Lijiang Transportation

0 COMMENTS

Located in the junction of Yunnan, Sichuan and Tibet, Lijiang has a road system extending in all directions, which makes it easier to reach. And visitors can choose to fly to Lijiang from many cities in China, such as Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chengdu, Shenzhen and Kunming. And they can fly to Lijiang via Kunming. Buses and trains are also available for tourist to get to Lijiang. As Lijiang is not very large, it is possible to go to the attractions by bicycle. In addition, it is also very convenient for tourists to take city buses and taxis in Lijiang.

Lijiang Lijiang

Getting There & Away

By Air

Lijiang Sanyi Airport is located about 28 km away from Lijiang downtown. Lijiang Sanyi Airport has domestic airlines connecting with 44 cities, including China’s top cities and capital cities, such as Beijing, Shanghai, Nanjing, Chongqing, Guangzhou, Chengdu, Shenzhen, Kunming, Xishuangbanna, etc. If there is no direct flight from the city you are in to Lijiang, you can take a plane to Kunming at first and transfer to the flight from Kunming to Lijiang. It only takes 45 minutes from Kunming to Lijiang by air.

Lijiang Airport

When you arrive at Lijiang Sanyi Airport, you can go to Lijiang downtown from the airport by shuttle bus and by taxi. If you take a shuttle bus, it will take about 40 minutes and the ticket price is RMB 20 per person. The shuttle bus runs from 6:30 to 22:00. The terminal of the shuttle bus is Lantian Hotel which is located at Fuhui Road, Lijiang downtown. You can also take a shuttle bus to Lijiang Airport at Lantian Hotel which is only about 1 km away from Lijiang Ancient Town. If you choose a taxi to take you to Lijiang Ancient Town from the airport, it will cost you about RMB 100.

By Train

There are two railway stations in Lijiang. They are respectively Lijiang East Railway Station and Lijiang Railway Station. The previous one was transformed to be a railway station for freight service. The main tourist station is Lijiang Railway Station which is built with strong features of Naxi Minority. Located about 10 km away from Lijiang downtown, Lijiang Railway Station is a major station along Da-Li Railway. It mainly manages railway lines with Kunming and Dali.

Lijiang Railway Station

There are seven trains from Kunming to Lijiang every day. It takes 7-10 hours to arrive in Lijiang from Kunming by train. The hard seat ticket is RMB 89; the hard sleeper ticket is from RMB 141.5 and the soft sleeper ticket is from RMB 217.

There are also seven trains from Dali to Lijiang every day. The trains only take about 2 hours to get to Lijiang from Dali. The hard seat ticket is RMB 34; the hard sleeper ticket is from RMB 69.5 and the soft sleeper ticket is from RMB 105.5.

Bus No. 4, 16, 18 connect Lijiang Railway Station and Lijiang downtown. Taking a Taxi from Lijiang Railway Station to Lijiang downtown will charge RMB 40-50.

By Long-distance Bus

The roads in Lijiang extend in all directions which makes it very convenient to take a bus to get to Lijiang. There are mainly two bus stations in Lijiang: Lijiang Bus Station (New Station) and Lijiang Express Coach Station. Lijiang Bus Station, also called as New Station, is the most important and the biggest bus station in Lijiang. Located in Kangzhong Road, Lijiang old downtown, Lijiang Bus Station has buses departing to Shangri-la, Xishuangbanna, Baoshan, Dali, Kunming, Panzhihua and so on. If you want to go to Lugu Lake, Tiger Leaping Gorge and White Water Terraces, you can also take a bus at Lijiang Bus Station. Lijiang Express Coach Station is located at Shangri-la Avenue, Lijiang City. There are many buses leaving for Kunming at this station. But the buses to Shangri-la, Lugu Lake and other places at this station are less than those at Lijiang Bus Station.

Lijiang Bus Station

If you get to Lijiang from Kunming by bus, it will take about 10 hours. And the bus ticket ranges from RMB 160 to190. The bus from Dali to Lijiang will take about 3 hours. The bus ticket fare is between RMB 40 and 60. In addition, it will take about 4 hours from Lijiang to Shangri-la. And the bus ticket is RMB 40 to 60 because of different types of bus.

Getting Around

By City-bus

There are about 25 bus lines in the new district of the city with the ticket fare of RMB 1. It is very convenient for tourists to get to scenic spots by bus in Lijiang. Here is the introduction to some of the main stations of several bus lines.
Bus No.1: Xinda Street – Lijiang Hotel – Minhang Road – Bus Station – Minzhu Road
Bus No.2: Minzhu Road – Bus Station – Zhengdong Road
Bus No.3: Nanhuang Road – Bus Station – Xinda Street
Bus No.5: Xinda Street – Changshui Road – Lashi County
Bus No.6: Xinda Street – Beijiao Community – Baisha Street
Bus No.7: Xinda Street – Baisha Murals – Yunfeng Temple – Ganhaizi – Spruce Meadow

Lijiang City-bus

By Taxi

The taxis in Lijiang are mainly of two kinds of brands: Charade and Santana. During the daytime, the Charade taxi is with a starting price of RMB 6 and RMB 1.6 for every extra kilometer. The starting fare of Santana taxi is RMB 7. For every extra kilometer, it will charge RMB 1.8. During the night, the starting price will rise to RMB 11 with the permission of the government. The mainly taxi stands are located near Yulong Bridge and Lijiang Dongba Culture International Exchange Center. Some taxi drivers offer the service to some scenic spots, such as Spruce Meadow, Yunfeng Temple. You can negotiate the price with the driver.

Lijiang Taxi

By Bicycle

It is also a great choice to travel around some scenic spots in Lijiang by bicycle. It is not allowed to ride a bike in the ancient town. But, you can rent a bike at Red Sun Square to get out of the town to the nearby attractions. The rental fare is about RMB 15 per day. Some youth hostel and inns also offer bicycle rental service, but the rental price may be different.

Lijiang Bicycle