Leshan Giant Buddha — The 71 m Tang-Dynasty Cliff Buddha, A Day Trip From Chengdu 2026

Q: How do I get to the Leshan Giant Buddha from Chengdu, and how long does it take?

The fastest way is the high-speed train from Chengdu East (成都东) or Chengdu South (成都南) to Leshan station (乐山), taking roughly 46 minutes to 1 hour. Second-class tickets start at about ¥54 (~฿270), with trains running from early morning to late evening. From Leshan station, a taxi to the scenic area takes about 25 minutes (~¥25), or bus 3/K1/601 costs around ¥5. The whole thing works comfortably as a half-day trip. Check the train schedule before you go and book ahead during Chinese public holidays.

Q: How much does the Leshan Giant Buddha cost and what are the opening hours?

Entry to the scenic area is around ¥80 (~฿400), covering the Jiuqu cliff stairs, Lingyun Temple, Wuyou Temple and the surrounding area. Opening hours are roughly 7.30 am to 6.30 pm in peak season (1 April to 7 October) and 8 am to 5.30 pm in the off-season (8 October to 31 March). Prices and hours can change, so check before you go. Foreign visitors can buy tickets at the gate with a passport.

Q: Should I walk the cliff stairs or take the river boat?

The Jiuqu cliff stairs (九曲栈道) are a switchback stone walkway descending from the Buddha's head to its feet — the closest possible view, where you can photograph the toes up close and look up at the face from below. But the stairs are steep and the queue is very long on weekends and in peak season, sometimes an hour or more. The river boat (a separate ticket, around ¥70 at the dock) takes 20–30 minutes and shows the whole Buddha in one frame, plus the two guardian bodhisattvas carved on either side that you cannot see from above. It suits anyone who would rather not queue or climb. If you have time, do both.

Q: How tall is the Leshan Giant Buddha and when was it built?

The Buddha stands 71 metres tall and is the largest stone Buddha in the world. It was carved into a red sandstone cliff during the Tang dynasty, begun in 713 AD by a monk named Haitong (海通), who wanted it to protect the boats that often came to grief at the turbulent confluence of three rivers. Haitong died before it was finished; his successors completed the carving in 803 AD, about 90 years in total. It has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1996.

What it is

Why Leshan is the best day trip from Chengdu

Picture it: you work your way down a switchback stone stairway pinned to the cliff, and suddenly you are standing at the Buddha's feet — a single toe longer than a grown adult. Look up and the calm face rises more than 70 metres above you, the 1,021 spiral curls of hair arranged in perfect rows, three rivers meeting behind your back. This is the part photographs never quite manage: the sheer scale only makes sense once you are actually standing there.

This is the Leshan Giant Buddha (乐山大佛) — a 71-metre Buddha carved into the cliff at the confluence of the Min, Dadu and Qingyi rivers, in the city of Leshan in Sichuan Province. It is the largest stone Buddha in the world, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, listed together with the Mount Emei Scenic Area since 1996.

What makes it remarkable is not only the size, but the story behind it. Carving began in 713 AD under a monk named Haitong (海通), who wanted the Buddha to protect the boatmen who so often came to grief where three fast rivers collide. He spent decades raising funds and died before the work was done; his successors carried on and completed it in 803 AD — about 90 years from first chisel to finished figure.

Leshan Giant Buddha — the 71-metre stone Buddha carved into a red cliff, calm face, tourists walking the cliff-side path for scale, green river below — The Leshan Giant Buddha — note the visitors on the cliff path for a sense of scale against the face

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Entry

~¥80 (~฿400)

Includes cliff stairs + Lingyun & Wuyou temples · check before you go

🕗

Opening hours

~7.30 am–6.30 pm

Peak season · off-season ~8 am–5.30 pm

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Train from Chengdu

~46 min – 1 hr

Chengdu East/South → Leshan · tickets from ~¥54

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Height

71 metres

Largest in the world · a 23-storey building

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Time to allow

Half a day

~3–4 hrs in the scenic area if you walk the stairs

⛴️

River boat

~¥70 (~฿350)

Separate ticket at the dock · full view, no queue

Things that make it stranger and better

5 things worth knowing before you stand at its feet

You will look at the Buddha differently once you know these.

1

A hidden drainage system inside the Buddha

Tang-era engineering still doing its job

Tang-dynasty craftsmen built concealed drainage channels into the hair curls, the collar and behind the ears, carrying rainwater off the figure and slowing the erosion of the soft sandstone. More than a thousand years later, that system is a large part of the reason the Buddha is still standing at all.
2

"The mountain is a Buddha, the Buddha is a mountain"

A view best seen from the water

There is an old saying that the mountain itself is a reclining Buddha — seen from the right distance on the river, the ridgeline reads as a figure lying on its back, with the Giant Buddha seated exactly at the chest. It is a detail most people miss unless they take the boat out onto the river to look.
3

Toes bigger than people

Scale you only grasp from below

The figures people like to repeat: a hundred people can sit comfortably on the top of one foot, and each toenail is large enough to stand on. Walk all the way down the cliff stairs, turn around and look up, and you will understand why none of that is an exaggeration.
4

Lingyun and Wuyou temples around the Buddha

Already covered by your ticket

The scenic area is more than the Buddha alone. It includes Lingyun Temple (凌云寺) on the hilltop above the Buddha's head, and the quieter Wuyou Temple (乌尤寺) on an island in the river. Both are free to walk through once you are inside. With time to do the full loop, you get old Chinese temple courtyards set among the forested hills.
5

The same World Heritage listing as Mount Emei

UNESCO-listed in 1996

The Leshan Giant Buddha and Mount Emei share a single UNESCO listing — which is exactly why so many travellers plan the two together. The same high-speed line passes through Leshan before reaching Emeishan, only about 15 minutes apart.

What to do here

Walk the cliff stairs, or see it from the river

🪜 The Jiuqu cliff stairs (九曲栈道)

The Jiuqu stairway is a nine-bend stone walkway clinging to the cliff, dropping from the level of the Buddha's head down to its feet. This is the closest view you can get — photographing the toes, looking up at the face from directly below. The path is fairly steep and narrow; the descent is easy, but coming back up means climbing many flights of stairs again.

The single most important thing to know: the stairway queue is very long on weekends and in high season. On busy days you may wait over an hour just to start the descent. The best move is to arrive at the gate when it opens (~7.30 am in peak season) and head straight for the stairs before the late-morning tour buses arrive.

⛴️ Seeing the Buddha from the river

If you would rather not queue or do all that climbing, the river boat is an excellent alternative. Boats leave from a dock near the scenic area and take about 20–30 minutes, heading out into the river and turning to face the Buddha — and from here you see the whole figure in a single frame, along with the two carved guardian bodhisattvas flanking it that are invisible from above. The boat ticket is separate, around ¥70 (~฿350), bought at the dock.

Boats may not run in poor weather or when the river level shifts, so check the status at the dock first. If you have the time, plenty of people do both — the cliff stairs early while it is quiet, then the boat for the wider view.

Tip: You can book a Leshan day tour (or a combined Leshan + Mount Emei tour) in advance on Klook — handy if you would rather not arrange the train and onward transfer yourself. See Leshan tours on Klook →

📸 Photography — when and where

The classic head-on shot of the face is taken from the upper viewing terrace at the level of the Buddha's head, before you start down the stairs. The shot that really shows the scale — tiny people against the giant figure — has to be taken from below at the feet, or from a boat out on the water.

The best time is early, right at opening: soft light, fewer people, and a shorter stair queue. Avoid the long Chinese public holidays (Chinese New Year, National Day on 1–7 October, Labour Day), which are the most crowded. Spring and autumn have the most comfortable weather; summer is hot and can be wet, so bring an umbrella and water.

Getting there from Chengdu

How to reach the Leshan Giant Buddha

The quickest and most comfortable option is the high-speed train, then a short onward ride into the scenic area.

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High-speed train (recommended)

Chengdu East/South → Leshan

About 46 min – 1 hr · second-class tickets from ~¥54 (~฿270) · trains all day, early to late · book ahead on Trip.com over holidays

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Leshan station → scenic area

Taxi ~25 min (~¥25)

Fastest and easiest · or bus 3/K1/601 for about ¥5, taking ~45–60 min

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Day tour / private car

Pickup from Chengdu

Easiest if you would rather not arrange train plus transfer · often combined with Mount Emei · book via Klook

Planning your timing: For a single day trip back to Chengdu, take an early train from Chengdu East to reach Leshan before 9 am, taxi into the scenic area, walk the cliff stairs while the queue is still short, take the boat around midday, and catch a late-afternoon train back — no overnight needed. If you want to add Mount Emei, stay one night near Emeishan instead so you can ride up to the Golden Summit at dawn the next morning.

Where to stay

Your base in Chengdu before you set out

Most people use Chengdu as a base and do Leshan as a there-and-back day trip — pick somewhere near a train station or central so an early start is easy.

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Frequently asked

FAQ · Leshan Giant Buddha practical

How do I get to the Leshan Giant Buddha from Chengdu, and how long does it take?

The fastest way is the high-speed train from Chengdu East (成都东) or Chengdu South (成都南) to Leshan station (乐山), taking roughly 46 minutes to 1 hour. Second-class tickets start at about ¥54 (~฿270), with trains all day. From Leshan station, a taxi to the scenic area takes about 25 minutes (~¥25), or bus 3/K1/601 costs around ¥5. The whole thing works comfortably as a half-day trip. Check the train schedule and book ahead during holidays on Trip.com.

How much does the Leshan Giant Buddha cost and what are the opening hours?

Entry to the scenic area is around ¥80 (~฿400), covering the Jiuqu cliff stairs, Lingyun Temple, Wuyou Temple and the surrounding area. Opening hours are roughly 7.30 am to 6.30 pm in peak season (1 April to 7 October) and 8 am to 5.30 pm in the off-season (8 October to 31 March). Prices and hours can change, so check before you go. Foreign visitors can buy tickets at the gate with a passport.

Should I walk the cliff stairs or take the river boat?

The Jiuqu cliff stairs (九曲栈道) are a switchback stone walkway descending from the Buddha's head to its feet — the closest possible view, where you photograph the toes up close and look up at the face from below. But the stairs are steep and the queue is very long on weekends and in peak season, sometimes an hour or more. The river boat (a separate ticket, ~¥70 at the dock) takes 20–30 minutes and shows the whole Buddha in one frame, plus the two guardian bodhisattvas you cannot see from above. It suits anyone who would rather not queue or climb. If you have time, do both.

How tall is the Leshan Giant Buddha and when was it built?

The Buddha stands 71 metres tall and is the largest stone Buddha in the world. It was carved into a red sandstone cliff during the Tang dynasty, begun in 713 AD by a monk named Haitong (海通), who wanted it to protect the boats that often came to grief at the turbulent confluence of three rivers. Haitong died before it was finished; his successors completed the carving in 803 AD, about 90 years in total. It has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1996.

Should I combine Leshan with Mount Emei on the same trip?

They pair very well, because the same high-speed line from Chengdu passes through Leshan station before reaching Emeishan station — only about 15 minutes apart. Many travellers spend half a day at Leshan, then stay one night near Mount Emei to ride up to the Golden Summit for sunrise. Alternatively, Leshan works fine as a single day trip back to Chengdu. Both are part of the same UNESCO listing. See more options on day trips from Chengdu.

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Sacred mountain, the 3,099 m Golden Summit, a sea of clouds — Leshan's World Heritage twin

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