Dali is a backpacker hangout place in Yunnan. Pretty much every backpacker I have met in China, they had been to Dali in Yunnan.

Don’t get me wrong - the place is beautiful. Its located by Erhai lake about 4 hours drive north from Kunming and this is the start point of the epic Yunnan - Sichuan road trip tour.

As it is so well known for backpackers, the accommodation is technically not a problem here. In China, hotels or guesthouse can only take foreigners if they have got the permit and sometimes it could be a real challenge to find “legal” places to stay in rural China.

Nevertheless it is not an issue in Dali.

Stay in one of the hostels or guesthouses, rent a bike, ride around the lake and villages to see how locals live.

How to get to Dali, Yunnan

By train from Kunming

You can either take high speed train (3 hours) or the normal train (12 hours) from Kunming.

The high speed train departs from Kunming South Railway Station between 06:30-21:30. (Location: Location: Xiangyuan Street, Chenggong District of Kunming City (昆明市呈贡区祥园街 – 昆明南站))

By bus from Kunming

The bus departs from Kunming West Bus Terminal (昆明西部客运站) There are about 30 buses to Dali area and the ride takes about 4 hours. (110-130RMB). Kunming West Bus Terminal is situated a little far away from the city downtown, and near Kunming West Railway Station. You could take the local Metro Line 3 to get there for about 40 minutes, or take a taxi for about 30 minutes from and city center.

By air from Kunming

There are 6-7 flights daily - 45 minutes to Dali from Kunming