Kunming – Dali – Lijiang Travel: Train VS Flight, Schedule

There are no high speed rail linking Kunming, Dali and Lijiang currently, and usually you can travel between the three cities by regular trains. You can travel eighter by a daytime train or an overnight train. The daytime trains allow you to enjoy scenery along the route, while overnight train saves you a bill of accommodation. Just enjoy your train trip.

How Far & How Long

Distance: Kunming – Dali (360 km or 224 miles); Dali – Lijiang (160 km or 99 miles); Kunming – Lijiang (518 km or 322 miles).

Travel Time by Train: Kunming – Dali (5.5 – 8 hours); Dali – Lijiang (2 – 3 hours); Kunming – Lijiang (7 – 10.5 hours).

Train VS Flight

Kunming – Lijiang Kunming – Dali Dali – Lijiang
Price one-way
By K train from CNY 141.5, hard sleeper from CNY64, hard sleeper from CNY 69.5, hard sleeper
By flight from CNY 200, check live airfare at Ctrip from CNY 200, check live airfare at Ctrip
Travel time
By K train 7 – 10.5 hrs 5.5 – 8 hrs 2 – 3 hrs
By flight 1h05m 50m

By Bus from Kunming to Dali or Lijiang

You can also go to Dali or Lijiang from Kunming using a bus. There are several bus stations in Kunming including East Bus Station, West Bus Station, and South Bus Station. The bus leaving for Dali or Lijiang are using the West Station. Just check the departure time, fares and travel time at page: Kunming Bus Station.

Kunming – Dali Trains

  • Train type: K train (regular trains , non-highspeed)
  • Seat class: hard seat, hard sleeper, soft sleeper
  • Travel time one-way: 5.5 – 8 hrs
  • Ticket price one-way: see tables below
  • Stations used: Kunming Railway Station (昆明站) View location on (OpenStreetMap or Google Map); Dali Railway Station (大理站) View location on OpenStreetMap
Kunming – Dali K trains (10 trains daily) – Note: Kunming = Kunming Railway Station; Dali = Dali Railway Station
Trains From – To Dept – Arri Duration Ticket Fares (CNY)
Hard Seat Hard Sleeper Soft Sleeper
K9612 Kunming – Dali 09:40 – 15:39 5h59m 64 97.5 149.5
K9642 Kunming – Dali 10:28 – 16:58 6h30m 64 97.5 149.5
K9626 Kunming – Dali 23:30 – 06:42 (Day 2) 7h12m 64 97.5 149.5
For a live schedule & ticket availability, please refer to http://www.chinahighlights.com/china-trains/
Dali – Kunming K trains (10 trains daily) – Note: Kunming = Kunming Railway Station; Dali = Dali Railway Station
Trains From – To Dept – Arri Duration Ticket Fares (CNY)
Hard Seat Hard Sleeper Soft Sleeper
K9608 Dali – Kunming 10:04 – 15:50 5h46m 64 97.5 149.5
K9634 Dali – Kunming 10:20 – 17:23 7h03m 64 97.5 149.5
K9684 Dali – Kunming 23:59 – 07:48 (Day 2) 7h49m 64 97.5 149.5
For a live schedule & ticket availability, please refer to http://www.chinahighlights.com/china-trains/

Dali – Lijiang Trains

  • Train type: K train (regular trains , non-highspeed)
  • Seat class: hard seat, hard sleeper, soft sleeper
  • Travel time one-way: 2 – 3 hrs
  • Ticket price one-way: see below
  • Stations used: Dali Railway Station (大理站) View location on OpenStreetMap; Lijiang Railway Station (丽江站) View location on OpenStreetMap
Dali – Lijiang K trains (8 trains daily) – Note: Lijiang = Lijiang Railway Station; Dali = Dali Railway Station
Trains From – To Dept – Arri Duration Ticket Fares (CNY)
Hard Seat Hard Sleeper Soft Sleeper
K9627 Dali – Lijiang 06:55 – 09:55 3h 49 69.5 105.5
K9629 Dali – Lijiang 09:15 – 12:18 3h03m 49 69.5 105.5
K9619 Dali – Lijiang 15:30 – 17:22 1h52m 49 69.5 105.5
For a live schedule & ticket availability, please refer to http://www.chinahighlights.com/china-trains/
Lijiang – Dali K trains (7 trains daily) – Note: Lijiang = Lijiang Railway Station; Dali = Dali Railway Station
Trains From – To Dept – Arri Duration Ticket Fares (CNY)
Hard Seat Hard Sleeper Soft Sleeper
K9608 Lijiang – Dali 08:00 – 09:53 1h53m 49 69.5 105.5
K9688 Lijiang – Dali 09:20 – 11:01 1h41m 49 69.5 105.5
K9620 Lijiang – Dali 10:18 – 12:04 1h46m 49 69.5 105.5
For a live schedule & ticket availability, please refer to http://www.chinahighlights.com/china-trains/

Kunming – Lijiang Trains

  • Train type: K train (regular trains , non-highspeed)
  • Seat class: hard seat, hard sleeper, soft sleeper
  • Travel time one-way: 7 – 10.5 hrs
  • Ticket price one-way: see below
  • Stations used: Kunming Railway Station (昆明站) View location on (OpenStreetMap or Google Map); Lijiang Railway Station (丽江站) View location on OpenStreetMap
Kunming – Lijiang K trains
Trains From – To Dept – Arri Duration Ticket Fares (CNY)
Hard Seat Hard Sleeper Soft Sleeper
K9612 Kunming – Lijiang 09:40 – 17:47 8h07m 89 141.5 217
K9682 Kunming – Lijiang 11:55 – 19:04 7h09m 89 141.5 217
K9616 Kunming – Lijiang 21:44 – 07:10 (Day 2) 9h26m 89 141.5 217
For a live schedule & ticket availability, please refer to http://www.chinahighlights.com/china-trains/
Lijiang – Kunming K trains
Trains From – To Dept – Arri Duration Ticket Fares (CNY)
Hard Seat Hard Sleeper Soft Sleeper
K9608 Lijiang – Kunming 08:00 – 15:50 7h50m 89 141.5 217
K9688 Lijiang – Kunming 09:20 – 16:16 6h56m 89 141.5 217
K9684 Lijiang – Kunming 21:50 – 07:48 (Day 2) 9h58m 89 141.5 217
For a live schedule & ticket availability, please refer to http://www.chinahighlights.com/china-trains/

Related rail route:

Related rail route

Nanning – Kunming Train; Kunming South Railway Station; Guilin to Kunming High Speed Train; Guangzhou to Kunming, Kunming to Yuanyang

Trusted Online Ticket Agents:

Option 1: China Highlights is a reliable online agency  for China train ticketing. They get positive reviews on TripAdvisor & Trustpilot. Sharon and her team help you buy tickets & plan rail routes even deliver tickets to your hotels with a service fee.

Option 2: Trip.com  is an internatioal brand owned by Ctrip Group, China's largest online travel booking platform. Trip.com offers booking service for flight, train, hotel, activities, etc

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