Dali travel guide

Phone:

0872-2428915

Address:

Weishan Road and Dianyuan Road, Dali City, Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture

Address:

30 Yuhua Road

Address:

372 Weishan Road

Address:

1 South Huancheng Road

One of Dali's signature local dishes, made by slow-simmering more than ten fresh ingredients, including tender chicken slices and winter mushrooms, with gongyu or carp from Erhai Lake. Visitors can try this dish on boat trips and in major restaurants throughout Dali.

Dali is the birthplace of rushan. Among the 'eighteen oddities of Yunnan' is 'milk made into fans for sale', which refers to rushan. Rushan is a cheese, creamy white and shaped like a folding fan, hence the name. It is highly nutritious and has a rich, mellow flavour. It is a premium dish that the Bai people serve to guests. Dengchuan rushan can be eaten raw or fried in oil, and it can be served as soon as it is shaped or kept for a long time. It travels well and is sold far and wide, and it is popular in some Southeast Asian countries.

A Yunnan specialty made from high-quality rice, usually cut into blocks, strips or slices. It can be braised, boiled, stir-fried, stewed, steamed or deep-fried, with different flavours each time, and it never gets tiresome to eat.

Also called posu baba, this is a wheat flatbread with an excellent colour, aroma and taste. It is a popular snack in Dali City, and the traditional Bai-style baba from Xizhou is the most famous.

Three-course tea is the finest expression of Bai tea culture, embodying the philosophy of life that 'the first cup is bitter, the second sweet, and the third leaves a lingering aftertaste'. Tea is often accompanied by folk songs and dances, which are a pleasure to watch. Authentic three-course tea can be enjoyed at the Wenxian Building in Dali Old Town, the Nanzhao Culture City in Dali, and the Yan Family Compound in Xizhou, where ethnic song and dance performances are also staged.

A long-established restaurant in Dali with a thriving business. It is set in an elegant Bai courtyard with a two-hall layout and a screen wall, and features ancient plum trees and an old well. The restaurant is famous for its plum cuisine, including black plum fish, carved plum pork and black plum radish. Its homemade plum wine is also distinctive. It is ideal for romantic dinners or gatherings with family and friends.

Address:

130 Renmin Road, Dali Town, Dali City

Phone:

0872-2671578

A themed restaurant inspired by The Legend of the Condor Heroes' Tianlong Babu series. The dining room has an otherworldly feel, staff wear martial-arts style costumes, the music is full of heroic spirit, and even the menu looks like a martial arts manual. If you are not sure what to order, choose a set meal, which covers most of the signature dishes.

Address:

Intersection of Renmin Road and Yeyu Road, Dali City

Phone:

18213322996

A Bai-style family courtyard with a large garden. Green bamboo, a clear pond, and bamboo pavilions with elegant, layered upper floors. The walls and curtains of the rooms are hung with hand-printed blue-and-white cloth, giving a cosy and romantic atmosphere.

Address:

3 Sanyue Street, Dali Old Town

Phone:

17787207339

A three-storey small building with simple, very clean rooms. It offers good value for money.

Address:

120 Guangwu Road, Dali Old Town

Phone:

0872-2671193

Crispy plums, carved plums and plum wine are Dali specialties. Zhaoji Plum Wine is a long-established shop in Dali Old Town. It sells many varieties of plums, and those who have tried them praise them highly. The preserved fruit is also tasty, though the range is smaller.

Address:

282 Fuxing Road, Dali Old Town

Phone:

0872-2661896

Tie-dyeing is a traditional handcraft of folk dyeing and printing popular among the ethnic minorities of Yunnan, with a long history. Almost every household in Zhoucheng runs a small workshop making batik or tie-dye. The local seal carving is also excellent.

Getting there:

Minibuses and pony carts run to Zhoucheng from Dali Old Town and Xiaguan.

Located in Dali Old Town, this east-west street is paved with bluestone slabs. At night the bars open and the street becomes especially lively, with Tangchao Bar the most famous of them. Along the street are Chinese and Western restaurants, jewellery shops, antique shops, tie-dye shops and galleries, selling Bai snacks and souvenirs. You can eat and browse your way along, although prices are on the high side.

A well-known bar that is easy to find simply by following the sound of music.

A bar in Dali Old Town. Go in the evening, when it fills up with plenty of night owls.