Dali Travel Guide: Life as They Say: There’s a Way of Living, a Journey, a Nostalgia, a Dream

The most precious thing in life is to meet the right person, the right scenery, the right life at the right time. Yu Hua wrote in 'To Live': Time slips away, and no one can turn it back. The years are indeed cruel, yet also gentle—they take some things, but they will give something in return. The past cannot be looked back upon, and time never stops. What you have experienced is itself the best reunion. Not fearing the future, not clinging to the past—that is the most beautiful reply to time.

Travel is the most beautiful time, and the freedom people yearn for most. A journey brings much joy and many memories, immersing you in a carefree life. One's life experiences can be summed up in four words: wind, flowers, snow, and moon. Dali is also a city of 'wind, flowers, snow, and moon'—a life that has gone through these elements should also be able to appreciate the scenery of them.

The wind of Xiaguan, the flowers of Shangguan, the snow on Cangshan Mountain, the moon over Erhai Lake—'wind, flowers, snow, and moon' embrace Dali's most beautiful landscapes. Some say Dali is lonely, others say it is romantic. Everyone sees Dali differently. Among a thousand scenes, there is always one that will make you linger and leave a deep impression. Dali is located in the northwest central part of Yunnan, with an excellent geographical position, comfortable year-round climate, and is a beautiful tourist city.

I. Preparations Before Traveling to Dali

(1) Dali lies on the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau, at an altitude of around 1,800 meters. The temperature difference between day and night is large, and solar radiation is strong during the day, so pay attention to keeping warm, sun protection, and moisturizing.

(2) Summer in Dali is the rainy season, so be sure to bring rain gear before you travel.

(3) Dali's tourist attractions: Dali Ancient Town, Three Pagodas Temple, Erhai Lake, Cangshan Mountain, Wase, etc.

(4) Must-eat foods in Dali: wild mushroom hotpot, cured rib hotpot, sour and spicy fish, free-range chicken hotpot, etc.

(5) Accommodation choices in Dali: Dali Ancient Town, Shuanglang, Wase, Xizhou, etc.

(6) Travel style recommendations: self-driving tour and independent travel are the main options.

(7) Before coming to Dali, select and book your accommodation online (Dali Ancient Town offers good value for money).

(8) The ideal number of days to spend in Dali is 3–5 days.

II. Accommodation in Dali

Accommodation is a very important choice for travelers, and choosing a cost-effective guesthouse or hotel is the beginning of a good mood on the road. There are many guesthouses and hotels in Dali. For tourists, choosing a guesthouse is an excellent option—hotels offer different style experiences in every city, but Dali's guesthouses are quite well-known across the country. The biggest difference between a hotel and a guesthouse is the experience and the feeling of the stay: hotels are more enclosed, with fewer leisure spaces, and can feel oppressive; guesthouses are more open, distinctive, and give a sense of freedom, comfort, and plenty of leisure areas, making them the perfect place to relax on a trip. Dali's guesthouses are concentrated in places like Dali Ancient Town, Shuanglang, and Wase, each with different styles and different price points. Dali Ancient Town serves as the transit hub for Dali travel, with extremely convenient transportation, and Dali is also a city with a long history. For accommodation, we recommend choosing a guesthouse in Dali Ancient Town, which offers good value for money and easy access. The guesthouses here also feature strong ethnic cultural characteristics. Take a guesthouse in Dali Ancient Town as an example to comprehensively introduce its architectural style, environment, and services.

Dali Guesthouse: I'm Waiting for You in Dali · Fangzhou Muzhai

I'm Waiting for You in Dali · Fangzhou Muzhai is located on the lower section of Renmin Road in Dali Ancient Town, with convenient transportation. It is a mid-to-high-end guesthouse with an elegant environment, combining Chinese retro and modern design, exuding a fresh, clean vibe.

For experiencing Dali's soft time, a guesthouse is an excellent choice. In a quiet courtyard, sip a cup of tea, read a favorite book, enjoy the beauty of time, and feel the soft moments that belong to the guesthouse. I love the courtyard of Fangzhou Muzhai the most—comfortable and cozy. Sitting in the courtyard, quietly thinking, becomes yet another kind of pleasure. It seems every guesthouse has a Zen tearoom for guests to savor tea, chat about life, and discuss dreams. Isn't this the 'poetry and the faraway' that people long for?

The rooms at Fangzhou Muzhai have a tasteful, petty-bourgeois charm—spacious, clean, light luxury and modern, a style many young people adore. The gray-white minimalist aesthetic, soft lighting, and comfortable bed invite you to open a book in your leisure time and let your heart find peace; reading is a journey deep into the soul. Guesthouse life is the truest inner state of being: free, comfortable, putting down all fatigue, and giving yourself a spiritual journey.

III. Dali's Special Cuisine

Dali's local specialties predominantly feature a sour and spicy flavor. Some travelers may not be fully accustomed to it, but most dishes still align with popular tastes and are quite delicious. For example: home-style stir-fries, hotpot, cured rib hotpot, and wild mushroom hotpot are all very tasty and suit general palates. Cured ribs and wild mushrooms are very characteristic Dali delicacies. The very famous local specialty, sour and spicy fish, mostly run by locals, is also worth trying, though it may not suit all visitors. We recommend the crowd-pleasing wild mushroom hotpot, which is likely more popular. Wild mushrooms are a unique Yunnan ingredient, limited by plateau and climatic conditions that prevent other cities from having the growing environment for wild mushrooms, making them extremely precious and delicious. Wild mushrooms have high nutritional and medicinal value for the human body. In Dali, there is an internet-famous wild mushroom restaurant: I'm Waiting for You in Dali · Fangzhou Chubby Kitchen. It’s one of the must-check-in spots when traveling in Dali.

I'm Waiting for You in Dali · Fangzhou Chubby Kitchen is on the lower section of Renmin Road in Dali Ancient Town, with a superior location and convenient transportation. The restaurant's environment features a retro design style—simple, graceful, spacious, with a touch of warmth. All wild mushrooms are paired with other fine ingredients to enhance their nutritional value. The restaurant offers multi-person set menus, allowing diners to choose the right meal package based on the number of people, with reasonable prices and high value for money. Walking past the restaurant, you often see a long queue, which shows how much tourists love it.

Often, the most beloved restaurants are simple, without excessive luxurious decoration—just plain and ordinary. The restaurant is not very large, mainly spread over two floors. The wild mushroom dishes are truly delicious; the mushroom broth is fresh and tasty, and there are many types of mushrooms, such as matsutake, bamboo fungus, morel mushrooms, all tender and flavorful. Coming to Dali, tasting wild mushrooms might be the most beautiful 'moment' of your journey.

IV. Dali's Scenic Spots

Encounter the most beautiful scenery, meet the most beautiful moments, encounter Dali, face Erhai Lake, spring warmth and flowers bloom.

(1) Dali Ancient Town

Dali Ancient Town is a must-visit spot for many tourists. It is one of Dali's iconic scenic areas, a city full of stories and a sense of age. Dali's 'wind, flowers, snow, and moon' are mainly reflected in the bar street at night, with brilliant lights, moving music, and crowds of tourists. Dali Ancient Town was built during the Ming Dynasty and was previously called Yeyu City, Purple Forbidden City, Zhonghe Town, etc. Outside the ancient town there is a moat, and the architecture features blue-tiled roofs, simple and unadorned. The ancient town preserves many cultural relics: ancient city towers, ancient academies, and ancient temples. The best time to wander around Dali Ancient Town is at night, when it is beautifully lit and the scenery is enchanting. The ancient town is not very large, so you can walk slowly on the bluestone streets and gradually savor Dali's historic charm. Warm tip: During peak season, Dali Ancient Town is packed with people. If traveling then, parents with small children must be sure to keep an eye on them.

(2) Chongsheng Temple and the Three Pagodas

Chongsheng Temple faces Erhai Lake to the east and is backed by Cangshan Mountain to the west, symbolizing Dali's history. It is located near the Dali Ancient Town area, with convenient transportation. Chongsheng Temple is famous for its three pagodas, also known as the 'Dali Three Pagodas,' one of China's renowned Buddhist pagoda complexes. The three pagodas consist of one large and two small pagodas standing in a tripod-like arrangement, looking majestic from a distance and counted among the 'Scenic Wonders of Cangshan and Erhai.'

Cangshan Mountain is also a well-known Dali attraction. It is the main peak at the southern end of the Yunling Mountain range, composed of nineteen peaks running from north to south, from Dengchuan in Eryuan in the north to Tiansheng Bridge in Xiaguan in the south. The nineteen peaks of Cangshan stand towering and majestic, contrasting sharply with the graceful scenery of Erhai Lake. The highest peak, Malong Peak, has an altitude of about 4,122 meters. Between every two peaks, a small stream flows down eastward and eventually into Erhai Lake—these are the famous Eighteen Streams of Cangshan. The best travel period is from April to October. Warm tip: The best season for visiting Cangshan is winter, when it is incredibly beautiful; in winter, Cangshan gets snowfall, and looking out, everything is blanketed in white, extremely enchanting.

Erhai Lake—the most beautiful, most romantic place in my memory, where sea and sky merge as one, quiet and beautiful. Escape the bustling noise and seek your own poetry and faraway! The romance of Erhai, the tranquility of Erhai, the seagulls on Erhai, encounters by Erhai... these are all part of Erhai's unique charm. Many people lose themselves in Erhai, and many find themselves again—all of this belongs to Erhai's soft moments.

Erhai Lake lies between Cangshan Mountain and the Dali basin, in Xiaguan, Dali City. It has three islands, four sandbars, five lakes, and nine bends. At the Erhai Park in Xiaguan Town, you can take a boat to tour the lake. The best time to explore Erhai is after 3 p.m., when the sun is less harsh. You can choose to cycle around or rent a car to circle the entire lake. When tired, find a spot to rest and take some photos. Photography enthusiasts can capture beautiful scenes in the late afternoon light. The most important thing when exploring Erhai is your state of mind: let yourself slow down, and savor the moments that belong to Erhai, feeling the beauty of life. To encounter Erhai is, in fact, to encounter your most authentic self. Best travel seasons: spring and winter. Warm tip: The wind by Erhai can be strong, so pay attention to keeping warm.