Itinerary · China
How Many Days in Kunming? A 3-Day Route and Transport
Daguan Park, a Stone Forest day trip, Dragon Gate, the cableway and Yunnan Nationalities Village: Kunming in 3 days, a 2-day version and Naigu Stone Forest.
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How many days? The 3-day plan and where to stay
Kunming suits a stay of 2 to 3 days. This plan uses 3 days (2 nights): arrive and see Daguan Park on the north shore of Dianchi Lake on day 1, make a day trip to the Stone Forest on day 2, and visit the Western Hills, Dragon Gate and the lakeshore before leaving on day 3. A 2-day version and Naigu Stone Forest for an extra day come later.
When to go, Stone Forest discounts and how to buy tickets are covered in detail in our 'When to Visit Kunming' post, so this one focuses on the order of each day and how to get around.
You can stay in any district, but this plan returns to Kunming in the evening after the Stone Forest and reaches the Western Hills from the city by Metro Line 3, so this route assumes you stay in central Kunming. There are three main areas: the west shore of Dianchi and the Western Hills for temples and cliff views; the Dianchi National Tourist Resort and Haigeng for lakeside walks, winter gulls and ethnic culture; and Shilin Yi Autonomous County (about 78 km from Kunming) for karst scenery and Sani Yi culture.
- Day 1: arrival, central Kunming, Daguan Park, wild mushroom dishes
- Day 2: Stone Forest day trip (Big and Small Stone Forests), back to Kunming
- Day 3: Metro Line 3, Huating and Taihua temples, Dragon Gate, cableway, Yunnan Nationalities Village and Haigeng, the airport
Day 1: Arrival, central Kunming and Daguan Park
For transport from Kunming Changshui International Airport (KMG) to the city (routes, hours and fares), check the official Kunming Changshui International Airport information before you arrive.
After check-in, walk Daguan Park on the north shore of Dianchi Lake. It is famous for the 180-character long couplet by Qing poet Sun Ranweng, hailed as 'the longest couplet under heaven', and was listed as a national key cultural relic in 2013. Check official info for fees and hours.
Make dinner wild mushroom dishes. Yunnan's highland forests yield mushrooms such as jizong, ganba fungus, boletes and qingtou mushrooms, served stir-fried, deep-fried or in soup, and jizong preserved in oil is popular too.
- Airport to the city: check official Kunming Changshui International Airport info
- Daguan Park: check official info for fees and hours
- Dinner: wild mushroom dishes
Day 2: Stone Forest day trip, Big and Small Stone Forests
This is day 1 of the basic 2-day plan. In the morning, take the Stone Forest tourist bus from Kunming East Bus Station. Buses leave 7:20-16:30 every 30-40 minutes, cost CNY 30 one way and take about 1 hr 30 min. By train it's 20-odd minutes from Kunming South to Shilin West, then bus 99 to the scenic area.
In the Stone Forest Scenic Area, focus on the Big and Small Stone Forests, packed with sword-, pillar- and tower-shaped rocks; the tallest pillar in the Big Stone Forest is over 40 m. Entry is CNY 130 (including the Shilin Karst Geology Museum) and the electric shuttle CNY 25. Real-name e-tickets are being trialed, so buy ahead through official channels.
Buses back to Kunming run 8:30-18:00. The last one is at 18:00, so plan your afternoon around it. If you are curious about Shilin food, try rubing, the Sani people's traditional goat's milk cheese, or buckwheat cakes dipped in honey (qiao baba).
- Outbound bus: Kunming East Bus Station 7:20-16:30, CNY 30 one way, about 1 hr 30 min
- Train: Kunming South to Shilin West in 20-odd minutes, then bus 99
- Stone Forest entry CNY 130, electric shuttle CNY 25
- Return bus: from Shilin 8:30-18:00
Day 3: Dragon Gate, the cableway, Yunnan Nationalities Village, the airport
This is day 2 of the basic 2-day plan. In the morning, take Metro Line 3 to Xishan Park station and leave by Exit A for the Western Hills Scenic Area. In the forest, Huating Temple (the Five Hundred Arhats) and Taihua Temple (camellias and magnolias) are free to visit.
Then head to Dragon Gate, a path and grottoes hewn into a sheer cliff from Sanqing Pavilion to Datian Pavilion, with Dianchi Lake spread out below. Dragon Gate entry is CNY 30, the Dragon Gate ropeway CNY 25 one way and the sightseeing car CNY 10 one way; combo tickets are sold at the Gaoyao visitor center.
In the afternoon, ride the Kunming Tourist Cableway across Dianchi Lake toward Yunnan Nationalities Village. One way is listed at CNY 35, so check official info. The village is a cultural theme park showing the architecture, song and dance, costumes and customs of Yunnan's ethnic groups (check official info for fees and hours). In winter, watch the black-headed gulls at Haigeng Dam before heading to the airport. Check airport transport in the official information ahead of time too.
- Morning: Metro Line 3 to Xishan Park, Exit A, then Huating and Taihua temples (free)
- Next: Dragon Gate (entry CNY 30, ropeway CNY 25 one way, sightseeing car CNY 10 one way)
- Afternoon: cableway to Yunnan Nationalities Village (CNY 35 one way, check official info)
- Winter: gull-watching at Haigeng Dam, then the airport
Shorter or longer: 2 days, or one more day
With 2 days (1 night), follow the basic plan as it is: the Stone Forest and a wild mushroom dinner on day 1, then the Western Hills, Dragon Gate, the cableway and Yunnan Nationalities Village on day 2. Just drop Daguan Park from the route above.
There is also a bus between the airport and the Stone Forest (about 96 km, CNY 60, about 1 hr 30 min). It leaves the airport at 9:30, 10:30, 13:00, 15:00, 16:30 and 18:30, and leaves Shilin at 7:00, 8:30, 10:00, 12:30, 14:00 and 16:00; tickets are sold at the scenic area's individual visitor center. Times may change, so check on the day.
With one more day, add Naigu Stone Forest in Shilin Yi Autonomous County. About 10 km² of stone forest 8 km north of the main scenic area, its dark rocks feel wilder and more rugged than the blue-gray main site. There are over 6 km of stone paths; the east zone takes 2-3 hours and the west zone 1-2 hours. Check official info for fees. The nearby Dadieshui scenic area is listed as 'closed to visitors' on its official site (checked October 5, 2026).
- 2 days: day 1 Stone Forest, day 2 Western Hills, Dragon Gate and Yunnan Nationalities Village
- Airport–Stone Forest bus: CNY 60, about 1 hr 30 min (check times on the day)
- One more day: Naigu Stone Forest (east zone 2-3 hours, west zone 1-2 hours)
Before you go: transport, payment, budget and when to go
Metro Line 3 is the easiest way from the city to the Western Hills, and buses 6, Fu-6, 51 and 94 also terminate there (about 1 hr 30 min from the city). Some foreign apps and services may be restricted in China. Sort out your connection (roaming, eSIM, etc.), a Chinese map app, and Alipay or WeChat Pay before you travel, and carry a little cash.
Plan your budget on three levels. Traveling cheaply by bus and metro means costs like the Stone Forest tourist bus at CNY 30 one way and the regular bus to Shilin county town at CNY 26. Seeing the main sights with entry fees adds the Stone Forest at CNY 130 plus the CNY 25 shuttle, Dragon Gate at CNY 30 and the Dragon Gate ropeway at CNY 25 one way. For upscale hotels and a car with driver, check prices with providers.
According to the Stone Forest's official site, the climate is spring-like and mild all year, so any season works. Using 1991–2020 normals for Kunming station from the China Meteorological Administration submission to the WMO normals collection (NOAA NCEI), average highs and lows are 16°C/4°C in January, 24°C/12°C in April, 25°C/18°C in July and 21°C/13°C in October.
June to September are rainy months, with normals of about 173 mm, 216 mm, 196 mm and 119 mm; of these, July is the wettest. November to April see little rain, about 12-30 mm a month. In winter, black-headed gulls come to Haigeng Dam and Haigeng Park, and the Stone Forest Torch Festival falls on the 24th day of the 6th lunar month each year. Sights can be crowded during Spring Festival and National Day holidays, so plan with some slack.
- Stone Forest real-name e-tickets on trial since January 24, 2025: the '石林旅游' mini-program or on-site ticket windows
- Stone Forest free for 6 and under and over 70; half price CNY 65 for ages 7-18 and 60-69 (foreign visitors show original documents, so bring your passport)
- In the Western Hills, Huating Temple, Taihua Temple, Sanqing Pavilion and Nie Er's tomb are free; Dragon Gate, the ropeway, sightseeing cars and the eco-bus are paid
- Visa rules change often; check the latest official information before you travel
Plan your Kunming trip
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FAQ
How many days do I need in Kunming?
2 to 3 days is about right. In 3 days you can cover Daguan Park, a Stone Forest day trip, and the Western Hills, Dragon Gate and Yunnan Nationalities Village; with 2 days, keep just the Stone Forest and the Western Hills.
Can I visit the Stone Forest as a day trip?
Yes. The Stone Forest tourist bus from Kunming East Bus Station takes about 1 hr 30 min (CNY 30 one way), and buses back to Kunming run until 18:00.
How do I get from Dragon Gate to Yunnan Nationalities Village?
The Kunming Tourist Cableway crosses Dianchi Lake and links the Western Hills with Yunnan Nationalities Village. One way is listed at CNY 35; check official info.
How do I get from the airport to the city?
Check transport to the city in the official Kunming Changshui International Airport information before you arrive. If you are heading straight to the Stone Forest, there is an airport–Stone Forest bus (CNY 60, about 1 hr 30 min).
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ⓘ Photo credits
- Forbidden City from Jingshan Park · Pixelflake / CC BY-SA 3.0
- SIM cards in different sizes · Bidouille82 / CC BY-SA 3.0