After having such an amazing trip to China and Hong Kong in May 2024, I already knew I needed to plan to return again. I spent some time over the Summer of 2024 thinking about where and when I might like to go – having always had a good experience with seeing cubs on my November China trips, a Winter trip was very appealing. Looking at the timing of Chinese New Year and also my field hockey schedule, I ended up with a ‘sweet spot’ of time in February. I also knew I wanted to see pandas somewhere new, so I focused on Asia so that I would be able to easily get to China as well – and in the end Singapore won^ Let’s get started with the Asia Diaries: February 2025.
Onto the final part of my trip – time to visit Hong Kong for the first time! I had a great few days in Chengdu to round up my time in mainland China. When I was looking at flights, there are no options from Chengdu directly back to Europe, so I was going to need to transfer somewhere like Shanghai or Beijing – I’d already started my trip in Shanghai, and I was in Beijing back in September 2023, so I had a look around and found Hong Kong was an option. With both pandas and Disney to see, I was sold!
After a wonderful and panda-packed week in Dujiangyan, it was finally time to head into Chengdu itself! I took a lunchtime train from Dujiangyan, meaning I could have a nice lie-in and head for a leisurely breakfast, it was nice not to have to fight the coach-loads of other tourists to get a spot. I stocked up on a couple of snacks and drinks at the 7/11 down the street from the hotel then went to pack up. My friend very kindly gave me a lift to the station, which was super nice especially as there was no elevator/escalator so it was down a set of stairs and I wouldn’t have managed it with 2 suitcases! There is just the one line through the Liduiyuan station in Dujiangyan, so super easy to travel through, you’ll definitely get on the right train. It was quite busy, but my friend made sure I got in the right line for showing my passport (vs. the Chinese travellers who can show their ID cards) and even got the guard to let me wait at the front of the boarding group because I had luggage with me. It was a little chaotic once they opened the gates to board the train, luckily my seat was in the first coach I came to and there was plenty of space for luggage, so it wasn’t as stressful as it could have been. The journey is super quick, less than 25 minutes and then you’re at the Xipu station in the outskirts of Chengdu. I was staying at the Crowne Plaza City Centreagain, and know there’s not a metro stop very close to this, so I opted to take a taxi – it was a bit tricky finding the taxi rank, this seemed to be at the opposite side of the station from where my platform was, so it was a bit of a walk along a narrow pavement to find it, but luckily there were plenty of taxis once I got there. I was a bit early for check-in, but this was no problem and they even upgraded me to a suite – which was such a treat! I took a break in the room for a bit and unpacked a little before heading out to see some of my favourite spots – mainly checking out the latest releases at the Panda Post stores and heading to the Kuanzhai Alley (Wide and Narrow alleys) because I wanted to see the Grandpa Panda souvenir store. It was a crazy sight when I got there, the most insane panda souvenir experience I’ve ever seen. It wasn’t as mad as this when I went in September 2023, so it seems to be a recent thing, and I look forward to seeing if it’s changed any when I travel next year too. I didn’t end up buying anything, lots of things were the same and nothing was super unique/individual that I wanted to get. I stopped for a late lunch in my new favourite fast-food place, Dicos, and enjoyed some aircon and an iced drink before heading to Chunxilu and the IFS mall to check out the panda climbing up the building, a must-do every trip for me^ I stopped in a few shops on the way and just enjoyed a leisurely evening walk eventually heading back to the hotel – I ended up just having some snacks while relaxing in the super comfy bed and getting an early night for my early alarm to head to the Chengdu Panda Base the next day.
With a lot of time in the Dujiangyan area, and the panda bases of course only open until the early evening, I had plenty of afternoon/evening time to explore Dujiangyan City properly for the first time. I loved doing this and really got my bearings and the geography of the city – my visits in 2016 and 2017 were very brief and with groups/being taken around to places so it was hard to get a feel for it then. Overall, it felt like a lovely laid back city, and not super large – easy to walk around the main tourist sights and also explore the local way of life there. I really enjoyed it and would definitely return again for a stay. It’s a great place to base yourself for a few days of panda-viewing, with the Dujiangyan Panda Base and Panda Valley both 20-30 minute drives away from the main city centre, and the Wolong Shenshuping Base just an hour into the mountains. Plus it’s only an hour from Chengdu (and the Chengdu Panda Base) by car, or a quick 20 minute train ride (although the station for this train is a little outside the Chengdu city centre) – so it’s very convenient for fellow panda fans!
