Why visit Dali
Townapedia lists 88 museums and landmarks, 22 parks and trails, 112 places to eat, 53 places to stay and 39 attractions in and around town.
Highlights include Dali University, Three Pagodas of Chongsheng Temple, Dali Bai Nationality Autonomous Prefecture Museum and Snake Bone Pagoda.
Weather in Dali
Forecast from MET Norway (CC BY 4.0). Full forecast
About Dali
Dali City (Chinese: 大理市, Bai: Dallit sil or Guiphet) is the county-level seat of the Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture in northwestern Yunnan, China. Dali City is administered through 12 township-level districts, two of which are also commonly referred to as Dali.
From the Wikipedia article Dali City (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Travel tips from other travellers: Dali on Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Things to do39
Three Pagodas of Chongsheng Temple
Monument and historic site · 15.3 km
Pagoda
27 more on the map.
Museums and landmarks88
Dali Bai Nationality Autonomous Prefecture Museum
Museum · 2.5 km
Mo-Su 09:00-17:00
76 more on the map.
Parks, trails and playgrounds22
10 more on the map.
Restaurants and cafes112
Simple Stone Bakery & Café
Bakery · 12.0 km
19-31 Hongsheng Lu
We-Su 09:00-20:30
Yang Cang Craft Beer Brewery
Restaurant · 12.0 km
19-26 Hongsheng Lu
Mo-Su 10:30-20:00
Cí Yuán Zhāi Vegetarian Restaurant
Restaurant · Chinese · 11.9 km
Mo-Su 11:30-12:30, 17:30-18:30
Hidden Coffee
Cafe · Cake, Coffee Shop, Sandwich · 12.0 km
19-34 Hongsheng Lu
Pirate life forever
Bar and pub · Breakfast, Coffee Shop, Polish · 11.9 km
16 Hongsheng Lu
100 more on the map.
History
The Dali area was formerly known as Xiemie (苴咩; Xiémiē). The old town was the medieval capital of both the Bai kingdom Nanzhao (779–902) and the Kingdom of Dali (937–1253). That city was razed and its records burnt during its conquest by China's Yuan Dynasty. The present old town was organized in the late 14th century under the Hongwu Emperor of the Ming Dynasty. The area became significantly Muslim (Hui) under the Yuan and Ming and was the center of the Panthay Rebellion against the Qing from 1856 to 1863. It was severely damaged during a massive earthquake in 1925.
Rail and then air transport have permitted the area (particularly Dali Old Town) to become accessible to tourists in the 20th century. It is now one of China's official tourist cities and, along with nearby Lijiang, one of the most popular towns. In order to preserve the appeal of the old town, industrial development is restricted to newer townships such as Xiaguan. Building codes mandate that new construction in the old town and surrounding countryside must conform to the traditional Chinese style, with tiled roofs and bricks, plaster, or white-washed walls.
From the History section of Dali City on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Where to stay53
Yishan Bashe Homestay (Dali Ancient City Branch)
Motel and hotel · 12.3 km
云南大理市南门新村116号附一号
Churches and places of worship101
Shopping33
Gas and EV charging21
Schools, colleges and libraries75
Healthcare22
Map of Dali
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, 13 km away.
- Fengyi 10 km east, about 10 min by car
- Dali Old Town 13 km northwest, about 13 min by car
- Haidong Zhen 15 km north, about 15 min by car
- Yongjian 18 km south, about 18 min by car
- Yinqiao Zhen 21 km northwest, about 21 min by car
- Wanqiao Zhen 24 km north, about 24 min by car
- Miaojie 31 km south, about 31 min by car
- Xiangcheng 38 km east, about 38 min by car
- Micheng 39 km southeast, about 39 min by car
- Jinniu 44 km northeast, about 44 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
- 太和街道全景图, Kcx36, 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
- Fotu Pagoda Dali, Xin, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Taihe Dali, Xin, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Tianlong Babu Yingshicheng, Yumeto, CC BY-SA 4.0
- 下关一中校门 2017, Kcx36, CC BY-SA 4.0
- 银梭岛遗址-标识牌, 瑞丽江的河水, CC BY-SA 4.0
- 大理白族自治州博物馆01, 瑞丽江的河水, CC BY-SA 4.0
- 杜文秀墓, Kcx36, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Confucius Temple of Fengyi Dali, Xin, CC BY-SA 4.0
- 观音塘观音阁 05, Martin Moscosa, CC BY 2.0
- 苍山植物园 入口, Kcx36, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Japenese monks Tomb Dali, Xin, CC BY-SA 4.0
- 大理州实验中学东门, Kcx36, CC BY-SA 4.0
- 太和城遗址-南诏德化碑01, 瑞丽江的河水, CC BY-SA 4.0
- 大理白族自治州图书馆 2025-10-21 02, Kcx36, CC BY-SA 4.0
- 大理白族自治州博物馆 202307 02, Kcx36, CC BY-SA 4.0
- 圣麓公园, Unknown author Unknown author, Public domain
- 大理州第二人民医院 2025-07-24, Kcx36, CC BY-SA 4.0
- 大理白族自治州非物质文化遗产博物馆 01, Kcx36, CC BY-SA 4.0
Page built November 3, 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us or suggest a place.