How to see pandas in Chengdu: tickets, timing and other bases (2026)

The Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, usually called the Panda Base, is the easiest place in the world to see giant pandas. It sits in the city’s northern suburbs and is reached by metro. The two things that matter most are booking online and getting there early.

How to get a ticket

• Tickets are real-name and sold online, up to 14 days ahead. You need each visitor’s name and passport number.
• The official channels are the Panda Base’s WeChat account and mini-program, plus authorised platforms including Trip.com, Meituan, Douyin and Tongcheng. Trip.com is the easiest if you do not use WeChat.
• An adult ticket costs ¥55. Students pay ¥27. Children under 6 or under 1.3 m and visitors aged 60 and over are free, but still need to book.
• The official site says the gate windows sell tickets only if there are any left and only for people who cannot pay online. Do not count on it, especially at weekends and in the summer holidays.

Each ticket is for a morning or afternoon session, so pick the morning.

Opening hours and the day itself

• March to October: 07:30–18:00, last entry 17:00.
• November to February: 08:00–17:30, last entry 16:30.

At the gate, foreign visitors use the manual lane: show the passport you booked with. Inside, the park is large and hilly. Walk up to the adult and sub-adult enclosures and the moon nursery first, then work your way down. The on-site electric carts save legs if you have small children. Plan on three to four hours.

Getting there: take Metro Line 3 to Panda Avenue station, then the shuttle bus to the south gate. A taxi or DiDi from the centre takes 30–40 minutes. On rainy or cool days the pandas stay active longer.

Other places to see pandas

Pandas also live at the bases of the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda, in more natural mountain settings, but they are a long day trip from Chengdu:

• Dujiangyan (about 1.5 hours away) has been closed since 23 April 2026 for upgrades. No reopening date has been announced.
• Wolong Shenshuping, in the Wolong nature reserve about 2–3 hours by road, is open and needs a real-name booking.
• Bifengxia near Ya’an, about 2.5 hours by road, is also a centre-run base.

Check the current status before you go, as these bases change their rules and open days.

Volunteer programs

Programs where you help keepers for a day (cleaning enclosures, preparing bamboo) have been run at the conservation center’s bases. With Dujiangyan closed, agencies now point visitors to Wolong and Bifengxia. You cannot hug or hand-feed pandas. Book through the center or a reputable agency at least a week ahead, and check the current price, age limits and whether a health form is needed.

See our Panda Base page for the address in Chinese to show your driver, and the Chengdu city guide for the rest of your stay.