Dali Travel Guide

Dali is a walled town built from 1382 on a plateau at roughly 2,000 metres, with the Cangshan mountains behind it and Erhai Lake a few kilometres east. It is the old Bai capital, and the stop on the Yunnan route where people slow down: the lake ring runs 115 to 130km, and the villages on it are the reason to come. Two days is the practical minimum; three or four is what most people wish they had booked.

What to see in Dali

• Dali Old Town — free. A Ming-era walled town rebuilt from 1382, roughly 6km around, with no gate that closes. Renmin Road holds the independent shops; Wuhua Tower is the central landmark. Half a day, plus evenings.
• Chongsheng Temple and the Three Pagodas — commonly ¥75, though one official listing says ¥121. About 1.5km northwest of the Old Town; the ticket covers the pagodas, the rebuilt temple and the reflection pool. Some listings price the shuttle separately at around ¥25 one way. Two to three hours.
• Erhai Lake, west shore — free to ride. The car-free Ecological Corridor runs from Yangnanxi north to Taoyuan Pier; Caicun Pier to Xizhou is about 25km. Bicycle rental for 2026 is reported at ¥20-40 a day, an e-bike at ¥60-100. Sunrise at Longkan Pier is 3-4km from the North Gate.
• Xizhou ancient town — free to walk. 20km north on the lake plain, and the best place to see what Bai merchants built on the Tea Horse Road. Arrive before noon for the morning market.
• Cangshan by cable car — fares disputed by source. Zhonghe is quoted at ¥30 one way and ¥60 return in several sources, ¥90-95 return in others; Gantong at ¥50 one way and ¥80 return. Park entrance is around ¥35-40. Allow half a day.

Best time to go

March to May and September to November. At roughly 2,000 metres the temperature barely moves: daytime highs run from about 13°C in January to about 23°C in June, and above 28°C is uncommon even in midsummer. What changes is the rain — dry November to April, monsoon May to October peaking in July and August.

Spring brings cherry blossom and the rapeseed fields around Xizhou; autumn has the clearest light on the lake. Winter is dry and sunny with cold nights, and the red-billed gulls reach Erhai from November. Avoid Lunar New Year, National Day week in early October and the spring March Street festival, which fill the lake villages and lift prices.

Getting there

Most foreign visitors arrive by high-speed train from Kunming — about two to two and a half hours, running from early morning until late at night, second class commonly quoted at ¥145-155. Dali's own airport, Fengyi (DLU), is domestic-only, so flying in usually means connecting through Kunming.

The catch: the airport and the railway station are both in Xiaguan, the modern city 15 to 20km south of the Old Town, so add 30 to 60 minutes and one transfer. The airport shuttle is reported at ¥15 to Xiaguan and ¥25 to the Old Town.

How many days

Two days is the practical minimum — the Old Town and the Three Pagodas, then a stretch of the lake and Xizhou. Three days is comfortable: add Cangshan by cable car or the east shore at Shuanglang. Four to five days is where Dali starts to work on people.

Before you book, the China trip cost breakdown shows what a day in Yunnan costs, the China packing list covers the layers a 2,000-metre plateau needs, and eSIM options for China sort out data before you land.

All 11 Dali guides

FAQ

Nearby and next