Yunnan Kunming Dali Lijiang Travel Guide

Yunnan is a major tourist province located on the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau. The weather is spring-like all year round and the climate is very suitable for living. It has a very long history and splendid ancient culture. There are many famous historical and cultural cities here, such as Lijiang and Dali. This is a travel guide to Kunming, Dali and Lijiang in Yunnan.

Because it is a major tourist province with rich tourism resources, our time was limited, so we simply went to Kunming, Lijiang, and Dali. Relatively speaking, I prefer Dali, then Kunming, and finally Lijiang. For me, a Cantonese, the taste of Yunnan food is quite good, because I have been to other places before and I was very satisfied this time. My requirement for traveling is to eat well and sleep well, so there are no money-saving strategies in this article. After seven days, it was almost 4,000 to 5,000 per person (excluding money spent on crazy purchases).

This is a travel guide with many flaws but full of sincerity.

July is the rainy season in Yunnan, so there is a lot of rain there. Remember to bring rain gear. In addition, although the temperature is not high over there, the intensity of ultraviolet rays is very high. Wear sunscreen, sun-protective clothing, and a hat. There is a big temperature difference between morning and evening, so be prepared with a light jacket.

The cost of taxis and meals were not mentioned in the travel notes. Due to differences in the number of people, route arrangements, and travel quality, we will not make a reference here.

One day from Jieyang (Shantou) to Kunming Changshui

Our flight took off at 8 a.m. and left Shantou central city at 6:30 (the cost is 150 for two people). Arrive at Kunming Changshui Airport at 10:00.

Los Angeles Airport

I had to take a train to Lijiang in the evening, so I took a taxi and found an hourly room near the train station (Hanting Railway Station) and rested for a few hours.

(If you have energetic friends, I suggest you go to Dianchi Lake or Yunnan University for a walk) I went to a small shop in the middle (talking about bait silk) and took a bite of Yunnan's local specialty bait silk.

It is a food that looks like noodles but is more than just batter. People in Yunnan are very honest, and 10 yuan for a big bowl is a lot. Taste is a matter of opinion.

I also ordered a rose tofu curd, which has a faint fragrance of roses. I really like the taste of tofu. After eating the shredded fish, it's very refreshing after just a few spoonfuls.

Si'er

Rose Douhua

After five to six o'clock, we packed our luggage, checked out of the hourly room, and set out for dinner. For dinner, we chose Fu Zhaolou (Jinjiang Branch), a time-honored restaurant near Kunming Station. Just walking distance.

This store is really nice. Every dish is delicious. Such as steamed chicken, cold chicken and rice noodles, flame mashed potatoes, snowflake hawthorn jelly, fried fungus, these all suit our appetite.

Steamed Chicken

Banji Zong Rice Noodles

Mix the cold skin (after pouring the sauce)

Huoyan Mashed Potatoes

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After dinner, it was not eight o'clock yet, and it was still dark in Yunnan. When we entered Kunming Station, it was still bright as day.

Qianfang Kunming Station

Train 21:20 (K9686) runs from Kunming to Lijiang and is a special tourist train. In addition to hard sleepers and soft sleepers, there are also VIP soft sleeper packages. (The screenshot shows the timetable of the special train. Other carriages are not special trains, but you can also ride on them.)

There are four of us and we bought tickets for soft sleepers. Mine is 226 yuan for the lower berth, and the upper berth is cheaper.

Special train timetable from Kunming to Lijiang

One ticket

Special soft sleeper upper berth

You can make adjustments with others when getting on the train Click the location. Four people in a small box, you can close the door and sleep comfortably. I heard from friends who have traveled there before that the hard sleepers on special trains also have upper and lower berths, not three floors. The only difference is that soft sleepers have a door that closes securely, while hard sleepers are cheaper. Later, compared to the ordinary green cars that came back, the space of the special train was actually smaller than that of the ordinary train because there was a VIP room upstairs.

Appear in a wave

I really like the appearance of the special train.

Two-day tour of Lijiang

We arrived in Lijiang at about 7 o'clock in the morning, a little later.

We chose to take the train at night. At first we thought we could use our time and save accommodation. However, the disadvantage of this is that we arrived in the morning for both trains and arrived at the hotel (inn) very early. Because the room was full, we could not check in immediately, so we had to wait. In fact, it has been delayed for a while

Hotels in Lijiang basically provide airport pick-up and train services. If you stay long enough, you can get it for free. If your stay is short, you can contact the inn in advance to pay the fee. The inn we chose this time is in Lijiang Old Town, called Love Lijiang Boutique Inn. Not far from Sifang Street and close to Bar Street, the location is very good. One small drawback is that the bars throughout the ancient city are high at night. Living close will have an impact, but not much. It's basically quiet after nightfall. By the way, there is no charge for maintenance of the ancient city now.

The second floor of the view loft room

The first floor of the view loft room

Daytime Bar Street

Inn

Internal Observation Deck

Four people booked a viewing room for two people, and it cost 996 yuan per night for two nights. Personally, I think the price/performance ratio is quite high. The environment is good.

As I said before, the check-in time was too early, so I wanted to have a meal first.

I looked for a breakfast recommended by the innkeeper, but couldn't find it, so I ate rice noodles and chicken jelly. The jelly tastes okay, but the focus was not good when I took the photo, so I won’t picture it here.

Ban Mao Crossing the Bridge Rice Noodles

Love these big bowls.

In the morning, after the rain in the ancient city, the air is fresh and there are few people. On the contrary, I love it. It will be lively at night and full of people. The road is small and crowded. It will be of interest to people who like to go to bars. I don't know the exact cost here as we didn't go to the bar.

There are many shops selling small commodities in Lijiang Old Town. Don’t buy silverware or anything like that. It's all lies. Most shops that sell flower cakes have a try. The bigger brand should be Jiahua. We originally planned to buy some Ka Wah flower cakes to send back to our friends, but they tasted pretty good. After seeing too much, I didn’t want to buy it. But the taste is really okay.

In the morning, the air in Lijiang Old Town is very fresh.

The Bar Street of the Inn

At noon, we had something to eat at a shop called [Li Ali] near the Zhongyi Lane Inn.

I think the sour plum soup he makes is particularly delicious. We ordered random dishes without referring to Dianping reviews. Lijiang Baba is not recommended. It is better to eat Xizhou Baba later.

Recommended! Plum syrup

Fried fungus is also delicious.

Eat beef and mint

Tofu tastes good.

A few days before departure, we bought tickets in advance on Taobao to go to Songcheng Scenic Area, and went to see Lijiang’s Ancient Love in the afternoon. This performance has now been increased from two times a day to three times a day.

We bought the tickets at 4:30 in the afternoon. The tickets booked on Taobao included tickets for the Songcheng Tea Horse Ancient City Scenic Area, and also included the shuttle bus, which was a VIP seat. 260 yuan per person.

But I think this performance is not as good as the one I saw in Hangzhou before. There are too many dances. But it is much more shocking than ordinary theater performances, and it is quite interesting for those who have never experienced it before.

There are other performances and activities in Magucheng. It seems that Songcheng is not as fun as Qingming Shanghe Garden in Kaifeng.

Mu Zhaoxu

By the river during the Qingming Festival

In the evening, we came back from Songcheng Scenic Area and followed the recommendation of the innkeeper to eat the old lady’s pork ribs . Pork ribs and local chicken are the specialties of Lijiang. This store has several branches in the ancient city. The store is relatively simple, but there are many people coming to eat.

I don’t like eating bacon very much, but I think it’s okay if I don’t eat too much. I saw a lot of likes in the comments. Friends in the same industry said it was cheap and a big deal. Now that I'm here, I'll try the local specialties.

Pork Ribs and Chicken Hot Pot

The roads in Lijiang Ancient City are much smaller and more complicated than those in Dali Ancient City. If you're not careful, you'll go the wrong way. In addition, there are many people at night, so girls (and some boys) should pay attention to safety.

Three-day trip to Jade Dragon Snow Mountain

It was originally the day that I was looking forward to the most, but later I felt that it was the day that failed the most in the entire trip. Before departure, we also booked tickets to Jade Dragon Snow Mountain. We booked tickets on Ctrip, including the three treasures of the snow mountain (water, oxygen bottles, down jackets), snow kitchen lunch, round trip fare from the ancient city to the snow mountain, environmentally friendly vehicles in scenic spots, and large ropeways.

You can also book on other websites, and the cost is similar. You can also choose to go to the inn and ask them to book it for you, but it must be done one day in advance.

I would like to remind everyone that you must take medicine (Rhodiola rosea) to prevent altitude sickness in advance. We were too confident and not ready

Two people suffered from severe altitude sickness. As a result, they couldn't eat anything in the snow kitchen at noon and kept vomiting. In the afternoon, they couldn't even go to Blue Moon Valley. There are also chocolates to bring to replenish energy.

On the other hand, the weather in Jade Dragon Snow Mountain was very bad that day. It was almost impossible to see anything for the first five minutes, and the entire rest of the journey was covered in white fog and rain.

It can be said that I didn’t take any photos or see anything. Comparing the photos of friends who went there before, it seems like I went to two places.

I took it.

It was taken when my classmates went there in May.

Let’s talk about down jackets and snow kitchens. The down jackets there have been worn by many, many people, so you have no choice. As you can imagine, it's dirty and smelly, but there's nothing we can do about it. This is how everyone goes up.

If you really don’t want to wear it, you have to bring your own thick down jacket. It’s no use being skinny. In addition, Snow Kitchen is an ordinary buffet restaurant that specializes in catering to large numbers of tourists.

So the food is very canteen-like! I basically didn’t eat that meal because of altitude sickness, and I couldn’t stand the oil. Because I felt very uncomfortable, I returned to the inn that night and slept until the next day.

Here, I would like to add that it is best to live near the north gate of the ancient city of Lijiang. In many cases, the reserved bus must be taken at the Century Hualian parking lot at the north gate.

On the fourth day, Lijiang to Xizhou to Dali

We set off in the Century Hualian parking lot in the morning. We booked a car from Lijiang to Dali in Jiantu. We'll give you an overnight notification to keep an eye on the information. Passing through Xizhou Ancient Town in the middle. Jane can choose her seat and order KFC breakfast. You can get it when you get in the car. Because several of us were tired the day before and didn’t have the strength to carry our luggage on the stone road, we asked the innkeeper to call us a scooter to carry our luggage. The cost is thirty dollars and four boxes (the exact number depends on distance, of course).

It was about noon when we arrived at Xizhou Ancient Town. Let’s look at other strategies before traveling. We mentioned that if you want to buy some local specialties, the prices in Xizhou are more suitable. Sure enough, clothes and other things are cheaper than in Dali Ancient Town, Lijiang. My friend bought clothes, jewellery, shawls etc. It has the characteristics of the local Bai ethnic group, is quite affordable, and is also quite beautiful.

The special delicacy of Xizhou is Xizhou Baba. After shopping, we didn't have much time. We wanted to buy a monk's house, but they had to wait for the bus, so we bought a very famous store next door called Yang Shunbao.

Ten yuan each. There are two kinds of chowder, sweet and salty. In fact, it is a cake. The salty one is filled with fresh meat, and the sweet one is filled with roses. My friend thought it was too sweet, but I thought it was pretty good. Both are good.

Xizhou is small and not over-developed like other places. Therefore, there is nothing to visit. A minute and a half is probably enough. I heard that someone was deceived into buying a ticket worth 60 yuan. As a reminder, Lijiang Ancient Town, Xizhou Ancient Town, and Dali Ancient Town do not require tickets.

Jian’s car was at the gate of Cangshan, and later someone got off at the Romantic Hotel, which is by Erhai Lake. We lived near the South Gate and passed by Cangshan Gate. There are many dogs in Dali, hahaha, I like them. There are dogs in every inn, and you can see many dogs when walking on the street.

Dog, so handsome!

The inn we stayed in was called Dali Ancient City Dingge Inn. Here you need to visit Amway. This is a beautiful and warm inn. Not in the ancient city, but not far away.

Internal location

Hall

Room

Yard

Bai characteristic architecture

After a little tidying up, we set off to Dali Ancient City in the evening! Compared with Lijiang Ancient Town, I prefer Dali. I feel that the whole city, not only the ancient city but also the downtown area, is very comfortable.

Walking in the ancient city of Dali, you can always see the mountains in the distance from the road. The sunset at seven o'clock in the evening is beautiful. Anyway, I'm very satisfied if I can get there.

Why not go all the way to Dali?

The city gate at night

Our first meal in Dali was cheated. We originally planned to go to Yuan Ting to cook our own meals. I went to this store to find something to eat. As a result, a restaurant called Courtyard Kitchen appeared nearby (depressing). We thought it was the one, so we went in. After sitting down and looking at the menu, I realized I was in the wrong place.

After searching, many people were misled like us. Poor dad! The woman taking the order will keep urging you that there are eight tables in front of you. hurry up. She will keep telling you whether the water is boiled or not and ask you to buy drinks. She would say that only imported beer is not domestic.

Actually, the food at home is pretty good to be honest. The steamed Erhai fish and toothpick mutton are all quite good. I just don't know why I do this.

It suddenly occurred to me that we had eaten a plate of fried snails. There was no shell, only snail meat, and I thought of the snails mentioned earlier. A little scared. Be sure to keep your eyes open when eating there! Don't be fooled!

Zheng'er Sea Fish

Mutton Toothpick

Dali is also very lively at night. Fortunately, the streets are spacious and walking feels much better than in Lijiang. In addition, on the day we went, we also encountered the Torch Festival. Every shop on the main street outside the ancient city lit torches on trees and on the ground.

This should be a ritual. There is an old woman hooking her hands and making a circle. The first time I saw it, it was very strange. Unfortunately, there were too many people at night and I couldn’t take photos.

I like Dali most at dusk.

On the fifth day, Erhai Lake surrounds the sea and Nanshao Style Island

There are many ways to visit Erhai Lake. You can choose to rent a smart car, a small electric car, a bicycle, a large cruise ship or a double-decker bus like we did.

If you choose to rent a car by yourself, you can arrange your own time, but because some places are undergoing repairs and the road conditions are not very good, you must pay attention to safety when driving.

The big cruise ship looks pretty good, but I don’t know the details. You can try it next time. Small electric cars and bicycles are not recommended because the intensity of ultraviolet rays is very strong and can make you dizzy.

The double-decker buses around Erhai Lake depart at fixed times every day and are not frequent, which limits your play time. However, it does drop off at several important attractions. You just need to sit and enjoy the scenery and sea breeze, get off at the station, get on the bus, and go to the next point.

You can learn more about it on the Jiantu app or Ctrip. The cost is 98 yuan for a one-day ticket per person and 128 yuan for a two-day ticket per person. It is recommended that you visit the eastern route, which is counter-clockwise. The scenery is beautiful.

Dali Cangshan Map

We took the 11am flight. 30, the last east-line shuttle bus left, and we were told that we could only go directly to Shuanglang, because if we got off halfway, there would be no next bus to pick us up for the visit.

I would like to remind my friends here to come out early, otherwise it will be very difficult to make arrangements later. In the end, I only chose to visit Nanshao Fengqing Island.

Because the double corridor is being renovated, transportation is very inconvenient. You have to take a tour bus or a three-wheeler to get in, which is a bumpy ride. But the good mood around Erhai Lake lasted for a long time, so I didn't pay much attention to it.

It doesn’t look as beautiful as retouching!

Little Putuo

Er Lake, Er Lake, you must go and see it.

It is easy to go to Nanshao Fengqing Island by boat, and the journey takes about ten minutes.

The ticket price includes admission fee 50, and there are discounts online. You can take a pair of flip flops there and there is a beach where you can go for a walk. There were a lot of people taking pictures there, and we decided not to take any pictures of those scenes uploaded online. Anyway, the only thing on the island is to walk around and enjoy the scenery. There is a statue of Guanyin and a long story about South Shaoxing Palace (very disappointing).

Go back and get on the bus at another parking lot (Hongshan Temple parking lot). There are two parking lots on the double corridor. Pay attention to which bus you want to take and leave at different times. Consult in advance where you can buy tickets at the Gucheng South Gate Bus Terminal, or ask the Golden Flower attendant on the bus. Take the ferry back to the other side, find a tricycle and tell him which parking lot it is. The last train of West Line Line 5 is at 00:00 and returns to the south gate of Dali Ancient City in about an hour and a half.

We started Dianping again while eating, and this time we finally got it right. Came to a private restaurant called Fuxingyuan. Yunnan cuisine is very comprehensive, and several dishes are delicious.

Braised Erhai fish, the virtue of freedom, a local specialty. The only thing we don't like is Dali's special breast fan. The grilled milk fan we ordered didn't move much.

Braised Erhai Fish

Water-based Yanghua, this name is very interesting.

Grilled Milk Fan

Because I had to take the 11:30 pm train back to Kunming, I checked out at noon, had a good meal in the evening and then went back to collect my luggage. Ask the innkeeper

As mentioned before, the train back is green, and one of its biggest drawbacks is the bumpiness. When it reaches the junction of those tracks, it shakes violently, which will be more troublesome for light sleepers. So it’s really not recommended for people who want to have a good rest. Not to mention it was a short ride, so I fell asleep again soon.

6 days in Kunming (K9614 Dali to Kunming 23:33)

It was only five in the morning when I went to Kunming. I took a taxi to the hotel where I was staying, which was called Kunming Xike Boutique Style Hotel.

It is on Wujing Road, Guandu District. But not too big. It doesn't matter. Let's give it three and a half stars. However, it is recommended that friends who are going to the airport on their return trip not choose there, because it is relatively close to the train station, and it is best to go to the northeast. I thought there would be rooms available at hotels in the city. Unexpectedly, there were no rooms in the lobby until nine o'clock.

The picture above shows the location of the hotel.

I also like Kunming, although not as much as other provincial capitals. Anyway, I think it looks good and comfortable.

When I arrived in Kunming, I heard from the driver that there had been a heavy rain the night before and the main streets in the city were flooded. But when we got there, the weather improved and the water receded by about 70%.

After checking into the hotel, we slept again and did not leave the city until about one o'clock at noon. The target is near the Golden Horse and Jade Rooster Square.

First of all, I went to have a meal, and I chose Happy Picking Yunnan Restaurant on the seventh floor of Jingxing Hang Lung Department Store on Zhengyi Road. There are many dishes, and most of the dishes ordered are delicious. People shopping nearby can try it here. Very good value for money. Dianping’s rating is 8.4, with an average of 66 yuan per person.

Papaya and Coconut Jelly

Zhu Sunxiao Gua Sha

Huamei Shao Xiaopai

Near the Golden Horse Chicken Square are department stores and pedestrian streets. We found a place called Jingxing Flower and Bird Market, which is a street selling some succulent porcelain. Friends who like to shop for gadgets can also check it out, but the stalls are closed at night.

Yunnan’s specialty is some fungi. In addition, we bought Yunnan Baiyao’s Tianqi powder. Buying in its specialty stores is much cheaper than buying online. If you buy more, you will get a discount including postage.

When I was eating, I had been eating Yunnan food for a few days. A few people were discussing whether to eat Cantonese food, so they went to my cousin's tea restaurant upstairs in Golden Eagle Tower B (there is nothing good to say about this). When I went back to the hotel in the evening, I found it very troublesome to take a taxi there. It took a long time before someone came to pick me up, but the location was not accurate. Drivers in Yunnan sometimes don't understand Mandarin well, hahaha. It's better to find a more obvious one called Didi, which will make communication easier.

On the seventh day, return to Jieyang from Kunming

There is a breakfast shop called Zhou Ji near the corner of the hotel, selling soy milk, fried dough sticks, steamed buns and eight-treasure porridge. It was recommended to us by the hotel front desk. About three minutes away. We ate there two mornings and it was pretty good.

Back in Guangdong, we took the flight at 12:15 noon. We didn't get on the bus until 10:30. For a while, we were very nervous. Because it was raining, the driver said there might be water and traffic jams, so we had to take a detour. However, we got there easily, about forty minutes away. Arrive in Jieyang at around two o'clock in the afternoon and less than three in Shantou.

In fact, our seven-day schedule is not fully booked. We actually played for four days. But the advantage of free travel also shows that you can arrange your own time at any time and choose the way of travel you like. Our food and accommodation were also good. I recommend not saving too much money just for a good travel experience.

Next time I go to Yunnan, I hope to see Kunming, Yunnan University, Dianchi Lake, Stone Forest, and Jiuxiang. When you go to Lijiang, you can visit Lugu Lake and Shuhe. There are Shangri-La, Xishuangbanna, Pu Zhehe.