Kunming

Highlights

• Stone Forest (Shilin) UNESCO World Heritage Site
• Dianchi Lake and Western Hills
• Green Lake Park (Cuihu) and birdwatching
• Yunnan Nationalities Village
• Western Hills Dragon Gate grottoes
• Yuantong Temple (900-year-old Buddhist complex)
• Day trips to Dali and Lijiang

Getting Around

Kunming Changshui International Airport (KMG) is one of China's busiest hubs, with direct flights from Beijing (around 3.5 hours), Shanghai (around 3 hours), Chengdu (around 1 hour), and several Southeast Asian capitals. High-speed rail connects Kunming to Chengdu in approximately 5 hours and to Guiyang in under 2 hours; the China-Laos Railway departs from Kunming South station. Metro Line 6 links the airport directly to the city centre in about 30 minutes.

Food

Yunnan cuisine stands apart from the rest of China with its focus on fresh mountain herbs, wild mushrooms, and mild spicing. Crossing-the-bridge rice noodles (过桥米线) — a Kunming institution where diners cook fresh ingredients in a rich broth — is the essential meal to try. The wild mushroom hot pot (featuring dozens of varieties sourced from Yunnan's mountains), steam pot chicken (汽锅鸡), and Yunnan dry-cured ham appear on nearly every local menu. The bustling night markets around South Pingxi Street offer street-food versions of all these classics at very low prices.

Stay

The Green Lake (Cuihu) area in the northwest of the centre is Kunming's most pleasant neighbourhood for visitors, with a cluster of boutique hotels and guesthouses within walking distance of the park and the Yunnan University campus. The Nanping Pedestrian Street district offers mid-range chain hotels with direct metro access to most sights. Travellers arriving by high-speed rail and moving on quickly will find budget hostels concentrated near the older Kunming Railway Station in the south of the city.

Budget