How to Plan a Trip to Lijiang
Lijiang is known for its majestic plateau scenery and its vibrant ethnic culture. Tourists can not only visit the ancient city of Lijiang, but the most charm comes from its surrounding areas, such as the Jade Dragon Snow Mountian, the tranquil Shuhe Ancient Town, the mysterious Lugu Lake, the tea horse ancient road Lashihai, and the enchanting Shangri-la...
Here are the detailed planning tips for visitors traveling to Lijiang.
Best Time to Go - Weather and Climate
The best time to visit Lijiang is in Spring (April and May) and in Autumn (October and November). These seasons are mostly sunny days with pleasant weather, and the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain is vivid to see during the day.
The rainy season in Lijiang is from June to August but usually comes with a light shower, should bring an umbrella when you hang out for travel.
Top Things to Do in Lijiang
1. Dayan Ancient Town(Aka Lijiang Ancient Town)
You may not have heard of Dayan Ancient Town, which people commonly called the Old Town of Lijiang. There are more than 3000 B&Bs around the town, and each of them has its own flavor.
Strolling through the town, you can see wooden buildings and green tiles, bluestone paths, narrow lanes, shops, and street vendors. Also, you can see the snow-capped Jade Snow Mountain from the town.
The famous scenic spots in the town: Sifang Street, Dashui, Lion Mountain, Everlasting Tower, Mufu, etc...
2. Shuhe Ancient Town
Shuhe ancient town is 6km away from Dayan Ancient Town. It’s small but more scenic, Quaint, and authentic than Dayan.
The famous attractions in the town are the Four Square Street, Qinglong Bridge, Jiu Ding Longtan, and the Ancient Tea Horse Road Museum.
The Ancient Tea Horse Road Museum is China's first museum dedicated to the study and display of the history and culture of the Ancient Tea Horse Road.
The town is suitable for simply enjoying life and lazing in the sun. The price of the souvenirs is cheaper compared to Dayan.
3. Jade Dragon Snow Mountain
Jade Dragon Snow Mountain is located in Lijiang Yulong County and is a sacred mountain in the hearts of the Naxi people, whilst the symbol of Lijiang.
The best way to visit the mountain is to take the cableway up and down. There are many platforms, and the stairs are in decent condition. Tourists can walk up and reach the highest point at 4680m on the mountain.
Tips: you should also buy oxygen bottles if you are not trained for hiking at such altitude.
4. Lashihai
Lashihai is an important pass on the ancient tea horse road, Horseback riding is a must while traveling to this place! There are many horse farms in Lashihai. The owners of the farms provide different horse riding routes at different prices, sometimes be confusing which one to go, especially for first-timers, so suggest booking the package through a tour agent.
Another recommended activity in Lashihai is kayaking or boating on the lake to enjoy nature's beauty. The best time to visit is during late fall to early winter when the trees in the lake have their autumn colors.
Learn more about Lijiang Attractions>>
How Many Days to Stay & Suggested Travel Itinerary
Suggest spending 3 days in Lijiang to enjoy the plateau scenery and ethnic culture.
Recommended Itinerary for 3-4 Days Tour to Lijiang
Day 1
Arrive in Lijiang. Recommended to stay in the old town of Lijiang. There are many guesthouses with characteristics of the Naxi Style located in the town. If you hang out at night, take your time to explore small alleys, delicious food strolls, souvenir stores, clubs, and bars...
Day 2
Take a 1-hour bus drive to Jade Dragon Snow Mountain. There are three cableways in the spots, with different heights and views. Suggest taking the highest one of Glacier Park Cableway to reach the highest station of 4506 meters on the mountain.
In the afternoon, you can visit the Shuhe Ancient Town, much smaller than Lijian Old Town but is quaint and authentic. Nice to stroll around and enjoy the charm of this town, the nice stores, water channels, and flowers...
In the evening, enjoy the live show of Impression Lijiang, which is performed at the foot of Jade Dragon Snow Mountain.
Day 3
Take a one-day tour to Lashihai, the first city named after the park in Yunnan. You can acknowledge the ancient tea horse road’s culture and history whilst experiencing horse riding and tracing through the ancient road.
Day 4
Leave for your onward destination or extend your trip to Lugu Lake and stay overnight there.
More Lijiang Tour Recommendations
How to Get There
Flights and trains are easy to access to Lijiang. Most domestic cities have direct flights to Lijiang, sometimes, the ticket price is even cheaper than flights to Kunming. If you have limited travel time and don’t want to waste time in transit, take direct flights.
The high-speed train between Kunming and Lijiang takes 3 hours. If you travel in peak season, the flights will cost more than usual, so taking a train to Lijiang from Kunming is a good option.
Get to Lijiang from Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou...
- From Shanghai: take the direct flight to Lijiang, or the high-speed train from Shanghai Hongqiao to Kunming Nan (11 hours), then transit to Lijiang (3 hours).
- From Beijing: flight from Beijing to Kunming, then high-speed train to Lijiang, or take a direct flight to Lijiang. No train ares available between Beijing and Lijiang/Kunming.
- From Hangzhou: take the direct flight to Lijiang, or the high-speed train from Hangzhou Dong to Kunming Nan (9 hours), then transit to Lijiang (3 hours).
- From Guangzhou: take the direct flight to Lijiang, or the high-speed train from Guangzhou Nan to Kunming (8 hours), then transit to Lijiang (3 hours).
- From Chengdu: take the direct flight to Lijiang, or the high-speed train from Chengdu to Kunming (5-6 hours), then transit to Lijiang (3 hours).
Learn more about Lijiang Transportation
Where to Stay
Hotels in Lijiang are mainly located in the old towns of Dayan, Shuhe, and Baisha.
1. Dayan Old Town (Lijiang Old Town)
There are many types of hotels, ranging from local guesthouses to high-end luxury hotels in Dayan Town. You can easily hang out without taking a Taxi, shop, and eat anywhere near your hotel. The con is that vehicles cannot enter the old town. You need to walk and get to your hotel.
Hotel recommendations: InterContinental Lijiang Ancient Town Resort 和府洲际, Hotel Indigo Lijiang 古城英迪格、Amandayan 大研安缦
2. Shuhe Old Town
If you like isolation and quiet, staying in Shuhe Old Town will be a good choice. The town is a bit far away from Lijiang downtown, 16km away from Jade Dragon Snow Mountain.
Hotel recommendations: Jinlu Boutique Hotel 丽江锦庐精品客栈l, Guangxi Art Inn观熹设计师艺术客栈, Lijiang Yuya Langyuan Inn 馥雅朗苑客栈, Banyan Tree Lijiang 悦榕庄
3. Baisha Old Town
Baisha Ancient Town is the original habit area of the Naxi people. Compared with the other two ancient towns, it is more primitive, authentic, and quiet. There are not many hotel options there, but most are quiet and clean.
Hotel recommendations: Baisha Qing Lu Xian Ting Inn 白沙清露闲庭客栈, Wanfu Holiday Inn 王府度假别院, Wuwei Hotel 五味精品客栈
Extend Your Lijiang Tour to Lugu Lake, Dali, Tiger Leaping Gorges, and Shangri-la
1. Lijiang to Dali - 2-3 More Days
High-speed Train: the trip takes 2 hours, and 4 trains per day. The earliest train departs at 7:30 am, and the latest at 8:20 pm.
- Train Ticket: CNY68-80/person in second class
Tourist Bus: Departs at 9:30, 14:30, and 19:30 daily. Bus stops from Lijiang 1. the intersection of Banyan Tree Resort in Shuhe Ancient Town, 2. Bailong Jincheng, the south gate of Lijiang Ancient City (opposite Bailong Square), From Dali: the ecological parking lot at the south gate of Dali Ancient City.
- Bus Ticket: CNY69 /person
Public Bus: Departs every half hour from 7:10 am to 7 pm every day from Lijiang Bus Station.
- Address: No Kangzhong Rd, Gucheng District, Lijiang古城区康仲路25号
- Bus Ticket: from CNY61-79/person
2. Lijiang to Tiger Leaping Gorges - 1-2 More Days
Passenger Bus: There are three bus routes from Lijiang to Tiger Leaping Gorge Town, Upper Tiger Leaping Gorges, and Middle Tiger Leaping Gorges. The bus departs at 9:30 a.m, and the ticket price is CNY35-44 /person.
Tourist Bus: If you want to visit multiple scenic spots at one time, taking a tourist bus is suggested. You can hop on and hop off at different sites of Tiger Leaping Gorge and enjoy the visit there.
3. Lijiang to Shangri-La - 3 More Days
Tourist Bus: Daily departure at 8 am from the south gate of Lijiang Ancient Town and the north gate of Shuhe Ancient Town to Shangri-La. Stop over at Tiger Leaping Gorge, Xiao Zhongdian Scenic Area along the way.
- Bus Ticket: one-way ticket CNY79/person, 2-day round-trip CNY119/person.
Passenger bus: departing from Lijiang Bus Station at 7:30 am - 5:10 pm daily to Shangri-La, and the trip takes 4 hours.
- Bus Ticket: CNY62-68/person
4. Lijiang to Lugu Lake - 2 More Days
Tourist Bus: Daily departure at 7:30 am from Lijiang Ancient Town near the water wheel, stop at the terminal at Luoshui Village, Lugu Lake. The trip takes 5 hours.
- Bus Ticket: CNY140/person one-way
Passenger bus: departing from Lijiang Bus Station at 9 am and 10 am to Luguhu Bus Station. The trip takes 4 hours.
- Bus Ticket: CNY65/person
Recommended Lijiang Tours
- 4-Day Lijiang and Magnificent Tiger Leaping Gorge Tour
- 3-Day Essence of Ancient Lijiang Tour
- 8-Day Authentic Yunnan Discovery
- 1-Day Lijiang Discovery Tour
We can also customize your own trip based on your group size, budget, interests, preferences, and other requirements. Please contact us.
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