Lijiang is located in the northwest of Yunnan province, about 527 kilometers away from Kunming. It is an ethnic minority ancient city that rarely well preserved in china. The ancient city of Lijiang was registered on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1997. You can get there by plane, train and long-distance bus. 

Getting there

◎By Plane

Lijiang's main airport is Lijiang Sanyi Airport, situated in the seven river township of ancient city district in Lijiang city. Now the airport has opened lines to Kunming, Beijing, Shanghai, Xi'an, Chengdu, Chongqing, Hong Kong, Shenzhen, Guiyang, Xishuangbanna, Hefei, Tianjin, Nanjing, Ningbo, Singapore, and Seoul etc.  

Tips: There is a RMB20 road tax to the airport, and a taxi to the airport takes about 40 minutes and costs about RMB75-80.

◎By Train

Lijiang's new railway station will officially put into use on August 18, 2011, the original lijiang east station changed to freight station at the same time, no longer to handle passenger service. There is some detail informations about railway lines:

1. Kunming to Lijiang

There are 3 trains from kunming to lijiang railway station every day, travel time is about 9 hours.

2. Dali to Lijiang 

The train from Dali to Lijiang just need 1 hour and 45 minutes, there are 2 trains every day, and one is temporary train.

◎By Bus

The bus station is located south of the old city. Regular services to/from Shangrila and overnight service from Kunming stop here. You can take the bus 8 in front of the bus station to the old town or take a taxi.

There is a direct bus from Chengdu which starts at 11:20 at Xinnamen station in Chengdu. It takes about 24 hours to do the trip, and cost about 280RMB.

Getting around

◎By Bicycle

Bicycle is a very popular way. Bicycles are forbidden in the old town, but can travel to nearby villages and to visit some of the scenic spots in the area. Tourists can rent Bikes from 70 Mishi Xiang on Xinyi Jie, beside the river and opposite Mamafu's. All the bikes are mountain bikes, it costs RMB15/day.

◎By Bus

Bus is a very convenient way to get around the city. For most bus, the ticket fare is 1 Yuan. The mini-buses are the same price as the public bus within the city. They will have the number of the bus on the front windshield. To nearby village will charge you ￥2-5 by a mini-bus .

◎By Taxi

Taxi is also a good way to travel around. The starting fare is 6 Yuan or 7 Yuan during the daytime. If you want to travel inside the small city by taking a taxi, 8 Yuan would be enough. It should cost about RMB300 to hire a taxi for the entire day.