Dali Ancient Town

Dali Ancient Town

Dali is one of the most famous places for travelers to go to Yunnan Province, China. Generally, travelers choose to go to Dali from the capital city, Kunming.

In this article, we have provided you with three common ways to get to Dali from Kunming.

Go to Dali from Kunming by Train

From June 29, 2018, the high-speed trains between Kunming and Dali were formally put into use, shortening the entire journey to just 2 hours.

At present, there are over 20 high-speed D-series trains operating from Kunming Railway Station to Dali Railway Station daily, running between 07:25 and 19:54.
It costs 231 yuan for a first-class seat and 145 yuan for a second-class seat.

Kunming Railway Station

Kunming Railway Station

Detailed steps for taking a D train from Kunming to Dali:

  1. Book/buy your train ticket(s) 5–30 days in advance.
  2. Board the train at Kunming Railway Station, which is located at the end of Beijing Road in Guandu District (Chinese address: 昆明市官渡区,北京路尽头).
    How to Board Trains in China?
  3. Get off the train at Dali Railway Station, located at 261 Weishan Road, Dali (Chinese address: 大理市巍山路261号).
  4. You can choose to leave from the station by taxi or bus.

Kunming Railway Station to Dali Railway Station high-speed train schedules:

Train Number Departure Arrival Duration
D9104 07:25 10:17 2 h 52 m
D8654 07:42 09:34 1 h 52 m
D8658 07:54 10:02 2 h 8 m
D9128 08:24 10:32 2 h 8 m
D8662 08:52 11:07 2 h 15 m
D9108 09:15 11:29 2 h 14 m
D8666 10:36 12:50 2 h 14 m
D3856 11:55 14:01 2 h 6 m
D8670 12:48 14:56 2 h 8 m
D8674 13:05 15:13 2 h 8 m
D8678 13:35 15:27 1 h 52 m
D8682 13:56 16:05 2 h 9 m
D8686 14:48 17:08 2 h 20 m
D9112 15:10 17:52 2 h 42 m
D8690 15:50 18:05 2 h 15 m
D9116 16:10 18:25 2 h 15 m
D8698 16:52 18:44 1 h 52 m
D8708 18:32 20:34 2 h 2 m
D8712 18:55 20:47 1 h 52 m
D8716 19:02 21:15 2 h 9 m
D8724 19:31 21:41 2 h 10 m
D8728 19:54 21:52 1 h 58 m

(The schedules may vary slightly on a daily basis)

Find out how to buy a China train ticket by reading How to Buy a China Train Ticket.
Check all China’s train timetables by downloading our China Train Booking app ( IOS, GooglePlay, Android APK ).

Go to Dali from Kunming by Coach

As trains are the most popular form of transportation in China, you may sometimes find that all of the tickets have been sold out by the time you have decided to buy one. Therefore, taking a coach is an alternative choice.

There are five coach stations in Kunming: West, East, South, North, and Northwest. Only West Bus Station (西部客运站) operates coaches to Dali.

Kunming’s West Bus Station is located at Yining Road, Xishan District (西山区马街益宁路). Here is a translation that you can show to the taxi driver:

“你好,我想去西部客运站,在西山区马街益宁路.”
“Hi, I want to go to the West Coach Station located in Yining Road, Ma Street, Xishan District.”

There are many coaches in operation to Dali, being in service every 15–20 minutes between 07:40 and 19:10 daily. You can go directly to the station and buy a ticket from the ticket window.

There are two types of coaches to choose from. One is called a normal coach and the ticket fare is about 103 yuan. The other type, called a deluxe coach, is more comfortable and spacious. It costs about 145 yuan.

There are several different coach stations in Dali, you can ask the bus clerk which station is close to your destination and choose to get off at the right station.

Go to Dali from Kunming by Airplane

  • Route: Kunming Changshui International Airport to Dali Airport
  • Kunming Changshui International Airport: Changshui Village, Guandu District (昆明市官渡区长水村)
  • Dali (Huangcaoba) Airport: Airport Road (大理市机场路)
  • Airlines: China Eastern Airlines, China Southern Airlines, and YUNNAN LUCKY AIR
  • Flights: seven flights a day
  • Schedules (these are just for reference as they may be subject to change): 07:00–07:50, 07:35–08:25, 08:20–09:15, 09:50–10:45, 10:30–11:20, 17:25–18:20.

We don’t recommend that you to travel to Dali from Kunming by airplanes for the following reasons:

  1. Expensive: Generally, it costs between 300 and 1,300 yuan for an airplane ticket from Kunming to Dali.
  2. Waste of time: Although the flight only takes about 1 hour, you need to spend at least 3 to 4 hours when you arrive at and depart from the two airports.
  3. Less choice: There are only seven flights a day between Kunming and Dali, and the latest flight departs at about 5pm. Therefore, taking a flight to Dali is not very flexible when planning your journey.

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July 25, 2018 Updated by: Sylvia Lo