1Highlights
Dali Old Town is a walled town founded in 1382, sitting on the strip of flat land between the Cangshan range and the west shore of Erhai โ white-walled Bai courtyards, cobbled lanes and mountain streams channelled down the sides of the streets. It is free and open at all hours, with no ticket of any kind. Compared with Lijiang it is lower-key and less polished, which is most of its appeal: you walk the lanes and sit in teahouses by day, and Renmin Road fills with stalls and folk music after dark. It sits at about 2,000 metres, which is worth respecting on day one. Practically, this is the base you run the rest of Dali from โ and since the pagodas, the cable cars, the corridor and the boats all need booking, the old town is also where you sit down and sort that out.
- Entry
- Free, open 24 hours
- Founded
- 1382, Ming dynasty
- Altitude
- About 2,000m
- Landmarks
- South Gate, Wuhua Tower, Wenxian Tower
- Busy streets
- Fuxing Road by day, Renmin Road by night
- From Dali station
- Xiaguan, 30โ40 minutes
- Best season
- MarchโMay, SeptemberโNovember
- Suggested time
- Half a day, plus evenings
2Tickets
There is no entry fee for Dali Old Town, in any season, under any name. A handful of gate towers and individual courtyards inside charge small optional fees, and that is the entire cost of being here. This matters because the one scam that still catches visitors is someone asking for a 'maintenance fee' or 'ancient town preservation fee' at an entrance โ there is no such charge and you should simply decline.
| Dali Old Town | Free | No ticket, no gate, open around the clock in every season. |
|---|---|---|
| Gate towers and some courtyards | Small fees | Entirely optional. The South Gate tower can be climbed for a view back over the roofs. |
| 'Maintenance fee' | Does not exist | Nobody is entitled to charge you for entering. Decline and walk on. |
Take the first day slowly๏ผAt about 2,000m most people feel nothing more than slightly short of breath on stairs, but the combination that does cause trouble is arriving, drinking in the evening and going up a cable car the next morning. Give the first day to the old town itself, drink water, go easy on alcohol, and save Cangshan โ especially Ximatan near 3,920m โ for day two or three.
Sort your bookings here๏ผThe old town is free and needs no planning, but nearly everything else in Dali does: the Three Pagodas generally need a ticket booked ahead, Haishe Park caps at 200 a day, the Erhai corridor runs on timed tickets in peak season and the lake cruises sell out days out. All of it runs through Chinese mini-programmes. The evening you arrive is the right time to work through that list, not the morning you want to use it.
3Getting There
Dali's high-speed rail station is in Xiaguan, 30โ40 minutes from the old town by taxi or bus โ a detail worth knowing before you book a hotel 'near Dali station'. Inside the walls you walk everywhere. The Three Pagodas, the Cangshan cable car bases and the Erhai corridor entry points are all within twenty minutes.
Dali station (Xiaguan) โ old town, 30โ40 minutes
Several Xiaguan โ old town routes
Dali airport โ the old town's South Gate
Everything on foot; the town is small
This is the base camp๏ผThe Three Pagodas are two kilometres north, all three Cangshan cable car bases are at the foot of the mountain behind you, and Longkan and Caicun on the Erhai corridor are ten to fifteen minutes east. Nothing else in Dali is this well placed, which is why most visitors base here for two or three nights and go out and back each day.
4Route & Photos
A slow walk: South Gate โ Fuxing Road โ Wuhua Tower โ Renmin Road โ Foreigner Street โ north toward the North Gate. Do it twice if you can โ the lanes in the morning are quiet and worth photographing, and Renmin Road after dark is a completely different street with stalls and live music.
Recommended Route
- 1
South Gate
The main gate and the town's photograph. The tower can be climbed for a view back over the roofs to Cangshan.
- 2
Fuxing Road
The main street โ shops and snacks by day, and the loudest part of town at night.
- 3
Wuhua Tower
The central landmark, rebuilt, and the point everyone navigates from.
- 4
Renmin Road
Cafรฉs and craft stalls by day; folk music and street stalls after dark. The reason to come back in the evening.
- 5
North toward the North Gate
Quieter residential lanes where people actually live, and where the streams run beside the walls.
Best Photo Spots
South Gate tower
Looking back north over the tiled roofs to Cangshan. Best in the morning when the range is clear.
Stream-side lanes
White walls, running water and no one in frame โ which means being out before about 08:00.
5Food & Stay
| Renmin Road areaCoffee, Western food, Bai dishes | ยฅ40โ100 pp | Plenty of choice and priced for visitors. Fine for a coffee, less so for dinner. |
|---|---|---|
| Just outside the wallsSour-spicy fish, erkuai, rushan | ยฅ40โ80 pp | Where the local versions are, at local prices. A ten-minute walk saves a third. |
Eat one street out๏ผThe main streets inside the walls are priced for footfall. Sour-spicy fish, erkuai and grilled rushan are all better and cheaper at the neighbourhood places just beyond the old walls, and nothing in the old town is more than a ten-minute walk from them.
Where to Stay
- Old-town guesthouses, ยฅ50โ200/night โ the most convenient base in Dali and genuinely cheap. Book a lane rather than a main street: Fuxing Road and the bar streets are loud until late.
- Caicun or Xizhou, ยฅ250โ500/night โ quiet Bai courtyard inns by the lake. You trade walking convenience for being at Longkan before sunrise without a taxi.
6Tips & Pitfalls
- There is no entry fee, ever. Anyone collecting a 'maintenance fee' at a gate is not entitled to it. Decline and keep walking.
- Give the first day to the town. At about 2,000m, arriving and going straight up a cable car the next morning is how people feel awful on a trip they planned for months.
- Book everything else from here. The pagodas, Haishe Park, peak-season corridor slots and the cruises all run on Chinese mini-programmes and all sell out. Do it the evening you arrive.
- Walk it twice: morning and night. Empty lanes and clear mountains before 08:00; stalls and live music on Renmin Road after dark. They are not the same town.
- Sleep off the main street. Fuxing Road and the bar streets stay loud; a guesthouse one lane over costs the same and is silent.
7Frequently Asked Questions
Does Dali Old Town charge admission?
No. It is free and open around the clock, with no ticket in any season. A few gate towers and courtyards inside charge small optional fees. If anyone asks you for a 'maintenance fee' to enter, there is no such charge โ decline it.
Dali or Lijiang old town?
Dali is more relaxed, less commercial and sits right between the mountains and the lake; Lijiang is more polished and much more crowded. They are under two hours apart by rail, so for most itineraries the answer is both, with Dali first to adjust to the altitude.
How do I get from Dali station to the old town?
Dali's high-speed rail station is in Xiaguan, about 30โ40 minutes away by taxi (ยฅ50โ80) or local bus. The airport bus runs to the old town's South Gate for about ยฅ15. Be careful booking hotels described as 'near Dali station' โ that is not the old town.
Will I get altitude sickness?
At about 2,000m most people notice nothing beyond being slightly breathless on stairs. The pattern that causes trouble is arriving, drinking that evening and taking a cable car to nearly 4,000m the next morning. Take day one gently and keep Cangshan for later in the trip.
Is it noisy to stay inside the old town?
On Fuxing Road and the bar streets, yes, until late. One lane away it is silent and costs the same, so the fix is simply reading the address before you book. Caicun and Xizhou are the quieter alternatives if you want the lake at dawn.
Combine With
Other Dali sights that genuinely pair well with this one
Before You Go
The practical guides you will actually need here
All Dali attractions
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