Things to Do in Dali

Things to Do in Dali

I was sitting on the stone steps of the old city wall at 7am, eating a youtiao I’d bought from a cart near the south gate, when an elderly Bai woman in a blue headscarf walked past, stopped, and pointed at the mountains behind me. She said one word: “Cangshan.” Then she kept walking. I turned around and understood. The Cangshan range rises almost 4,000 meters straight up from the western edge of Dali’s old town, and on that particular morning the clouds were peeling off the peaks like they were being pulled back by hand. I’d been in China for three weeks by then, and Dali was the first place that made me cancel my onward bus ticket and stay an extra four days.

Dali sits in Yunnan province, in the far southwest, on the shore of Erhai Lake. It’s the kind of place that gets called a “backpacker town” by people who haven’t been there since 2015, and a “digital nomad hub” by people who haven’t left their coworking space. Both are partially true. What’s actually happening is more interesting: Dali is a Bai minority cultural center that happens to have excellent coffee, cheap guesthouses, and a mountain-lake geography that makes almost every other Chinese tourist town look flat by comparison.

This guide covers the ten things I’d actually tell a friend to do here, with real prices, transit directions, and the specific mistakes I made so you don’t repeat them.

Quick answer

Dali’s top experiences are the Cangshan mountain trails, the old town’s Bai architecture and night market, Erhai Lake’s eastern shore villages, and the Three Pagodas. Most foreign visitors can enter China visa-free for up to 30 days (check your nationality), and a comfortable day in Dali costs $40–70 (CNY 290–500) including food, transport, and one paid attraction. Best months are March–May and September–November; July–August is rainy season and Chinese school holidays, which doubles prices and crowds.

The Short Version

If you have 90 seconds: base yourself in Dali Old Town, not Xiaguan (the modern city 13km south). Spend one full day on Cangshan, one day cycling the Erhai Lake loop, one day wandering the old town and eating. Skip the “Dali Eden” tourist shows. Bring layers — the altitude is 1,900m and the mountain goes to 4,000m. Download Alipay and WeChat before you arrive; almost nothing here takes foreign cards.

How I Picked These

I’ve been to Dali four times since 2019, most recently in October 2025. I’ve stayed in six different guesthouses, gotten lost on Cangshan twice (once badly), rented e-bikes from three different shops, and eaten my weight in rushan cheese and erkuai rice cakes. I also spent two afternoons with a Bai guide named Yang Mei, who grew up in Xizhou village and corrected several things I’d gotten wrong about local temple etiquette. The ten entries below are ranked by how much I’d push a first-time visitor to prioritize them, not by how famous they are. Some famous things (the “Foreigner Street” bar strip) didn’t make the cut.

Comparison Table

Rank	Place	Best For	Approx Cost (USD)	Time Needed	When to Go
1	Cangshan Mountain	Hiking, cable car views	$0–45 (CNY 0–320)	Full day	Apr–Oct, clear mornings
2	Dali Old Town	Wandering, food, nightlife	Free	Half day + evening	Any, weekdays quieter
3	Erhai Lake Loop	Cycling, villages, photos	$8–15 (CNY 60–110)	1–2 days	Mar–Nov
4	Three Pagodas (Chongsheng Temple)	History, photo ops	$11 (CNY 75)	2–3 hours	Morning, avoid weekends
5	Xizhou Village	Bai architecture, markets	$0–5 (CNY 0–35)	Half day	Tue or Fri market days
6	Shuanglang Town	Lake views, cafes	Free	Half day	Weekdays
7	Dali Night Market	Street food, cheap eats	$5–12 (CNY 35–85)	2 hours	7–11pm
8	Zhonghe Temple & Jade Belt Road	Easy hike, mountain views	$6 (CNY 40)	3–4 hours	Clear days
9	Wase Market (Xizhou)	Local life, no tourists	Free	2 hours	Every 5 days (ask locally)
10	Erhai Ecological Corridor	Walking, birdwatching	Free	2–4 hours	Sunrise or sunset

1. Cangshan Mountain — The Reason You Came

The first time I tried to “do Cangshan in a morning,” I ended up at the wrong cable car station, paid for the wrong ticket, and spent 40 minutes walking uphill on a road with no shade. Learn from me.

Cangshan is a 19-peak mountain range that runs north-south along the entire western edge of Dali. The highest peak, Malong, is 4,122m. You are not climbing that. What you’re doing is taking one of three cable cars up to a mid-mountain trail system, walking a section of the 11km Jade Belt Road (玉带云游路), and coming back down. The Jade Belt Road is mostly flat, cut into the cliff face, and on a clear day you can see Erhai Lake stretching east like a silver plate.

There are three cable cars: Zhonghe (中和索道, the cheapest, ends at 2,600m), Gantong (感通索道, ends at 2,600m near Qingbi Stream), and the big one, Cangshan Cable Car (洗马潭索道), which goes to 4,092m and is often closed by wind or snow. For most visitors, take Zhonghe or Gantong, walk 2–3 hours on the Jade Belt Road, and take a different cable car down. That’s the classic loop.

📍 Location: Western edge of Dali Old Town. All three cable car stations are reachable by taxi or the C2 bus. 🎟️ Entry fee: Cangshan scenic area entrance $6 (CNY 40). Cable cars $18–45 (CNY 130–320) round trip depending on which one. 🕐 Opening hours: 8:30am–4:30pm for cable cars; last descent around 5pm. Closed on high-wind days without warning. 🚕 How to get there: From Old Town, a Didi to Zhonghe Cable Car station is $1.50 (CNY 10). Or take the C2 bus from the west gate. Gantong station is further south, $3 (CNY 20) by taxi. ⏰ When to visit: April–October. Go on a clear morning; clouds build by noon and the views vanish. Weekdays are noticeably quieter. 💡 Insider tips: Buy your cable car ticket at the base, not online — the online system is unreliable for foreign passports. Bring cash for the small tea stalls at the top. The altitude at 4,000m is real; if you feel dizzy, come down. And wear actual shoes, not sandals — the Jade Belt Road has wet, slippery sections even in dry weather.

I met a retired teacher from Kunming at the Zhonghe Temple teahouse who told me she’d been coming to Cangshan every autumn for 20 years. She said the mountain “changes its mood every hour.” She was right.

2. Dali Old Town — Where You’ll Actually Spend Your Evenings

Dali Old Town is not a museum. It’s a working town of about 30,000 people, wrapped in a Ming-dynasty wall (rebuilt, mostly), with Bai-style white-and-blue buildings, and a grid of streets that gets pleasantly confusing after dark.

The main drags — Fuxing Road and Renmin Road — are touristy. They’re also where you’ll find the best coffee, the most English menus, and the guesthouses. The side streets off them are where the actual life is: tiny noodle shops, a woman selling fried flowers from a bicycle, old men playing Chinese chess outside a temple.

What makes it special is the mix. You can have a $2 bowl of rice noodles for breakfast, hike a 4,000m mountain in the afternoon, and eat Yunnan-style grilled cheese with a glass of local wine for dinner. Very few places in China offer that range in a 2km radius.

📍 Location: Dali Old Town (大理古城), about 13km west of Xiaguan, the modern city and train station. 🎟️ Entry fee: Free to enter. Some individual temples charge $1–3 (CNY 10–20). 🕐 Opening hours: Always open. Shops generally 9am–11pm. 🚕 How to get there: From Dali Railway Station (Xiaguan), take bus 8 (30 min, $0.30/CNY 2) or a Didi ($5/CNY 35). From Dali Airport, a taxi is $14–18 (CNY 100–130), about 50 minutes. ⏰ When to visit: Weekday evenings are ideal. Weekends in July–August are packed with domestic tour groups. 💡 Insider tips: Get a SIM card at the airport or in Xiaguan before you arrive — Old Town shops charge a markup. Set up Alipay and WeChat Pay before you come; many small vendors no longer take cash. The “Foreigner Street” (Yangren Jie) bar strip is overpriced and full of the same three songs; skip it. And if someone invites you to a “tea ceremony” for free, it’s a sales pitch — a polite no works fine.

3. Erhai Lake Loop — Rent a Bike, Take Two Days

Erhai is a 250-square-kilometer lake shaped like an ear (hence the name). The full loop is about 130km. You are not doing that in one day on a bicycle unless you’re a serious cyclist. But you can do the western half in a day, or split it over two and stay in a lakeside village.

I did the western shore on an e-bike in October, from Old Town to Xizhou and back, about 45km. It took seven hours with stops. The road hugs the lake most of the way, passes through farming villages, and on a clear day the Cangshan range reflects in the water like a second mountain range.

The eastern shore is quieter, less developed, and has the better sunset views. Shuanglang, on the northeast corner, is the most popular stop — it’s pretty but increasingly polished. If you want the version that feels like a real village, go to Wase or Caicun instead.

📍 Location: The lake surrounds Dali Old Town on the east. The Erhai Ecological Corridor (洱海生态廊道) is a paved walking/cycling path along the western shore. 🎟️ Entry fee: Free. E-bike rental $8–15 (CNY 60–110) per day. 🕐 Opening hours: Daylight. Some villages have night markets until 10pm. 🚕 How to get there: Rent an e-bike in Old Town (many shops, ask your guesthouse). Or take a Didi to the Ecological Corridor entrance near Longkan Pier, $2 (CNY 15). ⏰ When to visit: March–November. Avoid July–August (rain and crowds). Sunrise on the western shore is spectacular. 💡 Insider tips: E-bikes need to be charged — plan your route around charging stations (most villages have them, $0.50/CNY 3–5 per charge). Foreigners need an International Driving Permit for scooters but not for e-bikes under 25km/h; rental shops rarely check, but police occasionally do. Bring sunscreen — the altitude plus lake reflection burns fast. And the “Erhai Moon” viewpoint everyone photographs is genuinely worth the stop.

4. Three Pagodas — The Postcard Shot

The Three Pagodas (三塔) are the symbol of Dali, and yes, they’re on every postcard. They’re also genuinely impressive: the main pagoda is 69.13m tall, built in the 9th century during the Nanzhao Kingdom, and has survived earthquakes that leveled everything around it.

The site is a working Buddhist temple complex (Chongsheng Temple) with the three pagodas at the back. You walk through several halls, most of them rebuilt in the 2000s, before reaching the pagodas themselves. The rebuilt halls are a bit Disney — big golden Buddhas, donation boxes, the works. The pagodas are the real thing.

I’ll be honest: $11 (CNY 75) feels steep for what is essentially a photo opportunity and a walk. But the pagodas at golden hour, with Cangshan behind them, are the shot you’ll actually want to show people. Go once.

📍 Location: About 1.5km north of Dali Old Town’s north gate, at the foot of Cangshan. 🎟️ Entry fee: $11 (CNY 75). No discount for students with foreign ID. 🕐 Opening hours: 8am–6pm (last entry 5:30pm). Open daily. 🚕 How to get there: Walk from Old Town north gate (20 min) or take a Didi ($1/CNY 7). Bus 19 stops nearby. ⏰ When to visit: Early morning (8–9am) for fewer crowds and softer light. Avoid weekends and Chinese holidays. 💡 Insider tips: The best photo spot is actually from the reflection pool behind the main pagoda, not the front. There’s a small café inside the complex with decent coffee and shade. The walk up to the pagodas involves stairs — not wheelchair accessible. And the “free” English audio guide is a QR code that requires a Chinese phone number; skip it and read up beforehand.

5. Xizhou Village — The Bai Town That Isn’t a Theme Park

Xizhou is 20km north of Dali Old Town, and it’s what Dali Old Town was 20 years ago: a real Bai village with a morning market, a few old courtyard houses you can visit, and almost no foreign tourists.

The architecture is the draw. Bai houses have white walls, blue-painted trim, and elaborate wooden screens. The Yan family compound (严家大院) is the best-preserved example, a merchant’s house from the early 1900s with three courtyards and a tea room where you can try three-course Bai tea (bitter, sweet, and “aftertaste” — it’s a whole ritual).

The market is the other reason to come. It runs every five days (the Bai calendar, so ask your guesthouse for the next date), and it’s where locals from surrounding villages buy vegetables, live chickens, and handmade shoes. It’s not a tourist market. Nobody will try to sell you a fridge magnet.

📍 Location: Xizhou Town, about 20km north of Dali Old Town on the western shore of Erhai. 🎟️ Entry fee: Village free. Yan family compound $5 (CNY 35). Three-course tea $8 (CNY 55). 🕐 Opening hours: Compound 8:30am–6pm. Market roughly 7am–1pm on market days. 🚕 How to get there: Bus from Dali Old Town north gate to Xizhou ($1/CNY 7, 40 min), or Didi ($6/CNY 45). E-bike is the nicest option. ⏰ When to visit: Market days (ask locally — they rotate). Otherwise any weekday morning. 💡 Insider tips: The three-course tea is worth doing once, but the “performance” is short and the sales pitch at the end is long — you can leave after the tea. Bring cash for the market; many vendors don’t use QR codes. The best lunch is at the small noodle shop just east of the main square, no English menu, point at what someone else is eating.

6. Shuanglang Town — The Polished Lake View

Shuanglang sits on a small peninsula on the northeast shore of Erhai, and it has the best lake views in the Dali area. It’s also the most developed, with boutique hotels, Instagram-friendly cafés, and prices to match.

I have mixed feelings. The views are genuinely stunning — you look back across the lake at the full Cangshan range, and at sunset the whole thing turns pink and gold. But the town itself has been heavily rebuilt for tourism, and the “old village” feel is mostly gone. If you want a quiet lakeside base with good coffee, it’s great. If you want authenticity, go to Wase or Caicun.

📍 Location: Northeast shore of Erhai, about 50km from Dali Old Town. 🎟️ Entry fee: Free. Some viewpoints charge $1–2 (CNY 10–15). 🕐 Opening hours: Always open. 🚕 How to get there: Bus from Dali Old Town to Shuanglang ($2/CNY 15, 1.5 hours) or Didi ($18/CNY 130). Many visitors come by e-bike over two days. ⏰ When to visit: Weekdays, March–November. Sunset is the main event. 💡 Insider tips: Stay one night if you can — the sunset and sunrise are the point, and day-trippers miss both. The “Sun Palace” viewpoint (actually a hotel) charges for access; the free public pier 200m south has almost the same view. And the seafood restaurants on the waterfront are fine but overpriced; walk one street inland for better value.

7. Dali Night Market — Eat Everything

The night market on Renmin Road (and the surrounding lanes) starts around 7pm and runs until 11 or midnight. It’s the best cheap eating in Dali, and it’s where you’ll actually talk to people.

What to eat: rushan (乳扇), a stretched cow’s-milk cheese grilled on a stick with rose jam; erkuai (饵块), a rice cake grilled and stuffed with pickles and sauce; grilled tofu with chili; and “crossing-the-bridge” noodles if you want the full Yunnan classic. Also: fried insects, if you’re brave. The scorpions are a tourist thing; the fried bamboo worms are actually good.

Prices are low. You can eat a full dinner for $5–8 (CNY 35–60). Vendors mostly take WeChat Pay and Alipay; a few take cash.

📍 Location: Renmin Road and side lanes, Dali Old Town. 🎟️ Entry fee: Free. 🕐 Opening hours: Roughly 7pm–midnight, daily. Quieter on rainy nights. 🚕 How to get there: Walk. It’s in the middle of Old Town. ⏰ When to visit: 7:30–9pm, before the crowds peak and while everything’s still hot. 💡 Insider tips: Look for stalls with locals eating, not just tourists. The grilled cheese is best from the woman near the Confucius Temple, not the big stalls on the main road. Bring small bills if you’re paying cash — vendors rarely have change for CNY 100. And if you have a sensitive stomach, stick to cooked food and skip the cold dishes.

8. Zhonghe Temple & Jade Belt Road — The Easy Mountain Day

If the full Cangshan cable car feels like too much (or it’s closed), this is the alternative. Take the Zhonghe cable car up to 2,600m, walk 20 minutes to Zhonghe Temple, and then walk a section of the Jade Belt Road in either direction. It’s the same mountain, the same views, less commitment.

Zhonghe Temple itself is a small working temple with a teahouse and a few monks. The walk from the cable car to the temple is gentle, mostly steps, maybe 15 minutes. From there, the Jade Belt Road runs north and south, flat and cut into the cliff. Walk 30 minutes in either direction and you’ll get the views without the altitude.

📍 Location: Zhonghe Cable Car station, western edge of Dali Old Town. 🎟️ Entry fee: Cangshan entrance $6 (CNY 40). Cable car $18 (CNY 130) round trip. 🕐 Opening hours: 8:30am–4:30pm. 🚕 How to get there: Didi to Zhonghe Cable Car station, $1.50 (CNY 10) from Old Town. ⏰ When to visit: Clear mornings, April–October. 💡 Insider tips: The teahouse at Zhonghe Temple serves local green tea for $2 (CNY 15) and has the best view-to-price ratio in Dali. Bring a jacket — it’s 10°C colder up there than in town. And check the cable car’s operating status the morning you go; wind closures are common and not announced in advance.

9. Wase Market — The Real Local Market

Wase is a small Bai village on the western shore, about 15km north of Old Town. Its market runs every five days (again, ask locally), and it’s the least touristy market in the Dali area. No English, no souvenirs, no one trying to sell you anything. Just vegetables, meat, tools, and old women in traditional Bai dress.

I went on a Tuesday in October and spent two hours just walking. A woman selling persimmons gave me one for free when I tried to pay. A man repairing shoes let me watch for 20 minutes without saying a word. It’s the kind of place that reminds you why you came to China in the first place.

📍 Location: Wase Village, western shore of Erhai, about 15km north of Dali Old Town. 🎟️ Entry fee: Free. 🕐 Opening hours: Market 6am–noon on market days. Village always accessible. 🚕 How to get there: E-bike (40 min) or Didi ($4/CNY 30). Bus to Xizhou then walk or taxi. ⏰ When to visit: Market days only. Ask your guesthouse for the next date. 💡 Insider tips: Bring cash — almost no vendors use QR codes here. Don’t photograph people without asking; a smile and a gesture at your camera works. The noodle shop on the main road does an excellent breakfast for $1 (CNY 7). And don’t expect any English; a translation app is essential.

10. Erhai Ecological Corridor — The Quiet Walk

The Ecological Corridor is a 129km paved path along the western shore of Erhai, built in 2020 to protect the lake from development. It’s for walking and cycling only — no cars. The section near Longkan Pier, about 4km north of Old Town, is the easiest to reach and one of the prettiest.

I walked it at sunrise in October. Mist on the water, fishermen pulling in nets, a few joggers, and the Cangshan range turning from grey to gold as the sun came up. It’s the kind of morning that makes you forget you have a return flight.

📍 Location: Western shore of Erhai. The nearest access from Old Town is Longkan Pier (龙龛码头), 4km north. 🎟️ Entry fee: Free. 🕐 Opening hours: Always open. Best at sunrise and sunset. 🚕 How to get there: E-bike or Didi to Longkan Pier, $2 (CNY 15). ⏰ When to visit: Sunrise (6:30–7:30am) or sunset. Any season; winter mornings are cold but clear. 💡 Insider tips: Rent a bike at the pier ($3/CNY 20 for 2 hours) and ride north toward Xizhou. There are almost no shops along the path — bring water. The birdwatching in winter (November–February) is genuinely good; bring binoculars if you have them. And the “sky mirror” photo spots where people pose on platforms over the water are a paid gimmick; the free shoreline is just as pretty.

FAQ summary

The most important things to know about visiting Dali: base yourself in Dali Old Town (not Xiaguan), allow at least 3 full days, and prioritize Cangshan mountain and the Erhai Lake loop. Most foreign visitors can enter China visa-free for up to 30 days depending on nationality, and a comfortable daily budget is $40–70 (CNY 290–500). Set up Alipay and WeChat Pay before arrival — cash is increasingly awkward — and download a VPN before you land if you need Google, Instagram, or WhatsApp. Best seasons are spring (March–May) and autumn (September–November); avoid July–August for rain and domestic crowds.

FAQ

Q: Do I need a visa to visit Dali? A: Most citizens of the US, UK, EU, Australia, Japan, and Southeast Asian countries can currently enter China visa-free for up to 30 days under the 2025–2026 expanded visa-free policy. Check the latest rules on the official visa guide before booking, since the list changes.

Q: How do I get to Dali from Beijing or Shanghai? A: Fly into Dali Airport (DLU) — about 3.5 hours from Beijing, 3 hours from Shanghai, roughly $80–150 (CNY 580–1,100) one way. Alternatively, take the high-speed train from Kunming (2 hours, $20/CNY 145) or from Lijiang (1.5 hours, $15/CNY 110). Dali Railway Station is in Xiaguan, 13km from Old Town.

Q: Is Dali safe for solo female travelers? A: Yes, Dali is generally very safe — violent crime is rare, and the main risks are petty theft in crowded markets and overpaying for taxis. Stick to Didi (the Chinese ride-hailing app) instead of unmarked taxis, and avoid walking alone on unlit roads outside Old Town after midnight.

Q: What’s the altitude in Dali, and do I need to worry about altitude sickness? A: Dali Old Town sits at 1,900m, which is fine for most people. Cangshan’s cable car goes to 4,092m, where altitude sickness is possible — symptoms include headache, dizziness, and nausea. Ascend slowly, drink water, and come down if you feel unwell. Skip the highest cable car on your first day.

Q: Can I use my foreign credit card in Dali? A: Rarely. Most vendors, guesthouses, and restaurants use WeChat Pay or Alipay, which you can link to a foreign Visa or Mastercard. Set both up before you arrive — see the payment guide. Carry $30–50 (CNY 200–350) in cash as backup for small vendors and markets.

Q: Do I need a VPN in Dali? A: Yes, if you want to use Google, Gmail, Instagram, WhatsApp, or Facebook. The Great Firewall blocks them across China, including Dali. Download and test your VPN before you fly — installing one after arrival is difficult. WeChat, Alipay, Didi, and Amap (Chinese maps) all work fine without a VPN.

Q: How many days should I spend in Dali? A: Three full days is the minimum to see Cangshan, the old town, and the lake without rushing. Five days lets you add Xizhou, Shuanglang, and a slow morning on the Ecological Corridor. If you’re combining Dali with Lijiang or Kunming, budget a week for the region.

The Honest Wrap-up

This list is for travelers who want to actually be in Dali, not just photograph it. If you’re looking for a resort-style vacation with poolside cocktails and English-speaking staff, Dali will frustrate you — the best parts require a bit of effort, a translation app, and a willingness to eat things you can’t identify. If you’re the kind of person who’ll rent an e-bike and get slightly lost on purpose, this is your place.

One last thing: don’t over-plan. The best day I had in Dali was the one where I missed the bus to Shuanglang, walked into a random teahouse to kill an hour, and ended up talking to the owner for four hours about Yunnan tea. Book your flight, book two nights somewhere in Old Town, and figure out the rest when you get there.