Things to do in Leshan
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Leshan
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Spring is a best window, warm and less rainy, with azaleas on Mount Emei in April and May.
Summer is hot, humid and rainy, with school holiday crowds, high rivers and boat cancellations in heavy rain.
Autumn is the other best window, clearer and comfortable, with maple colour on Mount Emei in October.
Winter is cold, grey and foggy, with the fewest queues and lowest prices, but low water can stop the boats.
Labour Day in May and National Day Golden Week in October bring the longest Buddha stair queues of the year.
What's on
- Spring Festival January or February, lunar new year
Family travel peak, festive food streets, high train and hotel demand and some small shops closed.
- Labour Day Holiday Around 1 May, usually five days
One of the worst queue periods of the year at the Giant Buddha stairway.
- Dragon Boat Festival June, lunar date varies
A shorter holiday with river activity and zongzi in the food streets, busy but manageable.
- Mid Autumn Festival September or October, lunar date varies
A family holiday with mooncakes and pleasant autumn weather in most years, with a moderate crowd bump.
- National Day Golden Week 1 to 7 October
The biggest surge of the year in Leshan, with spiking hotel prices and the longest Buddha queues.
Best things to do in Leshan
Leshan Giant Buddha
The 71 metre cliff Buddha seen close up, if you enter at opening and beat the single file stair queue to its feet.
Leshan Giant Buddha Boat Tour
The full frontal view of the Buddha from the river in about 30 minutes, with no stair queue and no close detail.
Lingyun Temple
The calm temple behind the Buddha head that most groups rush past, worth 20 to 30 minutes of quiet courtyards.
Wuyou Temple
A Tang era temple across the bridge from the Buddha, facing the rivers and almost empty compared with the queues.
Oriental Buddha Park
A quieter carved statue park beside the Giant Buddha, with cave Buddhas and a 170 metre reclining Buddha in the hills.
Mahao Cliff Tombs
Han dynasty cliff tomb chambers inside the Buddha scenic area, quiet and quick while the stair queue thins.
Where to stay in Leshan
Shizhong District city centre
first trip, food and riverside evenings
Walk to food streets and the river, with the mid range chain hotels and the ibis in easy taxi range of the Buddha.
Leshan Railway Station area
luxury hotels and train arrivals
Home to the two top tier hotels, with fast trains to Chengdu and Emeishan and taxis onward to the old town.
Near the Giant Buddha, Lingyun Road
opening time Buddha start only
Closest to the scenic area gate for an early entry, but isolated at night with little eating nearby.
Think twice about
- Emeishan as a Leshan base
A separate town about 30 kilometres away. Sleeping there adds a commute to every Leshan sight and meal.
- Giant Buddha scenic area at night
Useful only for an early gate start. Evenings are isolated with little dining, while the city centre food streets are the point of staying in Leshan.
Best restaurants in Leshan
Cai Feng Lou Chinese Restaurant
The HUALUXE dining room and the closest Leshan comes to a splurge meal, with Sichuan banquet dishes and private rooms.
Gushi Xiang Qiaojiao Beef
A heritage name for Qiaojiao beef, thin beef and offal in clear herbal broth with a dry chilli dip.
Ji Lao Si Bobo Chicken
A long running favourite for cold skewers soaked in chilli oil, charged by the stick with ice jelly on the side.
Ye Po Po Bobo Chicken
The other bobo chicken name locals argue about, ideal for a back to back tasting with Ji Lao Si.
Zhao Ya Zi Sweet Skin Duck
A defining name for sweet skin duck, crisp lacquered skin over juicy meat, best eaten at once by the half bird.
Haihuiyuan Shaomai
A busy standard bearer for Leshan shaomai, open topped steamed pork dumplings for a cheap morning queue.
Xiao Dou Hai Tang
Known for doufu nao, savoury soft tofu pudding with layered toppings, at its Renmin South Road branch.
Zhanggongqiao Food Street
Leshan's best known evening food street, one walk covering beef, bobo chicken, duck, barbecue and ice desserts.
Outdoor things to do in Leshan
Mount Emei Golden Summit
The full Emei day from Leshan, buses and cable cars to the gilded summit statue above a sea of clouds.
Baoguo Temple
The large, wooded temple at the foot of Mount Emei, the natural start or finish of a lower mountain day.
Wannian Temple
The mid mountain Emei temple reached by shuttle and cable car, the better choice when the summit is in cloud.
Suji Ancient Town
A riverside old town of stone lanes and snack shops, and the home town of Qiaojiao beef, with few visitors.
Thousand Buddha Cliff
Tang and Song cliff niches above the river in Jiajiang, small and quiet, for travellers who liked the Mahao tombs.
Best hotels in Leshan
HUALUXE Hotels and Resorts Leshan
The most upscale stay in Leshan itself, with large rooms, a heated indoor pool and a formal Chinese restaurant.
Maison Albar Hotels Leshan
A French branded luxury hotel near the station, sharing the top tier with HUALUXE on design and dining.
Holiday Inn Express Leshan City Square by IHG
The reliable mid range base near Leshan Plaza and Jiaxing Road food, with breakfast and predictable standards.
Hampton by Hilton Leshan Shizhong District
A standard Hampton in the city centre, a clean mid range fallback when other chain hotels are priced up.
ibis Leshan City Center
The predictable cheap pick in the centre, small clean rooms with easy taxis to the riverside and food streets.
Is Leshan expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | CN¥280 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | CN¥550 a person |
| Splurge | CN¥1,150 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Leshan Giant Buddha: a few days ahead
- Leshan Giant Buddha Boat Tour: a few days ahead
- Mount Emei Golden Summit: a few days ahead
- HUALUXE Hotels and Resorts Leshan: a few days ahead
- Maison Albar Hotels Leshan: a few days ahead
- Cai Feng Lou Chinese Restaurant: a few days ahead
- Book Giant Buddha land and boat tickets a day ahead, and several days ahead for Labour Day, Golden Week and Spring Festival.
- Book top hotels on holiday weekends, not on ordinary weekdays.
Is Leshan safe?
- In Leshan the practical risks are traffic, steep wet Buddha stairs, summer flooding and heat.
- Emergency numbers are 110 police, 120 ambulance and 119 fire. Drink bottled water, not tap water.
Leshan travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Touts near piers and gates selling commentary, boat photo packages and short rickshaw rides.
- On the boat the front photo spot is often for paid photos, not a free viewing position for the whole pause.
- In food streets confirm the price per skewer or per weight before ordering.
Getting around Leshan: public transport and more
- High speed trains run Leshan to Chengdu in about an hour and Leshan to Emeishan in 15 to 24 minutes.
- Taxis and ride hailing are cheap inside Leshan and simpler than buses for the Buddha, about 10 kilometres from centre hotels.
- Buses 3 and 13 serve the Oriental Buddha Park area.
- Bring your passport every day, scenic area tickets are tied to ID.
Who Leshan suits
| Solo travellers | Good |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Great |
| Couples | Good |
| Bachelor parties | Not ideal |
| Families | Great |
| Bachelorette parties | Not ideal |
Make Leshan your trip
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