ChinaRoam
ChinaRoam
Metro routes that work, tickets you can actually book, food you can order, and the payment hacks no guidebook prints — city by city.
Erhai Lake, white-walled Bai villages and the backpacker heart of Yunnan — China's most laid-back corner.
Dali Airport (DLU) is 30 min from town; high-speed rail from Kunming (2h) and Lijiang (2h) is the easiest route. The old town is pedestrianized inside the walls.
Rent an e-bike or bicycle (¥30–80/day) and ride the Erhai lakeside path — the defining Dali experience. Cars stick to the ring road.
DiDi works but takes longer to arrive. Buses connect the old town, Xizhou and Shuanglang. Shared bikes inside the old town are convenient.
The great freshwater lake framed by mountains — ride the east shore for the classic photos, or take a boat from Caicun pier. The entire loop is a stunning day out.
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Stone streets, pagodas and courtyard cafes inside ancient walls. Free and endlessly wanderable, best in the early morning before the tour groups.
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Bai-ethnic village with beautiful white courtyard houses and the famous 破酥粑粑 pastry. 30 min from the old town.
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The iconic trio of Tang-dynasty pagodas with Cangshan mountain behind — Dali's postcard shot.
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Lakeside village on the east shore, the base for sunrises over Erhai. Quaint, slow, beautiful.
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'Crossing the bridge' noodles — broth, raw ingredients cooked table-side. A Yunnan ritual.
Flaky baked pastry stuffed with sugar or pork — Xizhou's famous street snack.
Chicken steamed for hours in a clay pot, a Dai and Bai specialty — delicate, not spicy.
Shortcrust pastries filled with rose jam — the perfect souvenir from any bakery in town.
Rural Yunnan has the lowest card acceptance — bring ¥200–300 cash for villages, markets and small guesthouses. Alipay for everything else.
Dali sits at ~2000 m. Mild year-round — bring layers; the lake wind gets cold at night.
Dali is China's slowest city. Cafes close early, restaurants open late. Embrace it — rushing here misses the point.
Very little English. Translation apps and a phrasebook for the Bai villages are essential.
ChinaRoam is a crowdsourced guide to traveling China, built for foreign visitors. We started with the city guides that everyone needs but nobody could find in English: how do I actually pay? How do I book a museum with my passport? Which metro line goes where?
Unlike tourist agencies and travel portals, every entry here is written by travelers who have been on the ground — and every guide is open for anyone to correct and improve. It's a living guidebook, not a static one.
Prices, opening hours, and visa rules change. Treat every entry as a strong hint, not gospel — check official sources for things that matter. And if you spot something wrong, correct it: that's the whole point.
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