A walled old town at about 2,000 meters between a mountain range and a lake, made for slow days and bike rides.
A walled old town at about 2,000 meters between a mountain range and a lake, made for slow days and bike rides.
A walled grid of streets at the foot of the Cangshan range, with Ming and Qing-style buildings on the main street, Fuxing Road. It is free to enter and open all day; walk up to the South Gate for a view over the town toward the lake.
Three white pagodas about 1.5 km north of the Old Town; the tallest, nearly 70 m high, dates from the 9th century. Chongsheng Temple behind them was rebuilt in 2005. Entry is ticketed.
The Zhonghe and Gantong cable cars lift you to the Jade Belt Road (玉带云游路), a walking path along the mountainside high above the lake. The Ximatan cable car climbs in two sections to about 3,900 m near the summit.
A cycle and walking path, the ecological corridor, follows the west shore of the lake through villages and fields. Only the corridor's own rental bikes and e-bikes are allowed on it, and an e-bike makes a long stretch easy.
A Bai village about 18 km north of the Old Town, near the lakeshore, with Ming and Qing courtyard houses such as the Yan family compound. Try the charcoal-baked Xizhou baba here.
A canal-lined old town under Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, about 1.5–2.5 hours north by train. Easy to pair with Dali on the way to or from Kunming.
Thin sheets of dried cow's-milk cheese, often grilled at street stalls in the Old Town.
A flatbread baked over charcoal until crisp outside, either savory with egg, minced pork and scallion or sweet with red bean or rose.
Rice noodles in broth topped with slow-stewed pork, a dish from Weishan county, south of Dali.
A flaky pastry filled with sweetened edible rose petals, sold fresh from bakeries in the Old Town.
Dali sits on a high plain in western Yunnan, between the long Cangshan range to the west and Erhai Lake to the east. Its walled Old Town is free to walk around, and the countryside around it is the real draw: Bai villages, fields and a lakeside cycle path with the mountains always in view. At about 2,000 meters, the days are mild for most of the year.
Dali suits travelers who want a few slow days after the big cities. It sits on the rail line between Kunming and Lijiang, so it fits neatly into a Yunnan loop that starts in Kunming, after the big cities such as Chengdu or Shanghai.
Spend the first morning walking the Old Town and its South Gate, then take a DiDi to the Three Pagodas for the afternoon. If the weather is clear, use the late afternoon for a cable car ride up Cangshan and a short walk on the Jade Belt Road.
Give the second day to Erhai Lake. Rent an e-bike for the ecological corridor on the west shore, ride north to Xizhou for lunch and a look at the old courtyard houses, and come back by DiDi if you are tired. With a third day, take the train on to Lijiang, or back to Kunming. Book trains ahead with the high-speed trains guide, and set up Alipay with the paying in China guide for bike rentals, DiDi and street food.
Checked on 29 October 2026. Opening times and ticket rules change; confirm on the official site before you go.
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