This is the route most people take on their first trip to Yunnan: four very different places, joined by fast trains, climbing step by step from mild Kunming to the edge of the Tibetan Plateau. The pace is gentle on purpose, with room for jet lag and bad weather.
You move between cities by high-speed train, 1.5–2 hours per leg, and use a driver only where trains can't help: around Erhai Lake, below Jade Dragon Snow Mountain and at Napa Lake. Heading north gradually gives your body time to adjust before Shangri-La, at about 3,200 m.
Day by day
Day 1 Arrive in Kunming
Keep the first day short: a walk through the old center and a bowl of noodles.
- Afternoon Loop around Green Lake 翠湖, then step into Yunnan University's Donglu campus 云南大学东陆校区 next door for its early-20th-century buildings and ginkgo avenue, gold in late autumn.
- Evening Walk to the Golden Horse and Jade Rooster Archway 金马碧鸡坊 and Nanping Street 南屏街. Order small-pot rice noodles 小锅米线, grilled rushan cheese and a flower cake; our Kunming food guide has the rest.
Overnight: Kunming, Green Lake area (quiet, walkable), or livelier Nanping Street
Day 2 Kunming: history and the lake
A full, easy day at 1,900 m to shake off the flight.
- Morning Yunnan Military Academy 云南陆军讲武堂, where many of China's early-20th-century commanders trained. Entry is free with a passport reservation; closed Mondays. On a Monday, try Yuantong Temple 圆通寺, one of the city's oldest, which you enter by walking downhill.
- Afternoon Take Metro Line 5 to Yinghai Road station 迎海路, about 1.5 km on foot from the lake (not Daba station 大坝站: despite the name, which means "dam", it is about 3.3 km from the water), or a taxi to Dianchi Lake 滇池. Haigeng Dam 海埂大坝 is free and full of gulls in winter. Continue to Haihong Wetland 海洪湿地 for dawn redwoods and rowboats, or quieter Baofeng Wetland 宝丰湿地 for sunset.
- Evening In mushroom season (roughly June to September), have wild mushroom hotpot; popular places queue for an hour. Otherwise, Yunnan barbecue.
Overnight: Kunming, same hotel
Day 3 Train to Dali
About 2 hours by train. Dali Station is in Xiaguan, the modern city, so allow about 30 minutes by taxi to the old town.
- Morning Train from Kunming. The city has two far-apart stations, so check which one is on your ticket.
- Afternoon Head to Caicun 才村, 2 km from the old town, and walk or cycle the lakeside path along Erhai Lake 洱海.
- Evening Dali Old Town 大理古城. Expect a shopping street more than a historic village, but it's the easiest place to eat, especially around Yu'er Road 玉洱路.
Overnight: Dali Old Town, on a side lane away from the bar streets and main roads. Caicun suits early risers: sunrise is lovely there, though Cangshan 苍山 blocks the sunset.
Day 4 Xizhou and the west shore
A day for a driver: taxis are scarce in the lakeside villages, and the narrow shore roads jam easily. Be warned that many Erhai photos online are heavily filtered; in person the lake is softer and grayer.
- Morning Drive north to Xizhou 喜洲, a Bai town of old merchant courtyards. Breakfast is Xizhou baba 喜洲粑粑, a flatbread in savory and sweet versions, about ¥10.
- Afternoon Zhoucheng 周城, a few kilometers north of Xizhou, to fold and dye your own piece of indigo tie-dye (see the note). Then walk out through Xizhou's rice fields to the lake and drive back down the west shore.
- Evening Dinner in the old town. Want the east-shore sunset at Shuanglang 双廊? Give it a night of its own rather than circling the whole lake in one day; here's why.
Shaxi instead? Many visitors would give this day to Shaxi 沙溪, a Tea Horse Road market town about 2 hours north. Drive up via Xizhou, sleep there (it's best early and after dark), and drive on to Lijiang next morning, about 2 hours. See our Shaxi guide.
Overnight: Dali Old Town, or Shaxi if you take the detour
Day 5 Train to Lijiang
About 1.5 hours by train. At roughly 2,400 m, Lijiang is your first real step up, so walk slowly and drink plenty of water.
- Morning Train from Dali, then check in and rest.
- Afternoon Explore Lijiang Old Town 丽江古城 late in the day. At midday it is crowded and lined with the same shops; quieter Shuhe 束河 is 15 minutes away by taxi.
- Evening Check tomorrow's mountain forecast. We'd skip the bonfire parties sold around town.
Overnight: Lijiang, a quiet lane on the edge of the old town, or Shuhe or Baisha for calmer nights
Day 6 Baisha and Jade Dragon Snow Mountain
Let the weather decide: go up only if the peaks are clear and you hold tickets. Otherwise, the villages below make the better day.
- Morning Jade Dragon Snow Mountain 玉龙雪山: the big cable car lifts you to the glacier park at about 4,500 m. Queues can last hours. Move slowly at the top; oxygen canisters are sold everywhere. The boardwalk above the upper station is all stairs, climbing toward 4,680 m. The first platform already gives the view, so stop there if you feel breathless or have bad knees. Blue Moon Valley 蓝月谷 and Spruce Meadow 云杉坪 get mixed reviews.
- Afternoon Baisha 白沙古镇, about 30 minutes from the old town: a quiet Naxi village with the Baisha Murals 白沙壁画. Nearby Hutuwo Pasture 糊涂窝牧场 is a paid viewpoint facing the peaks.
- Evening Late light at Yuhu Village 玉湖村, right under the mountain. A daytime shuttle costs about ¥39 per person; with a driver you can stay for sunset.
Overnight: Lijiang, same area
Day 7 Up to Shangri-La
About 1.5 hours by train, climbing to roughly 3,200 m. Plan to do very little today.
- Morning Train from Lijiang. Departures are frequent and tickets cost a few tens of yuan.
- Afternoon Rest, then stroll the flat lanes of Dukezong Old Town 独克宗古城. Save Guishan Park's steep stairs for tomorrow.
- Evening Yak hotpot 牦牛肉火锅, the best-rated meal in town. Skip alcohol tonight.
Overnight: Shangri-La, Dukezong Old Town
Day 8 Songzanlin and Napa Lake
Take it slowly: this is only your second day at 3,200 m.
- Morning Songzanlin Monastery 松赞林寺, Yunnan's largest Tibetan Buddhist monastery. It's about 146 steep steps from the gate up to the main hall; pause often.
- Afternoon Circle Napa Lake 纳帕海 with your driver (2–3 hours). An e-bike is only fun in the warmer months; from late autumn to spring the lake shrinks and the meadows turn brown in a cold wind. Souvenirs here are cheaper than in Dali. Late in the day, climb slowly to the giant prayer wheel in Guishan Park 龟山公园; entry needs a QR-code reservation, which your hotel can help with.
- Evening A last night in Dukezong. Fly or take the train out tomorrow; if you have a long-haul flight home, spend your final night in Kunming rather than connecting the same day from Shangri-La's small airport.
Overnight: Shangri-La, Dukezong Old Town
Make it your own
Six days
- Skip Dali. If time is short, this is the stop to drop: Erhai rarely matches its photos. Kunming (one night), then the train straight to Lijiang (about 3.5–4 hours, most trains from Kunming Station 昆明站; two nights) and Shangri-La (two).
- Skip the altitude. Kunming (one night), Dali (two), Lijiang (two), then fly home from Lijiang. Best if heart or lung conditions rule out 3,200 m.
Ten to twelve days
- Same route, gentler pace. Kunming (two nights), Dali (two), Lijiang (three, so you can move Jade Dragon to the clearest morning), Shangri-La (two), then a last night in Kunming before you fly home. Best if you're worried about altitude or stairs.
- Add Lugu Lake 泸沽湖 (2–3 days). It's 4–5 hours by road from Lijiang, by bus (about ¥70 each way) or with a driver; entry is about ¥70. Stay in lakeside Daluoshui 大落水村. A car around the lake costs about ¥200 (4.5 hours); pig-trough boats run roughly ¥70–150 per person, depending on the pier and route. Watch sunrise at Lovers' Beach 情人滩 and sunset at Goddess Bay 女神湾. Skip the bonfire party. At about 2,700 m the sun is fierce, but it's a useful acclimatization step. See our Lugu Lake guide.
- Add Tiger Leaping Gorge 虎跳峡 (1–2 days). It sits on the road from Lijiang to Shangri-La, and the high trail takes most walkers two days. Stay on official routes: unofficial side paths are closed, and some villagers charge illegally to lead hikers onto them. A guide is worth it here.
- Slow down. Take the Shaxi night, or add a Shangri-La day for Pudacuo National Park 普达措: about ¥138 with the compulsory bus, and widely called poor value in winter.
Good to know
Altitude
Kunming sits at about 1,900 m, Dali 2,000 m, Lijiang 2,400 m and Shangri-La 3,200 m; the Jade Dragon cable car tops out near 4,500 m. Spend a night or two in Lijiang before going higher. With heart or lung conditions, see your doctor first.
Walking and stairs
Most of this route is flat old-town lanes. The steep parts are Songzanlin's roughly 146 steps up to the main hall, Guishan Park's short, steep stairway, the glacier boardwalk above the Jade Dragon cable car, and car-free Lijiang Old Town, where you wheel your bags along stone lanes to the hotel. With bad knees, choose a Lijiang hotel a car can reach, take the classic Songzanlin view from the lake path below the monastery, and do Napa Lake by car.
Trains and bookings
- Buy tickets with your passport on the 12306 app (in English) or Trip.com, and carry it to the station; if the gates won't read it, use the staffed lane. More on trains.
- Stations sit outside the old towns; allow 20–40 minutes by taxi at each end.
- Book early around Chinese New Year, the May Day holiday and National Day week (October 1–7), when trains sell out and old towns fill.
- Some small guesthouses can't register foreign guests, so confirm before you book.
Weather and seasons
March to May and October to November are the best bets: dry, mild and usually clear. June to September brings rain showers and cloud over the high peaks, but also green hills and mushroom season. December to February is bright and cold; Shangri-La drops well below freezing at night, and still does in March.
Trains or a driver?
Use trains for the city-to-city hops: they're fast, cheap and punctual. Hire a driver for the days in between: Erhai's villages, the Shaxi detour, Baisha and Jade Dragon, Napa Lake, Lugu Lake and Tiger Leaping Gorge.
Lijiang has unlicensed charter drivers, so choose one with credentials and a fixed, written price. Group tours with forced shopping stops draw even more complaints; here's why we skip them. We can arrange a licensed driver or guide for any of these days.
Prices as of 2026; check before you go.
