Chengdu Metro Guide for Tourists (2026): Pay, Lines & Tips

Chengdu’s metro is clean, cheap and easy for tourists — pay with your phone, and English signs cover the rest. This guide covers paying by QR code, the lines you’ll actually use, fares and the practical details, from the security check to scanning out.

How to pay

• Alipay or WeChat transit code (easiest): open the ‘Chengdu metro code’ inside Alipay, scan it at the gates, and you get a 10% discount on every ride. Set up Alipay with an international card before you arrive.
• Chengdu Metro app or Tianfu Pass: also fine, same discount.
• Single-journey ticket: at the ticket machines (cash, Alipay or WeChat) — insert it on entry, and it’s collected at the exit gate.
• Keep it consistent: use the same payment method for entry and exit, or the journey won’t close properly.

The QR code route is the one to default to: it applies the 10% discount automatically, and since you’ll likely already have Alipay set up for everything else in China, it’s one less thing to carry.

Fares

• Fares are by distance: ¥2 for the first 4km, then ¥3, ¥4 and up; the network maximum is ¥12. That cap keeps even the longest cross-city ride cheap, with only the airport express pushing toward the top of the scale.
• Most central rides cost ¥2–5; the Panda Base trip is about ¥4; Line 18 to Tianfu Airport runs about ¥10–12 (about 30 minutes from South Railway Station). Transfers inside the paid area are included in the single fare, so a cross-town trip with a line change costs the same as a direct ride of the same length.

The lines you’ll actually use

• To the Panda Base: Line 3 toward the zoo, then the panda shuttle bus. Go early — the pandas are most active in the morning, and the site gets busy by mid-morning.
• To Dujiangyan/Qingcheng: Line 2 to Xipu, then the intercity railway (booked on 12306 — the metro discount doesn’t apply).

Step by step: from the entrance to the exit

1. Enter and pass security. Every station screens your bags before the fare gates. Put backpacks and shopping through the X-ray machine and walk through the metal detector; staff may ask to check a liquid. It’s quick, though the queue grows at rush hour.
2. Scan in. Open your Chengdu metro code in Alipay and hold it to the reader at the entrance gate, or insert a single-journey ticket. A green light and the gate opening means you’re through — and your 10% discount starts here.
3. Ride. Check the line number and direction on the platform signs, then board. Let passengers off first, hold a handrail, and keep bags clear of the doors — eating and drinking are not allowed on the train.
4. Transfer. Follow the bilingual transfer (换乘) signs to change lines. You stay inside the paid area, so the whole journey is one fare, and you don’t scan again until you exit.
5. Scan out. At your destination, scan your QR or insert your ticket at the exit gate — the fare is deducted then. Use the exit letter (A, B, C, D) your map app recommends to come out on the right side of the street, especially at big hubs like Tianfu Square where the wrong exit can add a long walk.

Practical tips

• Hours: about 6:10am–11pm, extended on holidays — check the current time in a maps app. Last trains leave the center around 11pm, so plan late hotpot dinners accordingly.
• Avoid peak: the 7:30–9am and 5–7pm rushes are busy at Tianfu Square and the rail stations.
• Watch the split: Line 1 forks at Sihe — make sure you’re on the branch toward your stop. The platform signs show the branch destination, so check before boarding.
• Every station has free 4G/5G, restrooms and most have shops — handy for a quick recharge or a water refill between sights.
• Payment and data: get Alipay and an eSIM before you arrive, since your transit code needs data at the gates.
• Luggage: suitcases are allowed but go through the X-ray at every station — avoid peak hours with big bags and keep them clear of the doors.
• Navigation: Amap or Baidu Maps are more reliable than Google Maps in Chengdu — download offline packs and screenshot your route before heading underground.

English signage

Chengdu’s metro is fully bilingual: every station has Chinese/English signage, and trains announce stops in both languages. The ticket machines offer an English interface, so a first-timer rarely needs help. Still, save the Chinese name of your destination in a translation app as a backup, in case of a platform change. Announcements run in both languages, so you’ll hear every stop clearly.

Getting to and from the airport

• Tianfu (TFU): Line 18 express from South Railway Station — about 37 minutes.
• Shuangliu (CTU): Line 10 from the center — see our Chengdu airport guide.
• If you land late, check the last-train time, since taxis and ride-hailing are the fallback after the metro winds down. The high-speed rail hub at Chengdu East is also metro-connected, making onward trips around Sichuan straightforward.
• Allow extra time on arrival: security checks and the walk between platforms can eat 10–20 minutes when you’re rushing a train.
• For the general system, our China metro guide covers how it all works.

Etiquette and common mistakes

• Let passengers off before boarding, and stand on the right of escalators to leave the left free.
• Give up the priority seats near the doors to the elderly, parents with children and pregnant travellers.
• Don’t eat or drink on the train, and keep your voice down on phone calls.
• Have your QR code ready before the gate — fumbling for Alipay while a queue forms behind you is the classic first-ride slip.
• Use the same method in and out — mixing a QR code on entry with a different one on exit can leave the journey unfinished.
• Check the last train if you’re out late; most lines stop around 11pm.

If something goes wrong

If your QR code fails to scan or your ticket gets stuck, head to the staff booth near the gates — station staff are used to helping visitors and the gates won’t trap you. Lost your exit ticket? You can usually pay the maximum fare for your line and leave. If you take the wrong direction, ride to the next stop, cross the platform and come back — the fare adjusts at exit, not at the gate, so a wrong turn costs you nothing extra.

Where this fits

Chengdu is the hub of the Sichuan route and a stop on the two-week route, and the metro is the thread that ties the panda base, the teahouses and the airport together. For the city’s sights and neighborhoods, see the Chengdu guide.

Fares and hours as of August 2026 — confirm current schedules in a maps app before you travel.