3 Days of Kunming - Expo Garden - Dianchi Lake - West Hill Park

International Horticulture Exposition Garden, Kunming

On your first day in Kunming, a brief city tour would be a good choice. In the morning, take bus No.47 to get to the famous International Horticulture Exposition Garden. The admission fee is CNY100. You should not miss the song and dance performance at 10:00 or the Flower Procession. The garden is rather large and it deserves a full day's visit. If you are not very interested in this, you could go to the Yunnan Provincial Museum in the afternoon. Walk southwest along Bailong Road, turn left at the crossing of Baita Road and then turn right at the crossing of Renming East Road. Continue west and turn left at the intersection with Wuyi Road and you will get there within one kilometer (0.6 miles). The Provincial Museum is about eight kilometers from the Expo Garden and it would take you nearly two hours on foot. If you prefer to go by bus or you would like to spend more time at scenic spots, bus No.95 can take you there directly. Generally speaking, you need to spend about 1.5 hours visiting the museum. You can stay at the Kunming Mingtong Yinxiang Youth Hotel (Address: 93 Mingtong Lane, Beijing Road, Kunming).  Bus No.52 or No. 14 will take you there.

Admire Dianchi lake on the top of Dragon Gate

On the second day, Dianchi Lake is your main destination. Take bus No.52 to Daguan Tower, one of the four most famous towers in China. The entrance ticket is CNY10. Do not forget to take a picture of the longest antithetical couplet under the sun. If you visit Daguan Tower in autumn, you can enjoy a solitary stroll in a sea of chrysanthemums. Taking a sightseeing boat to explore Caohai Lake will cost you CNY10. Here you can also take a boat to reach Dianchi Lake directly. The fare is CNY60. If you prefer a cheaper way, take bus No.4 and then change to bus No.73 at the Mile Temple stop. On arrival you will see Haigeng Park. The admission fee is CNY8. It is an interesting experience to ride a bicycle and the rent is CNY30 per hour. After visiting the Dianchi Lake, you should not miss the Nationalities Villages, next to Dianchi Lake. The entrance ticket is CNY70. During the day there are ethnic folk dances and elephant shows. In the evening it is enjoyable to watch a lantern show, water screen movie and firework display. The food in the villages is more expensive than that outside. In addition, when you go shopping, be careful and guard against being cheated. It is possible for you to stay overnight in the villages or outside.

West Hill

After one night's rest, you will climb West Hill today. Set off from the Nationalities Villages, go along Dianchi Road, pass by Haigeng Park and walk west. If you do not want to walk to West Hill from the Nationalities Villages, a cable car is available nearby. You need to pay CNY35-40 for a one-way ticket. After about one hour's walk, climb up some stone stairs and you get to Longmen, the highlight of the West Hill tour. The admission fee to West Hill Park is CNY40 and to Longmen it is CNY30. Longmen is the best place for admiring the panoramic view of Kunming City and Dianchi Lake. Continue hiking on the mountain and you will see other attractions along your way, like Little Stone Forest and Lingxiao Arbour. It will take you approximately three hours to climb to the peak of West Hill. Get down the mountain on the other side and exit from the eastern gate.