Kunming, known as the "Spring City," is the capital of Yunnan province. It's located in the middle of the Yunnan - Guizhou Plateau, where tons of mountains prevail. Being surrounded by the mountains on three sides, Kunming is endowed with rich natural landscapes. It has some of the most scenic mountains and lakes, including the sixth-largest freshwater lake - Dianchi. Besides, belonging to the low latitude, Kunming has a subtropical monsoon climate characterized by relatively modest temperatures all year along, making the city one of the ideal places for travel.
Things To Do in Kunming
1.Stone Forest
Stone Forest Scenic Area has collected some of the most classic karst landforms, including the stone forest, karst hills, caves, lakes, waterfalls, underground rivers, stone teeth, etc.. It's like a magical world of stone and stalactite.
Address: Shilin Yi Autonomous County, Kunming
Entrance Ticket: 175 RMB/pax
Opening Hours: 8:00 - 18:00
2.Green Lake
Green Lake is one of the most scenic parks in Kunming. It was initially an accessorial lake to the Danchi and separated due to the drop in water level. Since 1985, many black-headed gulls fly from Siberia to here every winter, attracting tons of people to watch.
Address: No.67, Cuihu South Road, Wuhua District, Kunming
Entrance Ticket: Free
Opening Hours: 7:00 - 23:00
3.Dianchi Lake (Kunming Lake)
Located at the foot of Xishan Mountain, north to the Daguan Park, Dianchi Lake, also known as the Kunming Lake, is the largest freshwater lake in Yunnan and the sixth-largest of the kind in China. It's a must-see sight here. You can stroll leisurely beside the vast lake, take a boat trip, have a bird's-eye view of the lake from Xishan Longmen, or feed birds in winter.
Address: No.1318, Dianchi Road, Xishan District, Kunming
Entrance Ticket: free
Opening Hours: all day long
4.Yunnan Ethnic Village
Yunnan Ethnic Village is an ethnic village group occupied by composed of characteristic residential buildings. Some of the famous minority groups are Dai, Bai, Yi, and Jingpo nationalities. It's a wonderful place to know about minorities in China. Besides, there are halls dedicated to ethnic singing and dances, camping areas, yachts, and tourist cars. If you are lucky, you may catch an elephant show.
Ways to visit:
1) Take tourist car: 300RMB/car for 2 hours; 500 RMB/van for 2 hours;
2)Take the Quadricycle: 100RMB for 3 hours.
3)Take Sightseeing Train: 30RMB/pax.
4)Take Antique Boat: 20 RMB/pax.
5)Ride Helicopter
Address: No.1310, Dianchi Road, Xishan District, Kunming
Entrance Ticket: 90RMb/pax
5.Yuantong Temple
Located at the southern foot of the Luofeng Mountain, Yuantong Temple is one of the oldest Buddhist temples and the largest one in Kunming. The entire temple is like a huge garden with towering mountains, clear water, swimming fish, antique bridges, red pavilions, halls, and exquisite corridors. Inside the temple is a seated statue of the Buddhas of Three Periods, and on the pillars of the halls are painted with colored dragons. Besides the central Buddhas, there are five hundred arhat statues, creating a magnificent scene.
Address: Yuantong Road, Wuhua District, Kunming
Entrance Ticket: 8RMB/pax
Opening Hours: 08:00 - 17:00
6.Jiuxiang Caves
Jiuxiang Caves, similar to the Stone Forest, is all about the karst landscape. However, they are all about underground caves. Hundreds of karst caves earned the name "Karst Cave Museum" for the sight. Besides, there are verdant forests, rich animals and plants, and magnificent valleys.
Address: Yiliang County, 90km from Kunming
Entrance Ticket: 120 RMB/pax
Opening Hours: 8:00 - 18:00
7.Daguan Pavilion
Located in the west of Kunming city, near the Dianchi Lake and Xishan Mountain, the Daguan Pavilion is a wood-structured pagoda built in the Qing dynasty. The Daguna Park is famous for the various pavilions, including the Yongyu Pavilion, Ningbi Hall, Lansheng Pavilion, Guanjia Hall, etc.. Daguan Pavilion is one of the best pavilions. It has collected many inscriptions and couplets, including a long couplet with 180 characters written by a Qing dynasty scholar named Sun Wong.
Address: West of Kunming, 6km from the Downtown
Entrance Ticket: 20RMB/pax
Opening Hours: 8:00-17:00
8.Western Hills and Dragon Gate
Western Gate and Dragon Gate start from the Stone Gate of the Sanqing Pavilion in the north and end at the Datian Pavilion in the south with grottoes chiseled on the cliffs. On the southern side of the fault, a stone path is drilled entirely by men. There is a tunnel on the way that winds upwards. Standing on the top of the tunnel, the whole Dianchi Lake is under your eyes.
Address: Inside the Xishan Forest Park, Kunming
Entrance Ticket: 72RMB/pax
Opening Hours: 08:00 - 19:00
9.Golden Temple Park
Built in 1602 (Ming dynasty), Golden Temple is one of the four best-preserved brazen temples in China. It's part of the Taoist Taihe Palace and got the name due to the magnificence when the brass casted hall is shone under the sun. The Golden Temple Park has beautiful natural scenery, with paths passing through the forest, trees towering, birds singing, and Taoist disciples murmuring. Every spring, the vast piece of the camellia bloom, alluring tons of people to visit.
Address: at the foot of Mingfeng Mountain, 8km from Downtown Kunming
Entrance Ticket: 30RMB/pax
Opening Hours: 7:30 - 18:00
10.Flower and Bird Market
Kunming is a world of flowers. There are many flower and bird markets, including the Chenxing Street, Yongdao Street, Kunming Expo Park, Xiaolong Road, etc.. Besides the beautiful plants, potted landscapes, and birds, these markets also have pets, jewels, crafts, Chinese medicines, and antiques, making them the best places for discovering local culture.
Entrance Ticket: free
Opening Hours: all-day
Things To Eat in Kunming
1.Old Granny’s Potato - Yunnan style bubble and squeak
2.Steam Pot Chicken
3.Crossing-the-bridge Noodles
4.Baked Er Huai
5.Wild Edible Fungi
6.Braised Rice with Beans
7.Milk Cake
8.Eight-treasure Rice Pudding
9.Braised Jizong in Soy Sauce
10.Guandu Baba
Food Streets in Kunming
1.Guanshang Middle Road - a place for wild edible Fungi
2.Xiangyun Street - famous for local snacks like crossing-the-bridge noodles, bean curd jelly, and more
3.Chamahua Street - pedestrian commercial block for art, food, sight, shopping, and entertainment
4.Yuanxi Road - a street of local snacks drawing tons of young people at night
5.Sanshi Street - a host of international restaurants
6.Beimen Street - the hub of food from Sichuan, Guangdong, Guizhou, Shaanxi, and Inner Mongolia
7.Fengning Night Market - a paradise for barbecue
Where to Shop in Kunming
1.Qingnian Road: it collects many large-scale shopping malls like the Golden Eagle Plaza, New World Department Store, Holiday Stores, etc.
2.Dounan Flower Market: it’s one of Kunming's biggest flower markets and a sea of flowers.
3.Nanping Pedestrian Street: it’s an old commercial street of Kunming and still preserves a lot of old-fashioned stores and institutions.
4.Colorful Yunnan: it’s a large theme park containing Yunnan-style shops, stores, specialty stores, parks, and pools.
5.Daguan Bussiness Center: it’s a modern commercial circle with booming business activities.
6.Tongren Street: it’s a street with French-style buildings and characteristic restaurants and shops.
Transportation in Kunming
Kunming Changshui International Airport
Located in Changshui Village, Guandu District of Kunming, the Kunming Changshui International Airport (ICAO: ZPPP; IATA: KMG) is the only getaway airport between China and south and southeast Asian countries.
Distance to downtown Kunming: 40 minutes by taxi.
Kunming Railway Station
It’s a regular train station that connects Kunming and Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu, Guangzhou, Jinan, Shenzhen, Xining, Urumqi, and Xiamen. You can practically go everywhere from the train.
Kunming South Railway Station
Located at the Longtan Mountain, Chenggong District, Kunming South Railway Station mainly operates high-speed trains. It’s only 3km from downtown city and 28km from the Kunming Railway Station. You can go to Beijing, Chengdu, Chongqing, Guiyang, Hong Kong, Changsha, Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Zhuhai, Jinan, Shanghai, Xiamen, Guilin, Wuhan, and Xian.
Kunming Travel Guide
Best Time to Visit Kunming
Kunming doesn't have a distinct seasonal difference. The annual average temperature is around 20 degrees, making the city suitable for travel all year round. However, Kunming puts up a different show at different times.
March-May: Kunming is mild during the time, and it's never windy and dusty. You can see both the snowy mountains and flowers blooming everywhere. Besides, many minority festivals happen at the time.
June - November: Kunming is cool, and the temperature is often lower than 30 degrees. However, it's the rainy season; you must bring umbrellas all the time.
December - February: Kunming's winter is chilly but not cold. The temperature difference in a day is quite significant. Many black-headed gulls fly from Siberia and settle in Green Lake for winter, attracting tons of people to visit. Therefore, travel costs increase these days significantly.
What to Wear for Kunming Travel
Although Kunming has a mild temperature all year round, you still need to bring a jacket for the spring and thick coats and sweaters for winter. From June to August, the weather in Kunming changes a lot, and the ultraviolet is very strong. Therefore, you need to bring umbrellas and sun-blocking equipment. While in winter, the climate is dry in Kunming, and there is no heater. Please keep warm.
Consumption Level
The consumption level of Kunming is relatively low compared to other capitals in China. You can have a pleasant trip at a low cost. However, the expenditure increases significantly in peak seasons. Besides, the entrance tickets in Kunming are comparably high.
