Three-Day Two-Night Kunming, Yunnan Itinerary for Two

A bestie trip: Day 1, take a high-speed train straight to Kunming South Railway Station. Exit the station to the East Square, where you'll find the bus stop. Catch bus K38 – the ride takes about an hour – and get off at Colorful Yunnan Ancient Dian City to kick off your adventure at Colorful Yunnan Happy World. Pro tip: buy your tickets a day in advance; same-day tickets cost a bit more. The ticket covers 81 rides and attractions, big and small.

There’s luggage storage at the entrance to Happy World. Large items cost ¥45; we just stored a backpack for ¥20. You can keep it there until you leave, but make sure you take out anything you’ll need beforehand, because you can only open the locker once – reopening it means paying again.

Once inside, grab a free park map near the entrance to plan your route. The park has seven themed zones: Four Seasons Flower Sea, Fantasy Dian Wonderland, Dian Army Camp, Dream World, Vientiane Tribe, Primordial Wilds, and Frost Moon Cold State.

Must-rides: Snow Eagle Wide-Wing Coaster, Elephant Playing Dragon Coaster, Tiger Leaping Gorge, and Vientiane Mine Train. (Honestly, it felt like we’d ridden every roller coaster of our lives – such a thrilling experience!) There are plenty of other rides to try – just pick what you like. Raincoats are sold at the entrance and inside the park, and they’re a smart buy, especially ones that come with shoe covers, because some water rides will get you soaked.

The park’s Ethnic Grand Theater runs the show Colorful Yunnan, and the Ancient Dian Stunt Theater performs Chronicles of Ancient Dian. There’s also a grand parade at midday and other shows to catch.

You’re welcome to bring your own food and drinks. There are snack stands and a McDonald’s inside too, though prices run a little higher.

On Saturday nights at 8:30 p.m., there’s a fireworks display in the parking lot outside the park; it lasts about four minutes. Parking costs ¥15 for 24 hours, which is pretty reasonable.

For accommodation, you can stay at a hotel near Happy World, or take a bus to the area where you plan to go the next day and find a place there. We originally planned to grab a late-night bite at Nanqiang Street Alley, but we ended up hanging out and didn’t go, so we just booked a hotel nearby for the night.

Day 2, unsurprisingly, we slept in and didn’t head out until around noon. After lunch we went to Haigeng Dam. There aren’t any seagulls this time of year, but the weather was gorgeous and the views were stunning. Near Haigeng Dam, you can navigate to Kunming Dianchi Water Ecological Management Center – the road alongside it is perfect for photos, but watch out for traffic!

Take the sightseeing cable car nearby: ¥70 per person for a round trip that lasts about 40 minutes. It stops running at 5:00 p.m., so plan your timing. The cable car goes way up high, and the views are spectacular – on a clear day, every snap is a postcard.

Afterward, you can head to Kunming 1903 Park or another shopping center to wander and eat. 1903 Park includes CGK Kunming Contemporary Art Museum, a French-style commercial street, Duocai Market, Jinge City Boutique Outlets, Gospel Hall, Dream Federal Paradise, and Cloud Lake Musical Fountain. After dinner, find a nice hotel near wherever you end up.

Day 3, of course, another late start – we left at 1 p.m. and went to Panjiawan Antique Market. It wasn’t as fun as we’d hoped, so we hopped on a shared e-bike outside the entrance and rode about 18 minutes to Kunming Old Street. If Chengdu has Kuanzhai Alley and Shanghai has Xintiandi, then Kunming has Kunming Old Street. It’s the only area in China where an entire historic district is named as one unified place – the last remaining historical block in downtown Kunming.

Kunming Old Street is packed with unique little shops. One standout is Oriental Bookstore, with a really lovely atmosphere. The whole area is full of places to eat; we didn’t take photos of our food, so no specific recs – just pick according to your own taste and mood.

Aocheng Building is near the old street. If you’ve got time, it’s worth a stop – especially if you have a photo-savvy pal who can snap some awesome shots. For the return trip, leaving from Kunming Railway Station is much closer than Kunming South Station. Catch bus No. 2 from the nearby stop, and you’ll reach Kunming Railway Station in about 30 minutes.

Feels like everyone wished there were more photos, so let’s wrap up with a video montage instead!

Home with full hearts (and bags).