Yunnan Transportation: Flight, Train, Bus Transport in to/from Yunnan

Dali Transportation

At a distance of 400 kilometers from Kunming City, Dali can be reached by plane, by bus or by train.

Plane

Not many flights reach Dali from other China cities apart from Kunming and Xishuangbanna(destinations: Kunming 35 min, Xishuangbanna 50 min).The Dali Airport aka Huangcaoba Airport, is about 13 km to the east of Dali City. Upon your arrival at the airport, you can reach Dali downtown by taxi (RMB80yuan) or Bus No.7 (makes round-trip to Xiaguan and costs RMB 1yuan). If you leave for Kunming or Xishuanbanna by air, you can book ticket via the ticket booking office of the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) on Yunling Street. Besides, most hotels and travel agencies in Jianshe Road offer ticket booking services. You are recommended leaving for the airport from downtown two hours ahead of departure time because the airport check-in services will close 30 minutes before a flight departs.

Airport Inquiry: 0872-2315335
Ticket office: 0872-2171999

Train
Taking a train to Dali, travelers must transfer from Kunming and it will take about 7-9 hours. Currently, there are 10 trains daily run between Kunming and Dali. The tickets from Dali to Kunming are only sold in the reception center of the No.35108 Army Building on Jianshe Road from 09:30 to 17:30. Charges are CNY 30 for hard seats and CNY 49 for soft seats, and respectively CNY 52 and CNY 81 for trains with air conditioning. The Dali Railway Station is located in Yunling Street and can be reached by city buses No.6, 7, 8, 10, and 11.

Railway Station Inquiry: 0872-3146002; 0872-2325579
Ticket Office: 0872-2166588
The Train Schedule between Dali and Kunming
No. Type Starting Station Departure Time Terminating Station Arrival Time
N801/N804 Express Dali 22:30 Kunming 07:22
N802/N803 Express Kunming 21:10 Dali 05:17
N805/N808 Express Dali 20:50 Kunming 05:40
N806/N807 Express Kunming 21:46 Dali 06:17
N809/N812 Express(air conditioning) Dali 21:30 Kunming 06:43
N810/N811 Express (air conditioning) Kunming 22:13 Dali 07:28
N813/N816 Express Dali 20:00 Kunming 05:05
N814/N815 Express Kunming 23:00 Dali 08:22
N817/N820 Express Dali 15:54 Kunming 22:58
N818/N819 Express Kunming 08:01 Dali 15:13

Note: The train schedule just for reference, it may be changed in sometime; the trains to Lijiang and Shangri-la may be available by the end of 2009 (the railways are under construction).

Long-distance Bus

The Dali Bus Station operates bus lines to Kunming, Shangri-la and Lijiang, as well as cities in other provinces, such as Panzhihua in Sichuan and Putian in Fujian. Most comfortable express buses depart from this station. The station is situated at No.21, Jianshe Road, Xiaguan, taking the city Bus No.2, you can reach there.

In addition, there are several other bus stations. The Passenger Transport Service Station is adjacent to the Dali Bus Station, at No.78, Jianshe Road; Xiaguan North Bus Station is located on North Tai'an Road and operates a bus line to Tengchong, Lijiang, Zhongdian and Shangri-La; The Dayun Passenger Bus Station on Jianshe Road next to the Dayun Hotel operates bus lines to suburban counties and also lines to Kunming and Lijiang.

Local Transport

Local transport modes include public buses (11 routes in the city proper), taxis, bicycles, and boat (on the Erhai Lake).

Public Bus

All the public buses are self-service in Dali so you must prepare the exact change (usually 1-1.5yuan). Some bus lines reach some of the famous scenic spots. For example, the No. 6 runs to Erhai Park and the No. 8 runs to the Ancient City of Dali. The ticket price from Xiaguan to the Ancient City is CNY 1.5. In addition, autobuses can shuttle visitors between various spots. For instance, the trip from Butterfly Spring to the Dali Ancient City by autobus costs about CNY4. Visitors can also tour Cangshan Mountain by cable car or on horseback.
bikes in Dali, Dali cycling
Bikes for hire on the street

Taxi
Hail a taxi in Dali can reach each corner of the city. Generally, the starting fare is CNY5, and CNY 1.4 will be charged for each kilometer, while for Santana brand taxis, the starting price is CNY 6. An additional CNY 1.6 is added per kilometer.

Bicycle
Make a Cycling trip around the Dali Ancient City is a quiet different experience for your Yunnan tour. Bicycles can be hired easily in the city. For example, the Hongshancha Hotel on Huguo Road offers bicycles for rent. Usually, the rental is about CNY 10-20 per day, and a deposit is paid in advance.

Cruise Ship
Cruising on the beautiful Erhai Lake is a must for those who visit Dali. Visitors can enjoy a tour of Erhai Lake by yacht beginning at around 09:00 every morning. They can take Bus No.6 from Xiaguan and Bus No.2 from Ancient City of Dali to the Erhai Berth. The ticket price of the yacht should be about CNY 60-100. It's suggested to make a reservation one day ahead of time.

Kunming Transportation

As the communication and transportation hub of Yunnan, Kunming is easily reached by bus, train and air. Its modern international airport serves a host of destinations at home and abroad, and the city's railroads radiate in all directions. Many travelers use Kunming as a base to visit other scenic spots in Yunnan, or even Vietnam.

Intra-city transportation is convenient and relatively inexpensive. Taxis operate 24 hours a day. Public buses service very convenient. Many visitors opt for the environmentally friendly bike rental, or in order to avoid the frustrating crowded traffics.

Kunming Public Bus Service

Bus fares within Kunming City Proper are set at RMB 1 for adults, and children less than 1.2 meters tall travel free. A number of buses announce up-coming stops and landmarks in both Chinese and English.

Kunming Taxi Service

Taxi fares in Kunming start at RMB9.6 for the first 3 km, and RMB2.7 for each additional kilometer (Santanas, Red Flags or VW Jettas). Xialis start at RMB9.6 for the first 3 km, and RMB2.4 for additional every kilometer.

Kunming Wantong Taxi Company
Add: 101-102, 6-1 Qingshali, Zongshuying, Xishan District, Kunming
Tel: 0871-533 0597

Kunming Chenyu Taxi Co., Ltd.
Add: No. 52 Guanping Lu, Guangshang Town, Guandu District, Kunming
Tel: 0871-718 5010
Kunming Taxi Customer Service: (0871) 331 2533

Bicycle Rental in Kunming

Bicycle rental is a popular option for your Kunming tour. A number of hotels rent bikes per hour and/or per day. Prices may vary depending on the rental agency. Visitors should be prepared to pay a deposit of RMB 200 for an old bike, and RMB 400 for a new bike. Aside from the bicycle, rental services include locks and other accessories. Travelers are advised to make sure that their bike is locked at all times that it is unattended.

Camelia Hotel
Add: Dongfeng Donglu, Kunming
Tel: 0871-316 3000 ext. 07/08
Bus Route: 63

Kunhu Fandian
Add: Beijing Lu, Wuhua District, Kunming　
Tel: 0871-313 3737
Bus Route: 4

Lijiang Transportation

Useful Tips for Lijiang Transportation

Following is some useful informtion for Lijiang transportation, including Lijiang airport, flights, long distance bus, city bus, taxi, train and even bycyle info.

Lijiang Airport which can handle Boeing 737 and other small planes middle size aircraft and is located in the south of Lijiang city, 28 kilometers away from the downtown. It was opened in July, 1995. Now it has flights to Kunming, Banna, Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, and Guiyang. It also offers chartered airplane service. There are flights from Kunming to Lijiang every day and the trip is about 40 minutes' flight.

Airport inquiries telephone number: 0888-5173081

Flight inquiring telephone number: 0888-5161289、5161291、5173079

Chartered airplane service telephone number: 0888-5124720

Urban ticket office:0888-5164720、5161291

Telephone call for appeal of service complaint:0888-5173019

Airport hotel telephone number: 0888-5141000

Lijiang Long Distance Bus

The No.214 National Highway runs from south to north through Lijiang. Traveling north it passes Zhongdian (Shangri-la) and leads to Tibet; to the south it runs through Dali extending in all directions. In 1999 the Highway from Dali to Lijiang was opened, which improved the condition of transportation. The roads are almost all winding mountain tar-coated roads. The distance Kunming to Lijiang is about 500klms. Express buses operate from Kunming to Dali on 320 National Highway and Dali to Lijiang; you have to take the 214 National Highway.

It takes eight hours on a non-stop bus from Kunming to Lijiang, the ticket price is RMB 186 Yuan. While it takes three hours to take a bus from Dali to Lijiang, the price is RMB 50 Yuan.

Telephone number of Lijiang General Passenger Depot: 0888-5121622

Telephone number of Lijiang Passenger Center: 0888-5122536

Telephone number of Lijiang Hotel departure: 0888-5121786

Telephone number of Ninlang Bus Station: 0888-5521505

Telephone number of the Lijiang Prefecture Transport Company ticket office: 0888-5122187

Lijiang City Buses

Smart cards buses are available and mini-bus and small trucks are also a convenient means of transport. It costs one Yuan to take a bus from the station to the Dongba Cultural Center, and it cots nine Yuan for each person to take a bus from the down town to the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain. Three routes are available to Shanping where you can view the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain: one is to take the plank road built along the face of a cliff, which costs you RMB ten Yuan, another is to ride a horse, which costs you RMB sixty Yuan, the other is to take a cable car, which costs you RMB forty Yuan.

Lijiang Taxis

Generally the flag fall is the first three kilometers is RMB six Yuan and then 1.6 Yuan per kilometer for a small cab and RMB seven Yuan flag fall for a Santana cab then 1.8 Yuan per kilometer.

Bicycle

Bicycle is one of the best ways to go sight-seeing in the down town area. You can hire a bike at No. 70, Xenia Street, the Red Sun Square and the Youth Hotel. The rent is about fifteen Yuan per day. But the service of bike for rent in the Youth Hotel is only for the guests who stay in the hotel. The attractions are scattered over Lijiang Prefecture so car or bus are usually required to see the attractions. The Mosuo people can offer truck, tractor and horse but get ready for the bumping mountain roads.

Lijiang Train

There is no railway station in Lijiang at present (because the railway from Dali to Lijiang is being built and it is estimated to be completed by the year of 2010.) You can take a train from Kunming, Dali or Panzhihua (in Sichuan province) station to Lijiang.