Planning a trip to Chengdu

Getting Around

Chengdu's flat terrain and many bike lanes make walking and biking easy, but blocks are long, and crossing the river can require a trek before reaching a bridge. Renmin Lu bisects the city on the north-south axis. Its east-west counterpart is less straightforward: At the heart of the city (Tianfu Sq.), Renmin Xi Lu runs west from the square and Renmin Dong Lu runs east; after a block in either direction, the names change every block or so. Unfortunately, most of Chengdu's avenues have a multitude of names, making a street map essential.

Traffic Hotel (Jiaotong Binguan) at Linjiang Zhong Lu 77 rents bicycles for ¥15 per day with a ¥300 deposit. Take bus no. 6, 49, 50, or 55 and get off at the Xin Nan Men stop. City buses (¥1; air-conditioned ¥2) serve all parts of the city. Some buses charge ¥1 extra at night. Routes are on city maps. Both bus no. 16 and minibus no. 5 (not the full-size no. 5) running the length of Renmin Lu from the North Railway Station to the South Railway Station are useful lines. The most common taxi is the midrange Jetta. Taxi rates are ¥5 for the first kilometer, then ¥1.40 per kilometer thereafter; the rate increases to ¥2.10 per kilometer above 7km (4 1/3 miles). From 10pm to 6am the first kilometer costs ¥6; after that the fare is ¥1.70 per kilometer for the first 7km (4 1/3 miles) and ¥2.55 after that. You pay a ¥1 fuel surcharge for every ride.

The first line of the city's underground railway, Chengdu Metro, running along the Remin Lu, should have started operating by the time you read this. Another line is to be completed by 2012. At press time, some roads were blocked because of the construction work, and traffic was unpleasantly chaotic most of the time. The opening of the underground should help ease the bad traffic.

Fast Facts

• Banks, Foreign Exchange & ATMs -- The Bank of China (Mon-Fri 8:30am-6pm), Zhimin Lu 36 near the Traffic Hotel and Xin Nan Men Bus Station, has full foreign-exchange facilities and an ATM. The branch at Renmin Nan Lu opposite the Min Shan Fandian also has an ATM, and is open the same hours.

• Consulates -- The U.S. Consulate is at Lingshiguan Lu 4 (tel. 028/8558-3992; Mon, Tues, and Thurs 1:30-3pm, Fri 9am-noon and 1:30-3pm; http://chengdu.usconsulate.gov). Take bus no. 16, 61, 49, or 50 to Lingshiguan Lu. TheSingapore Consulate is located on the 31st floor of First City Plaza East Wing, at Shuncheng Da Jie 308 (tel.028/8652-7222; Mon to Fri 9am-noon and 1-5pm).

• Internet Access -- Try the Qilin Wangba and Jin Shou Wangba, which both charge ¥2 per hour. Both are halfway down the alley off Lingshiguan Lu near the U.S. Consulate. There is also an Internet cafe on the second floor above Xin Nan Men Bus Station that is surrounded by computer game machines. It also charges ¥2 per hour. Otherwise, you can find Internet cafes around the university, the U.S. Consulate, and the Jiaotong Binguan, most of them open 24 hours. Dial-up is tel. 163.

• Post Office -- The Jinjiang Hotel post office (8am-noon and 2:30-5:30pm) at Renmin Nan Lu 80, 2 Duan, opposite the Min Shan Fandian, is reliable and conveniently located.

• Visa Extensions -- The Exit-Entry Office of the PSB (Jingwai Renyuan Banzheng Qianzheng Ting) is at Wenwu Lu 144 (tel. 028/8640-7067; Mon-Fri 9am-noon and 1-5pm). The entrance is at 391 Shuncheng Dajie. Processing time is officially 5 days, but 3 days seems to be the average, and it's even speedier if you show an ongoing ticket. Take bus no. 55, 62, or 73 from railway stations 16 or 64; get off at the junction of Renmin Zhong Lu and Wenwu Lu and walk east.

Getting There

Shuangliu Airport is 17km (11 miles) south of Chengdu. Destinations include Beijing (eight or nine flights daily); Guangzhou (eight or nine flights daily); Shenzhen (17 flights daily); Hong Kong (one or two flights daily); and Kunming (eight to ten flights daily). To Lhasa, there are up to 13 flights daily, from 6am to 3pm. Travelers are no longer required to enter Tibet with a group of five or more, but Tibet Tourism Bureau permits (TTP) are, for the time being, still required. It takes 3 to 7 days to obtain a permit. The price of a one-way flight to Tibet, TTP permit, and airport transfer in Chengdu is around ¥2,000. All flights can be booked with any of the several English-speaking travel agents at and near the Traffic Hotel. Dragonair has an office in the Sheraton Lido (tel. 028/8676-8828) at Renmin Zhong Lu 15, 1 Duan. The airport bus, no. 303, is outside the domestic arrival exit. It takes 30 to 40 minutes to city center and costs ¥10. The airport bus at the China Southwest office on Renmin Nan Lu Er Duan, (next to Min Shan Fandian) costs ¥10 and departs every half-hour. Or take bus no. 300 at the North Railway Station. The 22km (14-mile) ride takes 70 minutes and costs ¥6. A taxi from the city center to the airport costs ¥60 to ¥75, including a ¥10 toll.

The main railway station is at the northern end of Renmin Bei Lu, 8km (5 miles) north of the Mao statue in the city center. The ticket office, open 24 hours, is to the right of the main building. Try to purchase tickets at least 2 days in advance. Major destinations include Beijing (fast trains; 26 hr.; hard sleeper ¥418), Kunming (fast trains 19 hr.; ¥257), Shanghai (36 1/2 hr.; hard sleeper ¥467), and Chongqing Bei (3 hr. 40 min.; hard seat ¥51).

Xin Nan Men Bus Station (Xin Nan Men Qichezhan), at the corner of Xin Nan Lu and Linjiang Zhong Lu and next to the Traffic Hotel, is clean, efficient, and tourist-friendly (has signs in English). Air-conditioned buses leave from here for Le Shan (2 hr.; ¥43-¥49) and for Emei Shan (2 hr. 15 min.; ¥43); to Jiuzhai Gou (12 hr.; ¥140), Dujiang Yan, (1 hr.; ¥25) and Qingcheng Shan (1 hr.; ¥25).

Air-conditioned buses to Chongqing leave throughout the day from the equally clean, efficient Wu Gui Qiao Bus Station (Wu Gui Qiao Qichezhan) southeast of the city center on Yinghui Lu (4 1/4 hr.; ¥115-¥125).