Atlas of China
Lijiang to Dali 丽江 – 大理
Door to door, the high-speed train comes out ahead: about 2 hours against about 2½ hours by road, counting about 20 minutes to board a train and 2½ hours of airport time for a flight. A standard-class seat is ¥80. The stations are in or near the city centres, which is what tips it.
| Way | Time | Door to door | Fare | A day |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| High-speed trainLijiang 丽江 → Dali 大理 | 1 h 56 minC988, fastest | 2 hours | ¥80standard class | 712:00–20:22 |
| By road171 km | 2 h 40 min | 2½ hours |
By train
7 direct high-speed trains a day run from Lijiang to Dali, between 12:00 and 20:22. The fastest, C988, takes 1 h 56 min, and a standard-class seat is ¥80. Coming back, 7 trains a day, the fastest 1 h 36 min (C323, 07:00 to 18:18).
Dali: The station is in Xiaguan; the old town is 20–30 minutes north by taxi.
By road
171 km by road, about 2 h 40 min of driving: routed on OpenStreetMap, with speeds calibrated on measured trips.
At the other end
Featured places around Dali.
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Dali Old Town & Erhai Lake 大理古城与洱海
Bai courtyards, old stone gates and lakeside bike rides beneath the Cangshan peaks
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Weishan Ancient Town 巍山古城
An unhurried Ming grid town south of Dali, where the Nanzhao kingdom was born
Around Lijiang: Lijiang Old Town, Tiger Leaping Gorge, Jade Dragon Snow Mountain.
On the map
Open either city on the illustrated map, or put both in a trip and let the planner lay out the days and the legs between them, with the same tables these numbers come from.
Book
About Lijiang · About Dali · All routes
Trains are every direct train on 2026-10-28 or 2026-11-11 in the 12306 timetable, with standard-class fares; one weekday, so weekend and holiday services differ, and the fastest train may not run every day. Flights are the airlines' schedules for 2026-10-28, plus routes Wikipedia lists for small airports. Drives are routed on OpenStreetMap roads (extract of 2026-10-21) where the pair was routed, else estimated from the distance. Door-to-door times add about 20 minutes to board a train and 2½ hours of airport time to a flight. How to book is in the guide to trains and 12306; the rail times are open data on the data page.