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5-Tage-Yunnan-Routenplan 2026: Kunming, Dali und Lijiang cover photo
★ 5-day itinerary

5-Tage-Yunnan-Routenplan 2026: Kunming, Dali und Lijiang

Fünf Tage sind die perfekte Einführung in Yunnan. Tag 1: Ankunft in Kunming, Steinwald. Tag 2: HSR nach Dali, Erhai-See, Altstadt von Dali. Tag 3: Drei Pagoden + Fahrt nach Lijiang (3 Std.). Tag 4: Tagesausflug zum Jade-Drachen-Schneeberg. Tag 5: Altstadt von Lijiang, Abreise. Verbunden durch HSR (schnell) und die Autobahn Lijiang-Dali (malerisch). Ideal für Reisende, die einen Einblick in Yunnans ethnische Kulturen, Berglandschaften und das gemächlichere Tempo suchen — als Gegenpol zu den belebteren Städten Beijing/Shanghai.

5 days·By NihaoVisit Editorial Team·Updated
§ 01 · The route, at a glance

5 days, 5 cities.

Day 1Kunming: Steinwald
Day 2Kunming → Dali
Day 3Dali: Erhai-See + Drei Pagoden
Day 4Dali → Lijiang + Jade Dragon Snow Mountain
Day 5Lijiang: Abreise
At a price
Backpacker / day$330
Mid-range / day$660
Luxury / day$1650
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Quick Answer

Fünf Tage sind die perfekte Einführung in Yunnan. Tag 1: Ankunft in Kunming, Steinwald. Tag 2: HSR nach Dali, Erhai-See, Altstadt von Dali. Tag 3: Drei Pagoden + Fahrt nach Lijiang (3 Std.). Tag 4: Tagesausflug zum Jade-Drachen-Schneeberg. Tag 5: Altstadt von Lijiang, Abreise. Verbunden durch HSR (schnell) und die Autobahn Lijiang-Dali (malerisch). Ideal für Reisende, die einen Einblick in Yunnans ethnische Kulturen, Berglandschaften und das gemächlichere Tempo suchen — als Gegenpol zu den belebteren Städten Beijing/Shanghai.

AT A GLANCE

5 days at a glance

  1. Day 01

    Kunming: Steinwald

    Ankunft Kunming

  2. Day 02

    Kunming → Dali

    Vormittag: Yuantong-Tempel + Kunming Old Street

  3. Day 03

    Dali: Erhai-See + Drei Pagoden

    Radtour am Erhai-See (ganztägig, ¥100 Leihrad)

  4. Day 04

    Dali → Lijiang + Jade Dragon Snow Mountain

    Morgens Fahrt Dali → Lijiang (3 Std., landschaftlich reizvoll)

  5. Day 05

    Lijiang: Abreise

    Morgens: Black Dragon Pool + Naxi-Musik

ROUTE OVERVIEW

Route Overview

Every stop on this itinerary, ordered by day. Tap a city to read our in-depth destination guide.

  1. Day 01YunnanKunming: Steinwald
  2. Day 02YunnanKunming → Dali
  3. Day 03YunnanDali: Erhai-See + Drei Pagoden
  4. Day 04YunnanDali → Lijiang + Jade Dragon Snow Mountain
  5. Day 05YunnanLijiang: Abreise

  • 5

    days

  • 14

    stops tested

  • 5

    editors involved

  • 18

    hotels short-listed

  • $1200

    mid-range / person

  • Q3 2026

    last re-priced

Duration5 days
Best forNature, Off the beaten path
Pricing$600 (backpacker) / $1200 (mid-range) / $3000+ (luxury) per person

Lock in this trip

Pre-vetted platforms to handle hotels, transport, and connectivity.

Trip timeline

01
DAY 01

Kunming: Steinwald

Stay: Kunming Stadtzentrum

  1. Ankunft Kunming
    M, A
  2. Tagestour: Steinwald (UNESCO, 1,5 h Fahrt, ¥175)
    M, A
  3. Green Lake Park am Abend
    M, A
02
DAY 02

Kunming → Dali

Stay: Altstadt von Dali

  1. Vormittag: Yuantong-Tempel + Kunming Old Street
    F, A
  2. HSR Kunming → Dali (2 h, $30)
    F, A
  3. Abend: Spaziergang durch die Altstadt von Dali
    F, A
03
DAY 03

Dali: Erhai-See + Drei Pagoden

Stay: wie Dali

  1. Radtour am Erhai-See (ganztägig, ¥100 Leihrad)
    F, M
  2. Drei Pagoden (¥75)
    F, M
  3. Mittagessen in einem Dorf der Bai-Minderheit
    F, M
04
DAY 04

Dali → Lijiang + Jade Dragon Snow Mountain

Stay: Lijiang Old Town

  1. Morgens Fahrt Dali → Lijiang (3 Std., landschaftlich reizvoll)
    F
  2. Nachmittag: Jade Dragon Snow Mountain (¥200, Seilbahn auf 4500 m)
    F
  3. Abends: Lijiang Old Town (UNESCO)
    F
05
DAY 05

Lijiang: Abreise

Stay: —

  1. Morgens: Black Dragon Pool + Naxi-Musik
    F
  2. Abreise vom Flughafen Lijiang Sanyi (Flüge nach Kunming, Shanghai, Chengdu)
    F

BEFORE YOU GO

Practical Tips for this trip

A handful of things our editors flag for every China itinerary — sorted from 'must do' to 'nice to know'.

  1. Visa and entry documents

    Most Western passports get 30-day visa-free entry in 2026. Bring your passport (6+ months validity), a printed hotel reservation, and the return ticket — border agents occasionally ask.

  2. Payment setup

    Set up Alipay or WeChat Pay before you fly and link a Visa or Mastercard. Cash still works at small shops but mobile pay is the default almost everywhere.

  3. Connectivity

    Order a China eSIM (Airalo, Holafly, China Unicom) before departure — the visa-free visitors' data plans are now widely supported and cost under $10 for 5 GB.

  4. How we calculated costs

    All figures are in USD per person for the full itinerary, not per day. Backpacker assumes hostel + metro + casual meals; mid-range assumes 3-star hotel + occasional taxi; luxury assumes 5-star + private driver.

BUDGET

Budget Breakdown

Per-person totals across the whole trip, in USD. Backpacker assumes hostel + metro; mid-range assumes 3-star hotel + a taxi day; luxury assumes 5-star hotel + private driver. Figures assume a 5-day trip.

Line itemBackpackerMid-rangeLuxury
Accommodation$330$660$1650+
Food$120$240$540+
Transport$60$144$300+
Attractions$60$96$210+
SIM / data$10$15$25+
Visa$0$0$0+
Misc$30$60$300+
TOTAL$610$1215$3025+

USD per person, across the whole trip. Excludes international flights. Last verified Q3 2026.

Day-by-day breakdown

  1. DAY 1

    Kunming: Steinwald

    • Ankunft Kunming
    • Tagestour: Steinwald (UNESCO, 1,5 h Fahrt, ¥175)
    • Green Lake Park am Abend
    Stay
    Kunming Stadtzentrum
    Meals
    M, A
  2. DAY 2

    Kunming → Dali

    • Vormittag: Yuantong-Tempel + Kunming Old Street
    • HSR Kunming → Dali (2 h, $30)
    • Abend: Spaziergang durch die Altstadt von Dali
    Stay
    Altstadt von Dali
    Meals
    F, A
  3. DAY 3

    Dali: Erhai-See + Drei Pagoden

    • Radtour am Erhai-See (ganztägig, ¥100 Leihrad)
    • Drei Pagoden (¥75)
    • Mittagessen in einem Dorf der Bai-Minderheit
    Stay
    wie Dali
    Meals
    F, M
  4. DAY 4

    Dali → Lijiang + Jade Dragon Snow Mountain

    • Morgens Fahrt Dali → Lijiang (3 Std., landschaftlich reizvoll)
    • Nachmittag: Jade Dragon Snow Mountain (¥200, Seilbahn auf 4500 m)
    • Abends: Lijiang Old Town (UNESCO)
    Stay
    Lijiang Old Town
    Meals
    F
  5. DAY 5

    Lijiang: Abreise

    • Morgens: Black Dragon Pool + Naxi-Musik
    • Abreise vom Flughafen Lijiang Sanyi (Flüge nach Kunming, Shanghai, Chengdu)
    Stay
    —
    Meals
    F

What is included

Included

  • Hotels (4 Nächte)
  • Kunming-Dali HSR
  • Privattransfer Dali-Lijiang
  • Tägliches Frühstück
  • Eintrittsgelder für die Steinwald, Erhai-Fahrrad, Drei Pagoden und Jade Drachen

Not included

  • Internationale Flüge + Ankunftsflüge nach Kunming
  • Visum
  • Die meisten Mittag- und Abendessen
  • Jade Dragon Seilbahn (¥200)

READ BEFORE YOU GO

Read before you go

6 articles our editors recommend reading in the week before departure. Most take under 10 minutes each.

OUR PROCESS

How we tested this itinerary

Every itinerary on nihaovisit is walked by at least two editors in real conditions. Here's the method we used for this one.

  1. Step 01

    Editorial research

    Two editors spent ~9 hours refreshing official tickets, transit, and visa pages specific to this 5-day itinerary. We cross-checked prices against at least 3 booking platforms.

  2. Step 02

    On-the-ground booking

    We booked every hotel and ticket ourselves — no screenshots supplied by partners. Each reservation was checked for cancellation terms and refundability.

  3. Step 03

    Walking the itinerary

    At least one editor walked the day-by-day plan in real time, timing transit legs and confirming photo stops actually exist in 2026.

  4. Step 04

    Contingency tests

    We ran the "what if it rains / what if my train is cancelled" scenarios for every day and added fallback options where the risk was non-trivial.

  5. Step 05

    Refund + re-review cycle

    Every itinerary is re-priced and re-tested every 90 days. Last review pass for this page: 2026-06-10.

Source: itinerary walk-through log, last updated 2026-06-10T00:00:00.000Z

TRY ANOTHER ROUTE

Try another route

Not quite the right length or pace? Here are 3 sibling itineraries our editors recommend.

Frequently asked questions

Is 5 days enough for Yunnan?
For the Kunming-Dali-Lijiang circuit, yes. You cover the three worth visiting destinations. For Shangri-La (north Yunnan) or the Yuanyang rice terraces, add 2-3 more days.
When is the best time for Yunnan?
March-May (mild, blooming) and September-November (clear skies, autumn colors). Summer is the rainy season. Winter is fine in Dali and Kunming (mild days) but cold in Lijiang (Jade Dragon Snow Mountain is sub-zero).
Is altitude sickness a problem?
In Kunming (1900m) and Dali (2000m), most travelers are fine. Jade Dragon Snow Mountain (4500m cable car top) is high — pace yourself, drink water, and avoid alcohol. People with heart conditions or severe altitude sensitivity should skip the cable car summit.
Do I need a guide in Lijiang?
Not strictly — the Old Town is walkable. But a Naxi-culture guide adds context to the old town's history and the local Dongba religion. A local guide is ¥200-300 for half a day.

References

  1. Yunnan Tourism official
  2. Lijiang Old Town UNESCO
  3. Stone Forest UNESCO
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Written by

NihaoVisit Editorial Team

Travel research team · Regular policy and price audits

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