Why visit Lijiang
Townapedia lists 57 museums and landmarks, 46 parks and trails, 108 places to eat, 120 places to stay and 44 attractions in and around town.
Highlights include Old Town of Lijiang, Black Dragon Pool, Dongba Culture Museum and Mu's Mansion.
Weather in Lijiang
Forecast from MET Norway (CC BY 4.0). Full forecast
About Lijiang
Lijiang (Chinese: 丽江), formerly romanized as Likiang, is a prefecture-level city in the northwest of Yunnan Province, China. It has an area of 21,219 square kilometres (8,193 sq mi) and had a population of 1,253,878 at the 2020 census whom 288,787 lived in the built-up area (metro) made of Gucheng District. By the end of 2024, the registered population of the city was 1,243,700. Lijiang is famous for its UNESCO Heritage Site, the Old Town of Lijiang, which contains a mixture of different historical architecture styles and a complex, ancient water-supply system.
From the Wikipedia article Lijiang (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Travel tips from other travellers: Lijiang on Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Things to do44
32 more on the map.
Museums and landmarks57
Black Dragon Pool
Monument and historic site · 2.4 km
Park in Yunnan province, China
1 Minzhu Rd., Gucheng Lijiang
45 more on the map.
Parks, trails and playgrounds46
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34 more on the map.
Restaurants and cafes108
Seeker Coffee Roastery
Cafe · Coffee Shop, Yunnan Specialty Coffee · 11.8 km
Baisha Town Xinshan County 1 group #58, Lijiang
Mo-Su 09:00-19:00
Lucky Vegetarian Restaurant
Restaurant · Chinese
金凯街
Mo-Su 11:30-13:30, 17:30-20:00
Xiaoguoba Naxi Cuisine;Dian Chu Xiao Guo ba (Naxi Food)
Restaurant · Chinese · 1.8 km
五一街
Mo-Su 10:30-15:00, 17:00-22:30
96 more on the map.
History
As far back as 100,000 years ago, people of the late Paleolithic were active in what is now Lijiang. The discovery of cave paintings in the Jinsha River Valley along with numerous Neolithic stone tools and later artifacts of Bronze and Iron Age provenance reveal Lijiang to have been one of the most important centres of ancient human activity in southwest China.
During the Warring States period, today's Lijiang was part of the Shu Prefecture of the Qin state. At the end of the Warring States period, it was incorporated into the Dian Kingdom. The Dian Kingdom submitted to the Han dynasty, and today's Lijiang City belonged to the Yuezhi Commandery, known as Suijiu County. By the time of the Three Kingdoms, it was part of Yunnan Prefecture. During the Northern and Southern Dynasties period, the Naxi people migrated to the area. During the time of the Tang dynasty it was incorporated into the Tibetan Empire, and subsequently the Nanzhao kingdom, coming under the jurisdiction of the Jianchuan Jiedushi (military commission).
The Baisha Old Town was the political, commercial and cultural center for the local Naxi people and other ethnic groups for 450 years from the year 658 AD to 1107AD. The Dabaoji Palace of the Baisha Fresco, very close to the Baisha Naxi Hand-made Embroidery Institute, was built in the year 658 AD in the Tang dynasty (618 AD to 907 AD).
From the History section of Lijiang on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Where to stay120
Churches and places of worship23
Shopping25
Gas and EV charging7
Schools, colleges and libraries59
Healthcare13
Map of Lijiang
250 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.
Getting there and nearby towns
Lijiang Sanyi International Airport (LJG) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 22 km away.
- Huangshan 5 km south, about 5 min by car
- Jiuhe 26 km southwest, about 26 min by car
- Shigu 26 km west, about 26 min by car
- Shunzhou 43 km southeast, about 43 min by car
- Sanchuan 45 km east, about 45 min by car
- Jinhua 48 km southwest, about 48 min by car
- Yongbei 61 km southeast, about 1 h by car
- Chenghai 64 km southeast, about 1 h by car
- Zhanhe 69 km east, about 1 h 15 min by car
- Qina 74 km southeast, about 1 h 15 min by car
Drive times are estimates from straight-line distance, not routes.
Local news
Headlines from INDB.
Reviews, tips and questions
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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
- Lijiang-canales-l02, Unknown author, CC BY-SA 2.1 es
- Lijiang Waterwheels (48343993381), David Stanley from Nanaimo, Canada, CC BY 2.0
- Lijiang Canal (48368089637), David Stanley from Nanaimo, Canada, CC BY 2.0
- Gucheng, Lijiang, Yunnan, China - panoramio (1), karledofe, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Lijiang Gucheng, Yunnan 2010, Brian Sterling, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Lijiang Gucheng, canal, Yunnan 2010, Brian Sterling, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Lijiang Old Town, UNESCO World Heritage Site - panoramio, Colin W, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Lijiang Old Town, UNESCO World Heritage Site - panoramio - Colin W, Colin W, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Lijiang Old Town Stone Paved Street - panoramio, Aaron Zhu, CC BY-SA 3.0
- The view on the mountain of Mu Fu, Lijiang, Yunnan, HappyNikita, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Lijiang Naxi Motel - panoramio, Aaron Zhu, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Black Dragon Pool, Chris from Canada, CC BY 2.0
- 1 lijiang old town 2012a, chensiyuan, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Wangu Pagoda (48369105057), David Stanley from Nanaimo, Canada, CC BY 2.0
- Mu Mansion entrance, BrokenSphere, CC BY-SA 3.0
- 2002年云南丽江 红太阳广场 - panoramio, wanghongliu, CC BY-SA 3.0
- 指云寺 大殿 2026-06-22 01, Kcx36, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Zhongyi Market (48366765802), David Stanley from Nanaimo, Canada, CC BY 2.0
- Chinese Literary Figures (48358734457), David Stanley from Nanaimo, Canada, CC BY 2.0
- Nuestros primero pueblo - panoramio, inte the husky, CC BY 3.0
- Dayan, China (48347081331), David Stanley from Nanaimo, Canada, CC BY 2.0
- Chinese Tourists (48356716116), David Stanley from Nanaimo, Canada, CC BY 2.0
- Naxi Dancers (48352138911), David Stanley from Nanaimo, Canada, CC BY 2.0
- 丽江－水车 - panoramio, wuzhongj, CC BY 3.0
- 丽江－古城广场标志 - panoramio, wuzhongj, CC BY 3.0
- Ban Talking Loudly (48367565926), David Stanley from Nanaimo, Canada, CC BY 2.0
- Casas - panoramio (6), Cristian Barberio, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Jade Dragon Snow Mountain (48343273137), David Stanley from Nanaimo, Canada, CC BY 2.0
- 丽江古城 - panoramio (8), wuzhongj, CC BY 3.0
- 丽江古城 - panoramio - fsyzh (1), fsyzh, CC BY 3.0
- 丽江古城 - panoramio, 卢传雄, CC BY-SA 3.0
- 云南-丽江-眺望木府 - panoramio, Nyx Ning, CC BY-SA 3.0
- 丽江古城 - panoramio (1), zhanyoun, CC BY-SA 3.0
- 丽江古城 俯瞰 - panoramio, Ma Martin, CC BY-SA 3.0
- 丽江－古城入口 - panoramio, wuzhongj, CC BY 3.0
- 纳西路 - panoramio, inte the husky, CC BY 3.0
- 丽江古城 局部 - panoramio, Ma Martin, CC BY-SA 3.0
- 丽江古城 木府 2026-04-01 42, Roller Coaster Philosophy, CC BY 4.0
- 从狮子山远眺丽江古城 - panoramio, Caihm, CC BY 3.0
- 丽江古城 木府 2026-04-01 45, Roller Coaster Philosophy, CC BY 4.0
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