Kunming to Lijiang: by Flight, Train & Bus

Lijiang is located at the northwest of Kunming. The distance from Kunming to Lijiang is about 517 kilometers. There are three ways to travel from Kunming to Lijiang – by train, by flight and by bus.

By Train: high speed trains are available now, taking only around 3~3.5 hours; The only 1 K train is a overnight train, takes about 9.5 hours, travelers could take the train to save one night accommodation;

By Flight: around 4 daily flights from Kunming to Lijiang, only taking about 50 minutes;

By Bus: Kunming-Lijiang Long-distance coaches are available, taking about 5 - 6 hours.

To save you from the troublesome tickets booking and tour planning, you can travel with us. We China Discovery, with rich experiences in ranging Yunnan tours for our customers, can design the tour according to your own preference and provide you the best travel experiences. If you need any help, please feel free to contact us, our experienced travel consultants are more than willing to help!

Top Recommended Kunming Lijiang Tour:

▶ 5 Days Kunming Lijiang High Speed Train Tour

▶ 6 Days Kunming, Dali & Lijiang Essence Tour (Kunming / Dali / Lijiang)

Kunming to Lijiang Map

Kunming to Lijiang Train

In 2025, there are 6 daily high speed trains and 1 K trains from Kunming Railway Station to Lijiang Railway Station, running service from 07:14 to 20:56. It may take 3 to 9.5 hours on the train. In order to spend the whole daytime to explore the tourist attractions in Kunming, travelers could take the overnight train and spend a whole night on the train. It may also help to save one night accommodation and make your travel in a budget way.

Kunming to Lijiang Train Schedules

From	To	Train Number	Departs	Arrives	Duration
Kunming Railway Station (昆明站)	Lijiang Railway Station (丽江站)	D8762	07:14	10:43	3h29mins
		D8772	08:47	11:45	2h58mins
		D8780	12:26	16:03	3h37mins
		D8784	14:10	17:08	2h58mins
		D8766	15:52	19:29	3h37mins
		D8788	17:22	2045	3h23mins
		K9686	20:56	06:10	9h14m

(Note: the above information of train number, railway station, time, prices, etc. is only for your reference, since they could be slightly changed according to practical situation. For the latest and real-time high speed train or K trains running from Kunming to Lijiang, please go ahead to check Kunming to Lijiang train schedules, fares and train stations 2025.)

>> 5 Days Kunming Lijiang High Speed Train Tour

Kunming Railway Station

Location: No. 1, Beijing Road, Guandu District, Kunming, Yunnan (昆明市官渡区北京路1号-昆明火车站)

Kunming Railway Station is located very close to the Kunming city center, so you could arrive there by a local taxi for about 10-20 minutes with a distance of about 3 minutes. Besides, you could take the Metro Line 2 there directly to the station. If you go to the station from Kunming Green Lake, it needs about 30 minutes by car.

>> Check More Information about Kunming Transportation | Kunming Airport to City Center | Kunming to Stone Forest | Kunming to Dongchuan Red Land

Lijiang Railway Station

Location: Shangji Road, Huangshan Town, Yulong County, Lijiang City (丽江市玉龙县黄山镇上吉路)

Lijiang Train Station is the main railway station used in Lijiang now. It is about 8 kilometers from the station to Lijiang Old Town. If by taxi or private car, it only needs about 0.5 hour for the transfer. Also buses are available outside of Lijiang Train Station to Old Town.

>> Check More Information about Lijiang Transportation | How to Get to Lijiang Old Town

Kunming High Speed Train Map

Lijiang Old Town Transportation Map

Kunming to Lijiang Flight

Compared to the normal train, taking a flight from Kunming to Lijiang could help save much time for the transfer. So, if you want to save time and energy, it is recommended to travel from Kunming to Lijiang by air. The price for the flight is affordable and sometimes you may get some best offers.

Kunming to Lijiang Flight Schedule

There are 4 non-stop flights from Kunming Changshui International Airport (昆明长水国际机场) to Lijiang Sanyi Airport（丽江三义机场). The average flying time for a Kunming Lijiang flight is about 50 minutes. The first flight from Kunming to Lijiang is at 06:35 and the last one from Kunming to Lijiang is at 19:35. If you need real-time information about the flights, you can contact our experenced travel consultants for help.

>> 5 Days Kunming Lijiang Minority Tour

Kunming Changshui International Airport (昆明长水国际机场)

Location: Changshui Village, Guandu District, Kunming, Yunnan (云南省昆明市官渡区长水村-昆明长水国际机场)

It is the largest and most frequently used airport in Yunnan province, which is about 23km from the city downtown area. To arrive there, you could take the local Airport Shuttle Bus Line 1 or Line 2 from the city downtown, and the buses start about every 20 minutes. Besides, taking a taxi, you could spend about 50 minutes with a driving distance of about 27.5km there. For more information about How to Get from Kunming Airport to City Center.

▶ Before arriving at Kunming, check all information of Kunming Travel Guide | Things to Do in Kunming | Kunming Attractions | Kunming Weather & Seasonal Activities | Kunming Where to Stay | How to Plan a Kunming Tour

Lijiang Sanyi Airport (丽江三义国际机场)

Location: Sanyi Village, Qihe Town, Gucheng District, Lijiang City (丽江市古城区七河镇三义村)

Lijiang Airport, also called Lijiang Sanyi Airport, is the second largest airport in Yunnan after Kunming Changshui International Airport. Lijiang Airport has flights from Kunming, Chengdu, Beijing, Shanghai, Guilin, Xian etc. International flights can connect Lijiang with Hong Kong, Taipei, Bangkok, Singapore, Seoul and more regions.

Lijiang Airport is about 29 kilometers from Lijiang Old Town. You can take a taxi or outside the arrivals hall you will find the airport bus to the old town. For more information about How to Get from Lijiang Airport to Lijiang Old Town.

▶ Want to learn more about Lijiang? Check all information of Lijiang Travel Guide | Things to Do in Lijiang | Lijiang Attractions | Lijiang Weather & Seasonal Activities | Lijiang Where to Stay | How to Plan a Lijiang Tour

Kunming Green Lake Park

Lijiang Old Town

How to Plan a Kunming Lijiang Tour

Combined a 5-6 days tour with Kunming and Lijiang, travelers could explore UNESCO World Heritage sites like Kunming Stone Forest, Lijiang Old Town; enjoy ethnic festivals, architectures, costumes etc. Besides the colorful ethnic cultural experience, you’ll see breathtaking natural scenery by visiting the Blue Moon Valley, Green Lake Park, Black Dragon Pool and Jade Dragon Snow Mountain in Kunming and Lijiang.

Most Popular Kunming Lijiang Tour Package:

▶ 5 Days Kunming Lijiang Minority Tour

▶ Learn more about How to Plan a Kunming Lijiang Tour

Dali is home to Bai people minority, located between Kunming and Lijiang. You can take 2 - 3 days to explore the ancient city of Nanzhao Kingdom, visit Dali Old Town and the landmark architecture - Three Pagodas, enjoy local ethnic activities such as three-course tea, tie-dye and local morning markets in Xizhou Villag. If you have 3 - 4 day left, don't miss "the lost paradise on earth" - Shangri-La. Head to the gorgeous Songzanlin Monastery and pray devoutly, pay a visit to Tibetan local family and enjoy breathtaking scenery in Pudacuo National Park.

Most Popular Kunming Lijiang Yunnan Tour Package:

▶ 6 Days Kunming, Dali & Lijiang Essence Tour (Kunming / Dali / Lijiang)

▶ 8 Days Classic Yunnan Tour (Kunming / Dali / Lijiang / Shangri-La)

If you want to cover all the fantastic destination of Yunnan, arrange 10 days or longer will be great for the in-depth exploration. Highlight your trip by visiting photography paradises - Yunanyang and Dongchuan. Or if you want to enjoy tropical scenery, head south to the tropical kingdom Xishuangbanna or dreamlike land Puzhehei.

Most Popular In-depth Yunnan Tour Package:

▶ 11 Days Amazing Yunnan Tour (Kunming / Jianshui / Yuanyang / Dali / Lijiang / Shangri-La)

▶ How to Plan a Yunnan Tour

Kunming Stone Forest

Lijiang in Yunnan

Shangri-La in Yunnan

Worry-free Travel with China Discovery

China Discovery has been the leading online travel agency for over 10 years and we are specialized in offering different tours in diverse Yunnan, including Kunming tours, Lijiang tours, Dali tours, Shangri-La tours, Yuanyang Rice Terraces tours, Dongchuan Red Land tours, Xishuangbanna tours...

No matter you want to put one simple destination into your trip or cover several destinations together or even extend your Yunnan tours all over China like Beijing, Xian, Guilin, Shanghai, Chengdu, Zhangjiajie, Hong Kong, Guizhou, Tibet, China Discovery can provide you best tour guides and experienced drivers with comfortable private cars in any of the destinations. Our English-speaking tour guide will accompany you all the way, showing you the best traveling route and telling beautiful stories of the colorful Yunnan. The tour can be tailor-made according to your group size, time, physical condition, plan, interests, budget and other special need. Please feel free to contact us if you need any help or customize the tour with free quotation!

Questions & Discussions

Following are latest questions and answers from our webusers and customers. You can learn many useful information from the discussion and cases. You can also join in the discussions or ask your own question. Our experts will help you ASAP.

Kate

How long to

My flight will arrive Kunming 12:30pm, and have to catch the flight from Kunming at 13:30pm. to Lijiang, will that be too rush ? How long for normal process of transfer?

2018-10-18 20:56

Hello Kate,

Thank you for the good question. as your flight arriving in Kunming is at 12:30pm, if your next flight from Kunming to Lijiang departs at 13:30pm, it is indeed too rush. Usually, to ensure you have enough time for collecting your luggage, go through the check in procedures, and so forth, it is better to leave 2.5-3 hours and even more time before your next flight, especially the flights may be late sometimes. So we suggest you arrange your Kunming to Lijang flight late in the afternoon around after 15:30pm. And if you are not in a hurry, you could also thinking about stay in Kunming for one night and fly to Lijiang the next day!

Enjoy your exciting trip in Yunnan!

Carrie at China Discovery 2018-11-02 16:54

Visakh Satheesh

jiuzhaiguo

is jiuzhaigou open now?

2018-09-20 09:19

Affected by continuous strong rainfalls in later June, Jiuzhaigou National Park will be closed from 1st July, 2018 to protect tourists from the possible landslides and debris flows. The National Park hasn't informed the exact date when it will reopen. We will keep the latest news updated on our website.

Wish you a nice trip in China!

Skye at China Discovery 2018-09-26 18:48

Willie

Condition of train

Could u please tell about the conditions of train from Kunming to lijiang. Is it clean?

2017-10-31 23:01

Hi Willie,

Warm greetings from China Discovery.

There are 6 normal trains running from Kunming to Lijiang (09:40, 11:45, 21:04, 21:28, 21:48 and 22:23) and Most budget travelers take the overnight train to save one night accommodation fee.

There are three kinds of seats – hard seat, hard sleeper and soft sleeper. It will be crowded, noisy and not so clean for the hard-seat compartments. It is relatively quiet in hard-sleeper/soft-sleeper compartment. And the quilt will be changed for every passenger. It is ok to use the hard-sleeper/soft-sleeper compartment to travel from Kunming to Lijiang.

For more questions or pictures, please feel free to let me know. Have a great day!

daisy at China Discovery 2017-11-03 11:10

Conort Martine

about night bus from Kunming to lijiang

Could you please write me the schedules and the price for a sleeper ? Thanks for your answer.

2016-08-30 01:00

Hi Conort,

Thanks for your message. I just checked the schedule - the night bus departs at 20:30 and 21: 50 from Western Bus Station(西部客运站), and the ticket is about ¥ 184.00. It takes 8~9 hours to get to Lijiang by night bus.

Have a good trip!

Louis 2016-08-30 14:22