Why visit Dali Old Town
Townapedia lists 44 museums and landmarks, 8 parks and trails, 174 places to eat, 103 places to stay and 4 attractions in and around town.
Highlights include Dali University, Three Pagodas of Chongsheng Temple, Dali Museum and Hongsheng Temple Pagoda.
Weather in Dali Old Town
Forecast from MET Norway (CC BY 4.0). Full forecast
About Dali Old Town
Dali Town (Chinese: 大理镇; pinyin: Dàlǐ Zhèn) is a township-level division in Dali City, in the northwest of Yunnan province, China. The town contains the historic centre of the county-level city of Dali and is also commonly known as Dali Old Town (Chinese: 大理古城; pinyin: Dàlǐ Gǔchéng). The modern centre of Dali City, however, is 10 km south of the old town at Xiaguan. Being the county seat of Dali City, Xiaguan is often labelled as Dali on maps and is sometimes referred to as Dali New Town (大理新镇) to distinguish it from Dali Town.
From the Wikipedia article Dali Town, Yunnan (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Things to do4
Three Pagodas of Chongsheng Temple
Monument and historic site · 2.6 km
Pagoda
Museums and landmarks44
Kublai Khan's Conquest of Yunnan Stele
Monument and historic site · 1.2 km
32 more on the map.
Parks, trails and playgrounds8
Restaurants and cafes174
Blue Gecko Cafe
Cafe · American, Asian, Bagel, Breakfast, Burger, Chinese
3 红龙井
Mo-Su 08:00-22:30
Late Night Cafe
Restaurant · Chinese · 1.0 km
259号四中对面 人民路 Renmin Road
Mo-Su 22:00-04:00
Fish & Chips
Restaurant · International · 1.0 km
259号 人民路 Renmin Road
Mo-Su 11:00-22:00
Harvest Café
Cafe · Cake, Coffee Shop · 1.1 km
Mo-Su 10:00-17:30
Russian food restaurant
Restaurant · Barbecue, Russian, Burger, American · 1.2 km
60 广武路
Mo-Su 09:30-21:00
Serendipity American Diner
Restaurant · American, Breakfast, Burger, Cake, Coffee Shop, Noodles, Pancake · 1.2 km
We-Mo 08:00-23:00
Simple Stone Bakery & Café
Bakery · 1.1 km
19-31 Hongsheng Lu
We-Su 09:00-20:30
Yang Cang Craft Beer Brewery
Restaurant · 1.1 km
19-26 Hongsheng Lu
Mo-Su 10:30-20:00
162 more on the map.
History
Dali has long been a regional centre of commerce, being located at a crossroads of trade routes between Tibet, China, Burma, and Southeast Asia. The Bai people first settled the region 3000 years ago. Dali first emerged as the capital of the Nanzhao Kingdom in the 8th century. Later, the town served as the capital of the Kingdom of Dali until its conquest by the Yuan.
The old town of Dali has been preserved in a 1.5 by 1.5 km wide townsite surrounded by its ancient walls. Due to its relatively well-preserved architecture, the town has developed as a major tourist attraction in recent decades. Major sites of interest include the Three Pagodas, Dali Museum, the ancient city gates, an artificial town built as the set for Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils, and the Cang Mountain Range to the west.
From the History section of Dali Town, Yunnan on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Where to stay103
Churches and places of worship32
Shopping25
Gas and EV charging2
Schools, colleges and libraries20
Healthcare8
Map of Dali Old Town
250 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.
Getting there and nearby towns
Dali Airport (DLU) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 17 km away.
- Yinqiao Zhen 8 km northwest, about 8 min by car
- Haidong Zhen 10 km east, about 10 min by car
- Wanqiao Zhen 12 km north, about 12 min by car
- Dali 13 km southeast, about 13 min by car
- Fengyi 19 km southeast, about 19 min by car
- Yongjian 30 km south, about 30 min by car
- Yousuo 39 km north, about 39 min by car
- Jinniu 43 km east, about 43 min by car
- Miaojie 44 km south, about 44 min by car
- Xiangcheng 47 km southeast, about 47 min by car
Drive times are estimates from straight-line distance, not routes.
Local news
Headlines from INDB.
Reviews, tips and questions
Loading what members have shared...
Sources and licences
- GeoNames (CC BY 4.0): population, coordinates, regions and time zone
- OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0): places, airports, map data
- Wikidata (CC0 1.0): elevation, founding date, time zone, website, landmarks and historic places
- Wikimedia Commons (see each image): photos
- Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0): overview and history text
Photo credits
- 20260223 Dali Old Town 01, Ngguls, CC BY-SA 4.0
- 20260223 Dali Old Town 02, Ngguls, CC BY-SA 4.0
- 20260223 Dali Old Town 10, Ngguls, CC BY-SA 4.0
- 20260223 Dali Old Town 08, Ngguls, CC BY-SA 4.0
- 20260223 Dali Old Town 09, Ngguls, CC BY-SA 4.0
- 20260223 Dali Old Town 18, Ngguls, CC BY-SA 4.0
- 20260223 Dali Old Town 13, Ngguls, CC BY-SA 4.0
- 20260223 Dali Old Town 12, Ngguls, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Three Pagodas from bottom view, Tdxiang at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Dali Yunnan China Dali-University-03, CEphoto, Uwe Aranas, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Tianlong Babu Yingshicheng, Yumeto, CC BY-SA 4.0
- The ruins of Yangzuomie, Xin, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Kublai Khan's Stone Tablet, Xin, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Dali Old Town 30, Brücke-Osteuropa, Public domain
- 云南大理古城天主教堂1, 蒋亦炯, CC BY-SA 3.0
- 大理古城-五华楼, Daniel, CC BY-SA 2.0
- 大理古城基督教堂 03, Kcx36, CC BY-SA 4.0
- 大理文庙-弘道门, Kcx36, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Japenese monks Tomb Dali, Xin, CC BY-SA 4.0
- 20240502 Jianggong Ci, Yumeto, CC BY-SA 4.0
- 大理武庙照壁, Kcx36, CC BY-SA 4.0
- 大理府考试院 - 航拍 - 2024-10-13 02, 瑞丽江的河水, CC BY-SA 4.0
- 阳苴咩城北城墙 2026-05-18 11, Kcx36, CC BY-SA 4.0
- 大理一中 校门 2025-10-21 02, Kcx36, CC BY-SA 4.0
- 大理市博物馆01, 瑞丽江的河水, CC BY-SA 4.0
- 大理古城基督教堂 2025-02-09 01, Kcx36, CC BY-SA 4.0
- The Temple of the Town Deity in Dali 06 2017-09, 猫猫的日记本, CC BY-SA 4.0
- 大理普贤寺-大雄宝殿, Kcx36, CC BY-SA 4.0
- 大理古城-杨杰故居, Kcx36, CC BY-SA 4.0
- 大理府考试院 2025-02-09 01, Kcx36, CC BY-SA 4.0
- 大理农村电影历史博物馆 2025-02-09 01, Kcx36, CC BY-SA 4.0
- 214国道大理古城段 - 航拍 - 2024-10-13 01, 瑞丽江的河水, CC BY-SA 4.0
- 弘圣寺塔 - 航拍 - 2024-10-13 04, 瑞丽江的河水, CC BY-SA 4.0
- 214国道大理古城段 - 航拍 - 2024-10-13 02, 瑞丽江的河水, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Dali GuCheng 2004 - panoramio, ogwen, CC BY-SA 3.0
- 大理古城 - 航拍 - 2024-10-13 06, 瑞丽江的河水, CC BY-SA 4.0
- 大理文化园 - panoramio, 西風, CC BY 3.0
- 弘圣寺塔 - 航拍 - 2024-10-13 01, 瑞丽江的河水, CC BY-SA 4.0
- 大理古城博爱门, Kcx36, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Dali OldCity Wall - panoramio, ogwen, CC BY-SA 3.0
Page built November 3, 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us or suggest a place.