Top 10 Ancient Towns in China's Sichuan Province

Hi! My name is Noah Kartha, and I'm a travel blogger/vlogger in China. I've fallen in love with China's countless ancient towns, and I hope to visit all of this country's most beautiful ancient towns and villages in the next few years. Having lived the past year and a half in Sichuan, I've been able to explore this province in depth, and this list is what I believe to be Sichuan's top ten ancient towns in order.

1. Langzhong Ancient City

My favorite ancient town I’ve visited in all of China is Langzhong Ancient City. This is far larger than any other ancient town in Sichuan and is actually one of only four completely preserved ancient cities in China. When I visited Langzhong for Chinese New Year 2021, I was totally mesmerized. Every one of its 90 streets had some surprise waiting down it, whether it was locals celebrating the New Year playing with fireworks or firecrackers, some interesting old landmark, or a gorgeous hidden cafe. Then you can go for a lovely stroll or even boat ride along the Jialing River with the ancient city on one side and the picturesque Jinping Mountain on the other. You can even walk across a floating bridge to another part of the ancient town seemingly hidden inside the mountain.

Traveling in China during Spring Festival is widely discouraged amongst foreigners because every tourist destination in the country is packed with people, but I highly recommend a visit to Langzhong during Chinese New Year. The New Year’s atmosphere here is so festive and fun and made for one of my favorite travel experiences in all of China to date.

Best Way to Get to Langzhong:

• *Fly into Langzhong Ancient City (At the moment the airport isn’t open, it will probably open at the end of 2022)

• Take a train to Langzhong station（阆中站)

2. Pingle Ancient Town

3. Lizhuang Ancient Town

4. Anren Ancient Town

5. Shangli Ancient Town

6. Huanglongxi Ancient Town

7. Luodai Ancient Town

8. Yuantong Ancient Town

9. Jiezi Ancient Town

10. Liujiang Ancient Town

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Honorable Mentions:

Danba Jiaju Tibetan Village

When visiting Sichuan Jiaju Tibetan Village is a must-see! I didn’t include it in my top 10 because, firstly, I’ve never been, and secondly, because it’s a village, which I consider slightly different than these other ancient “towns." However, I’ve heard it’s amazingly beautiful.

Best Way to Get There:

• Take a bus from Chengdu’s Chadianzi Station (茶店子站) (one-way trip takes 5+ hours)

Daocheng

Located at the Western corner of Sichuan province, right next to Tibet is the stunning Daocheng county. It’s home to Daocheng Yading Park which is considered “the last pure land on our blue planet” and has been called “The Soul of Shangri-La,” as well as “The Last Shangri-La.” I didn’t even visit Yading park, but I can still say that Daocheng is one of, if not the most naturally beautiful place I’ve seen in China. In Daocheng, you’ll be driving on this seemingly endless tiny road with majestic towering mountains on both sides of you lush green fields in between, and yaks all around. The scenery is stunning. I put it down as an honorable mention on this ancient town list because there are plenty of Tibetan-style villages hidden and scattered around the vast natural landscape, and for adventurous travelers who love to go off the beaten path, I highly recommend exploring them. This area is, after all, considered by many to be the “real” Shangri-La.

Best Way to Get There:

• Airplane to Daocheng Yading Airport (but the airport closes in the winter, and afternoon flights are often canceled due to unpredictable weather there)

• As a last resort, you can take the bus from Chengdu’s Xinnanmen Station （新南门站）(Be warned, it takes ~13 hours)