The city of Lijiang is located in the northwestern corner of Yunnan Province, southeast of Tibet Autonomous Region.
As with many small mountainous towns and cities in China, Lijiang is mystically beautiful. So, while getting there might under ordinary circumstances be half of the fun, we suggest that you instead "cut to the chase" and get to Lijiang by the quickest means at your disposal (by air) — we feel confident that you will not regret it!
Getting to Lijiang
Lijiang's Airport
Lijiang Sanyi International Airport is one of the three international airports in Yunnan Province, together with Kunming Changshui International Airport and Xishuangbanna Gasa International Airport. All the main cities in China are accessible from Lijiang Sanyi International Airport, including Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu, Chongqing, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Nanjing and Hangzhou.
The facilities of Lijiang Sanyi International Airport are complete to tourist requirements. It has a single runway, 19 aircraft bays, and eight boarding gates. Shuttle buses are very convenient for you to get to the city center.
Railway Stations
There are two railways stations in Lijiang: Lijiang Railway Station and Lijiang East Railway Station. They make Lijiang much more accessible from the major cities of Yunnan Province, such as Kunming and Dali. It is an important part of the Yunnan–Tibet Railway.
It takes 2-2.5 hours to travel from Lijiang to Dali and about 9 hours to Kunming.
Bus Stations
Lijiang has two main bus stations to reach the main cities in Yunnan Province.
Lijiang Passenger Transport Service Center Bus Station
- Address: Changshui Road, southwest corner of Lijiang Ancient City
- Telephone: 0888-5121106
- Buses to Zhongdian, Deqin, Kunming, Tiger Leaping Gorge and Lugu Lake
Lijiang Gaokuai Bus StationLijiang Express Bus Station
- Address: Shangri-La Avenue
- Telephone: 0888-5169758
- Buses to Kunming, Xiaguan Dali, Shangri-la, and Lugu Lake
Transportation within Lijiang
As Lijiang is small, exploring on foot is ok. Taxis and rentable bicycles are also available.
By City Bus
There are 10 bus lines serving Lijiang proper and the immediate upland. All parts of Lijiang proper are covered by municipal bus except for Lijiang Old Town, where there is a city ordinance forbidding motorized transportation.
By Taxi
Despite its modest size, Lijiang has upward of a thousand taxis, albeit, many of them are very small vehicles. The fares are extremely reasonable: 6 Yuan for the first 3 km (1.9 mi) for a smaller taxi and 7 Yuan for the first 3 km for a larger taxi. The price for an additional km (0.62 mi) is 1.6 and 1.8 Yuan, respectively.
If you wish to take a longer trip by taxi, you can expect to be able to negotiate a more reasonable rate, provided that it is outside the peak tourist summertime season.
By Bicycle
Riding a bike is the very best way to take in any place anywhere, were it not for steep hills, rocky and dirt roads.
You can rent bikes at Red Sun Square and some hotels. Usually, the rent is CNY15 for a day.
