By Chuan-X Panda
Updated: Aug. 13, 2025 11:00 AM
The Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding ( abbreviation: Chengdu Panda Base) is a world-renowned ex situ conservation base, research and breeding base, public education base, and educational tourism base for giant pandas. As of the June of 2025, the population of giant pandas reached 260, making it the largest artificial breeding population of captive giant pandas in the world. In 2024, Chengdu Panda Base received nearly 12 million visitors, ranking among the top 10 tourist attractions' in China and the top 1 place to see pandas in China with the highest number of visitors.
The Chengdu Panda Base is located at 1375 Panda Avenue, Chenghua District, Chengdu City, Sichuan Province, China. It is 10 kilometers away from the city center and more than 30 kilometers away from Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport.
Tourists can choose from various modes of transportation to reach the base, including public transportation, Didi ride hailing, taxi, or green cycling. Let's explain in detail how to reach the Chengdu Panda Base as below.
Public Transportation Options
- By "Metro + Shuttle Bus":
- Destination: the South Gate of Chengdu Panda Base (including return). Take Chendgu Metro Line 3 to Panda Avenue Station (熊猫大道站). Exit from Exit A, walk 10 meters, take a shuttle bus 408 to the Station of South Gate of Chengdu Panda Base, and take the bus 408 at the exit to return to the metro station-Panda Avenue Station. Customer service hotline for shuttle buses: 4000-82-1717.
- Destionation: the West Gate of Chengdu Panda Base (including return). Take Chengdu Metro Line 3 to the Chengdu Junqu General Hospital Station (地铁军区总医院站, also named as General Hospital of Western Theater Command PLA station). Exit from Exit B, and head 280 meters towards the Yulei Road (玉垒路）intersection to reach shuttle bus station of Chengdu Junqu General Hospital Station;The starting stop of Bus 409 is the Chengdu Junqu General Hospital Station, and the terminal stop is the West Gate of Chengdu Panda Base Station, with a fare of 2 yuan. When returning, you can return to the Chengdu Junqu General Hospital Station by taking the shuttle bus at the exit of west gate of panda base.
- How to get to and return from the airport and railway station: Whether landing at Chengdu Shuangliu Airport, Chengdu Tianfu International Airport, or arriving at Chengdu East Railway Station, Chengdu North Railway Station, or Chengdu South Railway Station, you can take the metro to transfer to Chengdu Metro Line 3, and follow the above "subway+shuttle" method to go and return.
- By "Metro + Bus":
- Option 1, Destination: the South Gate of Chengdu Panda Base. Take Chengdu Metro Line 3 to reach Chengdu Zoo Station(also named as Chengdu Dongwuyuan Station，成都动物园站): Exit from Exit A, walk 200 meters, take bus 655 at the Chengdu Zoo bus stop (heading towards Xindu Transport Hub Station— 新都客运枢纽站), get off at the Panda Base bus station after 9 stops, and walk about 5 minutes to reach the South Gate of Chengdu Panda Base, with a fare of 2 yuan. Return to the Chengdu Metro Line 3: Take bus 655 at the Panda Base station (heading towards Weijianian Metro Station on Qinggang North Road—青冈北路， 地铁韦家碾站), to Chengdu Zoo bus stop after 9 stops.
- Option 2, Destination: the South Gate of Chengdu Panda Base. Take Chengdu Metro Line 3 to reach the Chengdu Zoo Station: Exit from Exit A, walk 200 meters, take Bus 87 at the Chengdu Zoo bus stop (heading towards the Conghui Road Station—丛荟路公交站), get off at the Panda Base bus stop after 12 stops, and walk about 5 minutes to reach South Gate of Chengdu Panda Base, with fare of 2 yuan. Return to the Chengdu Metro Line 3: Take Bus 87 (heading towards Zhaojue Temple Bus Station—昭觉寺公交站) at the Panda Base station, get off at the Chengdu Zoo bus station after 11 stops.
👉Good News👉: Effective from July 28, 2025, international passengers can directly tap their Visa, Mastercard, or American Express cards at turnstiles to ride Chengdu Metro. When users take the Chengdu Metro with the "Tianfu Tong" app, they can enjoy a 10% discount by swiping their electronic wallet.
Using Ride-Hailing Apps
You can also book a ride through popular apps like Didi ( 滴滴出行, Uber China), Amap (高德地图） or Baidu Map（百度地图）as below. The destination to be setted is 成都大熊猫繁育研究基地 in Chinese, or Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding in English. The estimated cost and travel time from Chengdu city center is 20-40 CNY, 28 mins, and from Shuangliu International Airport is 50-80 CNY, 40 mins.
📍 Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding (成都大熊猫繁育研究基地) : 1375 Panda Avenue, Chenghua District, Chengdu City, Sichuan Province, China.
By Taxi
Of course, taking a taxi is super convenient and simple. Not only can you chat with the driver to learn more about the city directly, but it is also safer and more privacy protected.
In general, the taxi fare from Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport to Chengdu Panda Base is about 100 CNY, 60 mins; from Chengdu North Railway Station is about 30 CNy, 30 mins; from Chengdu city center (Chunxi Road) is about 40 CNY 40mins; from Chengdu East Raiway Station to is about 40 CNY, 35mins; from Chengdu Tianfu International Airport is about 200 CNY, 70mins.
(The cost and time are for reference only, please refer to the actual transportation situation.)
Private Car or Guided Tours
For more convinience, you can book private cars or hire a driver to ride there. CAR Inc ( a leading car rental company in China, http://www.zuche.com/ ), eHi Car Services (offering various rental options such as daily, weekly, and monthly, http://www.1hai.cn/).
Daily rent in Chengdu: 200-500 yuan, excluding deposit and insurance.
For booking tours providers, Ctrip （携程）and Qunar.com（去哪儿）are recommended.
Cycling to the Panda Base
For adventurous travelers, you can ride e-bikes or rent shared bicycles. Hellobike，Qingju Bike，Meituan Bike are recommended as below. The estimated renting cost is about 6 yuan and travel time is about 80 mins.
Download the app, register it and scan the QR code on the bike. When the Bluetooth lock is turned on, you can ride it. After the ride is over, select 'End Ride' on the app to turn off the lock and stop billing. Please navigate your bike according to the map and pay attention to the weather and traffic.
Finally，some practical tips for traveling to the Base: The best time to arrival is early morning for smaller crowds and active pandas. Before trip, check for the appointment confirmation and traffic conditions, and carry essentials like cash (for public transport or taxis) and an offline map.
To sum up, there are plenty of ways to reach the Chengdu Giant Panda Breeding Base. Visitors can DIY their trip according to their preferences and enjoy the journey as part of the experience.