DLU
Dali
Erhai Lake, the Cangshan range, and a Bai-minority old town at 2,000 m — Yunnan's most relaxed stop between Kunming and Lijiang.
Dali is a highland town in western Yunnan, China, built between the Cangshan Mountains and Erhai Lake at about 2,000 m. It's the cultural heart of the Bai people, known for the Dali Old Town, the three pagodas of Chongsheng Temple, and the slow loop around Erhai by bike or car. Most travelers give it three or four days — enough for the lake, a Cangshan cable car, the water town of Xizhou, and the hip lakeside village of Shuanglang. This guide covers the best time to visit Dali, how to get from Dali Fengyi Airport (DLU) to the old town, getting around without a subway, and what to eat.
Getting around (no metro)
No subway. Dali Fengyi Airport (DLU) is ~13 km from the city; shuttle or taxi (~¥30–50) to the old town. Around Erhai, use the lakeside bus, a rented e-bike/car, or the Dali–Lijiang train.
Airport
Dali Fengyi Int'l (DLU, formerly Huangcaoba), ~13 km SE of the city, 2,155 m elevation; direct flights from Kunming, Chengdu, Guangzhou, and (from 2025) Kuala Lumpur.
High-speed rail
Dali Railway Station: Kunming–Dali train ~2–2.5h; Dali–Lijiang ~1.5–2h. It's the rail hub of west Yunnan.
Population
~3.34 million (2024, whole prefecture); Dali City proper ~790,000.
Best season
Mar–May and Sep–Nov (mild, clear, Cangshan snow still shows); avoid Jun–Aug (rainy, humid).
Altitude
~2,000 m (Dali basin); Erhai Lake surface ~1,972 m.
Currency / plug
RMB (¥); plug Type A/C/I, 220V.
Suggested itinerary
Arrive and walk the old town walls
Land at Dali Fengyi (DLU) and take the shuttle or taxi to the Dali Old Town, on the western shore of Erhai. Spend the first afternoon on the town's restored Ming-era walls and the main north–south street — the Foreigner Street bars are touristy, but the lanes off it are where Bai life happens. Rent a bike early; you'll use it all week. Eat a 'erkuai' (rice cake) skewer and call it a day.
Erhai Lake — the slow loop
Erhai is the whole point of Dali. Rent an e-bike or a car and do the ring road: head north through Caicun and Wase to Shuanglang, the lakeside village with white Bai houses and cafes built right at the water. Stop at a lakeside causeway for the classic Cangshan-reflected-in-water shot. Go early; the light on the lake at 8am is the postcard. Don't try to rush it — the loop is about 120 km and the joy is in the stopping.
Cangshan cable car and a temple on the ridge
Take the Cangshan cable car up for the view over Erhai and the old town. There are several; the Zhonghe or Ximatan lines get you to walking trails and a ridge temple with fewer crowds. Bring a light jacket — it's cooler up top even in summer. On the way down, the Three Pagodas of Chongsheng Temple are right by the town; they're 1,000+ years old and the most photographed silhouette in Dali. Go late afternoon when the light hits the white stupas.
Xizhou — the Bai water town
North of the lake, Xizhou is the Bai heartland: grey-brick courtyard mansions from the tea-horse trade era, a morning market, and the famous Xizhou baba (a crispy stuffed flatbread). It's quieter and more 'real' than the old town. Walk the lanes, peek into a restored courtyard, and watch the women in Bai embroidery. Pair it with a stop at the nearby wetland for birds if it's spring.
Weishan or Jianchuan — a deeper day trip
If you want to go past the postcard, take the bus or train south to Weishan, the birthplace of the Nanzhao kingdom, with an intact Ming town and the best goat-meat hotpot in the region. Or north to Jianchuan for the Shizhong Temple grottoes (1000-year-old Buddhist carvings). Either is a half-day each way and a world away from the tourist core.
A Cangshan hike or a lake kayak
Active day: hike a lower Cangshan trail (the Yu'antang or Qingbi streams are gentle) or rent a kayak on Erhai for a different angle on the peaks. Both are easy to arrange through guesthouses. If you'd rather do nothing, pick a lakeside cafe in Shuanglang and watch the light move across the water — that's a legitimate Dali plan.
Last market, last lake view, airport
Spend the last morning at the morning market — the vegetable, mushroom, and flower stalls are a crash course in Bai daily life. Buy a bag of dried Erhai fish or some tea. Then the shuttle or taxi back to DLU. You'll leave having done the thing Dali is for: not much, slowly, by the water.
Local tips
- Best time to visit Dali is March–May and September–November: mild, clear, and the Cangshan snow still shows. Skip June–August — it's the rainy, humid season and the lake haze thickens.
- From Dali Fengyi Airport (DLU, ~13 km away), the shuttle or a taxi (~¥30–50) reaches the old town in 20–30 minutes. There is no subway; within the town you walk or bike, and around Erhai you take the lakeside bus, rent an e-bike/car, or the Dali–Lijiang train.
- The Erhai ring road is ~120 km. An e-bike covers the near shore; for the full loop rent a car or join a driver. Go early — 8am light on the lake is the best you'll get.
- Stay in or near the Dali Old Town for walkability, or in Shuanglang for the lake-at-your-door life (book ahead; it fills up fast in peak season).
- Altitude is gentle (~2,000 m) so altitude sickness is rare, but the UV is fierce — sunscreen, hat, and sunglasses are non-negotiable.
- The Three Pagodas and Chongsheng Temple are a short taxi from the old town; late-afternoon light on the white stupas is the shot. The cable car up Cangshan needs a light jacket even in summer.
- Bai food to try: Xizhou baba (crispy flatbread), erkuai (rice cakes), rushan (grilled cheese sheets), and the cold 'raw' fish salad of Erhai. Vegetarians eat well here on mushrooms and ferns.
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