Ditch the Bus: Chengdu's New Train Escapes
Half the Jiuzhaigou travel advice still floating around online describes a 10-hour bus ride that stopped being your only option a while back.
The Jiuzhaigou bus is outdated advice
The Sichuan-Qinghai high-speed rail line now runs from Chengdu East Railway Station to Huanglongjiuzhai Station in 1.5 to 2.5 hours, for around ¥120 to ¥150 in second class, booked through the official 12306 app or Trip.com. If a blog or a tour operator is still steering you toward a full-day bus, that advice predates the train. Two to three days is enough to cover Jiuzhaigou’s tiered lakes, Five Flower Lake and Mirror Lake among them, the roaring Nuorilang Falls, and the golden calcium terraces at nearby Huanglong.
Don’t rush Emei and Leshan into one day
A one-day version of this trip exists, and it’s a mistake. Give it two. Day one is a 45-minute train to Leshan (around ¥54), a river boat ticket (around ¥70) plus cliff-walking admission (around ¥80) to see the 71-meter Giant Buddha properly, and a stop at Wuyou Temple before heading to the Mount Emei base. Day two rides the cable car up to the Golden Summit at 3,077 meters for the 48-meter bronze Samantabhadra statue, with an overnight stay in a mountain monastery rather than a rushed same-day return. Trying to compress both mountains into a single day means seeing neither one properly.
The Western Sichuan loop needs its full window, or skip it
Four to six days overland by 4x4 into the Garzê Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, crossing passes above 4,000 meters into Kangding, the photogenic valley of Xinduqiao, and the monastery town of Tagong, is not a trip you shorten. There’s no rail shortcut here, no express version. If you don’t have the days for it, don’t try to squeeze in a truncated version, put it on a future trip instead and take the Emei and Leshan loop this time.
Booking around the real logistics
Carry a physical passport for every one of these bookings. HSR tickets, hotel check-ins, and even some museum entries all run on real-name registration, and a phone photo of your passport won’t substitute for the real thing at the counter. Spring and autumn give the clearest weather for both the Emei climb and the Jiuzhaigou lakes. For city-based bus options that connect to some of these same routes, see our bus tours guide .
Verdict: the new train makes Jiuzhaigou a genuine multi-day option instead of an ordeal, and the two-day Emei and Leshan loop beats rushing both mountains into one day, every time.
Book Huanglongjiuzhai HSR tickets as soon as your dates are set. Weekend departures sell out on this route well before the day of travel, unlike the Chengdu-Leshan line, which usually has same-week availability.