If you dream of visiting Tibet but don’t have the budget, Sichuan is one of the best alternatives. We travelled from Chengdu up into the north-west of Sichuan and it turned out to be one of our favourite trips in China.
VISA
Many nationalities can now get a 30-day visa on arrival. I didn’t need to do a visa run myself, but other travellers confirmed it’s possible.
ESSENTIAL APPS
China is highly digital at first it feels overwhelming, but once you set things up it’s smooth.
Install and verify these before entering China (guides are easy to find online):
* WeChat – messaging (can also pay, but I preferred Alipay)
* Alipay – easiest way for foreigners to pay
* Amap – navigation & public transport (forget Google Maps)
* DiDi – taxi app, cheap and reliable
* Google Translate – worked best for us (better than DeepL in practice)
Install and verify these before entering China (guides are easy to find online):
* WeChat – messaging (can also pay, but I preferred Alipay)
* Alipay – easiest way for foreigners to pay
* Amap – navigation & public transport (forget Google Maps)
* DiDi – taxi app, cheap and reliable
* Google Translate – worked best for us (better than DeepL in practice)
FOOD
Sichuan is famously spicy
SoOOO spicy that even many Chinese find it intense.
Key survival phrase: “Bu La” (不辣) = not spicy.
Food is everywhere, cheap and delicious. Street food and small restaurants rarely disappoint.
Itinerary
Weather:
Summer = monsoon season, so plan mountain trips for spring or autumn.
Starting Point – Chengdu
A clean, relaxed, and well-organized city with cheap, efficient public transport.
* Hotels/hostels: around €15 with surprisingly high standards.
* Biking: rental bikes on every corner what you can use via WeChat or Alipay and protected bike lanes make it easy even for beginners.
* The Panda park is also an amazing experience and nothing like a zoo
Trasportation:
We mainly used long-distance buses easy to book and navigate with Amap.
Locals were always ready to help, even with the language barrier.
Route:
Instead of pricey and restricted national parks what actually are pretty beautiful, but not like other countries you will camp and hike for days, so we focused on villages and small towns for more authentic encounters:
* Kangding
* Tagong
* Danba
* Dawu
* Dege
Summer = monsoon season, so plan mountain trips for spring or autumn.
Starting Point – Chengdu
A clean, relaxed, and well-organized city with cheap, efficient public transport.
* Hotels/hostels: around €15 with surprisingly high standards.
* Biking: rental bikes on every corner what you can use via WeChat or Alipay and protected bike lanes make it easy even for beginners.
* The Panda park is also an amazing experience and nothing like a zoo
Trasportation:
We mainly used long-distance buses easy to book and navigate with Amap.
Locals were always ready to help, even with the language barrier.
Route:
Instead of pricey and restricted national parks what actually are pretty beautiful, but not like other countries you will camp and hike for days, so we focused on villages and small towns for more authentic encounters:
* Kangding
* Tagong
* Danba
* Dawu
* Dege
BE CAREFUL
!!!Altitude warning: check elevation and acclimatise slowly. We avoided serious sickness but still had a few tough days.!!!
This part of the region is home to Tibetans and the Jiarong people, their culture and history are fascinating. As documentary photographers, we loved spending time with locals and were even invited to collect the “zombie mushroom” (cordyceps) on the Tibetan plateau, the one from The Last of Us!
Compared to eastern China, Sichuan feels cheaper, more authentic, and more diverse in ethnic culture.
It’s an ideal first stop in China: affordable, easy to travel, and rich in traditional life.
If you’re looking for a budget-friendly, culture-rich alternative to Tibet, start in Chengdu and head northwest.
The landscapes, people, and food make Sichuan a destination that’s both approachable and unforgettable.
This part of the region is home to Tibetans and the Jiarong people, their culture and history are fascinating. As documentary photographers, we loved spending time with locals and were even invited to collect the “zombie mushroom” (cordyceps) on the Tibetan plateau, the one from The Last of Us!
Compared to eastern China, Sichuan feels cheaper, more authentic, and more diverse in ethnic culture.
It’s an ideal first stop in China: affordable, easy to travel, and rich in traditional life.
If you’re looking for a budget-friendly, culture-rich alternative to Tibet, start in Chengdu and head northwest.
The landscapes, people, and food make Sichuan a destination that’s both approachable and unforgettable.
