I still remember the first time I opened my first China travel guide and saw a picture of the Leshan Giant Buddha… it was one of those moments when you can’t help but whisper to yourself, “Wow… I have to go there and see it.” When I finally visited, it didn’t disappoint — it was just as towering and giant as you’d expect.
In this blog post, I’ll take you through how to plan the smoothest day trip to Leshan Giant Buddha from Chengdu, including some nearby sights that most travelers often overlook. I hope you’ll find it helpful in making your way to one of the most stunning places in China.
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Is Leshan Giant Buddha Worth Visiting?
The answer is very easy… Yes! If you’re in Chengdu, you really should try to make time for a day trip to Leshan — it would be such a pity to be this close and not go.
The Leshan Giant Buddha, together with the Mount Emei Scenic Area just across the river, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The statue is the largest and tallest stone Buddha in the world, as well as the tallest pre-modern one ever built.
It was conceived and started during the Tang dynasty by a monk who believed that the Maitreya Buddha (the future Buddha for Buddhist tradition) would calm the turbulent waters of the Min River, allowing shipping vessels to pass through safely.
The site is truly impressive, and once you’re standing close to the enormous feet of the statue, it’s hard to believe that this was built by monks, not by some divine being rising from the river.
Depending on when you visit, it can get crowded, but I’ll share the best times to go later in this post. The good news is that, since the Leshan Buddha isn’t an active spiritual site (even if you’ll still see locals praying and making offerings), the crowds don’t take away from the experience. You just need to be a bit patient to find the perfect spot for your photo.
The positive side is that locals stop at the Giant Buddha and don’t explore further, which means the Oriental Buddha Park (an interesting site nearby), surrounded by nature, stays much quieter. It makes the rest of your visit feel more adventurous — and even a little spiritual.
How to Get There from Chengdu
The fastest and easiest way to reach the site is by taking a high-speed train from Chengdu West or South Station, and then taking a taxi once you arrive in Leshan. The train ride takes about one hour, depending on which train you take, and the taxi from the station to the Leshan Giant Buddha is around 15 minutes.
This is the most straightforward option. Once you arrive at Leshan Station, taxis are available outside. It helps to show the driver the name in Chinese: 乐山大佛 (Leshan Dafo)
You can book your train tickets in advance through Trip.com. The combined cost of the train and taxi will be less than $15.
There’s also the option to go by bus, but considering it’s a day trip, I wouldn’t recommend it. The bus takes around four hours and usually involves a couple of transfers. It’s not really worth it when the high-speed train is so much easier.
Best Time To Visit
As always, the golden rule for traveling in China is to avoid peak season and weekends if possible. That means skipping the first week of October (Golden Week), Chinese New Year, and summer holidays, when everything gets super crowded.
The Leshan Giant Buddha site opens at 7:30 AM, and I do think it’s worth setting the alarm. Getting there early means beating the local tour groups and experiencing the statue in a much more peaceful atmosphere.
The best months to visit are September, late October, and the period from March to May, when the weather is pleasant and there are fewer holidays in China. A couple of friends have just been there in May 2025 — when I’m writing this — and there were no crowds at all.
If you’re looking for more detailed info on festivals, climate, and which months to avoid altogether, check out my full China travel guide, where I break it all down by month and location.
Opening Hours & Ticket Price
From April 1st to October 7th (end of Golden Week), the site is open from 7:30 AM to 6:30 PM. From October 8th to March 31st, opening hours are 8:00 AM to 5:30 PM.
The basic ticket for the Leshan Giant Buddha costs around $11 and includes the main site entrance. You can buy it in advance here. On the same page, you’ll also find additional options like guided tours or a shuttle bus from the railway station, which might be helpful if you’re not taking a taxi.Tickets for other nearby sights, like the Oriental Buddha Park, can be bought directly on site.
My Experience & What to Expect
I visited the Leshan Giant Buddha in November, well outside the tourist peak. I went on a weekend, since I was a student at the time and didn’t have much flexibility.
There were definitely people around, but it wasn’t one of those nightmare experiences where you have to queue for hours to walk down the stairs lining the sides of the Buddha (that’s how you reach his feet and the central viewing platform).
You’ll enter from the North entrance of the site, and after a short walk, you’ll arrive near the head of the Buddha. From there, you start descending the Lingyun Cliff trail — a stairway carved into the rock that leads down to the Buddha’s feet.
Heads-Up!
The trail to reach the Buddha’s feet involves narrow, steep stone steps. It’s manageable for most people, but if you have limited mobility or a fear of heights, the boat tour might be a better option.
This is the closest and most impressive spot to view the statue in full and your best chance to take a good photo — unless you take the boat tour, which gives you a wider view from the river (I didn’t do it, but I bet it would’ve been worth it!).
After spending some time taking photos and soaking in the views, you go back up via a different staircase on the other side of the cliff.
Once you’ve admired the Giant Buddha, you can explore a few other nearby sights that are accessible from the same area. We decided to visit the Oriental Buddha Park because I had seen some pictures from a friend and was curious to see it in person.
The park covers about 70 hectares and is filled with Buddha statues carved into cliffs or tucked away in caves. What surprised me most was how quiet and peaceful it was — there was no one else around when we visited. The spiritual energy here felt even stronger than at the main Buddha, probably because it’s surrounded by nature and far from the crowds.
Leshan Giant Buddha Boat Tour
After you visit the Leshan Giant Buddha (or before your visit), you can decide whether you have time for a boat tour on the Min River, which gives you a wider and uninterrupted view of the Buddha from the water. It’s especially great for photos, since you won’t have crowds in front of you.
You can also skip the entrance to the site entirely and choose to do only the boat tour — that’s an option too. But to be honest, I’d do both. If you’ve made it to Leshan, you might as well make the most of it. Seeing the Buddha from both perspectives — up close and from the river — gives you a much fuller experience.
The boat tour costs around $20 for a 30-40 minute ride, including about 10-15 minutes in front of the statue. Tickets can’t be bought at the site — you’ll need to go to one of the two docks: Leshan Port Sightseeing Cruise Wharf or Baxiandong Sightseeing Cruise Wharf.
During the ride, you’ll also catch a glimpse of the “Sleeping Buddha”, a mountain formation that is similar to a reclining Buddha, along with the beautiful scenery where three rivers meet.
Additional Sights to Explore Nearby
Oriental Buddha Park
You can access the Oriental Buddha Park (or Oriental Buddha Capital) directly from the Leshan Giant Buddha site, though you’ll need to pay a separate ticket of around $11, which you can buy on site or online here.
To me, this is the best addition to your trip to Leshan — it allows you to dive deeper into Buddhist art and symbolism. The park is home to over 100 caves filled with sculptures, carvings, and even the world’s largest Sleeping Buddha.
What makes the visit special is the natural environment surrounding the grottoes and statues. And because most visitors stop at the main Buddha and skip this park, it’s usually quiet and uncrowded.
Lingyun Temple
If you have a bit more time to spend around the Leshan Giant Buddha site, make sure to stop by Lingyun Temple. It’s located right near the Buddha and already included in your entry ticket, so you won’t need to pay anything extra.
The temple offers a local atmosphere, and it’s a nice spot to walk around, light some incense, and take in the views over the river from the upper terraces.
Mount Emei Scenic Area
The Leshan Giant Buddha is actually part of the Mount Emei Scenic Area, and Mount Emei itself is one of the Four Sacred Buddhist Mountains in China. It’s also one of the most stunning and significant places to hike in the country — a mix of ancient temples, misty forests, and incredible viewpoints.
Of course, hiking Mount Emei isn’t doable in a single day (the mountain is around 45 minutes to one hour from the Leshan Buddha), but if you decide to stay overnight in Leshan, you can turn your visit into a 2-day immersive experience into Buddhism, Sichuan nature, and temple life.
If you have two days, this combo of the Leshan Giant Buddha and a hike to the top of Mount Emei makes for the ideal mini-adventure!
Here’s a useful map to help you navigate the area: I’ve highlighted nearby restaurants in yellow, the boat tour ports in green, and the main sights in blue — including Baoguo Temple, which is the usual starting point for the Mount Emei hike.
I hope this guide gives you everything you need to plan your trip to Leshan Giant Buddha — and maybe even inspires you to extend your stay and explore more of Sichuan.
For more things to do around Chengdu, be sure to check out my Chengdu guide. And if you’ve already been to Leshan or are planning to include it in your China trip, I’d love to hear your thoughts or questions in the comments below!
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