Short answer
Three of the four are easy. Xizhou is 18 to 20km up the lake shore, half a day, and the best value trip you can make from Dali. Cangshan is the mountain behind the town and needs a clear day rather than a long one. Shuanglang on the east shore is a 1 to 1.5 hour ride each way and works better as an overnight than a day trip.
Shaxi is the odd one out. It is 128km away by road, the most intact Tea Horse Road town in Yunnan, and it genuinely rewards a night. As a day trip it is five to six hours in a bus for three hours in the town.
Do not try to do the lake villages and Cangshan on the same day: they sit on opposite sides of the Old Town, and the lake roads are slow.
The four trips side by side
| Trip | Distance | Each way | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| Xizhou and Zhoucheng | 18-20km north, Zhoucheng 5km further | 30 to 50 minutes by minibus or local bus | Half day. Do it. |
| Shuanglang | About 50km, east shore | 1 to 1.5 hours by bus, 65 minutes by car | Full day, or overnight |
| Shaxi | 128km north | 2 to 3 hours | Overnight. Weak as a day trip. |
Xizhou and Zhoucheng
Xizhou is the Bai town that made its money on the Tea Horse Road and spent it on houses: courtyard mansions with carved wooden screens, painted walls and heavy stone bases. It is a working town, and the market is why you want to arrive before noon.
What to do there: the morning market, one of the largest in the Dali valley, busiest until about 11am. The courtyard mansions, with the Yan family mansion the best known; several are now guesthouses or small museums. The corner tower and town square, where the lanes fan out into the residential quarters. And Xizhou baba, the flatbread the town is named for, baked in a charcoal oven, ¥3-5.
Zhoucheng, the tie-dye village, is about 5km further north on the same road. Its indigo resist-dyeing has been national intangible cultural heritage since 2006, and you can watch bolts of blue-and-white cloth drying in the courtyards. Workshops let you make something, commonly quoted from around ¥50-80 including materials. Look for the fermentation vats: some shops use chemical dyes instead.
| Getting to Xizhou | Fare | Time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local bus or shared minibus | ¥8-10 | 30 to 45 minutes | Sources point to both the North Gate and the roadside opposite the Feng Hua Xue Yue Hotel near the East Gate. |
| Tourist direct bus from the railway station | ¥25 | About 50 minutes | Every 30 to 40 minutes, stopping at Xizhou Zhengyimen |
| DiDi or taxi from the station | ¥85-110 | About 50 minutes | Worth it for three or four people sharing |
Shuanglang
Shuanglang is the fishing village on the east shore that turned into Dali's most photographed place to stay. It faces west across the water with the Cangshan range behind, so it gets the sunset rather than the sunrise. The old core is a maze of narrow stone lanes where ordinary vehicles are barred, so flat shoes matter.
There is less to do here than you might expect, which is the point. Waterfront paths and the boardwalk around Yuji Island give the view back across the lake. Ferries to Nanzhao Customs Island run from the local pier, commonly reported around ¥50 return and operating roughly 08:30 to 17:30.
| Getting to Shuanglang | Fare | Time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lake-loop bus, east line | Reported around ¥20-25 | About 1.5 hours | Stops near the Old Town |
| Tourist direct bus from the station | ¥35-40 | 70 to 75 minutes | Roughly hourly. Stops at the north entrance and Dajianpang village. |
| DiDi or taxi from the station | ¥140-170 with toll | About 65 minutes | Least painful option for a group |
Cangshan
Cangshan is the mountain wall behind the Old Town, a geopark with three cable cars running to different heights. The shape of the experience is consistent: up on one, walk a stretch of the Jade Belt Road across the mountain face, down on another. Transfers cost extra, and you are meant to tell staff at the first station that you plan to transfer.
| Cable car | Reported fares | Reaches | What to know |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zhonghe | ¥30 one way / ¥60 return in several sources, ¥90-95 return in others | Around 2,600m | Open-air chairlift. Joins the Jade Belt Road trail. Passes over old graves. |
| Gantong | ¥50 one way / ¥80 return, ¥110 return in other sources | Around 2,400-2,600m | Enclosed six-person cabins. Near Jizhao Nunnery. Busiest with tour groups. |
| Ximatan | ¥160 half route, ¥282 return | Near 3,900m | Highest station. Best for snow. Stops running in high wind. |
| Geopark entrance | Around ¥35-40 | n/a | Reported as required on top of any cable car ticket |
Fares for 2026 disagree between sources by a wide margin, so treat the above as ranges and confirm at the station. Operating hours are commonly reported as roughly 08:30 to 16:00 for the last ascent. If the mountain is in cloud, the cable car is an expensive way to look at fog, so check the ridge before you commit.
¥20. It is reachable on foot from the Gantong side and is a destination in its own right, with a succulent garden people photograph more than the temple. Check opening arrangements locally before walking up.
Shaxi
Shaxi is a market town in Jianchuan county, halfway between Dali and Lijiang, and the most intact surviving caravan town on the Tea Horse Road. Its Sideng market square was added to the World Monuments Watch list of endangered sites in 2001. The Friday market is described as the only surviving market along the old Tea Horse Road, which is the reason to time a visit to a Thursday or Friday.
What to see: the old theatre stage on Sideng square, the flagstone Sideng street, Yujin Bridge, and Xingjiao Temple, a Ming dynasty Buddhist temple reported to charge about ¥10. Walking the town is free.
| Getting to Shaxi | Fare | Time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Direct bus from Dali | Reported around ¥30 | About 2 to 3 hours | Sources disagree on whether these exist and how often. Wikivoyage reports departures from the Dali Bus Terminal and the Old Town bus terminal. |
| Coach to Jianchuan, then minibus | ¥30 plus about ¥15 | 2.5 to 3 hours plus 40 to 60 minutes | The reliable route. Coaches roughly every 30 to 60 minutes, about 08:30 to 18:00. Minibuses wait outside Jianchuan station. |
| Hotel shuttle | Reported at ¥80 each way | About 2 hours | One operator runs shuttles at 09:00 and 15:00 from both towns, bookable via the hotel. |
Distances are reported inconsistently too: 128km from Dali in one source, 148km in another. Budget two to three hours of road each way. Shaxi has no airport and no railway station, so it is coach or car only.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best day trip from Dali?
Xizhou, ideally combined with a bike ride along the west shore of Erhai Lake. It is 18 to 20km away, costs ¥8-10 on a local bus, and gives you Bai architecture, a real market and the region's best flatbread in half a day.
Can I visit Shuanglang as a day trip?
You can. It is 1 to 1.5 hours each way, so you get four or five hours in the village. Most people who do it say they should have stayed the night: the sunset over the lake toward Cangshan is the reason to be there, and the last bus leaves before it.
Is Shaxi worth it as a day trip from Dali?
Honestly, no. It is 128km away, two to three hours each way, with no train and no airport. Shaxi deserves a night, or a stop on the way to Lijiang. As a day trip you spend longer on the road than in the town.
Which Cangshan cable car should I take?
Zhonghe for the cheapest ride and the Jade Belt Road trail, though it is an open chairlift. Gantong for enclosed cabins and easier walking. Ximatan for the summit and the snow, at the highest price. All three are reported to need the geopark ticket on top.
Do I need to book day trips in advance?
Usually not. Local buses and minivans cannot be booked, and tourist direct buses sell on the day at the station or on 12306. The exceptions are the Sun Palace in Shuanglang, reported to need a reservation, and Chinese New Year or National Day week.
How do I get around without speaking Chinese?
DiDi handles short hops, since you enter the destination in the app. For local buses and minivans you need the village name in Chinese characters on your phone screen, and you pay the driver when you get off. Tourist direct buses from the railway station are easiest for a first day, because routes and prices are posted.
Is there anything to see near Shaxi?
Shibao Mountain, about 25km southwest of Jianchuan county and 20 minutes by car from Shaxi. It is a Danxia landform with temples, Buddhist grottoes and golden monkeys, and holds a festival in August or September.
Related reading
Distances, bus routes and transfer times follow published Dali transport information and multiple 2026 travel reports. Fares for the Cangshan cable cars and the direct bus lines disagree between sources and are listed as ranges rather than averaged. Whether direct Dali to Shaxi buses run, and how often, is reported inconsistently; confirm at the bus station. Confirm all prices and departure times on the operator's own channel before you travel.