Yunnan 5 Days 4 Nights Lijiang Edition – This Guide Is All You Need

**Complete Lijiang Travel Guide: Attractions + Food + Accommodation**
**📍 Yunnan · Lijiang** — Ancient town, snow mountains, Naxi culture, a romantic slow-life journey

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**🌟 Must-Visit Attractions**
**1. Lijiang Old Town (Dayan Ancient Town)**
- **Highlights**: A UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site, 800 years of Naxi architecture, cobblestone streets, small bridges with flowing water, and the bustling Sifang Street.
- **Photo Spots**: Mu Mansion, Big Waterwheel, Sakura Restaurant (beautiful night view).
- **Tips**: Fewer people in the early morning, perfect for photos; lively atmosphere at the bar street at night.

**2. Jade Dragon Snow Mountain**
- **Highlights**: Sacred mountain of the Naxi people, snow-covered year-round, Blue Moon Valley looks like a fairyland.
- **Activities**:
- Take the large cable car to the summit at 4,680 meters (book tickets in advance).
- Hike around Blue Moon Valley, where the lake water is Tiffany blue.
- Watch the live performance "Impression Lijiang."

**3. Shuhe Ancient Town**
- **Highlights**: Quieter than Dayan Ancient Town, perfect for daydreaming, coffee, and horseback riding to experience the Ancient Tea Horse Road.

**4. Baisha Ancient Town**
- **Highlights**: The most original Naxi ancient town, snow mountains visible overhead, a niche artistic spot.
- **Recommendations**: Baisha murals, 7sea Café (popular snow mountain viewing spot).

**5. Lugu Lake (requires 2 days 1 night)**
- **Highlights**: Plateau lake, Mosuo “Daughter’s Kingdom,” take a pig trough boat to see the water flowers (May to October).
- **Activities**: Lige Peninsula, Walking Marriage Bridge, bonfire party.

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**🍜 Must-Try Foods**
**1. Lijiang Smoked Pork Rib Hotpot**
- **Recommended Restaurant**: Grandma’s Smoked Pork Ribs (multiple branches in the Old Town).
- **Highlights**: Savory smoked ribs with wild vegetables, rich soup base.

**2. Naxi Grilled Fish**
- **Recommended**: Tuojiang Fish House (Lijiang’s signature sour and spicy grilled fish).

**3. Chickpea Jelly**
- **Highlights**: Made from Lijiang’s unique beans, served fried or cold, sour and spicy to whet the appetite.

**4. Black Goat Hotpot**
- **Recommended Restaurant**: Black Goat Street (near Jinkai Plaza).
- **Highlights**: Goat meat with skin, fresh broth and tender meat, tastes better with dipping sauce.

**5. Flower Cake**
- **Recommended**: Jiahua / Pan Xiang Ji (best when freshly baked).

**6. Butter Tea + Baba (flatbread)**
- **Recommended**: Breakfast shops in the Old Town, available in sweet and savory flavors.

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**🏨 Accommodation Recommendations**
**1. Homestays in Lijiang Old Town**
- **Luxury**:
- **InterContinental Lijiang Ancient Town Resort**: On the edge of the Old Town, garden-style design, views of the snow mountain.
- **Anyu Hotel**: Low-key luxury with attentive service.
- **Cost-effective**:
- **Huazhu · Lijiang Old Town Yizhan**: Naxi courtyard, convenient location.
- **Baima Light Luxury Fanxi Inn**: Popular rooftop with scenic views.

**2. Homestays in Shuhe Ancient Town**
- **Recommended**:
- **Shuhe Songyun No.1 Resort Inn**: Pool + snow mountain view.
- **Wuer Inn**: Artistic and fresh style.

**3. Lake View Rooms at Lugu Lake**
- **Recommended**:
- **Shilili · Pan Honeymoon**: Lakeside building, perfect for photos.
- **Qieman · Ruying Song Banshan Hotel**: Panoramic floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the lake.

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**📌 Practical Tips**
1. **Transportation**:
- About 40 minutes from the airport to the Old Town (taxi or airport shuttle available).
- It’s recommended to join a day tour for Jade Dragon Snow Mountain (includes oxygen tank and cold-proof clothing).
2. **Seasons**:
- **Best time**: Spring and autumn (March-May for flower seas, September-November for autumn colors).
- Rainy season (July-August) is wet, but Lugu Lake’s water flowers bloom then.
3. **Avoid Pitfalls**:
- Bar prices in the Old Town are high, ask first.
- Beware of “cheap horseback riding” offers at Lashi Lake roadside, choose official stables.

Lijiang is perfect for slow travel—sunbathe by day, listen to folk songs by night, and experience the poetic life of the Naxi people! 🌄🎶