Kunming Transportation

Kunming Transportation - Getting There

Panorama of Kunming City from a plane

Air

  
Kunming Changshui International Airport has been put into operation since June 28th, 2012. It replaced the former Wujiaba International Airport and became China’s 4th national hub airport after the airports of Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou. Presently, there are 17 airlines companies in the airport providing flights to domestic cities and international cities and regions, including Beijing, Chengdu, Guilin, Lhasa, Shanghai, Sanya, Xi'an, Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore and Bangkok, etc. Passengers can easily get to the city by air.

 See Kunming Flights

 

Train

The city has four railway stations, and two of them are mainly used.

One is the Kunming Railway Station (Nanyao Station), about four kilometers (about 2.5 miles) from the center of the city, which would take about 10 yuan within 15 minutes by Taxi to. Trains to Dali, Lijiang, Yuxi etc., run every day. The Ticket Booking Office is at No. 19, Kunshi Lu, hours of operation is from 8:00 to 17:30.

Another is Kunming South Railway Station, 17 miles (28 km) from Railway Station, is located at Wujiaying in Chenggong District. This station will operate bullet trains to/from major cities in China, such as Shanghai, Nanning, Hangzhou, Yiwu etc. after it is put into use by the end of 2016.


 Major domestic rail lines from Kunming to:


 See detailed Kunming Train Schedule

 Major international rail lines under construction from Kunming to:


at the train stationOn June 1st, 2007, two groups of inter-city trains started operation between Kunming and Qujing (the second largest city in Yunnan Province) directly. They are fitted with the high-grade EMU (Electric Multiple Unit), which makes the passengers' journey smoother, safer and more comfortable. Each of them has four carriages which can hold 372 people. Of those, 244 are hard seats and 128 are soft seats. The fare for the hard seat is CNY 24. The entire trip takes only 68 minutes.

Second is the North Railway Station, about three kilometers (about 1.9 miles) north of the city center. This station is important for visitors who plan to go to Vietnam for here you can make a trip further to Hanoi (two departures every week on Friday and Sunday).

 Important notice: It is impossible to get your Vietnam Visa in this city. Be sure to obtain your Vietnam visa in Guangzhou, Beijing, or other major city in advance if you are planning a trip to Vietnam.

Yunnan Province is vast; train journey requires much more time than air travel. However, if you are not in a hurry, train journey offers beautiful scenery along the way.

You can book tickets at the railway station ticket office, which are open from 8:00 to 17:30.
 

Long-Distance Bus

Highway transportation has developed rapidly. Highways radiate to places inside and outside Yunnan Province, as well as to neighboring countries. You can also choose long-distance buses to reach the city from Beijing (National Highway 108), Lanzhou (213), Shanghai (320), Fuzhou (324) or other cities.
While there are many bus stations in the city, for safety we recommend that passengers get board at well-operated stations.

 West Bus Station
The West (Xi Bu) Bus Station was built in 2008, which was originally known as the Xi Shan Bus Station. Now, it operates 954 long-distance buses on 44 lines, radiating to Dali, Lijiang, Diqing (Shangri-La), Chuxiong, Baoshan, Dehong, Lincang, Puer and Nujiang.
 Time Schedule (only for reference)

To Departure Time Duration Ticket Fare
Dali 07:20~23:00 every 5~20 minutes 4.5 hours CNY107/CNY138
Lijiang 08:00, 08:50, 09:30, 09:40, 10:30, 10:50, 11:20, 11:50, 12:10, 12:50, 13:00, 13:30, 13:50, 14:40, 21:00 (sleeper-cabin), 22:00 7~9 hours CNY191~CNY229/CNY177 (sleeper-cabin)
Shangri-La 08:30, 09:30;
18:30, 19:30, 20:00, 20:30 (sleeper-cabin)
10~12 hours CNY216~CNY243/CNY212 (sleeper-cabin)
Deqin 19:00 (sleeper-cabin) 15 hours CNY267 (sleeper-cabin)
 Location: Kunzhou Road, Xishan District
 Transportation: buses of Nos. 80 (from Main Railway Station), 82, 148, 151, 153, C65

 South Bus Station
South (Nan) Bus Station was built in 2009, mainly operating buses running on Kunming-Yuxi (Gaocang) Expressway. This expressway belongs to the National Highway No.213 and is the start point of the Kunming-Bangkok International Way. Now, there are scheduled buses to and from Puer, Xishuangbanna, Yuxi, Honghe Prefecture (Jianshui, Shiping, Yuanyang, Lvchun, Honghe) and Laos.
 Time Schedule (only for reference)
To Departure Time Distance Ticket Fare
Jinghong 08:00~22:00 every 10~20 minutes 590km CNY226/CNY259 (sleeper-cabin)
Puer

07:40~22:00 every 20~30 minutes

440km CNY182/CNY197 (sleeper-cabin)
Jianshui 07:30~16:30 every 30 minutes; 
16:45 (slpeer-cabin), 17:15, 18:00, 19:10, 20:30
220km CNY83/CNY67 (sleeper-cabin)
Yuanyang 10:20; 
12:30, 13:30 (sleeper-cabin)
322km CNY140/CNY139 (sleeper-cabin)
Mengla 10:30;
19:00, 19:30, 18:00 (sleeper-cabin)
725km CNY253/CNY312 (sleeper-cabin)
Mohan 20:00 789 CNY338 (sleeper-cabin)
Vientiane (Laos) 18:00 1,421km CNY587 (sleeper-cabin)
Luang Prabang (Laos) 18:30 1,100km CNY398 (sleeper-cabin)
 Location: cross of Guangfu Road and Middle Dongcheng Avenue, Guandu District
 Transportation: buses of Nos. 149, 165, 178, 154, C4, C5, C6, C7, C12, C13, 186

 North Bus Station
The North (Bei) Bus Station operates long-distance buses running to the northeast of Yunnan Province, such as Qujing, Zhaotong, Xundian, Songming, Luquan and Dongchuan.
 Location: Longtou Street, Panlong District
 Transportation: buses of Nos. 25, 92

 East Bus Station
The East (Dong Bu) Bus Station were built to service buses to and from the east and southeast of Yunnan Province along Kunming-Shilin Expressway. Passengers could take buses to Shilin County, Yiliang County, Wenshan Prefecture, Luliang County, Shizong County and Luoping County.
 Location: Panlong District
 Transportation: bus No. 28

 Northwest Bus Station
From Northwest (Xi Bei Bu) Bus Station, passengers could take buses departing to the northwest of Yunnan Province. There are buses running along National Highway No.108 to Dingwu, Yuanmou, Yongren, Huaping, Fuming, Luquan as well as buses to Anning, Yimen and Chuxiong along National Highway No.320.
 Location: High-tech Industrial Development Zone
 Transportation: bus No. 8

Further Reading: 
How to Travel between Kunming and Dali
How to Travel between Kunming and Lijiang
How to Travel between Kunming and Shangri-la
- Last updated on Oct. 18, 2023 -
Questions & Answers on Getting to Kunming
Asked by Sh hue from MALAYSIA | Mar. 20, 2024 02:34Reply
Kunming airport taxi
Arriving kunming changshui international airport at 02.30am . What is the safest way to go to the city center near Wangfujing departmental store? Travelling alone.
Answers (1)
Answered by Lori | Mar. 20, 2024 20:55
00Reply


As the airport shuttle buses and public transportation all stop service, you have to take a taxi, taking CNY 90-100 and 30min. Don't worry. Kunming does good in public security.
Asked by Sandy K from SINGAPORE | Oct. 18, 2023 08:35Reply
Kunming Changshui International Airport to Kunming Railway Station
Hi, may I know how long it will take from Kunming Changshui International Airport to Kunming Railway Station via metro?
Any recommendation where to stay one night (family of 5) before heading to Dali the next day noon? Touch down at 1pm. Any place of interest to visit before heading to Dali? Thanks:)
Answers (1)
Answered by Maria | Oct. 18, 2023 23:51
00Reply


It takes about 50 minutes from Kunming airport to the railway station via metro. It is suggested to stay near Dianchi and pay a visit to the beautiful lake before departing to Dali.
Asked by Kambalah from PHILIPPINES | Dec. 11, 2019 04:59Reply
How to go to ibis Kunming Beijing road hotel from airport,ty
Answers (1)
Answered by Christopher from USA | Dec. 11, 2019 18:54
00Reply


Upon landing, you can take airport shuttle bus line 2 to Jinjiang Hotel first. The duration is around 45 mins. After arriving, walk north around 950 meters to find your hotel.
Asked by Snower from SINGAPORE | Nov. 20, 2019 05:56Reply
Any subway near Grand Park Hotel, Kunming?
Answers (1)
Answered by Nina from CANADA | Nov. 21, 2019 17:57
00Reply


The nearest subway station is 500m away from it, called Panjiawan Station (line3).
Asked by Liew from MALAYSIA | Nov. 01, 2019 23:18Reply
IS THERE ANY SHUTTLE BUS IN THE EARLY MORNING?
We will arrive at Kunming around 1.30am, is there still have shuttle bus?
How to get to Changshui Airport from Qian LV Chen Dazhen Hotel?
Answers (1)
Answered by Gina from CANADA | Nov. 05, 2019 18:20
00Reply


The shuttle bus line 1 operates till 2:00am. I guess you can't catch it. So you might need to take taxi to your destination. To the airport, you can take metro line 3 from Dongfeng square station to East Coach station, and transfer to metro line 6 to the airport station. It takes 45 minutes with CNY5.
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