu-Chongqing expressway and Neijiang-Yibin expressway, including Chongqing municipality, Yibin and Zigong cities in Sichuan, and Nanning and Guilin cities in Guangxi Province.
Location: No. 194, Yinghui Road, Chenghua District
Transportation: Bus No. 2, 4, 10, 58, 71, 81, 92, 122, 219, 223, 819, 856, 857, and 858
Opening Time: 06:30 – 20:30

  • Chengdu Chengbei Bus Station

Chengdu Chengbei Bus Station plays an important role as it has the the largest number of bus routes going for more than 100 destinations all across China.
Location: No.85, North Second Section, Second Ring Road
Transportation: Bus no. 2, 9, 11, 16, 24, 36, 55, 57, 65, 73, 80, and 98; subway line 1 (North Railway Station)
Opening Time: 06:00 – 20:00

How to Get Around

Metro

At present, there are six subway lines in Chengdu, namely line 1, line 2, line 3, line 4, Line 7 and line 10, which almost cover all the main tourist areas and the interchange is very convenient. The starting fare is CNY 2, and the highest single ticket price is CNY 10.

  • Line 1: main stations: Chengdu (North) Railway Station, Wenshu Monastery, Tianfu Square, South Railway Station, Jincheng Plaza and Huafu Avenue; running time: 06:30 - 23:00;
  • Line 2: main stations: Chadianzi Bus Station, People’s Park, Tianfu Square, Chunxi Road and Tianfu Square; running time: 06:10 - 22:30;
  • Line 3: main stations: Chengdu Zoo, Chunxi Road, Gaoshengqiao (near to Wuhou Temple and JInli Old Street) and Xinnanmen Bus Station; running time: 06:30 - 22:50;
  • Line 4: main stations: Chengdu University, Luomashi, Wide and Narrow Alley and North Caotang Road; running time: 06:10 - 22:50;
  • Line 7: main stations: South Railway Station, East Railway Station and North City Bus Station; running time: 06:15 - 22:55;
  • Line 10: main stations: Taipingyuan, Terminal 2 of Shuangliu International Airport; running time: 06:00(06:05) - 23:00(23:05).

See more Chengdu Metro.

City Bus

Public bus services in Chengdu extend in all directions, by which you can get to most of the scenic spots in Chengdu. CNY 1 for common public buses and CNY 2 for air-conditioners buses. Remember to take some small changes as there are no conductors on many of the buses. Nice choice to avoid the rush hours.

There are "Chengdu Tong" information kiosks at major intersections of the city, which can be used to check the bus routes, as well as other travel related information.

Taxi

Hundreds of taxi at a stand or along the street are available in the city. For different brands of cars, the starting fare varies a little, CNY 8 or CNY 9 covering the first 2 kilometers. And additional CYN 1.9 per km will be charged if beyond 2 kilometers and within 10 kilometers, additional CYN 2.85 per km will be charged if beyond 10 kilometers. From 23:00 to 06:00 next morning, the starting fare is CNY 9 or CNY 10 and additional CYN 1.9 per km beyond 2 kilometers.

Remember to avoid the rush hours. If you depart from railway stations or long-distance bus stations, it is quite normal that the driver won’t use the taximeter. In this case, you can discuss for a flat rate before getting on the car.

Sightseeing Bus

It can be free to take sightseeing bus with non-stop and directly to attraction sites as long as you buy the entry ticket and guide service. Because of some scenic spots far away from downtown, it saves travelers a lot of time. The parking lot in South Gate of Wuhou Temple is the main pickup point.

Sharing Bike

It is the best choice to ride a bike around the city to enjoy the leisure life. There are many dockless bikes on the streets of Chengdu. To download bike sharing apps and finish the ID verification procedure, you can use these bikes. Usually CNY 0.5 - 1 for every 30 minutes.