Things to do in Emei Shan
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Emei Shan
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Spring brings the Buddhist ceremony in March to April and azaleas from April, with comfortable full hiking days.
Summer is green and wet, hot at the foot and cold at the summit, with the clearest cloud seas often after rain.
Autumn brings red leaves peaking in October and the best chances of the Buddha halo in October and November.
Winter brings summit snow, skiing at Leidongping and hot springs at their best, with icy steps and short days.
Chinese New Year, Labour Day and National Day bring tens of thousands of visitors, long cable car queues and full hotels.
What's on
- Mount Emei Buddhist Ceremony March to April
A month of worship honouring Samantabhadra, with thousands of lamps lit on the mountain.
- Azalea bloom at Leidongping mid April to early May
Alpine azaleas bloom around Leidongping first, then higher toward Wanfo Peak into May and June.
- Red leaves on Mount Emei October
Red and gold leaves peak on the middle mountain around Wannian Temple in October.
- Mount Emei ski season December to February
Skiing at Leidongping, summit snow and rime ice, and hot springs at the foot of the mountain.
Best things to do in Emei Shan
Golden Summit
The summit terrace with Huazang Temple and a 48 metre Samantabhadra statue above a sea of clouds when weather clears.
Wannian Temple
The great mid mountain temple with a beamless brick hall and a Song dynasty bronze Samantabhadra, reached by cable car.
Qingyin Pavilion
Twin bridges over two streams in a wooded gorge, the prettiest and gentlest walk on the lower mountain.
Baoguo Temple
The largest temple at the foot of the mountain and the practical start of every visit, with a huge historic bronze bell.
Fuhu Temple
A large forest hidden temple near Baoguo that stays calm when the bus circuit temples are busy.
Ecological Monkey Zone
The managed gorge stretch where wild Tibetan macaques are watched from a distance under staff supervision.
Xianfeng Temple
A working pilgrimage temple at about 1750 metres, reached only on foot, with simple food and beds for walkers.
Washing Elephant Pool
A high temple named for Samantabhadra washing his elephant, best at dusk or dawn on the pilgrimage path.
Where to stay in Emei Shan
Baoguo village
first trip, all-round base
Walkable food, hot springs nearby and the visitor centre and buses at your door, with every tier from budget to luxury.
Huangwan Visitor Centre area
first bus and newer hotels
The other main park entrance, practical and newer, with slightly less village atmosphere than Baoguo.
Golden Summit
one sunrise night only
Sleeping on the summit gives late light and sunrise without a bus queue, at premium prices for basic cold rooms.
Think twice about
- Golden Summit and Leidongping as a multi-night base
Cold, basic and expensive for what you get, with almost no food choice and miserable conditions in sustained fog.
- Isolated highway hotels near the high-speed stations
No walkable food and a taxi needed for every meal and bus connection. Sleep at Baoguo or Huangwan instead.
Best restaurants in Emei Shan
Hong Zhu Xiang Ge Restaurant
The Hongzhushan Sichuan restaurant in Baoguo, the most formal table at the foot for a slow final night dinner.
Deng Loong Lou Restaurant
The best documented independent Sichuan dining room in town, praised for service and crispy duck.
Fuhu Temple Vegetarian Restaurant
Monastery vegetarian cooking in a quiet temple setting, with tofu, mushrooms, bamboo shoots and mountain vegetables.
KongLaoEr TeSe DouFu Nao
A specialist shop for silky tofu pudding in savoury broth, the signature Leshan and Emei breakfast bowl.
Rongsheng Radish Soup Restaurant
A busy Baoguo shop built on clear radish and pork soup with rice, the standard warm meal after descending.
Maluqiao Food Street
The town food street for an evening graze of Qiaojiao beef, skewers in chilli oil, sweet skin duck and cakes.
Outdoor things to do in Emei Shan
One-Line Sky
A narrow gorge section on boards and bridges where the sky narrows to a line overhead, on the Qingyin walk.
Hongchunping
A temple terrace at the end of the gorge walk, a classic first night stop for pilgrimage hikers.
Leshan Giant Buddha
A 71 metre Tang dynasty stone Buddha carved into a river cliff in Leshan, paired with Emei as one heritage site.
Leshan Giant Buddha Cruise
A river boat that gives the whole 71 metre Buddha in one view, without the steep and often queued cliff path.
Lingxiu Hot Spring
The large hot spring complex at Baoguo for a late soak after summit steps, at its best on a winter night.
Mount Emei Ski Resort
A small beginner ski area at Leidongping for a winter snow add on to a summit and hot spring trip.
Best hotels in Emei Shan
Hongzhushan Hotel
A historic forest resort beside Baoguo Temple with its own hot spring, large grounds and a walk to the visitor centre.
Le Meridien Emei Mountain Resort
The international five star resort at the foot, with large rooms, a pool and spa and a substantial breakfast.
Emeishan Grand Hotel
A large four star in Baoguo village with a food village, useful when smaller hotels look uncertain.
Hampton by Hilton Emeishan Scenic Area
A dependable chain hotel in the entrance area with clean rooms and a breakfast that handles early park starts well.
Golden Summit Hotel
One of two summit hotels, basic and cold, bought for late light and sunrise without a morning bus queue.
Mount Emei Teddy Bear Hotel
The long running budget base by the Baoguo bus station, with simple rooms and practical help on buses and routes.
Is Emei Shan expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | CN¥350 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | CN¥650 a person |
| Splurge | CN¥1,400 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Golden Summit: a few days ahead
- Leshan Giant Buddha: a few days ahead
- Leshan Giant Buddha Cruise: a few days ahead
- Mount Emei Ski Resort: a few days ahead
- Hongzhushan Hotel: weeks ahead
- Le Meridien Emei Mountain Resort: a few days ahead
- Emeishan Grand Hotel: a few days ahead
- Hampton by Hilton Emeishan Scenic Area: a few days ahead
- Book the Baoguo base hotel and Chengdu trains first in azalea season, leaf season and any national holiday.
- Book summit and Leidongping rooms as soon as dates are fixed, because there are very few of them.
- Book Leshan boats and any private driver a day or more ahead in peak season.
Is Emei Shan safe?
- At 3099 metres walk slowly on arrival, drink water and use the summit medical station if chest pain or severe breathlessness strikes.
- Never feed or tease the macaques, carry no visible food or plastic bags in the monkey zone and keep everything in a zipped bag.
- If bitten or scratched, wash with soap and running water for at least 15 minutes and attend a clinic the same day.
- Stone steps are slippery in rain and ice, so wear grippy shoes and rent crampons at Leidongping in snow season.
Emei Shan travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Food at Leidongping and on the Golden Summit is limited and priced for a captive market, so carry snacks and a thermos up.
- A one-day Leshan plus Golden Summit sprint from Chengdu gives queues and no second chance if the summit is fogged out.
- Summit incense, charm and photo packages are repeatedly flagged by travellers as overpriced.
Getting around Emei Shan: public transport and more
- Ride high-speed trains from Chengdu to Emeishan station in about 1 to 1.5 hours, and Leshan to Emeishan in about 15 minutes.
- Inside the park the sightseeing bus is the system, about 90 yuan round trip to Leidongping and about 1.5 to 2 hours each way.
- The pilgrimage line from Baoguo to the Golden Summit is about 29 km of stone steps, usually walked in two to three days.
- Carry your passport for real-name park, bus and cable car tickets and for hotel registration.
Who Emei Shan suits
| Solo travellers | Good |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Great |
| Couples | Good |
| Bachelor parties | Not ideal |
| Families | Good |
| Bachelorette parties | Not ideal |
Make Emei Shan your trip
Swearby drafts the days from places people swear by. Swap any stop, then invite the crew by text, even friends without the app. Vote on dates, track costs as you go, and everyone gets one number at the end.
Get Swearby on the App Store