过桥米线
Crossing-the-bridge noodles
A bowl of hot broth, rice noodles, and raw ingredients you cook in the soup. The chicken fat on top is why it stays hot. Egg is common.
昆明 · 3 days
Kunming
Kunming is the comfortable door to Yunnan. The Stone Forest is the day trip. The lake and the Western Hills are the local scenery. Green Lake is how the city sits still. Lijiang is a flight or a long train, not an afternoon.
The sky
Today and the next few days
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This is the city forecast, in Celsius. A mountain, gorge, or dune an hour away can be a different day. Data comes from Open-Meteo and is refreshed on this site.
Stay near
Green Lake or the station, if the train is early
Give it
Two or three days
Book first
The Stone Forest
Watch for
Altitude. It is high, and you feel it on stairs.
Give the Stone Forest a day and a reservation. Dianchi and the Western Hills can share another day if you start early. Yuantong is the easy temple in town. Green Lake is a walk at the beginning or the end.
The airport is east. The metro reaches it. Kunming Station and Kunming South are different rail stations. Trains toward Dali and Lijiang take most of a day. Flying is the other honest option.
Crossing-the-bridge noodles are the famous bowl. Rice noodles and mushrooms are the everyday ones. The cheese — rubing — is a Yunnan thing, mild and fried.
Getting around
How you actually move.
Metro for Green Lake, Yuantong, and the rail stations. The Stone Forest is about an hour and a half east by bus or train to the scenic area. The Western Hills are a ride to the west shore of Dianchi, then a climb or a cable car.
Dianchi is a large lake. Haigeng Park is the easy waterfront. The hills are not a walk from that park.
Where to sleep
A neighborhood, not a booking ad.
Green Lake is the pleasant central base, walkable and mild. A hotel at Kunming South suits an early high-speed train and nothing else.
Do not sleep at the Stone Forest unless you want sunrise in the karst and have checked that your ticket allows the early gate. Most people should sleep in the city.
Eat this, not a poster of it
What Kunming actually tastes like
小锅米线
Rice noodles
The ordinary breakfast, in a smaller pot. Mix the pickles and the chili yourself.
炸乳饼
Fried cheese
Rubing, a mild goat or cow cheese, fried. It is not a European cheese plate. Yunnan eats it with salt or rose jam.
The sights
Where to go, and whether you can just show up.
Reserve a time
Stone Forest
Natural scenery 自然风景
The karst forest east of the city. Timed entry, and a real day.
Free shore
Dianchi Lake
Natural scenery 自然风景
The high lake on the south of the city. Walk Haigeng. The gulls are a winter event.
Park or Dragon Gate ticket
Western Hills
Natural scenery 自然风景
The cliffs above Dianchi. Dragon Gate is a steep scenic stair, not a wilderness trail.
Temple ticket
Yuantong Temple
Historic sites 历史古迹
The old Buddhist temple in the city, with a pond in the courtyard.
Free, just walk
Green Lake
Cultural landscapes 人文风光
The city’s walking park. Willows, tea, and gulls in winter.