Travel Guide > Asia > China > Yunnan > Dali
Sitting under the towering peak of Cang Shan Mountain in Yunnan, China, next to serene Er Hai lake, Dali (大理) couldn't have a more dramatic setting. Well established on tourist itineraries for both Western and Chinese travellers, Dali is blessed with a interesting restored old town, refreshing climate and great countryside. Dali is home to the Bai people, and examples of Bai architecture and tradition still survive around the town.
Note that the Dali referred to by travellers and guidebooks is the old town of Dali. Boarding a bus for 'Dali' may land you at Xiaguan, a rather less interesting modern conurbation 15 kilometres up the road.
China Eastern Airlines, China Southern Airlines and Lucky Air fly from Kunming to Dali Airport (DLU).
It is possible to reach Kunming by train from Xiaguan. This is as far as it is currently possible to travel by train in Northern Yunnan.
Dali is well connected to the rest of Yunnan by well-maintained roads.
There are extremely frequent bus connections, at a range of levels of comfort and corresponding prices, both to Kunming and on into Northern Yunnan to destinations including Lijiang and Shangri-La.
Local buses run to villages around town. It's also possible to catch a ferry or charter a boat across Er Hai lake. Taxis are easy to find and moderately priced. A cable car runs halfway up Cang Shan Mountain.
The old town, from the foot of the mountain to the shore of the lake, is easily explored on foot.
Dali is bicycle friendly, and bikes are available to hire from hostels and cycle shops.
The speciality of the area is fish from Er Hai lake. Every day the fisherman bring their catch back, alive, to the town's cafes. The fish are held in tanks outside, and passers by can choose exactly what they're going to eat before sitting down to dinner. The fish can be cooked in any one of a variety of ways, but a particular favourite is a fish hotpot - your chosen fish is cooked in front of you, to your liking, in a hot and sour broth.
Being well established on the traveller's trail, Dali has more than its fair share of traveller-oriented bars selling banana pancakes and Heineken by the glass. You'll get a cheaper beer, and a better idea of real Dali, if you take a seat upstairs in a cheap noodle-and-dumplings place, order a bowl of fried dumplings and a chilled Tsingtao, and watch the world go by.
There are plenty of extremely cheap hostel options in Dali:
| Property | Address | Type | Popularity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bookworm Dali Guesthouse | No.359 Renmin Road Dali Old Town | Guesthouse | - |
| Dali Golf Resort Villa | The Villa Zone of Dali Stone Mountain Golf Club | Hotel | - |
| Dali Three Pagodas International Youth Hostel | Three Pagodas, Daoying Park Old Town Dali | Hostel | 70 |
| Four Seasons Youth Hostel | No.26 Renmin Road Dali Old Town | Hostel | 86 |
| Fu Chun He Courtyard Inn | No.109 Hu Guo Road Yang Ren Street | Hostel | - |
| GREENlodge | Gate Er Hai (East Gate), Dali Old Town Yunnan | Guesthouse | - |
| Guiyuanju Guesthouse | No. 99 Pingdeng Road Old Town | Guesthouse | - |
| Hengsheng Garden Hostel | Nanmen Lvyu Road 3th Old Town | Hostel | 90 |
| Higher Land Inn | Cangshan Daorendong Dali Old Town | Hostel | 93 |
| Hotel 6 | No.415 Ren Min Road Old Town | Hostel | 46 |
| Hotel Temps Perdu | Hotel Temps Perdu 81 Wenxian Road, , 671003 , Dali | Hotel | 100 |
| MCA Hotel-Dali | Dali Acient Town, No. 700 Wen Xian Road | Hotel | 40 |
| Mingtong Yinxiang Youth Hotel-Dali | Caicun Wharf Dali Old Town | Hostel | 82 |
| No.5 Guest House | 428,Ren Min Road Old Town | Hostel | 79 |
| Peach Garden Youth Hostel (Tao Yuan Ren Jia) | Tao Yuan Village, Xi Zhou Town Hu Die Quan Tao Yuan Port | Hostel | 60 |
| Sky and Sea Lodge Beach Side | Dajianpang Village Shuanglang Town | Hostel | 87 |
| SleepyFish Lodge | Yu Er Lu (extension) | Hostel | 97 |
| Sumoon Hostel | No 171 Wase Village Wase Town | Hostel | - |
| The Jade Emu International Guest House | Area 10, West Gate Village | Hostel | 93 |
| The Lily Pad Inn | West Gate Village Dali Old Town | Hostel | 93 |
| Tibetan Lodge | No.58 Ren Min Road | Hostel | 69 |
| Zhong He Ju Dali Style Courtyard Hotel | NO.31 HuGuo RD Old Town (North through Yang Ren Road) | Hostel | 81 |
This is version 13. Last edited at 15:25 on Nov 1, 09 by Utrecht (+109). 5 articles link to this page.

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