# Leshan Giant Buddha, a day from Chengdu > The Leshan Giant Buddha is a 71-metre Tang-dynasty Maitreya carved into a cliff where three rivers meet, about 125 km south of Chengdu. Entry is ¥80; the river boat is another ¥70. Open daily: 8:00–17:30 in winter, 7:30–18:30 from April to 7 October. Allow 3–4 hours on site — a full day with travel. Web page: https://yesgo.io/china/chengdu/leshan-giant-buddha - City: [Chengdu](https://yesgo.io/china/chengdu), China - YesGo score: 30/100 (Yes, if nearby) - Time on site: 4 h - With kids: Fine with kids - Entry (hill and descent): ¥80, concession ¥40; children under 1.2 m free - River boat: ¥70, about 30 min; under 1.2 m free; does not include park entry - Park shuttle: ¥10 per ride, ¥15 all day - Hours: Winter 8:00–17:30; 1 April – 7 October 7:30–18:30 - Tickets: Real-name, booked with your passport; bring the original - Way down to the feet: Lingyun Plank Road only, one-way down; the Nine-Turn Plank Road is closed - Train from Chengdu: 50–60 min, about ¥54 second class, real-name ticket - From Leshan Station: Taxi about ¥25–30, 25–30 min; bus K1 or 601, ¥2 - Distance: About 125 km in a straight line from Tianfu Square - Coordinates: 29.54694, 103.76925 - Facts checked: 04.11.2026 ## Key facts - **71 m** — tall — the largest stone Buddha in the world (source: English and Russian Wikipedia; UNESCO) - **713–803** — carved over about 90 years during the Tang dynasty (source: Russian Wikipedia; English Wikipedia (completed 803); travelchinawith.me) - **3 rivers** — the Min, Dadu and Qingyi meet at the Buddha's feet (source: English and Russian Wikipedia) - **1996** — UNESCO World Heritage listing, jointly with Mount Emei (source: UNESCO; English and Russian Wikipedia) - **Maitreya** — the future Buddha, seated with hands on knees, facing Mount Emei (source: English and Russian Wikipedia) - **Hai Tong** — the monk who began the work to calm waters that wrecked boats (source: English and Russian Wikipedia) - **14.7 m** — height of the head; the ears are 7 m long, the shoulders 24 m wide (source: English Wikipedia; travelchinawith.me) - **1,021** — carved curls in the Buddha's hair (source: English Wikipedia; travelchinawith.me) - **Hidden drains** — channels in the hair, chest and behind the ears carry rainwater away (source: English and Russian Wikipedia) - **13 storeys** — a wooden pavilion once covered the statue up to its head (source: Russian Wikipedia) ## Leshan Giant Buddha tickets and prices The day ticket for the hill costs **¥80** (concession ¥40). It covers the Buddha's head, the walk down to his feet, Lingyun and Wuyou temples and the Mahao cliff tombs. Children under 1.2 m go free. Guides disagree on exactly who qualifies for the concession, so bring your passport and any student card. The **river boat** is a separate ¥70 ticket: about 30 minutes on the water, pausing in front of the statue. It doesn't land, and it doesn't include park entry. The park shuttle costs ¥10 a ride or ¥15 for the day. Tickets are sold in the Chinese-only “大佛旅游” mini-program in WeChat and Alipay, on Trip.com (English, foreign cards accepted) and at the visitor-centre counters. Most payments in China go through **Alipay or WeChat Pay** with a linked foreign Visa or Mastercard; carry some cash yuan as a backup. > **Bring your passport and start early** Both the train and park tickets are tied to your passport, and staff check the original — foreign passports usually need the staffed lane. The only way down to the feet is now the narrow, one-way Lingyun Plank Road, where weekend queues reach 1–2 hours or more. Take an early train and be at the North Gate at opening time. ## How to get to the Leshan Giant Buddha from Chengdu 1. From Tianfu Square, take the metro to **Chengdu East** (成都东站, Line 2) or **Chengdu South** (成都南站, Line 1). Chengdu East has far more trains to Leshan, all day long; Chengdu South has fewer, none before 8 am. 2. Book a high-speed train to **Leshan Station** (乐山站) in the 12306 app or on Trip.com: 50–60 minutes, about ¥54 in second class. Tickets are real-name — board with the passport you booked with. Weekend trains sell out, so book a few days ahead, return included. 3. Leshan Station to the park is about 9 km. A taxi or DiDi takes 25–30 minutes and costs roughly ¥25–30 — show the driver 乐山大佛景区. Buses **K1** and **601** cost ¥2 and take 30–40 minutes; ask the driver for the North Visitor Centre stop. 4. From the North Visitor Centre it's a 15–20 minute walk along a covered gallery to the **North Gate**, or ¥10 on the shuttle. 5. Inside: climb to the Buddha's head and Lingyun Temple, go down the cliff stairway to his feet, then follow the path past the Mahao tombs towards Wuyou Temple. Leave by the South Gate and take a taxi back to the station. 6. Prefer no changes and no booking hassle? A tour from Chengdu with a driver takes 10–12 hours door to door. ## Leshan Giant Buddha opening hours The park is **open every day**. From 1 April to 7 October it runs 7:30–18:30; from 8 October to 31 March, 8:00–17:30. Ticket sales and entry stop before closing time, so plan to be inside by mid-afternoon. Boats run through the day, leaving every half hour or when full, and can be suspended in low water or bad weather. On national holidays — May Day, the first week of October and Chinese New Year — entry works by timed slots and tickets sell out, so book ahead or pick another date. ## Boat or the cliff walk? | | Hill and cliff walk | River boat | | --- | --- | --- | | Price | ¥80 | ¥70 | | Time | 3–4 hours with the queue | About 30 minutes | | What you see | The head up close, the feet from below, temples | The whole statue and cliff from the water | | Queue | 1–2 hours or more at weekends | Usually short | | Effort | Hundreds of steep steps | None | | With kids or older people | Hard going | Easy | Prices and times are unofficial, cross-checked between guides. If you have the energy, do both: the hill in the morning, the boat after lunch. ## Is the Leshan Giant Buddha worth it? Yes — it's YesGo's top day trip from Chengdu, as long as you can handle stairs and some queueing. Photos don't convey the scale: standing at the Buddha's feet and looking up 71 metres is the moment of the day. It's not worth it if you arrive at noon on a holiday weekend and only have the cliff walk in mind — you may spend more time in line than with the Buddha. In that case take the boat. Without a full day to spare, the panda base in Chengdu is the easier choice. ## What to see in the scenic area - **The Buddha's head** — a viewing terrace at the top of the cliff, next to **Lingyun Temple** (凌云寺). - **Lingyun Plank Road** — the narrow path cut into the cliff down to the feet. The older Nine-Turn Plank Road (Jiuqu) on the other side is closed for repairs. - **The platform at the feet** — the top of one foot could hold about a hundred people. - Niches of carved bodhisattvas on both sides of the statue — more than ninety of them. - **Mahao cliff tombs** — Han-dynasty tombs cut into the rock on the way south. - **Wuyou Temple** (乌尤寺) on the next hill across a bridge — quieter and greener than the main trail. ## How long is the queue on the plank road? The main queue is for the walk down to the feet. At opening it's under half an hour; by late morning it's 1–2 hours, and at weekends and holidays it can stretch to 2–3. The path is narrow and one-way, so once you're in, you're in until the bottom. Weekdays are best, and the first hour after opening best of all. If the line is enormous when you arrive, don't sink half your day into it — take the boat instead. Winter is quieter, but the park closes at 17:30. ## Leshan and Mount Emei: one trip or two? Mount Emei, one of China's four sacred Buddhist mountains, is about 30 km from Leshan; the train from Leshan to Emeishan takes around 20 minutes. But the mountain needs its own day — buses and a cable car to the Golden Summit, a separate ticket and separate queues. Doing both in one day from Chengdu leaves about an hour at each, and YesGo doesn't recommend it. A better two-day plan: the Buddha in the morning, move on to Emei in the evening and stay at the foot of the mountain, then go up the next day. If you have one day only, choose the Buddha. ## A short history of the Buddha The monk **Hai Tong** started carving in 713, hoping the Buddha would tame the dangerous currents where the Min, Dadu and Qingyi rivers meet. After his death his disciples carried on with backing from local officials, and the statue was completed around 803 under the governor Wei Gao. The rock dumped into the river during the work really did calm the current. A 13-storey wooden pavilion once sheltered the statue, but it disappeared long ago. The Buddha was listed as a Sichuan cultural relic in 1956 and joined the UNESCO World Heritage List with Mount Emei in 1996. ## Guided tour or on your own? Going independently is cheaper and quite simple: train, taxi and a passport-linked ticket — about ¥300 in total with the boat. The tricky parts are weekend train tickets and the Chinese-only booking mini-program. A tour from Chengdu with a car and guide solves both and gets you to the gate at opening time — sensible in your first days in China, before Alipay and mobile data are sorted. A guide will also explain the carvings along the stairway. ## Before you go: checklist - [ ] Original passport — the one used for train and park tickets - [ ] Train tickets booked both ways - [ ] Alipay or WeChat Pay with a card linked — or cash yuan - [ ] On a train out of Chengdu before 8:00 - [ ] Good shoes and water — the stairway is steep - [ ] 乐山大佛景区 saved to show the taxi driver - [ ] Decided: the hill, the boat, or both ## Chengdu's temples and sacred sites compared Places of faith in Chengdu, rated by YesGo. - [Wenshu Monastery](https://yesgo.io/china/chengdu/wenshu-monastery) — YesGo score 40/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · Free - [Wuhou Shrine](https://yesgo.io/china/chengdu/wuhou-shrine) — YesGo score 35/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h 30 min · ¥50; ages 6–18 ¥25 - [Leshan Giant Buddha](https://yesgo.io/china/chengdu/leshan-giant-buddha) — YesGo score 30/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 4 h · ¥80; river boat ¥70 extra - [Mount Qingcheng](https://yesgo.io/china/chengdu/mount-qingcheng) — YesGo score 16/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 4 h · ¥80; cable car ¥35–60 extra ## The Buddha by day, Chengdu by night An early-evening train gets you back for dinner; the metro runs to Tianfu Square, a short walk from Chunxi Road. 1. [Leshan Giant Buddha](https://yesgo.io/china/chengdu/leshan-giant-buddha) — YesGo score 30/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 4 h · ¥80; river boat ¥70 extra 2. [Tianfu Square](https://yesgo.io/china/chengdu/tianfu-square) — YesGo score 45/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 20 min · Free 3. [Chunxi Road](https://yesgo.io/china/chengdu/chunxi-road) — YesGo score 42/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · Free ## Good to know Next to the Buddha, by the East Gate, is the Oriental Buddha Park (东方佛都), with modern replicas of famous Buddhas — a separate ticket and not part of the Giant Buddha visit. Mount Emei is a separate park 30 km away. For another day out from Chengdu, consider [Mount Qingcheng](https://yesgo.io/china/chengdu/mount-qingcheng); in the city itself, the [panda base](https://yesgo.io/china/chengdu/chengdu-panda-base). ## Tips - Be at the North Gate at opening — for the first hour the queue to the feet is almost empty. - Book your return train at least six hours after you arrive — the queue can eat your margin. - There are few toilets on the cliff path — go before you start down. - If the queue is over two hours, switch plans: the boat shows the whole statue in half an hour. - Save the Chinese names — 成都东站, 乐山站, 乐山大佛景区 — to show taxi drivers. - Lingyun Temple is a working temple: keep your voice down and don't photograph people praying. ## Questions ### How much is the Leshan Giant Buddha ticket? ¥80 for the hill and the walk down to the feet (concession ¥40, under 1.2 m free). The river boat is a separate ¥70. ### How do I get from Chengdu to the Leshan Giant Buddha? High-speed train from Chengdu East or Chengdu South to Leshan Station, 50–60 minutes and about ¥54, then a ¥25–30 taxi or bus K1 or 601 for ¥2. ### What are the Leshan Giant Buddha opening hours? Daily, 7:30–18:30 from 1 April to 7 October and 8:00–17:30 from 8 October to 31 March. Ticket sales and entry end earlier. ### Is the boat or the walk better? The walk gives you the scale — you stand at the Buddha's feet. The boat shows the whole statue in half an hour with little queueing. Do both if you can. ### Is the Nine-Turn Plank Road open? Not at the moment: the Jiuqu path is closed for repairs, and visitors go down to the feet on the one-way Lingyun Plank Road instead. ### How long is the queue to the Buddha's feet? Under half an hour at opening, 1–2 hours by late morning, and up to 2–3 hours at weekends and holidays. ### How long do you need at the Leshan Giant Buddha? 3–4 hours in the park plus about 3 hours of travel from Chengdu and back — a full day. ### Can I visit Leshan and Mount Emei in one day? Technically, but you'd get about an hour at each. Better: the Buddha, a night near Emei, and the mountain the next day. ### Do I need my passport? Yes. Train and park tickets are real-name, and staff check the original passport. ### Can I visit without a tour? Yes. The train and a taxi get you there in under 1.5 hours, and tickets can be booked on Trip.com or bought at the counter with your passport. ## How we checked The scenic area's official pages (the management committee site lsdf.leshan.gov.cn and the Sichuan tourism department) would not load from our server, so every price and time is marked “verifying”. The ¥80 and ¥70 prices, the ¥40 concession, the shuttle and summer hours come from Sohu's summary of the park's rules and match two English-language guides; winter hours of 8:00–17:30 come from two guides. Search excerpts of the official site say the same (¥80, ¥70, winter 8:00–17:30, Nine-Turn Plank Road closed), but we did not open those pages. Guides disagree on who gets the concession (ages 7–17, students, ages 60–64), so we don't list categories. Boat times vary from 25 to 45 minutes between guides; we say about 30. The boat pier changes with the water level (Jiazhou or Wuyou), so we don't name it. Guides give different stops for buses K1 and 601 — ask the driver. Start date: Russian Wikipedia and a guide say 713; English Wikipedia gives both 712 and 722; all agree it was finished in 803. We calculated the 125 km straight-line distance from Tianfu Square ourselves. Payment notes for China are unofficial, from travel guides. ## Sources - English and Russian Wikipedia: Leshan Giant Buddha; Wikidata Q205131 - UNESCO: Mount Emei Scenic Area, including Leshan Giant Buddha Scenic Area (via Wikipedia) - Sohu (川渝本地消息): the scenic area's May Day rules — prices, hours, shuttle, ticket channels - travelchinawith.me: tickets, concessions, hours, Lingyun Plank Road, train and buses, statue dimensions - chinafortravelers.com: trains from Chengdu, taxi, queues, Nine-Turn Plank Road closure, real-name tickets, Mount Emei - wanderinchina.com: train, buses from the station, DiDi, queues - mychina.guide: 12306 real-name booking, Leshan and Emei on separate days --- This is the Markdown version of a YesGo page for AI assistants. Quote the web page link above, not this file.