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 Just 250 miles from Kunming, five hours by bus or eight hours by train and you enter a different facet of China called Dali. Dali is located in the western part of Yunnan Province with beautiful mountains, lakes and fresh air to energize and entertain you. The area defined as the municipality of Dali has a population of 400,000 people, composed of Bai, Han, Hui, Yi, Lisu and other nationalities, with the Bai making up 64% of the total.
So as not to skew your first impressions, it is important to know that the Dali you arrive at from Kunming is probably not the Dali you intend to visit. Dali City (also known as Xiaguan) is where all bus, train and plane arrivals occur. That’s not to say that the new portion of the city is devoid of any interesting features. Along the lake area there are some nice walks, boating opportunities, vantage points and comfortable hotels to stay at. But the Dali you are probably looking forward to seeing is another 7 miles away, also known as the ancient town or Dali Gucheng. There are a number of options to get from Xiaguan to the ancient city. You can take the Bus No.4 opposite the Dali Hotel at the intersection of Jianshe Lu and Renmin Lu. The buses run from 6:30-8:00 PM, cost 1.2 Yuan and take 40 minutes. Or take a mini-bus from the intersection of Jianshe Lu and Wenhua Lu, cost is 2 Yuan and takes 30 minutes. Taxi is the third option.
The best time to visit Dali is between March and June when Spring brings warmer days and enhances the pleasure of Dali’s hiking, bicycling and other outdoor activities. 
Dali’s Ancient City receives it’s fair share of backpackers and other foreign tourists, who for the most part reside in Dali’s ancient city. On Yangren Street ( also known as Foreigner's Street) " in the heart of the ancient city there are many cafes, western style restaurants, and clothes shops for Westerners to enjoy. You may be surprised at the English language skills of many of the Dali inhabitants.
The primary areas of interest in and around Dali include: the Cangshan Mountains, Erhai Lake, Butterfly Spring, Jizu Mountain, Shibao Mountain and Weibao Mountain, with, Dali City attracting the largest number of visitors both foreign and Chinese.
| Month |
Jan |
Feb |
Mar |
Apr |
May |
Jun |
Jul |
Aug |
Sep |
Otc |
Nov |
Dec |
|
Avgrege Temperature |
8.6 |
10.5 |
14.2 |
17.8 |
20.3 |
20.8 |
20.8 |
20.1 |
18.5 |
16.0 |
11.7 |
8.3 |
| Highest Temperature |
16 |
17 |
20 |
23 |
25 |
25 |
25 |
24 |
24 |
21 |
18 |
16 |
| Lowest Temperature |
3 |
4 |
7 |
10 |
13 |
16 |
17 |
16 |
15 |
11 |
7 |
3 |
| Average rainfall(mm) |
14 |
22 |
33 |
21 |
67 |
209 |
184 |
239 |
164 |
100 |
33 |
15 |
Dali Airport in Xiaguan
All travelers arriving in Dali whether by plane, train or bus first arrive in Xiaguan, the new part of Dali, so to speak. The Dali airport (DLU) also named Dali Huangcaoba Airport, is 8 miles from Dali City.
 No public buses run to the airport, though there is sometimes a shuttle bus. A taxi costs around 50 Yuan to Dali City and takes about 30 minutes.
Dali’s airport connects to most major cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, Kunming, Xishuangbanna, Tianjin, Chengdu, Chongqing, Guiyang and Guangzhou. With daily direct flights to Guangzhou and Kunming.Train Station
The train from Kunming to Dali takes over 8 hours so it is faster and more convenient to take a long distance bus.
To get to the Dali train station located on Yun Lin road you can take the Bus Nos 7,10 or11 but a taxi is still the best means and should not take more than 10 minutes.
Tickets can either be purchased at the train station or at their office inside the main bus station on 21 Jianshe Lu, which is open 9:00-6:00 PM.
Train Station
The train from Kunming to Dali takes over 8 hours so it is faster and more convenient to take a long distance bus.
To get to the Dali train station located on Yun Lin road you can take the Bus Nos 7,10 or11 but a taxi is still the best means and should not take more than 10 minutes.
Tickets can either be purchased at the train station or at their office inside the main bus station on 21 Jianshe Lu, which is open 9:00-6:00 PM.
Long Distance Buses
The main bus station is Dali Central Bus Terminal (Dalishi Keyun Zongzhan) on 21 Jianshe Lu. Most of the Gaokuai (express and first class) buses depart from here. Gaokuai buses to Shangri-La (Zhongdian) cost 85 Yuan and leave at 9:00 and 3:00 PM, the trip takes 9 hours. Gaokuai buses for Kunming depart every 30 minutes between 7:30-8:00 PM. The price varies according to the type of vehicle from 89-103 Yuan. Gaokuai Buses for Lijiang cost 50 Yuan and leave 4 times a day, the trip takes 3 hours. There are many other buses that connect with other Yunnan cities, that are cheaper and slower.
There are two other bus stations on Jianshe Lu Road where regular class buses depart from and incoming buses arrive at. Schedules from these other locations tend to be less precise though lower fares may be available.
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