Dali Transportation

At a distance of 400 kilometers from Kunming City, Dali can be reached by plane, by bus or by train.

Plane

Not many flights reach Dali from other China cities apart from Kunming and Xishuangbanna(destinations: Kunming 35 min, Xishuangbanna 50 min).The Dali Airport aka Huangcaoba Airport, is about 13 km to the east of Dali City. Upon your arrival at the airport, you can reach Dali downtown by taxi (RMB80yuan) or Bus No.7 (makes round-trip to Xiaguan and costs RMB 1yuan). If you leave for Kunming or Xishuanbanna by air, you can book ticket via the ticket booking office of the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) on Yunling Street. Besides, most hotels and travel agencies in Jianshe Road offer ticket booking services. You are recommended leaving for the airport from downtown two hours ahead of departure time because the airport check-in services will close 30 minutes before a flight departs.

Airport Inquiry: 0872-2315335
Ticket office: 0872-2171999

Train
Taking a train to Dali, travelers must transfer from Kunming and it will take about 7-9 hours. Currently, there are 10 trains daily run between Kunming and Dali. The tickets from Dali to Kunming are only sold in the reception center of the No.35108 Army Building on Jianshe Road from 09:30 to 17:30. Charges are CNY 30 for hard seats and CNY 49 for soft seats, and respectively CNY 52 and CNY 81 for trains with air conditioning. The Dali Railway Station is located in Yunling Street and can be reached by city buses No.6, 7, 8, 10, and 11.

Railway Station Inquiry: 0872-3146002; 0872-2325579
Ticket Office: 0872-2166588
The Train Schedule between Dali and Kunming
No.  Type  Starting Station  Departure Time  Terminating Station  Arrival Time
N801/N804  Express  Dali  22:30  Kunming  07:22
N802/N803  Express  Kunming  21:10  Dali  05:17
N805/N808  Express  Dali  20:50  Kunming  05:40
N806/N807  Express  Kunming  21:46  Dali  06:17
N809/N812  Express(air conditioning)  Dali  21:30  Kunming  06:43
N810/N811  Express (air conditioning)  Kunming  22:13  Dali  07:28
N813/N816  Express  Dali  20:00  Kunming  05:05
N814/N815  Express  Kunming  23:00  Dali  08:22
N817/N820  Express  Dali  15:54  Kunming  22:58
N818/N819  Express  Kunming  08:01  Dali  15:13

Note: The train schedule just for reference, it may be changed in sometime; the trains to Lijiang and Shangri-la may be available by the end of 2009 (the railways are under construction).

Long-distance Bus

The Dali Bus Station operates bus lines to Kunming, Shangri-la and Lijiang, as well as cities in other provinces, such as Panzhihua in Sichuan and Putian in Fujian. Most comfortable express buses depart from this station. The station is situated at No.21, Jianshe Road, Xiaguan, taking the city Bus No.2, you can reach there.

In addition, there are several other bus stations. The Passenger Transport Service Station is adjacent to the Dali Bus Station, at No.78, Jianshe Road; Xiaguan North Bus Station is located on North Tai'an Road and operates a bus line to Tengchong, Lijiang, Zhongdian and Shangri-La; The Dayun Passenger Bus Station on Jianshe Road next to the Dayun Hotel operates bus lines to suburban counties and also lines to Kunming and Lijiang.

Local Transport

Local transport modes include public buses (11 routes in the city proper), taxis, bicycles, and boat (on the Erhai Lake).

Public Bus

All the public buses are self-service in Dali so you must prepare the exact change (usually 1-1.5yuan). Some bus lines reach some of the famous scenic spots. For example, the No. 6 runs to Erhai Park and the No. 8 runs to the Ancient City of Dali. The ticket price from Xiaguan to the Ancient City is CNY 1.5. In addition, autobuses can shuttle visitors between various spots. For instance, the trip from Butterfly Spring to the Dali Ancient City by autobus costs about CNY4. Visitors can also tour Cangshan Mountain by cable car or on horseback.
bikes in Dali, Dali cycling
Bikes for hire on the street

Taxi
Hail a taxi in Dali can reach each corner of the city. Generally, the starting fare is CNY5, and CNY 1.4 will be charged for each kilometer, while for Santana brand taxis, the starting price is CNY 6. An additional CNY 1.6 is added per kilometer.

Bicycle
Make a Cycling trip around the Dali Ancient City is a quiet different experience for your Yunnan tour. Bicycles can be hired easily in the city. For example, the Hongshancha Hotel on Huguo Road offers bicycles for rent. Usually, the rental is about CNY 10-20 per day, and a deposit is paid in advance.

Cruise Ship
Cruising on the beautiful Erhai Lake is a must for those who visit Dali. Visitors can enjoy a tour of Erhai Lake by yacht beginning at around 09:00 every morning. They can take Bus No.6 from Xiaguan and Bus No.2 from Ancient City of Dali to the Erhai Berth. The ticket price of the yacht should be about CNY 60-100. It's suggested to make a reservation one day ahead of time.