How many days in Dali? Three, and here's what fills them

Three days is the answer for most people. That buys you Dali Old Town, one half-day on Cangshan and one full day on the Erhai shoreline. Two days means cutting something. Five days means you stop moving and start sitting still, which is the reason a lot of people come here.

Days	What fits	What you give up
2	Old Town, the Three Pagodas, one morning by the lake	Cangshan, and every village on the north shore
3	All of the above, plus a mountain half-day and a full lake day	Nothing major, though it feels rushed during national holidays
5	The above at a slower pace, plus an overnight in Shaxi or Weishan	Very little — this is the length that suits cycling and cafés

What each day actually is

Day one, the Old Town. Entry to the historic centre is free; some sights inside it charge. Chongsheng Temple and the Three Pagodas sit about 1.5 km northwest of the old town and cost ¥75, which is worth it for the reflection pool alone. Half a day is enough for both.

Day two, Cangshan. The Gantong cableway runs ¥65 one way and ¥100 return under a Dali government price decision from July 2025, and it climbs to the Jade Belt trail at around 2,600 m. The Zhonghe chairlift is the other easy option; Ximatan goes highest and costs most. Budget half a day, and check conditions before buying — wind and cloud close these lifts without warning.

Day three, Erhai. The ecological corridor that rings the lake runs 128 km, and motor vehicles are barred from it. Rent a bike and do the western stretch: Longkan Pier for sunrise, Caicun, the Panxi S-bend, then north to Xizhou. Riding the whole lake in one day is possible but not enjoyable.

Getting there, and where to stay

High-speed trains from Kunming take roughly two to two and a half hours and arrive at Dali station in Xiaguan, the new city — not the old town. Bus 8 covers the gap. Coming the other way, Lijiang is two to three hours by train. The lake basin sits at about 1,975 m, so give yourself an easy first afternoon if you have flown in from sea level.

Most visitors base themselves in the old town or in a west-shore village such as Caicun or Longkan. Rates swing hard between Spring Festival and the low season, so compare all the main booking sites before you commit to a room.

Last checked: 2026-10-12