Skip to content
Voykit
Set your trip — dates, party, bagsPlanner

Draft data. Times, fares and step counts are desk estimates awaiting field checks. Unknown times stay unknown. How we verify

Major city · China

Dali大理

Give Dali 2–3 nights: one full day for the old town and Three Pagodas, one for Cangshan or a scooter loop of Erhai Lake.

Weather
see forecast
Currency
CNY
Best months
Mar–May, Oct–Nov
avoid Jun–Aug (wet season, heaviest rain), Chinese New Year and the first week of October
Airports
DLU · KMG
Nights
2–3
Not field-verifiedbasic guide
Print / PDF guide
3 pages, for the metro and roaming-off days
Map
Google Maps Apple Maps Street View
Rules in force · 7
  • East Asia ↗Every border in East Asia is a full international border, Hong Kong and Macau included: an entry permission for one never covers the next.
  • East Asia ↗Ferries between Korea, Japan and China cancel in rough seas and typhoons; keep a flight or a spare day behind every sea leg.
  • China ↗Most nationalities need a visa, a unilateral visa-free entry (the list and end dates change) or the transit exemption below. Confirm your route on the official sites before you buy a ticket.
  • China ↗Transit stay without a visa: up to 240 hours (10 days) for citizens of about 55 listed countries who pass through China to a third country or region, with a confirmed onward ticket and a stay inside the permitted area (Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei count as one area). It replaced the 144-hour rule in December 2024, which some older pages still quote. Use the transit lane at immigration, show the onward ticket, and check the current nationality list. Hong Kong and Macau count as separate regions; check whether your ticket qualifies.
  • China ↗Foreign visitors must register their address with the police within 24 hours; hotels do it at check-in with your passport. Carry the original passport at all times: hotels, trains, museums, Tiananmen Square and police checks ask for it.
  • China ↗Set up Alipay or WeChat Pay with a foreign card before you fly. QR payment is the default in shops, taxis and many stalls, and some places refuse cash or a foreign card. Carry cash as a backup.
  • China ↗Google, WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and many news sites are blocked. Use an eSIM with roaming (it routes through your home network) or install and test a VPN before you fly; VPN sites and app stores are hard to reach inside China, and only government-approved VPNs are officially permitted.

Dali is a Ming-era grid of stone lanes between Cangshan mountain and Erhai lake, 2 h by high-speed rail from Kunming. The old town is walkable and rebuilt rather than ancient, but the mountain paths, lakeside villages and Bai towns around it are the reason to stay two or three nights instead of one.

Essentials

Quick answers and what things cost

Quick answers

The questions people ask first about Dali, one line each. Tap a card for the full answer.

Cost cheat-sheet

2026 desk estimate · check

Typical prices for the everyday things, as ranges. Your currency is shown next to the local price.

  • CoffeeCoffee or tea in an old-town café¥20–40 (≈ US$3–6)
  • Street or quick mealBowl of rice noodles (mixian)¥10–25 (≈ US$2–4)
  • Beerdraught in a bar / can at a shop¥20–35 (≈ US$3–5)¥5–10 (≈ US$1–2)
  • Taxi, about 5 kmE-taxi inside the old townDrivers often ask ¥10 for short hops.¥5–10 (≈ US$1–2)
  • Museum or sight ticketThree Pagodas entryStudent ID has been listed at 50% off (check).¥75 (≈ US$11)
  • Budget bedHostel dorm bed, a night, per personCN¥50 (≈ US$7)
  • Mid-range bedGuesthouse double room, a night, per roomCN¥320 (≈ US$45)
  • High-end bedGuesthouse double room, a night, per roomCN¥700 (≈ US$100)

A day, not counting the bed: Budget CN¥200 (≈ US$30) · Mid CN¥450 (≈ US$65) · High CN¥900 (≈ US$130)

Local prices, with USD next to them (rates 2026-09 (approximate); change it in the header). Ranges are desk estimates: check locally. Every price and the budget calculator →

Decide

What it is known for, and when the weather works

At a glance

What the city is known for, how you fly in, and where to find the phrases.

Dali Old Town (Ming grid, South and North Gates)Three Pagodas of Chongsheng TempleCangshan Cloud Traveler's PathErhai Lake villages and Bai markets
Airports
DLU Dali Huangcaoba Airport (East of Xiaguan (new city), about 45 min by road to the old town; no airport bus, book a hotel pickup or take a taxi.) · KMG Kunming Changshui International (Main gateway; high-speed rail from Kunming to Dali station takes about 2 h.)

Weather and climate

Forecast from Open-Meteo · averages rounded

Dali: next 7 days

Loading forecast…

Forecast: Open-Meteo (CC BY 4.0), model data for this point.

Air quality

Loading…

Model estimate (CAMS via Open-Meteo), not a street-level station; readings near busy roads run higher.

Jan

16°C

3°C

4 rd

Feb

18°C

5°C

4 rd

Mar

21°C

8°C

6 rd

Apr

23°C

11°C

7 rd

May

25°C

14°C

11 rd

Jun

26°C

17°C

15 rd

Jul

25°C

17°C

20 rd

Aug

25°C

16°C

20 rd

Sep

24°C

15°C

17 rd

Oct

22°C

12°C

11 rd

Nov

19°C

7°C

5 rd

Dec

17°C

4°C

4 rd

High / low °C · rd = rain days

Arrive & move

Airports are listed under At a glance; this is how to move once you are in

Getting around

The old town is a walkable grid between the South and North Gates. Bikes rent for ¥5–40 a day; e-scooters ¥30–80 depending on battery range; small e-cars about ¥140. E-taxis inside the old town run ¥5–10 for short hops, Xiaguan about ¥40. Bus 8 links Dali station to the old town for ¥3, and the Dali Shuttle Bus costs ¥5 and drops you about 700 m from the South Gate.

See & do

Day-trips, door to door

Day-trips

Door-to-door, not ride time

Xizhou

go

Door to door: About 1 h by road

Bike or e-scooter north along the lake, or a local bus from Xiaguan

Bai market town with courtyard houses; go on a market morning.

Shaxi

overnight

Door to door: 3–4 h

Bus from Xiaguan northern bus station toward Jianchuan, then a local connection

Tea-horse road village; too far for a comfortable return day.

Jianchuan

overnight

Door to door: About 3 h

Bus from Xiaguan northern bus station, roughly every 15–30 min from 06:20 to 18:50

Gateway to Shaxi and Shibao Mountain; fare has been listed around ¥26 (check).

Weishan

go

Door to door: About 2 h

Bus or drive south from Dali

Original Nanzhao capital with a lived-in old town; a long but doable day.

Chuxiong

caution

Door to door: 2–3 h

High-speed rail or bus east toward Kunming

Better as a stop on the Kunming leg than a return day from Dali.

Lufeng

skip

Door to door: 3 h+

Rail or bus east toward Kunming

Dinosaur fossils are the draw; not worth the return trip from Dali.

Yuanmou

skip

Door to door: 4 h+

Rail or bus east toward Kunming

Earth forest country; fold it into a Kunming-to-Dali move, not a day trip.

Heijing

skip

Door to door: 3 h+

Bus toward Chuxiong, then local transport

Salt town on the Chuxiong side; needs an overnight to be worth it.

Eat & sleep

Which area to sleep in

Where to sleep

Areas, not hotels: pick the one that fits your arrival time and plans.

Dali Old Town (inside the gates)

Walk to everything; guesthouses and cafés in the lanes off Fuxing Road. Quietest rooms are away from Renmin Road.

Old Town outskirts (Caicun, Shengyi, East Gate)

Cheaper beds, lake-facing rooms and bike rental; 10–20 min walk or a short e-taxi ride into the centre.

Xizhou

Bai market town 20 km north on the lake; stay here for village mornings and day trips, not for the old-town nightlife.

Xiaguan (new city)

Rail and bus stations, chain hotels, no sightseeing value; use it only for a late arrival or an early train.

Practical

What a day costs, what to watch out for, and the pocket card

Cost per day

2026 estimate, excluding the bed unless stated
Budget
¥150–300 (≈ US$25–45) excl. bed
Mid
¥300–700 (≈ US$45–100) excl. bed
High
¥700 (≈ US$100)+ excl. bed

Trip budget

2026 estimate · converts to your currency
Guesthouse double room1 × 2 nights × CN¥320CN¥640
Food, local transport, entries2 × 2 days × CN¥450CN¥1,800
Dali station to old town, bus 8 or shuttle2 × CN¥5 · checkCN¥10
Bike rental, one day2 × CN¥30 · checkCN¥60
eSIM, about a week of data2 × CN¥100CN¥200
Buffer 10%Price creep, a taxi you did not plan, one splurgeCN¥271
Trip total≈ CN¥745 per person per day, bed includedCN¥2,981≈ US$450

2026 estimate in yuan; flights and rail tickets excluded. Your choices stay in this browser.

Prices of common things

Coffee or tea in an old-town café¥20–40 (≈ US$3–6)
Bowl of rice noodles (mixian)¥10–25 (≈ US$2–4)
Beer: draught in a bar / can at a shop¥20–35 (≈ US$3–5) / ¥5–10 (≈ US$1–2)
E-taxi inside the old townDrivers often ask ¥10 for short hops.¥5–10 (≈ US$1–2)
Taxi old town to Xiaguan (new city)About ¥40 (≈ US$6)
Three Pagodas entryStudent ID has been listed at 50% off (check).¥75 (≈ US$11)
Cangshan mountain park entry¥30 (≈ US$5)
Gantong cable carcheck¥80 (≈ US$12) return / ¥50 (≈ US$7) one way
Erhai lake visitcheck¥30 (≈ US$5) entry, plus ¥50–100 (≈ US$7–14) per person for a day

2026 estimate; check locally.

Watch out

Safety

Dali is a low-crime tourist town; the real risks are mountain weather, altitude on the Cangshan paths, scooter traffic on the lake road, and commission-driven taxi drivers. Agree the fare or use the meter before you set off.
  • Old-town taxis and airport drivers may push a hotel that pays them commission: fix your address before you get in.
  • Cangshan cable cars can close early or in bad weather; the Gantong cable car has been listed as closing around 17:00, so start down by 16:30.
  • Altitude on the mountain paths reaches about 2,500 (≈ US$350) m and higher: pace yourself and carry water.
  • Summer is the wet season — July and August average around 200 mm of rain, so pack for afternoon downpours.
  • Card and cash both work in the old town, but small village stalls and markets are cash-first.

Emergency numbers

Police
110
Fire
119
Ambulance
120

Pocket card

One page · print or save as PDF

Fill in, then print or save as PDF

Stays in this browser only; nothing is sent anywhere.

Dali大理

Pocket card · Voykit

My bed tonight

—

—

—

请到这个地址To this address, please

Emergency

  • Police110
  • Fire119
  • Ambulance120

Embassy

No embassy in Dali; most countries keep embassies in Beijing and consulates-general in Chengdu, Guangzhou or Shanghai (check which covers Yunnan).

My embassy: —

Fare anchors (2026 estimate)

  • Dali station → old town, bus 8: ¥3 (≈ under US$1), about 1 h (check)
  • Dali station → old town, shuttle bus: ¥5 (≈ under US$1), about 45 min, drops ~700 m from the South Gate (check)
  • Taxi old town → Xiaguan: about ¥40 (≈ US$6)
  • Kunming → Dali high-speed rail: about 2 h, every 30 min (check the fare)

Say or show

  • 你好 — Hello (nǐ hǎo)
  • 谢谢 — Thank you (xièxie)
  • 多少钱？ — How much is it? (duōshao qián)
  • 可以刷卡吗？ — Can I pay by card? (kěyǐ shuākǎ ma)
  • 洗手间在哪里？ — Where is the toilet? (xǐshǒujiān zài nǎlǐ)
  • 请打表 — Please use the meter (qǐng dǎ biǎo)

Old-town guesthouses are the default; Xiaguan is only for transit.

Deep dive

What this guide covers so far, and its sources

Not a trip line yet

This is a basic guide: no airport-to-bed contract, walking clusters or day plans are published for Dali. Airport, fare and schedule details are unverified; check the operators before you fly.

What we know, and what is coming

On this page

  1. Best months: Mar–May, Oct–Nov · avoid Jun–Aug (wet season, heaviest rain), Chinese New Year and the first week of October · month by month →
  2. 2 airports and 4 areas to sleep in
  3. Weather: a 7-day forecast and monthly averages
  4. Cost per day in 3 bands
  5. 8 day-trips, door to door
  6. 5 things to watch out for, with emergency numbers

Coming as the guide grows

  1. Airport-to-bed contract for DLU and the Kunming rail link: last train and shuttle times, taxi fallback, late-arrival rung.
  2. Four walking clusters with rescue anchors: South Gate to Wuhua Tower, Fuxing Road, the Three Pagodas axis, and the Caicun lakeside.
  3. Place pages with verified cutoffs (Three Pagodas, Chongsheng Temple, Cangshan cable cars, Dali Municipal Museum) and eat pages with last orders.
  4. Erhai scooter loop fixtures: battery range, charging points, and a bail-out plan for rain.

Meanwhile

Back to China

Sources