Chengdu Panda Visit and Cooking Class: Learn to Cook Sichuan

Cook a full Sichuan dinner after visiting pandas and a monastery market

A full-day private class in Chengdu where you visit the giant pandas at the research base, eat authentic local snacks at Wenshuyuan Monastery, learn Sichuan spices and ingredients at a market, then cook and eat a complete dinner with a professional chef. An English-speaking guide picks you up and leads the whole day, which runs twelve hours from morning to evening.

Step-by-step itinerary

Panda visit and cooking class experience

• Visit Chengdu Panda Base
• Try local snacks at Wenshuyuan Monastery
• Enjoy green tea in monastery courtyard
• Visit local market for Sichuan spices
• Cook with professional chef
• Enjoy cooked dishes with drinks

The experience

You start at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, the world's largest panda facility, where you watch the rare black and white pandas up close. After that, you head to Wenshuyuan Monastery for lunch: you eat Guokui (a Chinese hamburger), dumplings, and Dandan noodles in the courtyard, drinking green tea like the locals do. The monastery is where the day shifts from sightseeing into learning.

Next you visit a local market to study Sichuan spices and ingredients with your guide: the flavors and heat that define the region's cooking. Then you move to the kitchen with a professional chef who walks you through preparing a full dinner. You make the dishes yourself, not watch a demonstration, and when they're done you sit down and eat what you cooked, with drinks included. The whole experience runs twelve hours, so you leave in the morning and return in the evening.

What’s included

• Private transportation with pickup.
• lunch at Wenshuyuan Monastery.
• dinner you cook yourself.
• coffee and tea.
• all fees and taxes.
• alcoholic beverages.

Before you book

Days and timesEvery dayDeparts at 08:00

Book up to1d before

AgesAdult (6 to 90 years) · Infant (under 6): free

GroupPrivate

Live guideEnglish

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup included.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.

Prices and times updated 9 days ago

Good to know

Low physical effortWheelchair accessibleAccessible transportStroller-friendlyInfant seats availableNot recommended with heart problemsInfants must sit on laps

Operated by Jiuzhai Minjiang International Travel Service

Is this one for you?Book this if you want to actually cook a meal, not just watch a chef work. The day builds toward the kitchen: you see the pandas, eat local food, learn the ingredients, then make dinner yourself and eat it. If you prefer a cooking class that skips the morning activities, look for a shorter kitchen-only option.

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Top questions

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Infant (under 6): free.

What is the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding like?

The Chengdu Research Base is the largest panda facility in the world, built specifically to let you see the rare giant pandas up close and watch them in a setting designed for breeding and research.

What do you actually cook in the kitchen class?

You prepare a full dinner under the guidance of a professional chef, making Sichuan dishes from the spices and ingredients you learned about at the market earlier that day.

Is lunch included, or do I pay separately?

Lunch is included. You eat at Wenshuyuan Monastery with authentic local snacks like Guokui, dumplings, and Dandan noodles, plus green tea in the courtyard.

Does the guide speak English?

Yes, your guide speaks English and leads the entire day, from pickup through the cooking class and dinner.

How long does the whole day take?

The experience runs twelve hours, starting in the morning at the panda base and ending in the evening after you finish dinner.