Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture is located in the northwestern part of Yunnan Province, which is a thousand-year-old city, the Tang Dynasty's Nanzhao State, the Song Dynasty's Dali State had it as the capital city, a long history and culture, so that the Dali has a "famous state of literature," the name of the beauty.
Mentioning Dali, people will first think of the four wonders of "wind, flowers, snow, moon" and the famous Dali scenery; dotted in the Cangshan Erhai between the Chongsheng Temple Three Pagodas; the five Golden Flowers and its beautiful legend; and that the Erhai Lake fishermen's love.
Dali is a place where the Bai people live, with a strong Bai flavor, three houses, four houses and five patios of the residential culture of deep connotation; the Bai people's three tea tastes long. In the whole Yunnan trip, I'm afraid there is no other place like Dali, let you y feel the unique flavor of the Bai people.
Transportation
External Transportation
Air
Dali Airport is located at the junction of Fengyi Township and Haidong Township, 12 kilometers away from the downtown of Dali. There are flights from Dali Airport to Kunming and Xishuangbanna in the province; in April 2004, a round-trip route from Guangzhou - Kunming - Dali was launched, with a daily flight and a 40-minute stopover in Kunming.
From Xiaguan to Dali Airport, you can take bus No. 7, or if you take a cab it costs about 80 yuan. Tickets can be purchased in some of the big hotels and travel agencies on Construction Road in Xianguan.
Kunming-Dali, which runs daily, is about a 30-minute flight.
Dali - Xishuangbanna, daily, a 50-minute flight.
Railway
Dali can be reached by train from Kunming, which takes 6-8 hours, and there are 8 buses directly to Dali Old Town next to the train station. Trains from Kunming to Dali run four times a day, one during the day and the remaining three at night.
N996/998 (the only one with hard seats)
Kunming-Dali: departs at 09:02pm arrives at 15:40pm
Dali - Kunming: departs at 10:10pm arrives at 16:43pm
Dali - Kunming: departs at 10:10pm arrives at 16:43pm. 43 minutes to arrive
The sleeper on this train is 64 yuan, 67 yuan in the middle and 69 yuan in the bottom, and the hard seat is 36 yuan.
N982/984
Kunming-Dali: departs at 21:26 and arrives at 05:30
Dali - Kunming: departs at 22:20 and arrives at 07:32
This train is double-decker air-conditioned.
This train is a double-decker air-conditioned train, and the price is the most expensive, hard sleeper on 86 yuan, 90 yuan, 93 yuan, soft sleeper on 131 yuan, 136 yuan, there are also three and four people VIP small set of private rooms.
N986/988
Kunming-Dali: departs at 22:36 and arrives at 06:10,
Dali - Kunming: departs at 21:40 and arrives at 06:24.
This is a non-air-conditioned bus, usually chartered by travel agencies, and costs 64 yuan for a sleeper top, 67 yuan for a middle and 69 yuan for a bottom.
N992/994
Kunming-Dali: departs at 23:15 and arrives at 07:30,
Dali - Kunming: departs at 23:00 and arrives at 08:21.
This train is non-air-conditioned and usually chartered by travel agencies as well, with a sleeper upper for 64 yuan, middle for 67 yuan and lower for 69 yuan.
Reminder:
1. Train tickets from Dali to Kunming can be purchased in the lobby of the Army Guest House at 35108 Jianjian Road (near Guanping Street) from 9:30-17:30.
2. Train tickets to other parts of the province can be purchased at the ticket office at No. 21 Jianjian Road from 9:00-18:00.
Highway
There are three major long-distance bus stations in Dali Xiaguan, all three of which are concentrated on Jianshe Road, with two of them on the same side of the street and very close to each other.
Dali Passenger Transportation Terminal: the largest bus station in Dali, located at No.21, Jianshe Road (opposite to Minsheng Shopping Plaza), most of the high-fast buses depart from here, and there is a separate waiting room for high-fast (deluxe long-distance buses) in the station. Tel: 0872-2123436.
Passenger Service Station: It is the second largest bus station in Dali, where most of the high speed buses depart from. Since the Passenger Service Station is very close to the Dali City Passenger Transportation Terminal, tourists can pick the most convenient routes between the two stations according to their needs.
Dayun Station: located on Construction Road, next to the Dayun Hotel and opposite the Dali City Passenger Terminal, the cheapest long-distance bus fare to Kunming here is 50 yuan.
Xiaguan Passenger Transportation North Station: there are shuttle buses to Lijiang, Zhongdian area, to Lijiang every half an hour, the latest class at
6:30 p.m., the ticket price of 38 yuan, 3 and a half hours can be reached. Tel: 0872-2258724
Tourists can also buy tickets to Lijiang and Zhongdian in bars, travel agencies and small restaurants on Dali Guoguo Road and Fuxing Road.
Kunming--Dali
Dali is more than 300 kilometers away from Kunming, with highways connecting the two places, and there are long-distance buses to Dali from major bus stations in Kunming every day. Not far from the Kunming Railway Station next to the Nan Yao bus station there are many shuttle buses to Dali, the earliest class is at 8:00 a.m., the model Volvo, the ticket price of 103 yuan, about four hours can be reached. In addition, there are many private cars to Dali, the model is usually Iveco. The latest departure time from Kunming to Dali is 21:30, the fare is 83.5 yuan.
Reminder: the bus from Kunming to Dali, the terminal is to Xiaguan (Xiaguan is the new city center), not Dali ancient city. You can take bus No. 4 directly to Dali Old Town (about 20 kilometers away from Xiaguan) after leaving Xiaguan station, the fare is RMB 2.5, and the ride takes 40 minutes.
Lijiang--Dali
The high speed bus from Dali to Lijiang runs four times a day, departing at 8:30, 9:30, 14:00, 19:00, the ride is 3 and a half hours, and the fare is 50 yuan. There is a car to Lijiang in front of Xiaguan Cangshan Hotel, luxury bus (Volvo, Daewoo, etc.), the latest class is 14:20.
In Dali Xiaguan Passenger Terminal (highway) there is a domestic Chinese bus shuttle (short-distance transportation, slow, poor environment, frequent stopovers), the latest class is 14:00, 35 yuan / person, 4 hours.
The latest class at Dali Passenger Terminal (No. 21, Jianjian Road) is 19:00, a 3-hour ride, and the fare is 50 yuan.
The last bus from Xiaguan New Town of Dali City to Lijiang is 19:00, and over Dali Old Town is 19:20, luxury bus, fare 50 yuan.
Dali--Zhongdian
Dali passenger station located in the intersection of Guiguo has a car to Zhongdian, Dali to Zhongdian 300 kilometers, high express bus to Zhongdian at 9:00 a.m., you can arrive at 15:00 p.m., the ride is 9 hours, the fare is 85 yuan. Dali to Tiger Leaping Gorge (Qiaotou town), about 6 hours, a section of secondary highway, a section of tertiary highway; Qiaotou to Zhongdian, more than 2 hours, a section of mountain road, a section of secondary highway.
Dali - Baoshan
There are buses from Xiaguan Station to Baoshan, Tengchong, Ruili and Jinghong. In addition, there are long-distance buses to Liuku at 7:30 and 11:30 every day.
Internal Transportation
Taxi
Tourists can easily get to all tourist attractions from Xiaguan. Taxis in Dali city usually start at 5 yuan, with an additional 1.4 yuan per kilometer, and Santana starts at 6 yuan, with an additional 1.6 yuan per kilometer.
Bicycles
If you plan to stroll around Dali Old Town, renting a bicycle is a good choice. For example, there are bicycles for rent on Boai Road next to the Red Mountain Tea Guesthouse in Dali Ancient City for 10-12 yuan per day, and a deposit is required.
Boat Cruises
Ideally, if you want to take a dip in the Erhai Sea, head to the Erhai Pier north of Xiaguan to take a boat cruise. The cruise usually leaves at 8:30am every morning, and with a reference cost of 70-80 RMB, it is recommended that you purchase your tickets a day in advance.
Dining Guide
Most of the best restaurants in Dali are concentrated in the ancient city. To taste Dali cuisine, head to Guoguo Road in the ancient city, where Western cafes with the characteristics of Bai, Tibetan and other ethnic minorities can be found everywhere, and where many foreign travelers gather.
On Guiguo Road, many restaurants sell both Chinese and Western food, and visitors can taste Yunnan-style dishes as well as local Bai dishes, including Taibailou, which is famous both at home and abroad for its Bai "three tea routes" and Tibetan "ghee tea," and has many foreigners coming to drink tea here. The city has a large number of foreigners who come here to drink tea.
Of course, it's not just the food that attracts people to the old city, but also the quiet, relaxed atmosphere of its cafes and restaurants, where one can spend a leisurely afternoon listening to music and sipping a cold beer.
Reminder: Almost all of the cafes offer tourist information and bookings, and a few have bicycles available for hire.
Best Time to Visit
Dali has a low-latitude plateau-type monsoon climate, with insignificant seasonal changes, small annual temperature differences, and an average annual temperature of 15 degrees Celsius, with no obvious severe winters or hot summers, moderate cold and heat, and four seasons like spring.
The Bai people's many festivals and events are concentrated in March to April each year, this time to tour, will feel the rich ethnic flavor. There is a song that says, "Dali is beautiful in March," so in the spring, whether you go to the ancient city of Dali, or climb the Cangshan Mountain and swim in the Erhai Sea, it's perfect.
Additionally, the temperature drops very quickly after the rains of summer and fall, and there is a local saying that "one rain makes a fall," so it's best to bring a few pieces of fall clothing with you to Dali at that time to prevent you from catching a cold.
Shopping guide
In Dali, if you want to bring home a few chic gifts for others, you will not have to worry about where to find them. In the ancient city or Xiaguan, you can buy marble handicrafts such as clerical treasures, flower pots, vases and lamps made of natural marble.
Full of national characteristics of the Bai batik, tie-dye is a favorite handicrafts, in Xiaguan and the old city can also be found everywhere; Dali Dengchuan milk fan is very famous, the local miscellaneous stores and farmers' markets are on sale; Xiaguan Tuo tea, shaped like a mushroom cap, long-lasting taste, unique aroma, in the local miscellaneous stores are on sale; Dali Sydney, produced on the east coast of the Erhai Sea, the flesh of the snow-white, tender and fine; Jianshen wood carvings, the original Jianchuan folk furniture, doors and windows made by craftsmen. Jianchuan wood carving, originally for the Jianchuan folk craftsmen made furniture, doors, windows, screens, etc., in recent years the development of a number of handicrafts carvings for tourists to carry in the handicrafts stores are on sale.
Shopping Guide
Protecting the country road: this is a must-visit place for tourists, focusing on a variety of minority weaving, handicrafts and specialties from all over Yunnan and Tibet, and the numerous antique stores often give tourists a windfall.
Also, near the Butterfly Spring, there is a village called Zhoucheng, and there are Chinese buses and pony carriages going there from Dali Ancient City or Xiaguan, etc. Visitors may wish to visit the villagers' homes, where almost every family has its own small workshop specializing in batik or tie-dye. Prices are relatively fair, with a piece of batik cloth costing 15 yuan. The local seal carving is also very good.
Entertainment Guide
Tourists can enjoy the rich Bai ethnic flavor by visiting the local Bai Ethnic Township, where they are famous for their hospitality and love of singing and dancing, and where the main program includes the Bai Three Way Tea Show.
There's no better place to sip tea than at the Yan family compound in Xizhou and on the boat to the Erhai Sea, where the show runs from 9 a.m. to 14 p.m. for a fee of just 20 yuan per person. In addition to the three-course tea show, there are also extremely ethnic programs such as Bai weddings, Bai songs and dances, March Street and Around the Three Spirits, which are not to be missed.
For most Western tourists, they choose to spend a quiet night in Dali Old Town, known locally as "Foreigners' Street", where many cafes and bars gather on Guoguo Road, where people can chat and drink beer bottle after bottle. Nowadays, Dali Yanrenjie has become famous all over the world, and has become a place for foreign friends and a warm home for them to live in Dali.