Kunming-Lijiang Transportation: by Flight, Train and Bus

Lijiang is easily reachable since being one of the World Cultural Heritage Sites of UNESCO and a large number of visitors come to visit all year round. It is connected with Diqing prefecture in the north, Dali prefecture in the south, Nujiang prefecture in the west, Liangshan prefecture and Panzhihua city of Sichuan in the east. It about 527 kilometers from the provincial capital Kunming.

How to Get to Lijiang from Kunming?

By Air

Kunming Changshui International Airport and Lijiang Sanyi International Airport are two of the three international airports in Yunnan Province. There are many daily flights from Kunming to Lijiang, which only takes about 50 minutes. It’s recommended to those travelers who want to save time and energy.

Kunming-Lijiang Airline Timetable

Flight Number Airlines Departs Arrives
8L9801 Lucky Air 06:45 07:50
3U8817 Sichuan Airlines 06:30 07:45
MU5921 China Eastern Airlines 07:25 08:30
MU5925 China Eastern Airlines 18:20 19:20
8L9803 Lucky Air 15:55 17:00
KY8249 Kunming Airlines 20:05 21:05
CZ3451 China Southern Airlines 17:25 18:35
MU5744 China Eastern Airlines 13:10 14:10
CZ3487 China Southern Airlines 16:25 17:30
ZH3149 Shenzhen Airlines 20:05 21:05
CA5749 Air China 20:05 21:05
MU2249 China Eastern Airlines 13:10 14:10

By Train

There are 4 overnight trains available every day from Kunming Train Station to Lijiang Train Station. The distance is about 517 kilometers (321 miles), requiring about 8-9 hours for a one-way trip. It is an ideal choice for budget travelers. 

Train Schedules

Train Number Departs Arrives Duration
K9686 20:25 05:30 09h05m
K9602 21:00 05:50 08h50m
K9616 22:00 06:35 08h35m
K9692 23:25 07:38 08h13m

Around the New Year’s day of 2019, the bullet train from Kunming to Lijiang will start to serve. Then the travel time between the two cities will be cut to about 3 hours.

By Long-distance Bus

Lijiang has two main bus stations connecting the main cities in Yunnan Province: Lijiang Bus Station and Lijiang Express Bus Station. Tourists can take the long-distance bus from Kunming West Bus Station and the journey will take about 6-12 hours. 

Bus Timetable

Departs Arrives Duration
09:30, 09:40 Lijiang Bus Station 6h30m
10:30, 10:50, 11:20, 11:50, 12:10 Lijiang Bus Station 6h
14:40 Lijiang Express Bus Station 6h30m
08:50 Lijiang Express Bus Station 6h
21:00 Lijiang Bus Station 12h
08:00, 12:50, 13:00, 13:30, 13:50 Lijiang 6h

Kunming West Bus Station:
Add: No.18, Yining Road, Xishan District, Kunming city, Yunnan province

Lijiang Bus Station:
Add: Changshui Road, southwest corner of Lijiang Ancient City

Lijiang Express Bus Station:
Add: No.925, Shangri-La Avenue, Lijiang New City