Things to do in Xichang
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Xichang
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Mild, dry spring; jacarandas bloom from mid April into May and soma flowers cover high slopes in May.
Rainy season with most rain from June to September, warm days and mountain storms; Torch Festival falls in this window.
Rains ease and skies clear; October is the sweet spot and Yi New Year falls around 20 November.
Dry, sunny winter days around 15 to 17 C with cold nights and overwintering gulls on Qionghai; busy at Chinese New Year.
What's on
- Yi Torch Festival 24th day of the sixth lunar month, usually late July or August
The Yi year's biggest festival: mass torches, bonfires and circle dancing in Xichang over several days; Gregorian dates are set by the lunar calendar each year.
- Yi New Year Around 20 November
Ku Shi, the Yi New Year: family feasting and village celebrations across Liangshan, centred on homecoming rather than tourism.
- Jacaranda season Mid April to mid May
Hangtian North Road and other streets bloom purple; the city at its most photogenic.
Best things to do in Xichang
Qionghai National Wetland Park
Boardwalks through reeds and lotus ponds on the lake, with overwintering gulls at Bird Watching Island in winter.
Liangshan Yi Slave Society Museum
The essential Yi history museum on Lushan, tracing the old slave society and Yi dress, craft and ritual life.
Jianchang Ancient City
The walled Ming era core of old Xichang, best after dark when the gates are lit and the lanes fill with families.
Dashiban Ancient Village
A restored Tea Horse Road village facing the lake, with bluestone lanes and the yellow walled Lingying Temple.
Lushan Scenic Area
The forested hill above the lake's south shore, with temples, old pines and the classic panorama over Qionghai.
Hangtian North Road
The classic jacaranda street, where old trees form a purple canopy over the road from mid April into May.
Where to stay in Xichang
Qionghai and Lushan shore
scenic lakeside base
Directly on the lake at the foot of Lushan, for the wetland park, the museum and lake sunrises.
Hangtian Avenue and Wanda Plaza
practical chain hotel base
Newer chain hotels, mall dining and easy taxis, a short drive from the wetland park.
Dashiban
quiet village stay
A restored lakeside village for slow mornings and Yi snacks, with taxis needed for the centre.
Best restaurants in Xichang
Li Xiaochang Barbecue
A reference name for Xichang fire pit barbecue, thick cut pork and beef grilled over charcoal with chilli dips.
Qionghai Hotel Restaurant
The top end table in town, Cantonese and Sichuan dishes and lake fish eaten with a view over Qionghai.
Xiaoyucun
The old fishing village strip for Qionghai fish and drunken shrimp, if you agree the price by weight first.
Xiong You Hua Beef & Lamb Offal Rice Noodles
Rich beef and lamb offal rice noodles, the classic Xichang breakfast, at a famous little shop for very little money.
Zheng Zong Hui Li Ji Huo Si
Home of Huili chicken huosi, shredded chicken with ham in a peppery preparation, at snack prices.
Outdoor things to do in Xichang
Qionghai Lake Cycling Loop
Rent a bike and ride the roughly 35 km greenway loop past wetlands, Moon Bay and the Small Fishing Village.
Jinlin Beach
An artificial white sand lake beach for paddling and sunset, pleasant if you know it is a landscaped resort beach.
Luoji Mountain
A cable car to high glacial country with coloured alpine lakes, boardwalks and waterfalls above the clouds.
Luoji 99 Li Hot Spring Waterfall
Hot spring water falls over a cliff into soaking pools at the foot of the Luoji range, a rare and fun setup.
Yihai Lake
A quiet highland lake famous for the 1935 alliance between Liu Bocheng and the Yi leader Xiao Yedan.
Xichang Satellite Launch Center Scenic Area
Tours see launch towers, a real rocket and exhibitions, but foreign passport holders have often been refused entry.
Best hotels in Xichang
Qionghai Hotel
The city's flagship lakeside resort at the foot of Lushan, with big gardens and lake view rooms in newer buildings.
Hampton by Hilton Xichang Qionghai
A newer international chain hotel near the wetland park, with predictable rooms and breakfast for first timers.
Vienna International Hotel (Xichang Qionghai Wetland Wanda Plaza Store)
A large Chinese chain hotel above Wanda Plaza, useful for mall dining, parking and consistent standards.
LuChen Boutique Hotel
A small boutique guesthouse in Dashiban styled to match Lingying Temple, spacious and quiet at guesthouse prices.
Is Xichang expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | CN¥220 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | CN¥450 a person |
| Splurge | CN¥900 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Luoji Mountain: a few days ahead
- Xichang Satellite Launch Center Scenic Area: weeks ahead
- Qionghai Hotel: weeks ahead
- Book trains and rooms weeks ahead for Torch Festival and Chinese holiday peaks, when lake area prices jump.
- Confirm current foreigner access before paying for a satellite launch centre tour.
Is Xichang safe?
- Serious crime against foreign nationals is relatively rare; be aware of exit bans in business or civil disputes, drink spiking, scams in tourist areas and QR code phishing.
- Lushan monkeys snatch visible food; keep food hidden and hold onto phones and glasses.
- Altitude reaches about 3,800 metres on Luojishan and UV is strong all year; police 110, ambulance 120, fire 119.
Xichang travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- At lake restaurants, confirm fish prices by weight and the total before anything is cooked.
- Some Qionghai scenic sections are gated and ticketed; the free greenway and boardwalks are the value route.
Getting around Xichang: public transport and more
- High speed trains from Chengdu South reach Xichang West in about 3 hours; the station is about 8 km from the lake.
- Taxis and ride hailing are the practical way around, plus buses to the wetland park and Lushan.
Who Xichang suits
| Solo travellers | Good |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Great |
| Couples | Good |
| Bachelor parties | OK |
| Families | Good |
| Bachelorette parties | OK |
Make Xichang 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