Welcome to explore the beautiful and fertile Dali, Yunnan

Enjoy a 2-day Dali trip for just 900 RMB per person! Cycle around Erhai Lake, stroll through the ancient town, savor Bai ethnic snacks, and experience the slow pace of the poetic scenery of wind, flowers, snow, and moon... This time, skip Lijiang and Shangri-La, and head to a small town favored by the wind and sunshine — Dali, Yunnan. It’s not the Maldives, but Erhai Lake is bluer than the sea; It’s not famous for Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, but it’s the poetry and distant dreams for countless city escapees; It doesn’t rely on popularity, but a bite of roasted milk fan, a bowl of sour and spicy raw skin noodles, or a folk song drifting from the street draws many travelers here. With 2 days and 1 night, and a budget of 900 RMB per person, we’ve designed a relaxed, scenic, and immersive light travel route in Dali: connecting high-speed train + bus + shared bike, sharing a comfortable guesthouse near the ancient town for two, starting from Dali Station, taking the bus directly to Longkan Pier to shoot viral TikTok clips of the “Erhai S-curve + morning reflections”; cycling the ecological corridor (Caicun to Longting section), feeling the Xiaguan breeze and watching the clouds roll by; in the afternoon, wandering into Dali Ancient Town, visiting Foreigner Street, climbing Wuhua Tower, listening to live folk songs; the next day, exploring Xizhou Ancient Town, seeing Bai ethnic old houses, tasting handmade Xizhou baba, walking the rice field paths; returning to the ancient town at dusk, diving into the night market to feast on grilled rice cakes, cold pea noodles, white fungus soup, and papaya water — slow pace, low cost, deep experience, packing the poetic charm of “Cangshan is a timeless painting without ink, Erhai is an ancient zither without strings” into your journey. 📍 Itinerary Overview: 2 days 1 night (recommended travel from March to May, and September to November, with pleasant weather). Budget: 900 RMB per person (including transportation, accommodation, tickets, and meals). Recommended departure cities: Kunming / Lijiang / Xishuangbanna (convenient high-speed train). Start and end points: Kunming Station → Dali Station → Dali Station → Kunming Station (can be a loop or round trip). Itinerary route: Day 1: Kunming → Dali Station → Longkan Pier → Erhai Ecological Corridor cycling → Dali Ancient Town → Overnight in ancient town guesthouse. Day 2: Xizhou Ancient Town → Return to Kunming. Day 1: Immerse in the poetic scenery of wind, flowers, snow, and moon, cycling Erhai Lake and wandering the ancient town. ✅ Transportation: Kunming Station → Dali Station (second-class seat on high-speed train about 145 RMB, 2 hours, frequent departures). After exiting, take bus C2 to Longkan Pier (fare 2 RMB, 30 minutes). ✅ First stop: Longkan Pier & Erhai S-curve, best from 6:30 to 8:00 AM, stunning light and shadow, fewer tourists, perfect for shooting “water reflections + redwood boardwalk + S-curve” clips. Hanfu rental available for photos (about 30-50 RMB/hour). Recommended stay: 1.5 hours. ✅ Second stop: Erhai Ecological Corridor cycling, the classic route from Longkan → Caicun → Longting (about 8 km), rent shared bikes or electric bikes by scanning QR code (15-20 RMB/hour), enjoy the lake, mountains, water birds, and swaying reeds along the way. Recommended cycling time: 2 hours. ✅ Lunch: Bai ethnic restaurant near Caicun Pier. Recommended dishes: sour and spicy fish, cold tree flower salad, stir-fried rice noodles, steam pot chicken. Average cost: 60 RMB. ✅ Afternoon: Enter Dali Ancient Town. ✅ Dali Ancient Town (free admission, city walls accessible) — the millennium-old capital of the Nanzhao Kingdom, a place blending Chinese and Western cultures. Highlights: stroll along Renmin Road and Foreigner Street, browse numerous shops and handmade crafts, climb Wuhua Tower for panoramic views of the ancient town and Cangshan Mountain, listen to street folk songs, and enjoy a cup of Wind-Flower-Snow-Moon craft beer. Check in at historical landmarks like Fuxing Gate and Wenxian Tower. Recommended stay: 2.5 hours. ✅ Accommodation: Guesthouse near the south or north gate of Dali Ancient Town (shared double room). Recommended areas: Caicun, March Street, quiet and comfortable near the ancient town, close to attractions and food, shared stay about 200 RMB/person/night. ✅ Dinner: Ancient town night market or Wang’s cold pea noodles. Recommended foods: grilled milk fan (Dali’s signature snack, rich milky flavor), Xizhou baba (both savory and sweet, freshly baked), rice cake wrapped with fried dough sticks + spicy sauce (local breakfast), cold pea noodles, white fungus lotus seed soup, papaya water, rose jelly. Average cost: 60 RMB. Daily expenses: transportation 145 + bus 2 + accommodation 200 + meals 120 = 467 RMB. Day 2: Explore Bai ethnic homes in Xizhou, walk rice fields, and taste intangible cultural heritage. ✅ Morning: Take bus to Xizhou Ancient Town. ✅ Xizhou Ancient Town (free admission, optional 30 RMB ticket for Yan Family Courtyard) preserves the best Bai ethnic residential clusters, known as the “Bai Architecture Museum.” Highlights: walk Sifang Street, see blue-tiled white walls, three lanes and one screen wall, visit Yan Family Courtyard or Yang Family Courtyard to learn about Bai family life (optional), taste handmade Xizhou baba (recommended “Yang’s” or “Li’s,” crispy and crumbly), walk rice field paths, shoot “wheat field + Cangshan background” photos (seasonal). Recommended stay: 2.5 hours. ✅ Lunch: Local snack shop in Xizhou. Recommended dishes: simplified “Tu Ba Wan” (eight local dishes), cold rice noodles, butter tea, milk fan rolls. Average cost: 50 RMB. ✅ Return: Take minibus from Xizhou to Dali Station (fare 10 RMB, 40 minutes), recommended to catch a train before 14:30 back to Kunming → Dali Station → Kunming Station (high-speed train 145 RMB, 2 hours). Daily expenses: transportation 145 + 10 + ticket 30 + meals 50 + contingency 315 = 550 RMB. Total cost summary (per person): Transportation (round-trip high-speed train + city bus/minibus) 145×2 + 2 + 10 = 302 RMB, Accommodation (1 night shared stay) 200 RMB, Tickets (Yan Family Courtyard or free visit) 30 RMB, Meals (2 days) 120 + 50 = 170 RMB, Contingency & souvenirs 198 RMB, Total: 900 RMB. Precisely controlled within budget! ✅ Tips: If you skip Yan Family Courtyard, save 30 RMB on tickets, making the budget more flexible. Carpooling saves time and costs about 20 RMB per person. Student IDs may get partial discounts. Helpful reminders: 1. Best seasons: March-May (spring blossoms), September-November (clear autumn), suitable for avoiding heat and cold; winter offers views of snow on Cangshan. 2. Dress suggestions: wear comfortable shoes for walking; bring sun hat, sunglasses, and light jacket (temperature varies morning and evening). 3. Souvenir recommendations: vacuum-packed Xizhou baba, flower cakes, rose jam, dried milk fan, tie-dye scarves, Bai embroidery crafts. 4. Photo spots: Longkan Pier S-curve reflections, Erhai Ecological Corridor cycling silhouettes, Xizhou rice fields + Cangshan views, Dali Ancient Town Wuhua Tower night scene. 5. Safety reminders: cycle safely, avoid getting too close to the lake edge, do not enter private courtyards without permission, choose raw snacks like raw skin noodles according to your constitution. Dali is a city that “writes the wind into its name and plants poetry into life.” It is the sparkling waves of Erhai Lake, the twinkling lights of the ancient town, the gentle breeze over Xizhou’s rice fields, and the tender taste of roasted milk fan, rich and slightly oozing with milk fragrance. In 2 days and 1 night, with 900 RMB, you can not only cover Dali’s core attractions but also hear Erhai’s breath under the watchful gaze of Cangshan and smell the fragrant crispness of Xizhou baba. Wishing you a pleasant journey! Please follow me (to be continued)