Happy Valley Chengdu: Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport Layover Activity
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Exploring Happy Valley Chengdu during a layover at Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport offers a thrilling amusement park experience with minimal crowds, diverse roller coasters, and local cuisine.
Visiting Happy Valley Chengdu: (Jump To)
We got an amazing deal on our return flight home from Thailand. Often, amazing flight deals come with a substantial amount of travel discomfort. Our itinerary had us connecting flights three times including a 14-hour layover at Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport in central China.
Other Chengdu Airport Layover Activities
Chengdu is one of the most populous cities in China and the capital of the Sichuan Province. The city is loved by foodies in search of authentic dishes seasoned with Sichuan Peppers.
The region is also home to eighty percent of the remaining pandas living in the wild. The most popular tourist destination (marked by a substantial ad presence at the airport) is the Chengdu Panda Base, a non-profit panda breeding and research facility. While walking near the taxi stand we were offered rides to the panda center by at least 15 drivers.
Layover at the Airport in Chengdu
I’m not sure if it’s a policy of the Chinese travel authorities, or if it was a policy of the airline, but on all flight transfers within mainland China after deplaning we had to collect our checked baggage and go through customs and immigration again. This is something we’re used to when traveling from one country to another, but it was strange to do when the flight was departing and landing within China.
Because of our long layover, once we left and gathered our baggage we were not allowed back into the main part of the airport until within four hours of our next flight departure. We were essentially stuck in the baggage claim area for 13 hours. There is a small seating area with chairs, bathrooms, showers, and free wi-fi for people in the same situation. To access the area you have to show a boarding pass for an upcoming flight.
Happy Valley Chengdu From Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport
Fortunately, before our arrival, we made plans to leave the airport for a few hours to visit Happy Valley Chengdu. Happy Valley is essentially the Chinese version of Six Flags. They have a chain of eight theme parks across China that primarily cater to the local population.
From the airport, you could easily take a taxi for the 35-minute drive to the park. We have a sense of adventure, so we decided to give the local public transportation a try. We stowed our luggage for a fee at the airport and boarded the subway that is conveniently located just outside the arrivals terminal. An automated ticket machine with an English language option is in the station.
We took the blue line (#10), to the light blue line (#7), to the orange line (#2) exiting at Jinzhou Road. From there we took a short bus ride to a stop near the park entrance. The subways are clean, safe, easy to navigate, and run very frequently. This is not tourist-friendly China. If you encounter problems it will likely be harder than expected to find a helpful English-speaking local. If you’re a public transit novice, it might be best to take a taxi.
How Long To Visit Happy Valley Chengdu
We planned to stay in the park for about four hours, giving us plenty of time to make it back to the airport including a huge buffer in case of a transit mistake on the way back. It turned out to be plenty of time. The park was empty. There had to be less than fifty other guests in the park when we arrived. There was not a line for anything, in fact, we often had to wait in the station for enough people to arrive for the operator to run the ride.
Bizarrely, the ride staff leads riders in a stretching and exercise routine before each ride. We would all have to stand and gently twist our torsos and do a few neck rolls. Maybe they thought you were less likely to get hurt on the ride if you were limbered up. Not sure about that one.
The park was opened in 2009. The architecture and style of the park make it feel like it has been there much longer. The park is well-maintained but has a very dated feel.
Happy Valley Chengdu Roller Coasters
Officially the park has six operating coasters. The Dragon in Snowfield is a themed roller coaster with minimal thrills. You ride in cars themed as a train while whipping through a stone castle with water features. Fly Over Mediterranean offers a similar experience without the theming.
With four painful loops, the inverted Dragon in Clouds coaster dangles your feet above the park for a quick and not-enjoyable ride. The Magic Carpet is the park’s version of the always enjoyable Wild Mouse ride.
The final two coasters were added in the last few years. Flying Apsaras in Western Region seats riders four across with one steep drop and one loop. It was a fun ride. The best in the park has to go to the wooden coaster Great Desert-Rally. Built in 2017, It’s a fast coaster that keeps you upright while banking some great curves.
Happy Valley Chengdu Rides
Aside from the coasters, the park has some water rides that were closed during our chilly December visit. There are plenty of small carnival-style rides to enjoy. Some theme park standards and some that were foreign to me. My favorite was a giant spinning plate on the ground. You take a seat in the middle of the plate, when the ride starts it spins until you can’t help but be ejected from the plate to a (modestly) padded cement slab.
The park also had an awful Sorin’ ripoff. We annoyingly waited for almost an hour for the ride to operate. It was not even funny-bad, just bad. Skip it if you’re visiting.
Happy Valley Chengdu Food
Much of the food in the park was expectedly Chinese. We ate some chicken skewers for lunch that were cooked over an open grill. They were tasty and pretty cheap; no complaints here. Many of the park’s restaurants were closed during our visit.
The park also has Pizza Hut, McDonald's, and Burger King if you’re craving the Chinese version of a taste of home. We got a McFlurry from McDonald's made with black soft serve. I think it was some sort of tea flavor, but the translation was lost on us.
After four hours of fun, we traced our public transit steps back to the airport without incident, making it back only shortly before being allowed back into the terminals. This was a perfectly wonderful adventure to end our Thailand trip and a lovely way to spend a layover.
