Kunming-Dali, a family of three travels for eight days and seven nights

Number of days：8 days
Time: August
Average cost: 3300 yuan
With whom：parents and children
Updated: 2024.09.10

The main expenses for transportation and accommodation, plus food and drink expenses and other expenses totaled a little over 10,000 yuan.

Day 1: Fly from Changsha to Kunming, stay at Cuiyi Hotel (three nights)

Pick up the car at Changshui Airport, complete the car rental procedures on China-TravelNote in advance, and drive directly to the booked hotel

1. Accommodation: Arrive at noon that day and stay at Cuiyi Hotel on Renmin Road, Wuhua District, Kunming. There is free parking lot and it is close to Cuihu Park, which is convenient for travel.

2. Lunch: There's a popular online restaurant (Banpo Rice Noodles) right in front of the hotel, but it's always packed, so we had to go to a small-sized rice noodle shop. The broth is delicious, generous, and affordable, enough for two people with small appetites. The side dishes are plentiful and free, and the battered tofu should be eaten hot. Green Lake Park is a 3-minute walk to the left of the hotel, and there are many snack shops nearby.

3. Entertainment: I spent the afternoon strolling around the attractions surrounding Green Lake Park: Green Lake Park, the Military Academy (closed, so I took photos through the door), Yuantong Temple (6 yuan per person), Kunming Old Street, and Aocheng Building.

4. Dinner: On the way back to the hotel from Aocheng Building, I passed by a complex and chose Jiang Xiaoyu Hot Pot. The side dishes were generous and delicious. The spicy beef slice was about half the size of a rice bowl, and the shrimp paste was about half the size of an egg. The ice jelly, kimchi, and fried rice were all free. The first time I had hot pot, I left almost a third of the food. Afterward, I had to walk against the wall, feeling dizzy and a bit short of breath. I forgot to use the group buy coupon.

Outdoors without shade were extremely hot. The first day's stops were not far from each other, and the taxi fare was the starting price. The lotus flowers in Yunnan (Cuihu Park) are beautiful. They seem to have double petals, and the diameter of the lotus flowers is much larger than those seen in Hunan. The ducks and geese in the park are fat and friendly, and visitors can feed them up close. Cuihu Park, Military Academy, Yuantong Temple, Aocheng Building

Day 2: Xishan Longmen, Haihong Wetland Park

We left the hotel a little after 10 AM and searched for several farmers' markets recommended by netizens. We ended up at Wuliduo Market, where we bought a variety of breakfast items, pancakes, and other items. Steamed small corn was 28 yuan per kilogram, soft and fragrant, and freshly squeezed corn juice was 5 yuan per cup. Prices were similar to Changsha, though the variety was more varied and the fruit was of higher quality.
1. Visiting Xishan: There's a direct subway from downtown to the Xishan Longmen Scenic Area, and parking is convenient if you're driving (though it's not free). It's best to book your tickets online a day in advance; it's at least 5-10 yuan cheaper per person than buying them on the day.

The bus stopped at the entrance to the scenic area. After buying tickets and entering the scenic area, we took a tour bus the entire way because the road was winding. We did not get off the bus at several lesser-known attractions along the way. We waited in line for about 20 minutes to reach the Longmen Cableway, and the line would be longer during peak hours. The three of us squeezed into a cable car and enjoyed the beautiful scenery of Xishan Mountain and Erhai Lake. When we got off the cable car, we paid 20 yuan to get a professional photo of the cable car taken by the scenic area. The Longmen plank road is steep and narrow, and my knees were shaking all the way down. The slow journey and the view of Erhai Lake from the high vantage point, as well as the opportunity to touch the Longmen Gate, made the trip worthwhile.

2. Visit Haihong Wetland Park: There was heavy traffic along the way from Longmen to Haihong Park. It was past 5 PM when we arrived at the wetland park entrance. We found a recommendation from netizens for a photo-perfect "boating in the forest" tour, 90 yuan per hour per boat (seats two), but tickets closed at 5 PM. The boating area was actually quite small, but you could still take photos from the shore, which was truly photogenic. 3. Dinner: A search on the website recommended "Qinfa Restaurant" in the city center, a typical, fly-in-the-wall restaurant. We arrived at 7:40 PM, and good food is always good, so we finally had our meal at 8:30 PM. It was delicious and affordable, and I couldn't wait to take photos. We had mint-fried pork ribs, pickled pepper beef, aged potatoes, and pea and tofu soup—three dishes and one soup for 76 yuan. The service wasn't as bad as some netizens had said. Dishes were served table-to-table. The owner said he was afraid of customers rushing to order, so he wouldn't accept them after 9 PM if they didn't take the order. He's a one-man shop with four woks, and he's been running the restaurant for years, earning a good reputation. The hard work pays off.

Xishan

Haihong Wetland Park "Boating in the Forest"

Day 3: Yunnan Provincial Museum, Daguan Tower

The Provincial Museum was packed with people. Children went in to explore, while adults found seats to relax and unwind. In the afternoon, we went to the Grand View Garden. My husband mentioned that he had rowed a boat in the Grand View Tower when he was in junior high school 30 years ago, and he wanted to revisit the place. I don't know if I'll have the chance to visit again, but after entering, I found that the core attractions are undergoing renovations. When you're tired, find a spot on the grass by the Erhai Lake to lie down and listen to the waves, which is also a way to relax.

A corner of the Grand View Garden

Day 4: Self-driving from Kunming to Dali Ancient Town Accommodation: Dali Xinjia Aesthetic Designer B&B (4 nights)

On the last day in Kunming, I slept in, had breakfast and lunch, and found a 15-year-old Sichuan restaurant, Dingfengyuan, next to the east gate of Cuihu Vegetable Market. The children were eating rice noodles downstairs, while the two adults ordered two dishes and a soup for 105 yuan. Yunnan has many varieties of chili peppers, and the stir-fried preserved egg with chili peppers is very appetizing. Sichuan cuisine is indeed the only cuisine that outsiders are not picky about.

There are several highways to choose from from Kunming to Dali. We chose the cheapest one (155 yuan). The whole journey took a little over 4 hours. I read some reviews saying that there were relatively many large vehicles, but the actual journey was quite good, easier to drive than the highways in Hunan. It was very sunny sitting in the car, with the sun shining directly on our heads the whole way.

Cuihu Market East Gate Sichuan Restaurant -- Dingfengyuan

Day 5: Dali Longkan Wharf, Panxi S Bay

Accommodation: I saw a recommendation on China-TravelNote for the Dali Xinjia Aesthetic Designer B&B. It had the lowest room rate of the year, but the quality and service weren't compromised. The water temperature and pressure in the rooms were very stable, and the hotel had a small courtyard with beautiful greenery. It was a 5-minute walk from the Old Town, with a breakfast shop and snack bar downstairs. Best of all, the hotel offered free parking. Many first-time visitors to Dali prefer to park inside the Old Town, but it's too noisy and parking is a hassle. They have to park in the centralized paid parking lot, and driving out is quite congested and inconvenient.

What to Do:
1. The popular Longkan Wharf. Cars can only park outside the scenic area for 10 yuan per trip. Once inside, scan the QR code to rent a shared electric scooter for a shocking 20 yuan per hour. Walking is not very reliable. There are many photographers and photographers, and you can purchase styling and makeup services in advance for a minimum of 300 yuan, with some offering over 3,000 yuan per day. We chose a less crowded area, as each spot has a dedicated photographer team stationed there to capture photos until you're satisfied. Selected photos cost 10 yuan per photo (original, unretouched digital version).

2. The scenery was largely the same. We rode an electric scooter from Longkan to Caicun and back for over two hours. After exiting, we drove along the Dali Line to the Dianzhong Line. We stopped at places with lots of cars along the way to admire the scenery. We stumbled upon Panxi S Bay, a spot crowded with out-of-town tour groups. Parking is free on Dianzhong Road.

Eat: Tastin in the ancient city. This was our first dinner after arriving in Dali. We chose to eat at a leisurely pace to save time.

Days 6-8: Yunshang Grassland, Xizhou Ancient Town, Shuanglang Ancient Town, and self-drive along the eastern route.

Play:

1. Yunshang Grassland is very close to where we stayed. It's essentially an amusement park. The basic entrance fee is 19.9 yuan, and each attraction has separate tickets. We only wanted to see the large grassland recommended by netizens. After checking our tickets, we walked around but didn't see any. The larger grasslands we saw were all fenced off and required a fee to enter. We stumbled upon a narrow cement road to the left of the entrance and discovered the legendary grassland. You can actually park and walk in from the small road on the left to see it. The entrance fee felt completely overpaid.

2. I drove along the eastern route for the past few days, mostly stopping to admire the scenery. I spent the longest time in Shuanglang Ancient Town. Moon Bay requires reservations far in advance, and appointments are usually impossible, so I didn't go. Ideal Country was incredibly busy along the route, and netizens commented on the poor experience, so I didn't go. It rained every night for the past two days, but the sun was out during the day, so I didn't go to any of the other paid attractions. I was already exhausted from parking at the Erhai Lake attractions along the route.

Eat: Jianfa Restaurant in the ancient city: A long-standing restaurant recommended by locals. It was the most satisfying meal I had in Dali. Three dishes and a soup cost 120 yuan. There was no parking, so I had to walk.
Mushroom Picking in Xiaguan (Downtown). Copper Porridge Beef and Wild Mushroom Hotpot: On the last night in Dali, I went to Xiaguan and rented a car. I booked a 168 yuan set meal for three people nearby. I didn’t recognize any of the 9 kinds of mushrooms, but it was enough for me. The mushrooms and chicken were boiled together for 20 minutes. I drank the soup first and then ate the vegetables. The mushrooms were fresh and the soup was delicious.

Cloud Grassland

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Jianfa Hotel

Xiaguan Mushroom Picking Notes. Tonggou Beef and Wild Mushroom Hotpot

Yunnan has many ancient towns, such as Jianshui and Weishan, which have not been much commercially developed. I heard that these are places where locals like to go during short holidays. I can only look forward to my next trip to Yunnan to experience the slower pace of life.