In the print dialog pick “Save as PDF” to keep it on your phone. A5 makes a pocket booklet; A4 suits a desk printer.
Voykit pocket guide · China
Kunming
昆明
Base in Kunming 2–3 nights for the old town, lakeside and museums, then move on: it is Yunnan's rail and bus hub, not the destination itself.
Kunming is the capital of Yunnan and the transport hub of southwest China, at 2,000 m altitude with mild weather all year. Most travellers use it as an arrival and departure point for Dali, Lijiang and Xishuangbanna, and give the city itself two or three nights for Green Lake, the old streets, Dianchi lake and its museums.
- Country
- China
- Local name
- 昆明
- Best months
- Mar–May, Sep–Nov
- Avoid
- Jun–Aug (rainy season), Chinese New Year and Golden Week
- Stay
- 2–3 nights
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- CNY
- Money
- Alipay and WeChat Pay accept Visa, Mastercard, JCB and Amex cards; single payments over ¥200 carry a fee of about 3% on a foreign card (smaller ones are free), and per-payment and yearly caps apply — check the app. Keep a second way to pay.
- Daily spend
- Budget ¥200–350 excl. bed · Mid ¥350–700 excl. bed · High ¥700+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- A roaming eSIM from outside China routes traffic through its home network, so Google, WhatsApp and Instagram work without a VPN — the simplest setup.
- Emergency
- Police 110 · Fire 119 · Ambulance 120
- Plugs
- Types A, C, I · 220 V · 50 Hz · Many sockets take flat two-pin (A), round two-pin (C) and angled three-pin (I) plugs; UK plugs need an adapter.
- Tipping
- Restaurants: No tip; upmarket hotels add 10–15% service.; Taxis and DiDi: No tip.; Tour guides and drivers: Expected on organised tours: about ¥100–200 a day for a guide, ¥50–100 for a driver.; Hotel porters: Not expected; ¥10–20 in luxury hotels.
- Water
- Not for drinking from the tap; bottled water ¥2–5, and kettles and free bottles in hotel rooms. Restaurants serve hot water or tea.
- Toilets
- Public toilets are frequent and free; squat toilets outside hotels and malls. Carry tissues — many have no paper.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Noodle soup (rice noodles or mixian) | ¥10–25 |
| Coffee | ¥20–40 |
| Beer: draught / can at a shop | ¥15–30 / ¥5–10 |
| Metro ride | ¥2–10 |
| Taxi, 5 kmTaxi, 3.1 mi | ¥20–30 |
| Museum entry | Free–¥40 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- KMG · Kunming Changshui International Airport
- About 25 km northeast of the centre; metro Line 6 runs to the East Bus Station, then change to Line 3.About 16 mi northeast of the centre; metro Line 6 runs to the East Bus Station, then change to Line 3.
Typical fares
- Changshui airport → centre, metro
- about ¥6, about 1 h with a change (check)
- Airport Express shuttle
- about ¥25, 40–60 min (check)
- Taxi airport → centre
- about ¥100–120, 30–40 min off-peak (check)
Get around
Metro covers the centre and both main rail stations, roughly 07:00–22:00, ¥2–10 per ride; ticket machines take paper money only. City buses are ¥2. Taxis start at ¥8 plus a ¥3 fuel surcharge, and drivers may refuse trips outside their zone. Traffic is heavy at peak times.Metro covers the centre and both main rail stations, roughly 7:00 AM–10:00 PM, ¥2–10 per ride; ticket machines take paper money only. City buses are ¥2. Taxis start at ¥8 plus a ¥3 fuel surcharge, and drivers may refuse trips outside their zone. Traffic is heavy at peak times.
See and do
Known for
- City of Eternal Spring climate
- Green Lake Park
- Yunnan food and flower market
- Gateway to Dali, Lijiang and Xishuangbanna
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Anning hot springs | Bus or taxi from the West Bus Station, about 1 h | About 1.5 h |
| Stone Forest (Shilin) | Train or bus to Shilin, then a local bus to the site | 2–2.5 h |
| Dali | High-speed train from Kunming South or Kunming station | About 2.5–3 h |
Sleep
- Green Lake and Wenlin Jie
- Cafés, hostels and the park on foot; best for a first stay.
- Kunming Railway Station area
- Convenient for early trains and buses; plain hotels, more traffic.
- Nanping Jie and Jinmabiji
- Central shopping and food streets; metro lines 1 and 2 nearby.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Hello | 你好nǐ hǎo |
| Thank you | 谢谢xiè xie |
| How much is it? | 多少钱？duō shao qián |
| Where is the toilet? | 洗手间在哪里？xǐ shǒu jiān zài nǎ lǐ |
| Can I pay by card? | 可以刷卡吗？kě yǐ shuā kǎ ma |
| No spicy, please | 不要辣bú yào là |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Handshake and a nod; use surnames with a title; avoid: Hugs and cheek kisses
- Face: Disagree privately and indirectly; avoid: Correcting or embarrassing someone in front of others
- Gifts: Give with two hands; expect the gift to be refused once or twice and opened later; avoid: Clocks, umbrellas, white flowers, sets of four
- Business cards: Present and receive with both hands, read it, keep it on the table; avoid: Writing on it or pocketing it at once
- Queues and crowds: Hold your ground politely in scrums at buses and lifts; avoid: Taking pushing personally
- Temples: Walk clockwise around Tibetan stupas and prayer wheels; remove hats; avoid: Touching statues or photographing where signs forbid
- Politics: Listen; follow your host's lead; avoid: Raising Tibet, Taiwan, Xinjiang, 1989 or the party leadership
- Numbers and colour: Red and 8 are lucky; red envelopes carry money gifts; avoid: Writing names in red; the number 4
Scams and watch-outs
- Altitude is about 2,000 m: take the first day easy and use sun protection, the UV is strong.
- Winter nights can drop near freezing and it has snowed; bring a warm layer Dec–Feb.
- June–August is the rainy season: rain is heavy and it feels cold when wet.
- Ignore anyone at a bus station asking for a luggage or fuel fee; the ticket price is all-in.
- Watch bags on crowded buses, especially before Spring Festival.
Kunming is calm by big-city standards; the real risks are traffic, altitude and sun, and the rainy-season downpours.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Kunming yet. Suggested stay: 2–3 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- City of Eternal Spring climate
- Green Lake Park
- Yunnan food and flower market
- Gateway to Dali, Lijiang and Xishuangbanna
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Kunming municipal government: www.km.gov.cn/
- Wikivoyage: Kunming, revision 5298360 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5298360
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Printed from Voykit (/kunming). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.