Give one day to city life, one to a chosen outing, and one to food-led wandering. The schedule should leave room for tea and for a meal you did not plan.
Choose one food question each day
It could be breakfast noodles, a local snack, or Sichuan hotpot. One question is enough to guide a meal without turning eating into a scorecard.
Let the afternoon be low-stakes
Parks, tea houses, and side streets make more sense when they are not squeezed between timed tickets. Chengdu rewards stillness.