Giờ đây du khách chỉ cần bay một chuyến từ TP. Hồ Chí Minh đến Changsha, và từ Changsha chỉ cần đi xe khoảng 3 đến 4 giờ là đến được Trương Gia Giới/Phượng Hoàng Cổ Trấn thay vì phải đi 2 chặng bay và 5-6h di chuyển bằng đường bộ như trước đây.

Lijiang train station - Self Travel Tip

From Kunming to Lijiang:

1. By bus: Buses from Kunming West Bus Station take about 7 hours, 517km and cost around ¥171.

2. By train: Trains from Kunming to Lijiang:

• K9618/K9619 (10:00~18:48); 
• K9606/K9607 (20:53~06:33);
• K9610/K9611 (21:58~07:10); 
• K9614/K9615 (22:29~07:39)

In 2012, I took the K9610 train from Kunming to Lijiang for ¥90 (seat). The train was clean and comfortable.

Lijiang Train Station (Chinese: 丽江火车站). Add: Yulong Naxi Zuzi Zhixian, Lijiang (Chinese:丽江玉龙纳西族自治县).

From Dali to Lijiang:

1. By bus: There are many minibuses to go back and forth Dali and Ljiang every day.  It takes about 3.5 hours. The fare is ¥52/66/71/79.

Dali Bus Station located at No.21, Jianshe Road, Xiaguan. It operates bus lines to Kunming and Lijiang, as well as cities in other provinces, such as Panzhihua in Sichuan and Putian in Fujian. From Xiaguan, there is a direct bus (No.4) to the Old Town of Dali.

2. By train: 
DaLi to LiJiang train timetable

Train No.		Dep.		Arr.	Dist.(km)
K9611	DaLi 大理	04:52	LiJiang 丽江	07:00	159
K9603		06:18		08:56
K9627		09:27		11:59
K9619		17:01		18:57
L9647		18:00		20:30

From Lao Cai train station, get outside and take a public electric car for 20,000 VND, or you can call a "xe om" (local motorbike serviced rider) for the same price per peson to Ha Khau. Remember to change money to RMB currency.

After getting through the border, you can take a taxi or motorbike which already wait in line to Hekou bus station for ¥10 (10-15 minutes, 3km). If you're on a budget, turn to the opposite side and take a 100 meter walk to a bus stop where you can find a green small bus which runs straight to the bus station in Hekou for ¥1.

The green small bus which runs straight to the bus station in Hekou

Buses from Hekou to Kunming departure schedule is 9:40, 10:40, 12:40, 19:00, 19:30, 20:00. Priced ¥155 for  6-7 hours, arrive at Kunming East Bus Station (昆明东三环虹桥立交). Add: Dongsanhuan Hongqiao Intersection, Kunming. Tel: (0871) 63833680.

City buses serving this station: No.22, 50, 60, 193, 194, 902. Take bus 60 ( ¥2) to reach town center /or Kunming railway/train station.

*You can even take bus from Hekou bus station to Yuan Yang rice terraces (located south of Yunnan Province has been a masterpiece of the ingenuity of the Hani people) which departs at 9h (first bus) for ¥65, 4.5 hours.

There are also day shift and night buses from Kunming Bus Terminal to Yuanyang. During the day there is a high-speed passenger bus. The night service is a sleeper bus, starting at about 20:00 and will arrive at the new Yuanyang County (Nansha) at about 05:30 the next day. Then you can find nonstop bus to the Terraced Fields.

Mu Palace - Self Travel Tips

Out of the Old City, there is Shuhe Old Town (束河 古镇) in the north to visit by bike. If you want to go by bus, take bus No.11 (not bus No.5!) for ¥1 at the bus stop located at the Old City's main gate which stops near Shuhe Old Town. Then you can walk into the town entrance gate (around 200 meters). It is free to visit Shuhe Old Town. Allow youself at least 2 hours to wander around. Remember that it is NOT less commercialized than Lijiang Old City but also worth a visit. When you get back to Old City, another option is to take the mini-van or taxi with a group of around 5-7 people to share money.

From Old City, you can also visit Black Dragon Pool (黑龙潭; Hēilóngtán), 1km north. Total natural scenery together with traditional building styles. Allow yourself 30 minutes -1 hour to visit this place. Entrance fee costs ¥80 but free if you already have the Old Town Preservation receipt (usually this one goes along with the Yu Long Xue Shan or The Jade Dragon Snow Mountain tour fee, if you pay for the tour, of at least ¥400!) or when you buy tickets to visit The Jade Dragon Snow Mountain , it is required to pay for Old Town Preservation fee.

Jade Dragon Snow Mountain (玉龙雪山; Yùlóngxuě Shān). Located 25km from Lijiang, extremely famous with locals. Take bus No.7 from Old Town. Half day is possible for visiting the mountain.

Organized tour fee is at least ¥400. Renting a coat or buy oxide tube is perhaps, not necessary for some people, as they are a bit burden later. Entrance to Jade Dragon Snow Mountain ¥190. Tickets for the cable car cost ¥170 round-trip. Prices vary depending on what elevation you want to go to. ¥180 to ride to 3800 meters. ¥300 to 4200 meters. ¥350 to 4600 meters. The tour to the snow moutain may last 3 hours, allow yourself to visit the beautiful lakes around, too.

Impression Lijiang Show.Takes place inside Jade Dragon Snow Mountain Park at 3500m in an outdoor theater. Tickets cost 190 yuan and can be bought from the ticket booth in the Old Town ( does not include transportation to and from the theater (approx 1 hour drive) or the entrance fee for the park (80 yuan). Bus No.7 from Old Town will take you to the theater for ¥15.

Baisha Village (白沙村), (12 km north of town. Take bus No.6 for 1RMB / ~30min, and get off at the crossing of Baisha). A small village in Yulong Naxi Autonomous County, part of Lijiang city, well-known for its Jade Dragon Snow Mountain range. It is the original settlement of the Naxi people who came to the greater Lijiang Valley over a thousand years ago. You can also take taxi at Lijiang City. It takes about RMB 40 yuan for a round trip or rent a bike. Openning Time: 7:00a.m.- 21:00p.m.

Tiger Leaping Gorge (虎跳峡; Pinyin: Hu Tiao Xia), Lijiang's famous trek route. ¥65 for the trail (¥25 for students). Allow yourself a 2 day hike.

Cuisine: Yak meat. Barbecues (tell them not to spread chilli all over as Chinese eat really spicy food) and Crossing-the-bridge noodles (famous rice noodle soup in Yunnan province).

Napa lake: Located west of the Old Town, over the hill on Dawa Road. You can rent a mountain bike for ¥20-30 per day and ride out into the grasslands west of the Old Town near Napa Lake (7 km). Villagers may ask for ¥50 if you want to enter. DO NOT PAY, it is their bad habit of asking money from tourists, also avoid scams from those peope. Rembember that there is no water on the lake in winter so it's not ideal to visit then.

Pudacuo (or Putacuo) National Park (simplified Chinese: 普达措国家公园; pinyin: Pǔdácuò Guójiāgōngyuán). It is the first national park in China to meet International Union for Conservation of Nature standards with rich plant, mammals and bird species. When you arrive at the Shangrila bus station, remember to ask for the bus schedule to Pudacuo National Park as it is not a daily schedule, about a 50 minute drive. It's advised to take at least half if not full day to visit the park. Ask if they discount for student ID card at entrance.

Eat: Local produced yak met, cheese and wine.

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Self Travel Tips

Tips: Getting from Lijiang train station to Old city: Wait for bus No.4 at the bus stop in front of the train station. The bus will take you to the main gate of Old city (simplified Chinese: 丽江古城; traditional Chinese: 麗江古城; pinyin: Lìjiāng Gǔchéng). The bus costs ¥1.