Dali Travel Guide: Erhai Lake, Old Town, Cangshan
Updated
Dali, in Yunnan, is a strip of land between 4,000-metre mountains and a 40 km lake. Rent an electric scooter and ride the car-free shore path.
A short story about Dali in Mandarin, with English alongside. The beginner version needs no Chinese. Jump to the storyA short history of Dali
Dali was a capital for 500 years: of the Nanzhao kingdom, which fought the Tang empire to a standstill in the 700s and 800s, then of the Dali kingdom until the Mongols took it in 1253.
The Bai have farmed the lakeshore for over 1,000 years, in white-walled, grey-tiled houses. In 2017, with algae choking the lake, the government shut about 2,400 lakeside guesthouses and restaurants for over a year to build sewers.
Erhai Lake
洱海 Ěrhǎi
An ear-shaped lake 40 km long, the second largest in Yunnan. A car-free path runs about 46 km along the western shore, past the fishing villages.
Ride north to Xizhou (20 km) or round to Shuanglang. The full loop is about 120 km: a long day by scooter, two by bike.
How to visit Erhai Lake
- 1
Rent a scooter in the old town
The path is free. Shops in the old town and Caicun rent on the spot for a passport or cash deposit; leave cash, since hotels need the passport.
- 2
Check the battery, then ride the path
Ask for two batteries for the loop, and stay on the path, not the highway.
- 3
Stop in Xizhou
Baba flatbread in the square, Bai courtyards, three-course tea if a house is serving it.
- 4
Sunset from the east
From Shuanglang, on the east shore, the sun sets behind Cangshan. Sleep there or come by car; don’t ride back in the dark.
Swimming is not allowed, which is part of why the lake is clean again.
Things to do in Dali beyond the lake
Dali Old Town 大理古城
Dàlǐ Gǔchéng
A walled Ming grid from 1382. Foreigner Street and Renmin Road have the cafés and bars; walk the south gate and wall in the morning.
The Three Pagodas 崇圣寺三塔
Chóngshèng Sì Sāntǎ
Just north of the old town. Qianxun, the big one, is 69 metres and about 1,200 years old; the two smaller ones are some three centuries younger. The classic photo is the reflection in the pool by the entrance.
Xizhou 喜洲
Xǐzhōu
The best-preserved Bai town on the lake, 20 km north, with merchants’ courtyard mansions. The Yan family compound is open to visit. Go before the tour buses.
Cangshan 苍山
Cāngshān
Of three cable cars, Ximatan goes highest, to about 3,900 metres. From the middle station the Cloud Traveller’s Path runs level for about 11 km. The top can be ten degrees colder than town.
What to eat in Dali
Xizhou baba 喜洲粑粑
Xǐzhōu bābā
Flatbread baked over charcoal, sweet with rose sugar or savoury with pork.
Rushan 乳扇
rǔshàn
Bai cow’s-milk cheese dried in thin fans, grilled on a stick with rose jam.
Three-course tea 三道茶
sāndàochá
A Bai welcome in three cups: bitter; sweet, with brown sugar, walnuts and rushan; then ginger, Sichuan pepper and honey. UNESCO-listed since 2022.
Plan your trip to Dali
Best time to visit Dali
- JanMixed
- FebMixed
- MarBest
- AprBest
- MayBest
- JunMixed
- JulMixed
- AugMixed
- SepMixed
- OctBest
- NovBest
- DecMixed
Summer brings short afternoon showers; winter nights are cold. The Third Month Fair falls in April or May, the Torch Festival in July or August.
Getting to Dali
- Airport by car1 h
- Chengdu by air1½ h
- Kunming by train2 h
- Lijiang by train2 h
Dali Station is in Xiaguan, the modern city 18 km south of the old town: an hour on bus 8, 40 minutes by taxi. Book 大理, not 大荔, a town in Shaanxi.
Getting around Dali
Didi works in English with foreign cards. Station and airport taxis rarely use the meter, so agree a price.
Alipay and WeChat Pay work almost everywhere; carry small notes for baba stalls.
Where to stay in Dali
The old town, on a side street (Renmin Road is loud at night). Caicun is quieter and on the path; Shuanglang is for the sunset.
Dali in three days
- Day 1. The old town wall in the morning, the Three Pagodas in the afternoon, Renmin Road at night.
- Day 2. Scooter to Xizhou for baba and the Yan family compound; back before dark.
- Day 3. Cable car up Cangshan and the Cloud Traveller’s Path.
Questions about visiting Dali
How do you get around Erhai Lake?
By scooter or bike on the car-free western shore path. Buses and taxis link the towns for the way back.
Is Dali high altitude?
About 2,000 metres, which most people don’t feel. The Cangshan cable cars go above 3,000 metres.
Can you visit Dali without speaking Chinese?
Yes. Didi and Alipay work in English and scooter hire works by pointing. Keep place names in Chinese on your phone.
How far is Dali from Lijiang?
About two hours by train from Dali Station in Xiaguan.
When is the Third Month Fair in Dali?
For about a week from the 15th day of the third lunar month (21 April in 2027), west of the old town.
Chinese you’ll see in Dali
On tickets, buses and guesthouse doors.
- 大理Dàlǐ
- Dali
- 下关Xiàguān
- Xiaguan, the new city where the train stops
- 古城gǔchéng
- old town
- 洱海Ěrhǎi
- Erhai, "ear sea"; it is a lake
- 苍山Cāngshān
- Cangshan, the mountains
- 喜洲Xǐzhōu
- Xizhou, the Bai town
- 三塔sāntǎ
- the Three Pagodas
- 客栈kèzhàn
- guesthouse
- 电动车diàndòngchē
- electric scooter
- 索道suǒdào
- cable car
Want more? Browse Chinese vocabulary by level.
Hear Dali in Mandarin
A ride round Erhai, and who pays for a clean lake.
The story is Dali: A Thousand-Year Tea and Ten Days' Notice. Every level has a transcript, pinyin and English.
