Lonely Planet China

by Lonely Planet

  Ask for a room towards the back; there is a noisy school across the road.

  Hàntíng ExpressHOTEL$$

  (汉庭快捷酒店; Hàntíng Kuàijíe Jiǔdiàn MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %400 8121 121; www.huazhu.com; 277 Beijing Lu; 北京路277号 tw/d ¥149/179; aW; bTangzixiang)

  Handily located budget chain hotel with compact but modern and clean rooms. You won't hear any English spoken, but it's close to the subway, the train station and the centre of town. To get here, walk south of the Tangzixiang subway stop (line 2) for 200m.

  Green Lake HotelHOTEL$$$

  (翠湖宾馆; Cuìhú Bīnguǎn MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0871 6515 8888; www.greenlakehotel.com; 6 Cuihu Nanlu; 翠湖南路 6号 r from ¥2277; naiWs)

  Proud but subdued, this gentle giant of Kūnmíng hôtellerie history has a fabulous location, opposite Green Park, and has kept up with modernity, doing so tastefully and with top-notch service. The panorama from the top floors is worth the price alone. Discounts of 50% are often available, and there are Chinese, Japanese and Western restaurants on-site.

  Tè Yùn HotelHOTEL$$$

  (特运酒店; Tè Yùn Jiǔdiàn MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0871 6809 0999; 40 Longxiang Jie; 龙翔街40号 d ¥688; aW)

  A Chinese-style midrange hotel with big rooms, decent beds and bathrooms and a useful location close to restaurants and bars. Routine 50% discounts make it an attractive choice. There's wi-fi throughout and the staff are helpful despite limited English. It's set back from the road.

  Yúndà BīnguǎnHOTEL$$$

  (云大宾馆; Yúnnán University Hotel MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0871 6503 4179; www.ynuhotel.com; Wenhua Xiang; 文化巷 d ¥188-788; aW)

  Conveniently close to the restaurant and bar hub of Wenhua Xiang and Wenlin Jie, the Yúndà’s rooms are not exciting but do the job. The hotel is divided into two, with the cheaper rooms with hard beds in the wing across the road from the main entrance. Regular 40% discounts bring it into the midrange price category.

  PRICE RANGES

  SLEEPING

  $ less than ¥200

  $$ ¥200–¥350

  $$$ more than ¥350

  EATING

  $ less than ¥40

  $$ ¥40–¥60

  $$$ more than ¥60

  5Eating

  Kūnmíng is a fine place to sample Yúnnán’s most famous dish: 'across-the-bridge noodles' (过桥米线; guòqiáo mǐxiàn), but you’ll find restaurants serving dishes from every corner of the province. For all manner of foreign restaurants, including Indian, Korean and Mexican, head to Wenhua Xiang. For self-catering, try Carrefour Supermarket, a branch of the popular French chain.

  oYíng Jiāng Dǎi Wèi YuánYUNNAN$$

  (盈江傣味园 MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0871 6511 6788; 66 Cuihu Beilu; 翠湖北路66号 dishes from ¥20; h11.30am-9pm)

  Popular with the locals, this bustling restaurant offers an authentic taste of the delicious, sour and spicy cuisine of the Dai minority from Xīshuāngbǎnnà in the deep south of Yúnnán, including such delicacies as bamboo worms (they taste better than they sound). Hefty portions and a pleasant location by Green Lake too. Picture menu.

  Park Bar & GrillINTERNATIONAL$$

  ( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %153 6817 1162; Shicui Cultural Centre, Green Lake Park; 翠湖公园拾翠文化中心 mains ¥40-80, breakfast from ¥30; h9.30am-midnight; kitchen closes at 9pm); W)

  With an enviable setting slap in the middle of Green Lake Park, this new place is drawing in both expats and flush locals. Solid menu of well-cooked Western dishes, as well as a few Mexican favourites, and a good selection of foreign alcohol. There's a big outside area to eat at and they host DJ's, live music and film screenings too.

  It's equally good for a coffee during the day or a drink in the evening. You need to be inside the park by 10pm to get access late at night.

  Tǔ Shēngshí GuǎnYUNNAN$$

  (土生食馆 %0871 6542 0010; District B, Jinding 1919, 15 Jindingshan Beilu; 金鼎山北路15号金鼎1919B区 dishes from ¥22; h10am-9pm)

  Located on the ground-floor of a converted warehouse a couple of kilometres northwest of the city centre, this family-run place uses strictly organic ingredients for its selection of favourite local dishes. The veggies and homemade tofu are outstanding and the atmosphere relaxed; there's a small outside area. No English spoken, but there is an English menu.

  As You LikeINTERNATIONAL$$

  (有佳面包店; Yǒujiā Miànbāo Diàn MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0871 6541 1715; 5 Tianjundian Xiang, off Wenlin Jie; 文林街红豆园旁天君殿巷5号 salads from ¥15, pizzas from ¥32; h11am-10.30pm Tue-Sun; Wv)

  Cute cubbyhole cafe/restaurant that's all vegetarian. Staff make excellent pizza, salads and sandwiches, all from local organic produce, as well as fine smoothies and there's a good range of Chinese teas. To find it, walk east on Wenlin Jie (coming from Wenhua Xiang) and take the first left up the narrow alley just before the school and follow it round.

  1910 La Gare du SudYUNNAN$$

  (昆明1910火车南站餐厅, Kūnmíng 1910 Huǒchē Nánzhàn Cāntīng MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0871 6316 9486; 8 Houxin Jie; 后新街8号 dishes from ¥15; h11am-9pm)

  Offering good-value Yúnnán specialities in a pleasant neo-colonial-style atmosphere, this place is a fave with both expats – it’s the kind of place foreign students take their parents when they come to visit – and cashed-up locals. It’s hidden down an alley off Chongshan Lu, south of Jinbi Lu. Call ahead for instructions on how to get here.

  Hóng Dòu YuánYUNNAN$$

  (红豆圆 MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0871 6539 2020; 142 Wenlin Jie; 文林街142号 dishes from ¥15; h11am-9pm)

  An old-school Chinese eatery, with a duck-your-head stairway, this is a real locals’ hang-out on cosmopolitan Wenlin Jie. The food is excellent and will draw you back. Try regional specialities such as the táozá rǔbǐng (fried goat’s cheese and Yúnnán ham) and liáng bái ròu (peppery, tangy beef). Picture menu.

  CantinaITALIAN$$

  (意老夫子意大利餐厅; Yìlǎofūzi Yìdàlì Cāntīng %138 4498 1890; 9 Hongshan Donglu, Backstreet Block, building 11-1; 虹山东路9号版筑翠园商铺11幢一层1号（麦当劳隔壁） mains from ¥42; h11am-11pm; W)

  Big, light-filled, Italian-run venue set around an attractive central bar. There are 24 different types of pizza, as well as pasta and panini (from ¥28), steaks and excellent selections of cold meats and cheeses. Good wine list and it does daily lunch specials (from ¥49). It's inside the Banzhucuiyuan complex northwest of the centre. To find it, walk a little east of the McDonald's.

  HumdingerINTERNATIONAL$$

  (玩啤; Wánpí MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0871 6360 1611; 111 Zhengyi Lu; 正义路111号 mains from ¥58; h5.30pm-2.30am; W)

  Despite the giant vats in which Humdinger's own beer brews, this place is much more of a restaurant than a bar. The western food – pizzas, ribs, burgers, steaks – is served up from an open kitchen in an industrial-chic setting and the locals love it, packing it out every evening.

  Brooklyn PizzeriaPIZZA$$

  (布鲁克林批萨店; Bùlǔkèlín Pīsǎdiàn %0871 6533 3243; www.kunmingpizza.com; 6-8, Bldg 12 Banzhucuiyuan, 11 Hongshan Donglu; 虹山东路11号版筑翠园12栋6-8商铺 pizzas from ¥55; h11.30am-10pm; W)

  A big selection of stone-oven pizzas, as well as excellent New York–style grinder and Philly cheese steak sandwiches, are on offer here, plus lots of foreign beers. It's just northwest of the centre of town, in a rapidly expanding area of new restaurants and bars.

  Tell your taxi to head for Banzhucuiyuan and then walk east from the McDonald's for 100m or so.

  ACROSS-THE-BRIDGE NOODLES

  Yúnnán’s best-known dish is ‘across-the-bridge noodles’ (过桥米线; guòqiáo mǐxiàn). You are provided with a bowl of very hot soup (stewed with chicken, duck and spare ribs) on which a thin layer of oil is floating, along with a side dish of raw pork slivers (in classier places this might be chicken or fish), vegetables and egg, and a bowl of rice noodles. Diners place all of the ingredients quickly into the soup bowl, wh
ere they are cooked by the steamy broth. Prices generally vary from ¥15 to ¥25, depending on the side dishes. It’s usually worth getting these, because with only one or two condiments the soup lacks zest.

  It is said the dish was created by a woman married to an imperial scholar. He decamped to an isolated island to study and she got creative with the hot meals she brought to him every day after crossing the bridge. This noodle dish was by far the most popular and christened ‘across-the-bridge noodles’ in honour of her daily commute.

  6Drinking & Nightlife

  Foreigners congregate in the bars on and around Wenhua Xiang and Banzhucuiyuan. Head to the Kūndū Night Market area and Jinmabiji Sq for Chinese-style clubs and bars.

  FubarBAR

  (139 Jianshe Lu; 建设路139号 beers from ¥20; h6pm-late; W)

  Kūnmíng's late-night crowd congregate at this friendly and suitably grungy bar, which closes only when the last customer has left (often when the sun is coming up). Decent selection of local and foreign alcohol, table football and a cool soundtrack. It's about 1km northwest of Wenlin Jie and close to Banzhucuiyuan.

  AleiBAR

  (艾蕾酒廊; Àiléi Jiǔláng MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0871 6836 9099; Bldg A1, Zhengyifang, 3 Qianwang Jie; 正义坊 A1 栋 钱王街3号 cocktails from ¥50; h5pm-2am; W)

  The original of a growing number of Kūnmíng cocktail bars, Alei is a large, low-lit, modern space that has proved a hit with upwardly mobile locals. The bartenders know their trade and there's nightly live music of one form or another.

  MoondogBAR

  (月亮狗; Yuèliàng Gǒu MAP GOOGLE MAP ; 138-5 Wacang Nanlu, 瓦仓南路138-5号 beers from ¥15; h8pm-late; W)

  An expat-Chinese-run dive bar that attracts a mixed crowd of expats and locals. DJs most weekends and it shows the English football too.

  7Shopping

  Yúnnán specialities are marble and batik from Dàlǐ, jade from Ruìlì, minority embroidery, musical instruments and spotted-brass utensils.

  Yúnnánese tea is an excellent buy and comes in several varieties, from bowl-shaped bricks of smoked green tea called tuóchá, which have been around since at least Marco Polo’s time, to leafy black tea that rivals some of India’s best.

  Mandarin Books & CDsBOOKS

  (五华书苑; Wǔhuá Shūyuàn MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0871 6551 6579; 52 Wenhua Xiang; h9am-10pm)

  Good spot for guidebooks, novels and a selection of travel writing in English and other languages, as well as books on Yúnnán itself.

  ONE-STOP SHOPPING

  The Flower & Bird Market (花鸟市场; Huāniǎo Shìchǎng MAP GOOGLE MAP ; Tongdao Jie; h7am-8pm), also known as lǎo jiē (old street), has shrunk dramatically in recent years and is now ominously hemmed in by encroaching modernity. Nor are flowers and birds the main draw here any more, although there are still plenty of examples of both. Instead, strollers peruse stalls chock-full of jade and jewellery, curios, knick-knacks and clothing.

  One block west of the intersection of Guanghua Jie and the pedestrian-only Zhengyi Lu sits Fú Lín Táng (福林堂), the city’s oldest pharmacy, which has been dishing out the sānqì (the legendary Yúnnánese cure-all root mixed into tea; around ¥160 per gram) since 1857.

  8Information

  Most of the backpacker hotels and some of the cafes can assist with travel queries and they are usually the best places to get travel advice.

  Medical Services

  Richland International HospitalHOSPITAL

  (瑞奇德国际医院; Ruìqídé Guójì Yīyuàn %0871 6574 1988; Beijing Lu)

  Most of the doctors are Chinese but English is spoken here. Standards are generally good and prices are reasonable: consultations start from ¥30, then you pay for whatever treatment is required. It’s on the bottom three floors of the Shàngdū International building; Yanchang Xian extension near Jinxing Flyover. A taxi ride from the city centre costs around ¥20.

  WatsonsPHARMACY

  (屈臣士; Qū Chén Shì GOOGLE MAP ; Dongsi Jie; h9am-10pm)

  Western cosmetics and basic medicines. Other branches around town.

  Yán’ān HospitalHOSPITAL

  (延安医院; Yán’ān Yīyuàn MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0871 6321 1101; 1st fl, block 6, Renmin Donglu; 人民东路6号 )

  Has a foreigners’ clinic.

  Money

  Bank of ChinaBANK

  (中国银行; Zhōngguó Yínháng GOOGLE MAP ; 12 Dongfeng Xilu, 东风西路12号 )

  Will change foreign currency and travellers cheques.

  Bank of ChinaBANK

  (中国银行; Zhōngguó Yínháng GOOGLE MAP ; 448 Renmin Donglu; h9am-5pm)

  All necessary services and has an ATM.

  Public Security Bureau

  Public Security BureauPOLICE

  (PSB; 公安局; Gōng’ānjú GOOGLE MAP ; %0871 6301 7878; 399 Beijing Lu; h8.30-11.30am & 1.30-4.30pm Mon-Fri)

  To visit the givers of visa extensions, head southeast off Government Sq (东风广场; Dōngfēng Guǎngchǎng) to the corner of Shangyi Jie and Beijing Lu. Another office (%0871 6571 7001; Jinxing Lu; h8.30am-11.30am, 1.30pm-4.30pm Mon-Fri) is off Erhuan Beilu in northern Kūnmíng; take bus 3, 25 or 57.

  Post

  China PostPOST

  (国际邮局; Zhōngguó Yóuzhèng GOOGLE MAP ; 223 Beijing Lu, 北京路223号 h9am-6pm; bTangzixiang)

  The main international office has poste restante and parcel service (per letter ¥3, ID required). It is also the city’s Express Mail Service (EMS) and Western Union agent. Another branch on Dongfeng Donglu.

  DANGERS & ANNOYANCES

  Although Kūnmíng's reputation as one of China's safest cities was dented by a March 2014 attack on passengers at the train station by restive Uighurs that left 29 people dead, foreigners have little to fear here. As always, take special precautions against pickpockets at and around the train and long-distance bus stations. There have been a number of travellers who've been drugged and robbed on overnight sleeper buses.

  8Getting There & Away

  Air

  Kūnmíng's airport is located 25km northeast of the city.

  It has direct services to/from North America, Europe and Australia. International flights to Asian cities include Bangkok (from ¥621), Hong Kong (from ¥560), Vientiane (from ¥1301), Yangon (from ¥1066) and Kuala Lumpur (from ¥627).

  China Eastern Airlines (中国东方航空; Zhōngguó Dōngfāng Hāngkōng GOOGLE MAP ; 28 Tuodong Lu; h8.30am-7.30pm) issues tickets for any Chinese airline but the office only offers discounts on certain flights.

  Daily flights from Kūnmíng go to most major cities across China, including Běijīng (from ¥729), Guǎngzhōu (from ¥465) and Shànghǎi (from ¥564). There are regional services to Lhasa in Tibet (¥1960) and within Yúnnán, including Bǎoshān (from ¥538), Lìjiāng (from ¥320) and Xiàguān/Dàlǐ (from ¥350).

  Bus

  Kūnmíng’s five bus stations are located on the outskirts of the city.

  Buses departing the south bus station (彩云北路南客运站; cǎiyún běilù nán kèyùnzhàn):

  AJiànshuǐ ¥81, 3½ hours, every 30 minutes (7.30am to 8.30pm)

  AJǐnghóng ¥223 to ¥247, eight hours, every 30 minutes (8am to 10pm)

  AYuányáng ¥139, seven hours, four daily (10.20am, 11am, 12.30pm and 6.30pm)

  Buses departing the west bus station (马街西客运站; mǎjiē xī kèyùnzhàn):

  ABǎoshān ¥167 to ¥233, nine hours, every hour (8.30am to 10pm)

  AChǔxióng ¥55 to ¥58, two to three hours, every 10 minutes (7.10am to 7.10pm)

  ADàlǐ ¥110 to ¥137, four to five hours, every 15 minutes (7.20am to 8.20pm)

  ALìjiāng ¥184 to ¥217, nine hours, nine daily (9.30am to 8.30pm)

  ARuìlì ¥273 to ¥300, 12 hours, eight daily (8.30am to 9pm)

  AShangri-la ¥208 to ¥249, 12 hours, seven daily (8.30am to 8.30pm)

  ATéngchōng ¥230 to ¥289, 11 hours, ten daily (9am to 9pm)

  Buses departing the east bus station (白沙河东客运站; báis
hāhé dōng kèyùnzhàn):

  AHékǒu ¥147, eight hours, two daily (11.40am and 7.30pm)

  AShílín ¥38, two hours, every 30 minutes (7am to 7.30pm).

  Allow plenty of time to get to the bus stations (60 to 90 minutes). Line 2 of the subway runs to the south bus station, as does bus 154 from the train station. Bus 80 runs to the west bus station from the train station, while bus 60 goes to the east bus station, which is also on the subway network. A taxi will cost ¥40 to ¥50.

  Train

  You can buy train tickets up to 10 days in advance. The following prices are for hard-sleeper berths:

  ABěijīng ¥549.50 to ¥575

  AChéngdū ¥251 to ¥272

  AGuǎngzhōu ¥351 to ¥378

  AGuìyáng ¥161 to ¥175

  ALiùpánshuǐ ¥108.50 to ¥128

  AShànghǎi ¥496 to ¥533.50

  AXī’ān ¥397 to ¥426

  Within Yúnnán, 10 daily trains run to Dàlǐ (seat ¥49 to ¥64, hard sleeper ¥88 to ¥113, six to seven hours, 8.10am to 11.58pm). Book ahead, as it is a popular route.

  Seven trains run daily to Lìjiāng (seat ¥89, hard sleeper ¥152 to ¥163, nine hours, 9.40am to 11.30pm).