Dali & Ancient Towns Travel Guide
Plan three to five days between Dali Old Town, the Cangshan trails, and the Erhai lakeshore corridor. Base yourself near an outer town gate or a west-shore village for smooth station transfers, then extend your journey south to Weishan or north toward Shaxi along the Ancient Tea Horse Road.
Plan your visit
Three to five days between the old town, mountains and lake
Plan three full days in Dali: one for the old town and Three Pagodas, one for a Cangshan cableway, and one for the western lakeshore and Xizhou village. Base yourself near Dali Old Town 大理古城 for all three days. You can walk out to dinner every night without packing bags between stops. Choosing a guesthouse near an outer edge or gate of the old town makes luggage drop-off far easier; share the exact street entrance with your driver rather than a generic gate name.
Photo by Tdxiang
Where to stay
Choose your base around Dali
For two or three nights with Old Town walks, Cangshan and a lake outing, choose a guesthouse near an Old Town gate or its outer road. You can walk to dinner and use one base for your outings. Choose a west-shore stay when sunrise and time beside the water are the main reason for the trip. Xizhou suits mornings among Bai courtyards and fields; Shuanglang suits a stay spent looking across the lake toward Cangshan.
Photo by Liuxingy
Getting there and away
Kunming to Dali: trains, station transfers and stopovers in Chuxiong or Lufeng
A two-hour train gets you from Kunming to Dali station, but reaching your lakeside inn takes an extra transfer. Pick the right station, plan your luggage leg, or add cultural and fossil stops along the rail line.
Photo by 瑞丽江的河水
