Travel Tips

Yunnan Travel FAQs & Tips introduce the city and zip codes, China post offices, complaints phone numbers, banks for foreign exchange, best time to visit, what to pack, etc. When plan your trip to Yunnan, view our answers to questions about Yunnan travel to get better understanding of Yunnan.

Useful Numbers

Here below are some useful numbers in Yunnan for you to have a convenient Yunnan tour. 

Best Time to Visit Yunnan

If you had to pick a single province in all China that would expose you to the greatest variations in topography and climate, it would have to be Yunnan Province. There is an old and accurate saying here that “You can enjoy all four seasons on the same mountain, where each of these four season is only a few miles distant from the others.

So, the best time to visit Yunnan Province depends clearly on the region you like to visit. Yunnan is a very diverse province with the Himalayas in the north and subtropics in the south. Thus, there are also specific times of the year when it’s best to visit certain destinations. 

If you’d like to visit Yunnan in winter, you should prevent to go north to Shangri-La or Deqin. During this time, the Yuanyang Hani Rice Terraces or Xishuangbanna(Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Menglun) would be recommended to visit though. Surely, if you would like to visit Haba Snow Mountain, Meili Snow Mountain, Jade Dragon Snow Mountain and other snow mountain, winter is a good time to Visit. 

Generally speaking, the weather in most areas of Yunnan is mild in winter and cool in summer. If you like, It is suitable to visit Yunnan all the year round. Attractions, such as, Stone Forest, Dali Ancient Town, Lijiang Ancient Town, Cangshan Mountain, Erhai Lake, Jianshui Ancient Town…are available throughout the year. Besides, in order to escape the heat in summer, Lugu Lake and Fuxian Lake are recommended then.

Tips: Try to avoid the public holidays of China, such as May Day Holiday(May 1-3), National Day Holiday(October 1-7), Spring Festival Holiday(Usually early February), Qingming Festival(in early April), Dragon Boat Festival(in June).

Spring festival and national day festival are the most crowded time to travel. During these holidays, there will be a large crowd in the tourist attractions and you can’t really enjoy yourself. Flights and hotels can cost three times as much than usual, and it’s hard to get tickets during the Spring Festival.

What to Pack

Spring(March – May)

Umbrellas and sunscreen are needed to prevent the strong ultraviolet rays. Also remember to bring a thick coat, because it was still very cold at night.  

Summer(June – August)

When traveling to Yunnan in summer, remember to bring an umbrella, because summer is the rainy season, and you should pay attention to sun protection when going out. The ultraviolet rays here are very strong.

Autumn(September – November)

The temperature difference in the autumn is large, it is a bit cold in the morning and evening. When traveling to Yunnan in autumn, remember to bring a jacket and sweater. Umbrellas and sunscreen are needed to prevent the strong ultraviolet rays. 

Winter(December – February)

Winter is dry and there is no heating, so visitors who are afraid of cold should remember to bring down jackets to keep warm. Don’t forget to bring moisturizer, otherwise the skin will be chapped.

Other Tips

144-Hour Visa-Free Transit

Since January 1, 2019, 144-hour Visa-Free Transit was put into practice in Kunming to 53 countries in the world, including Austria, Belgium, America, Brazil, Australia, New Zealand, Korea, Japan, etc. Compared with the previous implementation of the 72 hours visa-free transit policy, the time duration of the transit visa-free has doubled. Foreigners without a visa coming to Kunming will have more time for business meetings, travel and visiting friends and relatives.

Notes: Transit visa-free foreigners entering from Kunming can only travel within the administrative district of Kunming city and stay for 144 hours.

• Foreign Consulate-Generals in Kunming
• Visa for Kunming

Yunnan Food

Yunnan cuisine, often referred to as Dian cuisine, has its own unique style because of its geographic location, diverse local plant and animal species and numerous ethnic minority groups. Many ethnic minority groups are located in Yunnan Province and they have each added their own cooking styles to Yunnan cuisine, making it a beautiful mix of many different styles of cooking and preparation styles. Yunnan cuisine is known for its sour and spicy dishes. Tough commonly seasoned with chilies, Yunnan Cuisine, unlike the mouth-stinging fiery food in neighboring Sichuan, strives to keep the original taste of its ingredients, which are freshly plucked from mountains and caught from the sea.

Yunnan Shopping

Known as a treasure house of natural resources and ethnic minority culture, Yunnan has many unique items that cannot be found elsewhere in the world such as its production of traditional Chinese medicine and medicinal herbs. Yunnan tea is one of the world’s finest, with its industry dating back 1,700 years. One of the most famous teas in China, Puer tea has been produced in Yunnan for centuries. Other items include Dali Marble Products, Embroidery, Jewels and Jades, Engraved Green Plums, Wax Printing, Dai and Bai Tie Dye, Fungus, etc.

Where to Stay in Yunnan

With the increasing popularity of Yunnan tourism, the hotels industry of Yunnan develop quickly and the number of high-end hotels in Yunnan has been growing rapidly. There is a large selection of hotels ranging from the three to five-stars in Yunnan. Most are located in the city’s center, and some are located near some of Yunnan’s most famous and popular scenic spots. Whatever you prefer a modern luxury hotel or a cozy local-style antique hotel, You will definitely find one you like. 

• Kunming Hotel
• Dali Hotel
• Lijiang Hotel
• Shangri-La Hotel

Banks in Yunnan

• Bank of China(Cuihu Branch)中国银行翠湖支行
  Address: No.69, Honghua Bridge, Wuhua District, Kunming City昆明市五华区洪化桥69号
  Tel: 0871-65321778/0871-95566
• Industrial and Commercial Bank of China中国工商银行
  Address: No.155-162, Baoshan Street, Wuhua District, Kunming City昆明市五华区宝善街155-162号
  Tel: 95588
• Industrial and Commercial Bank of China中国工商银行
  Address: No.1491, Dianchi Road, Xishan District, Kunming City昆明市西山区滇池路1491号
  Tel: 0871-64329316
• Agricultural Bank of China(Dali Ancient Town Sub-branch)(中国农业银行(大理古城支行))
  Add: No. 427 Fuxing Road, Dali Ancient Town, Dali City(大理市大理古城复兴路427号)
  Tel: (0872)2671621
• Bank of China(中国银行)
  Add: No. 68 North Renmin Road, Dali City(大理市人民北路68号)
  Tel: (0872)2234454
• Bank of China(Lijiang City Branch)(中国银行(丽江市分行))
  Add: No. 179 Changshui Road, Gucheng District, Lijiang City, Yunnan Province(云南省丽江市古城区长水路179号)
  Tel: (0888)5189125
• Bank of China(Gucheng Sub-branch)(中国银行(古城支行))
  Add: No. 42 Yuyuan Road, Gucheng District, Lijiang City(丽江市古城区玉缘路42号)
  Tel: (0888)5122491

Post Offices in Yunnan

• China Post(Zhengyi Road Branch)中国邮局正义路支局
  Address: No.33-35, Zhengyi Road, Wuhua District, Kunming City昆明市五华区正义路33-35号
  Tel: 0871-63662281/0871-63636524
• China Post(Dongfeng Branch)中国邮局
  Address: No.14, Dongfeng East Road, Panlong District, Kunming City昆明市盘龙区东风东路14号
  Tel: 0871-63155805
• China Post(Business Office in Fuxing Road)(中国邮政(复兴路营业室))
  Add: No. 341 Fuxing Road, Dali City(大理市复兴路341号)
  Tel: (0872)2670142
• China Post(Dali Prefecture Post Office)(中国邮政(大理州邮政局))
  Add: No. 259 Weishan Road(巍山路259)
  Tel: (0872)2318631
• China Post(Post Office in Changshui Road)(中国邮政(长水路邮电所))
  Add: No. 297 Changshui Road, Gucheng District, Lijiang City, Yunnan Province(云南省丽江市古城区长水路297号)
  Tel: (0888)5184774
• China Post(Shangri-la Post Office)(中国邮政(香格里拉邮政所))
  Add: No. 813 Shangri-la Avenue(香格里大道813)
  Tel: (0888)5162772
• China Post中国邮局
  Address: In the intersection of Dongwang Road and Jiangke Road, Shangri-la, Diqing迪庆州香格里拉市东旺路与江克路交叉口
  Tel: 0887-8232510

Hospitals in Yunnan

• The First People’s Hospital of Yunnan Province (云南省第一人民医院)
  Address: No.157, Jinbi Road, Xishan District, Kunming City昆明市西山区金碧路157号
  Tel: 0871-63639921/0871-63638048
• The Second People’s Hospital of Yunnan Province (云南省第二人民医院)
  Address: No.176, Qingnian Road, Wuhua District, Kunming City昆明市五华区青年路176号
  Tel: 0871-65155677
• Richland International Hospital Kunming(昆明瑞奇德医院)
  Address: Shangdu International Building, Extension line of Beijing Road, Panlong District, Kunming City昆明市盘龙区北京路延长线尚都国际大厦
  Tel: 0871-65741988
• Dali City No. 1 People’s Hospital(Taian Road)(大理市第一人民医院(泰安路))
  Add: No. 36 Taian Road, Dali City, Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture(大理白族自治州大理市泰安路36号)
  Tel: (0872)2124462
• Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture People’s Hospital(大理白族自治州人民医院)
  Add: No. 35 South Renmin Road, Dali City, Yunnan Province(云南省大理市人民南路35号)
  Tel: (0872)2127127
• Lijiang People’s Hospital(丽江市人民医院)
  Add: No. 526 Fuhui Road, Gucheng District, Lijiang City, Yunnan Province(云南省丽江市古城区福慧路526号)
  Tel: (0888)5122817
• Kunhua Hospital(昆华医院)
  Add: No. 65 Middle Xueshan Road(雪山中路65号)
  Tel: (0888)8888120
• People’s Hospital of Shangri-la(香格里拉人民医院)
  Address: No.19, Chicika Street, Jiantang Town, Shangri-la, Diqing迪庆州香格里拉市建塘镇池慈卡街19号
  Tel: 0887-8222022/0887-8222454
• Tibetan Medicine Hospital of Diqing Prefecture(迪庆州藏医院)
  Address: Kangzhu Avenue, Jiantang Town, Shangri-la, Diqing迪庆州香格里拉市建塘镇康珠大道
  Tel: 0887-8223974