Dali in July and August is really not recommended anymore, I just want to say one honest truth..

🌊 The meaning of travel: Being a free cloud in Dali "When the city's gears crush poetry, Dali uses the snow line of Cangshan Mountain to outline the boundaries of life❄️—here anxiety is not sold, only sunshine is rented. In the 23℃ cross breeze, I learned to tell time by cherry blossoms and use clouds as blankets✨" 🗺️ 1. Dali Sketch: The real-life version of Wind, Flower, Snow, and Moon "The wind in Xiaguan splits the clouds, the flowers in Shangguan dye the sleeves, Cangshan snow brews tea, and Erhai moon lights the wine" • Geographical secret: The nineteen peaks of Cangshan block the cold currents, Erhai Lake is like blue glass embedded in the center of the basin, creating a "natural air-conditioned room" with spring-like weather all year round🌿 • Historical Easter egg: Double buff of the Nanzhao Kingdom + Dali Kingdom! Walking on the ancient city’s bluestone slabs, you can hear the hoofbeats of the 1300-year-old horse caravans🐎 • Ethnic atmosphere: Bai girls’ headwear hides the "Wind, Flower, Snow, and Moon" code, and the indigo-dyed cloth in the dyeing workshops carries the scent of thousand-year-old plants ------ 🚌 2. Transportation Mastery: Money-saving and Pit-avoidance Edition ▌External Transport • Flyers: Direct flight to Dali Fengyi Airport, airport shuttle bus ¥25 straight to the South Gate of the Ancient City (don’t take a taxi! Didi to the Ancient City costs ¥80, painful) • Train riders: Kunming → Dali Station high-speed train 2h ¥145, turn right after exiting the station and take bus No. 8 ¥3 to the East Gate of the Ancient City (don’t trust the "ride-along" from unlicensed drivers!) ▌City Walking • Winning combo: 🚲 Rent a bike on the Erhai Ecological Corridor ¥10/day (from Caicun to Panxi S-bend is stunning) 🛵 Rent an electric scooter around the Ancient City ¥50/day (navigate to "Yuer Road" and the shop will cut ¥20 off the rental fee) 🚐 Erhai Lake shuttle bus ¥15/person (Ancient City → Shuanglang, just wave to stop, saves over ¥200 compared to chartering a car) ------ 📸 3. Attraction Red and Black List: These places are legendary! ✅ Must-go TOP 5 (including free divine hacks) 1. Erhai Ecological Corridor ◦ 🆓 Free! Rush to Longkan Pier at 7 AM to shoot the water redwoods, navigate to Panxi Village ferry dock to capture the "S-bend road + white house" divine photo ◦ ⚠️ Pitfall: Don’t rent the popular balloon! ¥15 for 2 minutes of photos, better rent a Bai bamboo basket in Caicun for ¥5 for better shots 2. Dali Ancient City Fireworks Alley ◦ 🌅 Catch the early market before 8:00 at the North Gate vegetable market: grandmas with bamboo baskets sell wildflowers for ¥2/bunch, straw bags can be bargained from ¥25 to 15! ◦ 🕯️ Night tour secret: Don’t go to the bar street on Renmin Road after 10 PM! Turn into Guangwu Road alley to listen to hand drum artists’ impromptu performances 3. Xizhou Ancient Town Bai Soul ◦ 🆓 Take photos of the flying eaves outside Yan Family Courtyard, free farming exhibition at the Jiasai Market, but be prepared to queue for corner building photos! ◦ 🌾 Rice field AR art exhibition (¥30 worth crying for): September rice waves + AR effects, virtual butterflies landing on your shoulder are super dreamy 4. Shaxi Ancient Town Time Amber ◦ 🚌 Carpool from Ancient City to Shaxi ¥60: ride horses in the morning mist at Yujin Bridge, drink hand-brewed coffee under the ancient theater stage☕️ ◦ 💡 Fun fact: Friday is market day! Embroidered shoes ¥40, mushroom sauce ¥20/jar, bring them back to the city and they instantly become limited editions 5. Cangshan Budget Alternatives 1️⃣ Ximatan Cableway ¥345 → Gantong Cableway ¥120 saves ¥225 2️⃣ Summit viewing at 3966 meters → Jizhao Nunnery ¥0 3️⃣ Tianlong Babu City ¥52 → Fengyangyi Tea Horse Road saves ¥52 ------ 🍜 4. Taste Bud Bomb: Eat local for 10 yuan ▌Breakfast assassins beware • Zai Huishou Cold Chicken Rice Noodles: Ancient City Yuer Road main store, chicken shreds cover the bowl + secret sour and spicy sauce ¥10, slurp until sweating • Yang’s Crispy Baba: Xizhou Sifang Street, freshly baked rose sauce lava ¥8, so crispy it crumbles, must hold with hands to eat! ▌Main meal code • Sour and spicy fish mysticism: Tell the boss "more sour papaya" for a fresher broth! Average ¥30 per person to eat bow fish (recommended Shuanglang Fisherman’s Courtyard) • Advanced raw skin eating method: At Yuanlai Restaurant next to Yan Family Courtyard, dip in sauce with plum vinegar to cut grease, paired with low-foot white liquor is killer🍶 ▌Night snack treasure • South Gate BBQ stall: grilled milk fan with rose sauce ¥6, milky fragrance mixed with floral scent beats trendy shops • Bed Sheet Factory Coffee Cart: opens at 8 PM, Dali ranch fresh milk latte ¥15, paired with wild mushroom pizza🍕 ------ 🛏️ 5. Accommodation Tricks: Open the window to see Cangshan ▌Best cost performance • Location magic: 🌊 For sea views choose Caicun/Longkan: sea view rooms are 50% cheaper than Shuanglang! 🏮 For Ancient City strolls choose Erhai Gate: hostel beds ¥35, 3-minute walk into the Ancient City ▌Romantic bomb • Bai old courtyard renovation: Dali Luchun Garden ¥100 per person, lie in bed watching the snow line of Cangshan, rooftop star photography⛺️ ------ ⚠️ 6. Blood and tears pit avoidance guide 1. Transportation assassins: ❌ Don’t take the tricycles shouting "¥10 around Erhai" outside the Ancient City! They only take you to shopping spots ✅ Look for light blue license plate electric bikes, scan code to ride under supervision 2. Shopping pitfalls: ❌ Most silver jewelry in the Ancient City is copper-plated! Indigo dyeing asks for ¥150, bargain to half ✅ Experience indigo dyeing in Zhou Village ¥60: dye your own square scarf to take home, granny teaches you hand in hand 3. Photo hell: ❌ S-bend is more crowded than seagulls in the afternoon! ✅ Xindi Coffee sunrise spot: stake out by the window at 6 AM, backlit silhouettes are breathtaking ------