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Dujiangyan Travel Guide

Dujiangyan Travel Guide

Located in the west of Chengdu City and about 48km from the city center, Dujiangyan City is the county-level city of Chengdu City. The city is known by most people for its Dujiangyan Irrigation System, which is called the Origin of the Land of Abundance. The 20,00-year-old irrigation system is reputed as the forerunner of the world conservancy culture, and it’s the oldest and the only non-controlling irrigation system in the world which is still in use. Not only as the World Heritage Site, Dujiangyan is also the home to giant panda. Dujiangyan Panda Base one of the places offering Panda Volunteer Program in China. Mount Qingcheng is also located in Dujiangyan, which is a tranquil Taoist mountain. Dujiangyan is also a famous summer resort in Chengdu, for the weather here is very cool even in the hot summer.

Why Visit Dujiangyan:

  • World Heritage Sites – Dujiangyan City has two World Heritage Sites, one is Dujiangyan Irrigation System, which has a history over two thousand years; the other one is Mount Qingcheng, which is a famous Taoism mountain in China.
  • Nearest Panda Base to Do Volunteering - Tourists can make a close contact with the cute giant panda in Dujiangyan Panda Base, where tourists can participate the Panda Volunteer Program to take care of the giant panda for one day.
  • Summer Resort - The best time to visit Dujiangyan is summer, during this time, the temperature here is lower than Chengdu City, and the average temperature of the hottest month is 24.4℃, thus it’s a great place to escape summer heat.

Top Attractions in Dujiangyan

Dujiangyan is a beautiful city with good air quality. There are many attractions in Dujiangyan. The most famous one is the Dujiangyan Irrigation System, and the city is named after this project. Besides that, Mount Qingcheng is also a great place to relax. If you are interested in giant panda, the Dujiangyan Panda Base is your best choice. For more Dujiangyan Attractions, please go to Top Things to Do in Dujiangyan.

Dujiangyan Irrigation System
Dujiangyan Irrigation System

Dujiangyan Irrigation System was built two thousand years ago, and it’s the representative of Dujiangyan City. It makes a great contribution to the abundance of Chengdu.

Mount Qingcheng
Mount Qingcheng

Mount Qingcheng is a very tranquil mountain and it’s one of the famous Taoism mountains in China. Aged Taoism temples sitting in the serene forest, just like in paradise.

Dujiangyan Panda Base
Dujiangyan Panda Base

For panda lovers, Dujiangyan Panda Base is a great place to go. Tourists can participate the Panda Volunteer Program here to learn more about pandas through experiencing the keepers’ daily work.

Dujiangyan Confucius Temple
Confucius Temple

Dujiangyan Confucius Temple is the ONLY living Confucius Temple in China to experience traditional Six Arts - “Rites”, “Music”, “Archery”, “Charioteering”, “Calligraphy” and “Mathematics”.

Dujiangyan Panda Valley
Dujiangyan Panda Valley

Also called the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding Dujiangyan Field Research Center. You can see about 10 giant pandas living in this wild, natural and peaceful environment.

Jiezi Ancient Town
Jiezi Ancient Town

Jiezi Ancient Town is the hometown of the Ladle Poet – Tang Qiu in Late Tang Dynasty. It is also reputed as “the Back Garden of Mount Qingcheng" and “Hometown of Orchid”.

Top Things to Do in Dujiangyan

To make your life more colorful and interesting in Dujiangyan, we have digged out the featured activities with lots of fun. It could be unique experience and even once-in-lifetime experience. Choose your likes and enjoy!

Panda Volunteer Program
Panda Volunteer Program

80 % - 90 % volunteer would choose Dujiangyan Panda Base to experience the one-day Volunteering Work! During the program, volunteers will see as many pandas as possible, clean the pandas’ enclosures, prepare special panda food, chop bamboo and feed the cute pandas...

Dujiangyan Qingming Drainage Festival
Dujiangyan Qingming Drainage Festival

With a history of more than 1800 years, Dujiangyan Qingming Drainage Festival is the oldest, most important and most distinctive large-scale Folk Festival in Dujiangyan. The festival is from 4th April to 7th April, join the festival is a good way to learn more about local traditions and cultures.

Hot Spring
Medicine Hot Springs

Mount Qingcheng is popular for its' medicine springs, you can plan a family tour to Mount Qingcheng during weekend and relax yourself in different medicine hot spring pools surrounded by forested nature. Soaking yourself in medicine springs is not only good for your health, but also can help you lose weight.

Dujiangyan Hongkou Drifting
Hongkou Drifting

Hongkou Drifting Centre, which has the reputation of the first drifting centre in western China, and is one of the national canoeing training bases because people can drift about 24.2 kilometers and many places have drop of 1 meter. It is consists of free drifting and challenger drifting.

Weather & Best Time to Visit

Dujiangyan City is located in a subtropical humid monsoon climate zone in Sichuan Basin, and the weather here is not two cold or too hot, it’s a great place to live. In the coldest month, the average temperature is 4.6℃, while in the hottest month, the average temperature is 24.4℃. Annual average rainfall is 1243.8 millimeters.

The best visiting time is from April to October. Dujiangyan is a famous summer resort and summer is the best time to visit. Even in the hottest time, Dujiangyan and Mount Qingcheng still retain a rather cool weather, and in most time, the weather is around 22℃. Besides, in summer, tourists can experience Hongkou drifting, beer festival in summer night.

For more infromation about Dujiangyan Weather & Best Time to Visit, please go to Dujiangyan & Mount Qingcheng Weather | Best Time to Visit.

Transportation & How to Get There

Getting to Dujiangyan

Dujiangyan has no airport, and the closet airport is Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport, which is about 70km to Dujiangyan City. At present, there is direct bus line from the airport to Dujiangyan Bus Station and it will drive about 1.5 hours. From Chengdu, travelers can take bullet bus in Chengdu North Railway Station to Dujiangyan, and this will only spend 30minutes to 50 minuts to get there. If you can’t catch the bullet train, then you can take bus at Chengdu Chadianzi Bus Station to Dujiangyan Bus Station, and it will drive about one hour.

Getting Around

Dujiangyan City is small and the public bus can take you to all of the attractions of Dujiangyan conveniently. Another way is taking taxi, which is more convenient and the price for the taxi is cheap than Chengdu. In most cases, transfer from one attraction to another will cost under ¥12.

Travel Dujiangyan with China Discovery

For visitors want to save energy and efforts on planning the not so convenient transfer between Dujiangyan and other popular destinations around Dujiangyan, you are highly recommended to travel with us China Discovery. We China Discovery based in Chengdu, Sichuan have many professional experts with rich knowledge of whole Sichuan and will help you plan and arrange the most comfortable and convenient way to get to Dujiangyan city and around. Besides, our local English guide will introduce all history and highlights of Dujiangyan for your memorable experience and our driver will escort you from any places you want to your accommodation and attractions with our comfortable licensed private vehicle! Please feel free to contact us if you need any help!

For more information, please see How to Get to Dujiangyan from Chengdu & Dujiangyan Transportation

Accommodation & Recommended Hotels

Most travelers would stay one night in Dujiangyan city. Dujiangyan City has multiple kinds of accommodations, from cheap hostel to high-end hotels. Most accommodations are centered on Jianshe Road, Guanjing Road and Dujiangyan Avenue, etc. and these places are very close to Dujiangyan scenic area. Most travelers will choose to stay in this section. However, the price for the accommodation near the attractions is higher than other places. So when in the weekends or the tourism peak time, choose to stay overnight at those places which are more far about from the scenic area are also doable, because the price is cheaper in those places.

For more infromation about Dujiangyan Where to Stay & Best Places to Stay, please go to Where to Stay & Recommended Best Places to Stay in Dujiangyan.

Dujiangyan Maps

To help you have a better understanding of Dujiangyan’s location, transportation, top highlights, we here collect some useful maps at below, including Dujiangyan Panda Base Guide Map, Mount Qingcheng Tourist Map, Dujiangyan Irrigation Map, Dujiangyan Transportation Map, Dujiangyan Travel Map etc. For more maps, please check all 2023 Dujiangyan Maps >>

Dujiangyan Panda Base Map

Dujiangyan Panda Base Guide Map

Mount Qingcheng Tourist Map

Mount Qingcheng Tourist Map

Map of Dujiangyan Irrigation System

Map of Dujiangyan Irrigation System

Dujiangyan Sichuan Map

Dujiangyan Sichuan Map

Dujiangyan Attractions Map

Dujiangyan Attractions Map

Chengdu to Dujiangyan Transportation Map

Chengdu to Dujiangyan Transportation Map

Other Destinations in Sichuan

Besides Dujiangyan, Sichuan has other wonderful destinations, like Chengdu, Leshan, Jiuzhaigou, Daocheng Yading, etc. Check all destinations in China

Other Destinations in Sichuan Samll Loop

Besides Daocheng Yading, there are some other destinations in Sichuan well worth your visit. Travel Daocheng Yading with following destinations and explore more of Sichuan’s wonderful nature, cultural heritage sites, and authentic local life, including leisure Chengdu City, the hometown of giant panda, Jiuzhaigou Valley, the fairyland world, Leshan, the profound home of Giant Buddha and Mount Emei, Mount Siguniang, the Oriental Alps. Discover now!

More Natural Destinations in China

If you are fond of nature very much, why not discover the terrific sceneries of more scenic destinations in China, such as Guilin, Zhangjiajie, Huangshan, Yunnan, etc. to satisfy your eyes and mind to the most. Check the detailed travel guide of each destination and start your nature exploration!

Dujiangyan Travel Guide

Chinese Name: 都江堰

Chinese Pinyin: Dū Jiāng Yàn

Population: 0.671 million

Language: Mandarin & Sichuan Dialect

Tel Code: 028

Zip Code: 611830

Time Zone: (UTC+8)

Plan Your Dujiangyan Tour

Usually, tourists take a side trip from Chengdu to visit Dujiangyan Irrigation System. Most of them would spend two days there, the first half a day around (3~4 hours) to explore the magical Dujiangyan Irrigation System. And during the rest of that day, they will head to Mount Qingcheng to indulge in the peaceful natural forest and holy Taoist culture. Stay one night at Dujiangyan City or Qingchengshanzhen. Get up early in the second day and join the whole-day panda volunteer program in Dujiangyan Panda Base, have a intimated contact with them. If your time is limited, you can choose two scenic spots out of three and shorten your Dujiangyan tour for one day.

Before or after the Dujiangyan tour, many visitors will take 1~2 days or so to discover the delicious food and fantastic attractions in Chengdu downtown, like Chengdu Panda Base, Jinli Ancient Street, etc.

If you love more otherworldly alpine sceneries and the atmosphere of Tibet, you are suggested to go further west along the Western Sichuan Small Tourists Loop to get more surprises. Western Sichuan offers world-class alpine snow-caped mountains, grasslands, lakes and a strong taste of Tibet waiting for your visit.

The tour can be tailor-made according to your group size, time, physical condition, plan, interest, budget and every special need. If you have any other ideas about the trip or you have other places or cities wanted to visit please feel free to contact us, our experienced travel consultants are more than willing to help.

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