good guide, especially the lotus pond tip - most tourists never make it there. one thing i'd add is the chengdu tea market on qintai road, near the qintai road subway stop. you can sample before you buy and the prices are even better than lotus pond for loose leaf, just bring small bills cause some old vendors don't do wechat

also for hotpot, shu daxia is fine but i actually prefer the smaller spots in the yulin neighborhood's back alleys. the broth is usually richer and they'll let u pick ur own veggies from a basket out front. just point at what u want if ur chinese isn't great, they're used to it

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solid post, covers the big stuff well. one thing that's saved me a ton is the shared bikes. you see hellobikes and meituan bikes everywhere, and a monthly pass is like 15 yuan. way cheaper than metro for short hops and you get to stumble onto random little temples and food stalls you'd never find on a map.

also, for the panda base, if you're okay with a slightly smaller crowd, the dujiangyan panda base is 35 yuan and way more chill. bus from chengdu is about an hour and costs 10 yuan. same pandas, less selfie sticks.

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This is a solid guide, really covers the essentials. One thing missing is the Chengdu Culture and Arts Center, which is free and often has interesting exhibitions. It is right next to the Sichuan Museum, so you can hit both in an afternoon, but check their hours online first since they change with each show.

I would also add that the cheapest hotpot is often at the small, no-name places in residential neighborhoods, not the chains. You will know them by the plastic stools and steam coming out the door. A meal for two there can be under 60 yuan if you stick to the local cuts like tripe and duck intestines.

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solid breakdown honestly. one thing the guide skims over is how loud some of these areas get at night. i stayed near chunxi road once and the street performers and mall speakers went till like 11pm, not ideal if u want sleep. the huanhuaxi area is way quieter and you can grab a bike to the du fu cottage in like 5 minutes, plus the riverside path is perfect for a morning run. also for food heads, yulin is great but the hotpot places on yulin west street have shorter lines than the ones on yulin south road, just a heads up.

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This is a solid guide. I would add that the area around the Sichuan University Wangjiang campus is worth considering too. It's a bit south of the city center, close to the river, and has a really relaxed tree-lined vibe with tons of cheap food stalls and tea houses that students use. You can get a decent double room in a small hotel there for around 250 a night, and it's a short bike ride to the Jiuyanqiao bar street if you want nightlife without the noise right outside your window.

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good guide. one thing i'd mention is that the area around the sichuan opera theater at shufeng yayun is worth looking at for accommodation. there's a bunch of cheap hotels on shuhan road just east of there, like 150-200 a night for a basic room, and you're right next to the opera house plus a 10 minute walk to kuanzhai. the street food carts on shuhan road after dark are fantastic too, especially the cold noodles at the corner stall near the post office

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