Lijiang Transportation

Neighboring the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, Lijiang is easily reachable since becoming a popular tour destination at the end of the 1990s. The earliest vehicle in the region was the horse caravan to Tibet which passed through the Ancient Tea-Horse Avenue all year round. Long journeys through a dangerous natural environment were a great challenge for those caravans.

A large city neither in size nor in population, Lijiang has about one thousand taxis. A small taxi is CNY6 for the first 3 kilometers (about 1.86 miles) and then CNY1.6 for every additional kilometer (about 0.62 mile). Generally speaking, you can bargain for a reasonable price with the driver if you just travel in the urban area.

Most passengers first take a fight to Kunming and then transfer by bus/plane to Lijiang, because everyday there are 5-6 flights flying between the two cities, and the trip only takes 40 minutes.. Now there are direct flights from many major cities to Lijiang. For example, there are 3 flights from Shanghai to Lijiang every week, 1 flight from Xishuangbanna to Lijiang every day, and flights from Beijing and Guangzhou to Lijiang are also available.

In Lijiang Airport there are airport shuttle buses traveling between the airport and the town. The shuttle bus passes an entrance to the ancient city of Lijiang. The whole journey takes 30 minutes .
At the entrance to the ancient city of Lijiang passengers can take a taxi and arrive at the center of the ancient city of Lijiang.

At present, the most convenient way to reach Lijiang City is by bus. Located at the interface of Yunnan, Sichuan provinces and Tibet, Lijiang has set up a relatively complete highway system extending in all directions. It is easy for visitors to travel between Lijiang and other tourist destinations of Yunnan Province, such as Kunming, Dali and Shangri-La. Additionally, there are regular buses running between Lijiang and Panzhihua of Sichuan Province every day.

Names of Main Bus Stations in Lijiang:

Lijiang transport service center bus station
Chinese name: �������˷�����������վ
Pinyin: Lijiang Keyun Fuwu Zhongxin Qiche Zhan
Address: Changshui Road (��ˮ·), in the southwest corner of Lijiang Ancient City.
Telephone: 0888-5121106
Buses available: There are long distance buses to Zhongdian and Deqin, and night buses to Kunming.
Lijiang Guluwan bus station
Chinese name: ������·�����վ
Pinyin: Lijiang Guluwan keyunzhan
Address: Heilongtan park in the north of the ancient city (Hongtaiyang Square)
Telephone: 0888-5122929
Main destinations: Daju, Xiaguan, Zhongdian, Panzhihua, and night buses to Kunming
Lijiang Gaokuai bus station
Chinese name: �����߿����վ
Pinyin: Lijiang Gaokuai bus station
Address: on Shangri-la avenue
Telephone: 0888-5169758
Now only has buses to Kunming available.
Lijiang tourism bus station
Chinese name: �������ο���վ
Pinyin: Lijiang Lueyou keyunzhan
Address: On Changshui Road beside Naxi Hotel.
Telephone: 0888-5125492
Buses only leave for Kunming and Xiaguan

From Kunming to Lijiang

Kunming Long Distance Bus Station, Panjiawan Station, Dongxi South Station, Guanshang Square all have buses to Lijiang, around 20-30 buses everyday, and takes between 8 to 10 hours to get there. Regular bus costs CNY120 and Deluxe bus costs CNY150-160. The most luxurious bus there can cost above CNY200.

From Dali to Lijiang

All the long distance bus stations have bus to Lijiang. The trip takes 3.5 to 4 hours. Medium bus costs CNY35-45, and Deluxe bus costs CNY50-60.

From Panzhihua to Lijiang

Every day, there are large bus and medium bus going to Lijiang. The trip takes 10 hours and costs CNY50-76.

From Shangri-la to Lijiang

After the express way has been built, it only takes 3.5 hours to get to Lijiang from Shangri-la. Every day there are buses running between the two cities. The trip costs CNY38-48.

Lijiang East Station, namely the Lijiang Railway Station, is located about 5 kilometers away from the Old Town. Currently, it operates two scheduled trains coming from Kunming every day, and vice versa.

Bikes can be rented. In Hongtaiyang Square bike rental service is available.

Walking the Lijiang Old Town (the only option in the old town) or around the town can enable you to better soak in its leisurely pace of life.

Tip: Watch your step for it is easy to trip on the cobblestones or fall into the canals from the unfenced walkways or bridges.