CITY · YUNNAN
Dali
大理 · Dàlǐ
Overview
Walled Bai-minority old town between Erhai Lake and the Cangshan Mountains in northwest Yunnan. Three Pagodas, lakeside cycling, a relaxed travellers' base.
Dali sits between Erhai Lake (a 250 km² freshwater lake) and the 4,000m Cangshan Mountains. The Old Town, a Bai-minority walled settlement with a partially preserved Tang-dynasty pagoda complex (the Three Pagodas) just to the north, has been a backpacker gathering point since the 1990s. Erhai Lake's eastern shore is dotted with restored Bai villages — Xizhou, Shuanglang, Wase — and a 130 km lakeside cycling route is now well-developed.
What to see
- Three Pagodas of Chongsheng Temple
- Dali Old Town (walled)
- Erhai Lake cycling loop
- Xizhou Bai village
- Cangshan Mountain cable car and ridge walk
- Shuanglang sunrise
What to eat
- Bai-style three-course tea
- Fresh fish from Erhai
- Rushan (cow's-milk cheese, Yunnan-specific)
Getting there
Dali (DLU) airport. HSR: Kunming 2h, Lijiang 1h 30m.
Getting around
Walking the Old Town. Bicycle or e-bike for the lake.
Where to stay
Old Town for atmosphere; Xizhou or Shuanglang for lake-side stays.
We list neighbourhoods, not specific hotels — we don't endorse hotels.
When to go
March–May, September–October.
Budget guide (CNY per day)
| Backpacker | ¥220 |
| Mid-range | ¥500 |
| Comfortable | ¥1200 |
Nearby attractions
Erhai Lake 洱海
250 km² freshwater lake east of Dali Old Town. 130 km cycling loop; Bai-minority lakeside villages on the eastern shore.
Three Pagodas of Chongsheng Temple 崇圣寺三塔
Three Tang-era pagodas (824–840 CE) in the Dali plain, with the Cangshan Mountains behind and Erhai Lake in front. The classic Dali photograph.
Xizhou (Bai-minority town) 喜洲
Bai-minority town on Erhai's western shore. Traditional Bai courtyard architecture and the famous Xizhou breakfast pancakes.
More on Dali
Itineraries visiting Dali
- Yunnan loop — Kunming, Dali, Lijiang, Shangri-La
10d · The northwest Yunnan circuit through Bai, Naxi and Tibetan culture.
- First-timer China — 14 days with Yunnan loop
14d · Two weeks covering the Beijing–Xi'an–Shanghai circuit plus a Yunnan extension through Kunming, Dali and Lijiang — the combination that most first-time visitors leave wishing they had done.
- Yunnan deep loop — Kunming to Tengchong, 14 days
14d · Fourteen days through the full breadth of Yunnan: Kunming, Dali, Lijiang, Shangri-La, the Yuanyang terraces, Jianshui and the geothermal fields of Tengchong — the province's different climates, altitudes and minorities in one loop.
- First-timer China — 21 days with northwest Silk Road extension
21d · Three weeks across China: the classic eastern cities, a Yunnan highland loop, and a Silk Road extension through Gansu into the northwest — covering the range of what China actually contains.
Food of Southwestern China
- Baba Flatbread粑粑
Yunnan's daily flatbread — a thick wheat or rice-flour round cooked on a griddle and eaten plain or stuffed.
- Bang Bang Chicken棒棒鸡
Cold poached chicken shredded by hand, dressed in chilli oil, sesame paste and Sichuan peppercorn.
- Boiled Fish in Chilli Oil水煮鱼
Fish slices submerged in a deep pool of chilli oil and Sichuan peppercorns. Served bubbling.
- Chongqing Hotpot重庆火锅
The original mala hotpot — a simmering cauldron of beef tallow, Pixian doubanjiang and Sichuan peppercorn for communal dipping.
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