Chengdu-Chongqing Twin-City Cultural & Food Tour (4 Days & 3 Nights)

Description

Core Scenic Features

Daily Itinerary Details (Friend-Exclusive Experiences)

• Day 1: Chengdu Old Town Exploration & First Taste of Local Life (Leisurely Check-In Day)
  • Morning: Kuanzhai Alleys → People’s Park (Laid-Back Start)
    • Itinerary: Upon arriving in Chengdu, head straight to Kuanzhai Alleys. Choose a window seat in an old teahouse under gray-tiled eaves, order a set of gàiwǎn chá, and learn the “Phoenix Three Nods” tea-pouring technique from the tea server. Chat while sipping tea and listening to stories about Western Sichuan-style houses. Wander along the cultural wall in Jing Alley, find the “Old Chengdu Memories” graffiti for a group photo, and stop by a tánghuà (sugar painting) stall to compete—see who can spin the pointer to get a larger “dragon-shaped sugar painting”. Later, walk to People’s Park, grab bamboo chairs in Heming Teahouse, order zhōngshuǐ jiǎo (clock-shaped dumplings) with dànhōnggāo (egg cake), and watch elderly locals play mahjong while eating. Experience the ultimate comfort of “bāshì dé bǎn” (incredibly cozy).
    • Friend Highlights: Team up for an ear-cleaning experience in the teahouse and snap funny photos of each other with eyes closed in comfort. At the cultural and creative store in Kuanzhai Alleys, make DIY Sichuan brocade keychains together—collaborate on an exclusive pattern as a travel souvenir.
  • Afternoon: Shu Brocade and Embroidery Museum → Kuixing Building Street (Culture Meets Food)
    • Itinerary: Visit the Shu Brocade and Embroidery Museum to see the intricate operation of Qing Dynasty looms. Listen to the guide reveal the craftsmanship behind “an inch of brocade worth an inch of gold”, and try simple Shu brocade weaving—one person pulls the threads while the other passes the shuttle to co-create a mini tapestry. At the museum’s cultural and creative area, pick phone cases with Shu brocade patterns—choose the same style in different colors as “friendship-themed” accessories. In the evening, wander Kuixing Building Street, order a table of lěngguō chuànchuàn (cold-pot skewers) at “Màojiāo Huǒlà” (Spicy & Hot), pair with bīngfěn (ice jelly) to cool the spiciness, and take a set of “trendy bestie/bro photos” against the graffiti wall.
    • Friend Highlights: Playfully “disturb” each other while weaving brocade to make mistakes—capture the laughing interactions. During the skewer feast, play the “blind selection challenge”: close your eyes, pick a skewer, and feed it to your friend to unlock surprising (and possibly hilarious) flavors.
  • Evening: Jiuyanqiao Bar Street (Tipsy Chat Time)
    • Itinerary: Choose a lounge bar with live music, order the signature “Chengdu Story” cocktail, and sing along when the singer performs Chengdu. Raise your glasses and toast, saying “Let’s travel together again next time!” The bar street is dazzling with lights—walk along the Funan River, chat about school-day anecdotes, and occasionally pick up stones to skip across the water. The loser buys the winner a bottle of iced Weiyi (soy milk drink).
    • Friend Highlights: Request a duet song—sing loudly even if you’re out of tune, and record a “friendship-exclusive” singing video. When you meet a street artist, get a joint Q-version portrait painted with the travel date signed below.
• Day 2: Chengdu Cultural Discovery & First Visit to Chongqing (Twin-City Connection Day)
  • Morning: Jinsha Site Museum (Resonance with Ancient Shu Civilization)
    • Itinerary: After breakfast, go to the Jinsha Site Museum. Pause at the exhibition hall of the “Sun God Bird” gold ornament, listen to the guide tell mysterious stories of the ancient Shu Kingdom, and guess the uses of cultural relics together. Compete to see who remembers the symbolic meaning of “Four Birds Surrounding the Sun” first. In the simulated archaeological site area, try the “relic excavation” game—keep the “replica jade artifacts” you dig up as souvenirs.
    • Friend Highlights: Stand in front of the giant ivory fossil, pose with “shocked faces” for a photo, and caption it “Awed by 3,000-year-old civilization”. At the cultural and creative store at the museum exit, buy bookmarks with the Sun God Bird pattern—one for each of you, symbolizing “friendship as long-lasting as cultural relics”.
  • Afternoon: High-Speed Rail to Chongqing → Hongyadong (First Taste of 3D Mountain City)
    • Itinerary: Take the high-speed rail to Chongqing and head straight to Hongyadong. First, take a panoramic photo by the Jialing River—marvel at the stacked stilt houses, calling it a “real-life Spirited Away scene”. Explore the folk shops in the scenic area, try on Tujia ethnic headdresses for photos, and tease each other about looking like “Tujia girls/guys”. In the evening, sit at a riverside hot pot restaurant, order a yuānyāng guō (split pot with spicy and non-spicy broths) to accommodate different spice preferences, boil máodù (hairy belly) and yācháng (duck intestines), and listen to locals chatting in Chongqing dialect.
    • Friend Highlights: Both the 11th and 1st floors of Hongyadong lead directly to the road—playfully lead each other in circles to experience Chongqing’s “8D magic”. Compete to boil máodù using the “seven dips up, eight dips down” method; whoever messes up the timing has to drink sour plum soup as a penalty.
  • Evening: Liberation Monument → Bayi Food Street (Trendy Night Out with Food)
    • Itinerary: Walk to Liberation Monument, take a “check-in photo” in front of the giant monument, and pretend to be tourists asking each other “How do I get to Liberation Monument?” to act out a funny skit. Wander Bayi Food Street, buy kǎonǎohuā (grilled pig brain), suānlà fěn (spicy and sour vermicelli), and shānchéng xiǎo tāngyuán (mountain city small glutinous rice balls)—share every snack, take a bite each and comment on the taste. When encountering a queuing shop, divide tasks: one person lines up while the other secures a seat.
    • Friend Highlights: Film a “food vlog” with your phone—one person explains while the other eats, adding funny subtitles later. At the claw machine shop on the food street, team up to try catching Chongqing hot pot-shaped dolls; give the one you catch to your friend.
• Day 3: Chongqing 3D Exploration & Intangible Heritage Food Hunt (In-Depth Experience Day)
  • Morning: Liziba Light Rail Station → Yangtze River Cableway (Magical Mountain City Check-In)
    • Itinerary: Early in the morning, go to Liziba Light Rail Station. At the viewing platform, take stunning photos of the “light rail passing through buildings”. Count down “3, 2, 1” together as the light rail approaches, and capture the moment it passes through the building. Later, take the Yangtze River Cableway, choose window seats, overlook the mountain city scenery on both sides of the Yangtze River, and guess the names of distant buildings. The loser gives the winner a shoulder massage.
    • Friend Highlights: If the cable car is not crowded, take “floating challenge” photos—one person pretends to push the other, while the other strikes a “flying” pose. At the cultural and creative store near Liziba Station, buy light rail-shaped fridge magnets engraved with your names.
  • Afternoon: Yuzhong Intangible Cultural Heritage Exhibition Hall → Chongqing Hot Pot Museum (Cultural Immersion)
    • Itinerary: Visit the Yuzhong Intangible Cultural Heritage Exhibition Hall to watch a Sichuan opera face-changing performance. Reach out to touch the masks during the actor’s interaction—scream and hide behind your friend in mock fear. Try intangible cultural heritage craftsmanship: paint Sichuan opera masks together—one person paints Guan Yu (red face) and the other paints Cao Cao (white face), teasing each other about being “frenemies”. Later, go to the Chongqing Hot Pot Museum to see hot pot utensils from the pre-Qin period to the present. Have another hot pot meal in the “eat-while-you-watch” restaurant and compare the taste with yesterday’s.
    • Friend Highlights: Playfully draw “funny eyebrows” on each other’s masks—post the finished works on Moments with the caption “Masterpiece by my worst best friend”. At the knowledge quiz area in the hot pot museum, team up to answer questions for small gifts; the loser has to drink hot pot base-flavored soda (a prank version).
  • Evening: Jiujie (Nine Streets) → Liujiamata Wharf (Night Economy Carnival)
    • Itinerary: Wander the trendy shops on Jiujie, try on funny T-shirts for photos, listen to an indie band performance at a Livehouse, and wave to the rhythm. Late at night, go to Liujiamata Wharf, sit by the river to enjoy the breeze, order Jianghu-style dishes (spicy chicken, Jianghu duck blood), drink Chongqing beer, chat about future career plans, and occasionally shout “Go for it!” towards the opposite bank of the river.
    • Friend Highlights: Interact with the band at the Livehouse and raise your beer glasses to sing along together. Buy two glow sticks from the street vendor by the river—wave them while taking photos to enhance the night view atmosphere.
• Day 4: Chongqing Nostalgia & Departure (Memory Wrap-Up Day)
  • Morning: Shibati (Eighteen Stairs) → Shancheng Lane (Old Chongqing Exploration)
    • Itinerary: Explore the Shibati Traditional Style Area. Walk on the stone steps, see old Chongqing stilt houses and teahouses, look at old photos in the “Mountain City Memory Hall”, and compete to see who can recognize more old Chongqing landmarks. Visit the “Shancheng · Time” Library in Shancheng Lane, pick a book about Chongqing, read a passage to each other, and take “literary bestie/bro photos” on the terrace.
    • Friend Highlights: There are many steps at Shibati—compete to see who can run to the top first; the winner gets the loser to buy an old-fashioned popsicle. At the internet-famous “suspended plank road” in Shancheng Lane, snap photos of each other’s “hesitant faces” as they want to take photos but fear heights.
  • Noon: Taoranju “360 Bowls of Chongqing Flavors” (Food Finale)
    • Order a table of signature dishes—try fūqī fèipàn (husband-wife lung slices), kǒushuǐ jī (saliva chicken), and hóngtáng cībā (brown sugar glutinous rice cake). Take photos of each dish first to create a “Chengdu-Chongqing Food Collection”. Chat about funny moments from the past few days while eating—like fumbling with Shu brocade weaving in Chengdu and huffing and puffing up hills in Chongqing—and make a pact to explore more cities together next time.
  • Afternoon: Souvenir Shopping & Departure
    • Buy souvenirs like Sichuan brocade scarves, hot pot base, and Chen’s fried dough twists. Pick a pair of “Sichuan opera mask” keychains—one for each of you. On the way back, look through travel photos, tease each other about “ugly photos”, and laugh while planning your next friend trip (e.g., to Yunnan or Xinjiang).