Guide to Kunming Attractions

Kunming Attractions

Yu Quan Zhai Vegetarian Restaurant

METRO Cash & Carry

METRO Cash and Carry is a German-owned "supercenter" that offers wholesale/bulk goods, including many western products. Chinese customers need to own a business to become a member, but foreigners need only a passport to gain the privilege to shop at METRO. Credit cards are n...

Take bus no 96 east on Yi Er Yi Da Jie, which will become Beijing Lu Extension. When you pass the Ford dealership on your right, get off at the next stop. Metro is located behind the KTV on your right hand side. A taxi to and from the city center should cost about 10-15 RMB. It usually makes sense to take a taxi home.

Crab Dry Hotpot

This restaurant, located near Yunnan University, may be hidden on a little side street, but that does not deter people from coming in droves to enjoy this special treat. Every single night there is a line of hungry customers waiting outside the restaurant in order to savor the spicy crab dry hotpot. By arriving around 7 pm, smaller groups of 4 or less can expect to wait an hour to get seated. There are more tables that accommodate larger groups, thus they get seated faster (larger groups also obviously earn the restaurant more money). The restaurant is open later than most Chinese restaurants in Kunming - parties may be seated up until about 10 pm (possibly later on the weekends). If you enjoy crab and hot spice, you are sure to enjoy this Kunming restaurant.

Find it on the map

Feng Zhu Jie is a side street that parallels Jianshi Lu and Dong Feng Xi Lu. Walk west along Wenlin Jie. After one block past the cinema one block turn left on Feng Zhu Jie and it is the second driveway on the left. If you go around dinner time, you cannot miss the crowd of people waiting outside.

Fisherman's Bar

French Café (Lian Bai Hong)

The French Café serves both western and Chinese food, including a list of French options that cannot be found elsewhere in Kunming. However, the food is not all that spectacular, and the service could easily improve. There are better options in Kunming when it comes to cafes, but when those options tire, a sandwich or a crepe at French Café is not a bad idea. The French Café also offers free wi-fi internet to customers and is a popular spot to hang out and have a beer or two in the evenings.

Find it on the map

French Café is located on Wenlin Jie just east of Wenhua Xiang near Yunnan University. Bus number 1 will get you pretty close if you get off at Wenlin Dao.

Wicker Basket

Wei’s Restaurant & Bar

Wei’s Restaurant & Bar is one of Kunming’s best options for pizza. Wei’s uses a wood-fired oven to bake its pizzas, which can be ordered with a plethora of topping choices on either thick or thin crust. Besides pizza, customers have a lengthy menu of options to choose from, including pasta and other western choices, as well as Mexican, Indian, and Chinese food. Wei’s also offers customers access to the internet and a growing library of western books to either read or exchange. The ambiance of Wei’s is very pleasant - a two-story restaurant designed in a Chinese courtyard style. There is a bar, library, and open seating downstairs, and another bar, private dining areas, and a pool table upstairs. Prices are reasonable - pizzas come in 3 sizes and range from around 25 - 45 RMB. Wei’s will also deliver (8 am - 10 pm) if the order is large enough.

Directions: Wei’s is located on Xiao Dong Jie, a small side street off Nan Ping Jie in the center of town, above the tunnel that everybody drives really slow in. If you are in front of the downtown Carrefour, cross the street and walk east. Within a block or two you will hit Xiao Dong Jie, turn right and Wei’s is up the road a little bit on your left. Bus numbers 84 and 118 stop on the other side of the road, very nearby.

Find it on the map

Take bus No. 133. 97. 90. 52. 69. 44 to get off at the Hu Guo Qiao stop (护国桥)

Teresa’s Pizza

2-3/F, No. 9 Fuyong Dao, Wenlin Jie ( 文林街府甬道9号2-3楼) TEL: +86 (0)871 534 0533

No. 7 Shili Wuxing Huacaiyuan (Across from Kaiyuan Residential Area) ( 实力五星...

2-3/F, No. 9 Fuyong Dao, Wenlin Jie ( 文林街府甬道9号2-3楼) TEL: +86 (0)871 534 0533

No. 7 Shili Wuxing Huacaiyuan (Across from Kaiyuan Residential Area) ( 实力五星花彩园7号铺(春苑小区附近,凯苑小区对面) ) TEL: +86 (0)871 822 7704

Teresa’s Pizza is one of the few restaurants in Kunming that delivers. While their pizza is not particularly great, they offer many topping choices on both thick and thin crusts. There are also a few other non-pizza options on the menu and Teresa’s stays open later than most restaurants in Kunming.

Find it on the map

One of Teresa’s locations is on Wenlin Jie next to Prague Cafe near Yunnan University. Bus number 1 will drop you very close if you get off at Wenlin Dao.

Red Star

Pizza da Rocco Restaurants and Bar

Pizza da Rocco is one of Kunming’s better options for Italian food. The pizza is some of the best around, and the pastas, appetizers, and entrees are also all above par when it comes to Italian cuisine in this city. However, not only is the quality at Pizza da Rocco above the norm of Kunming standards, the prices are slightly above as well. Pizzas and pastas range in price from 20 - 40 RMB (most of them priced closer to 40). The decor and atmosphere are both pleasant, including front and back covered patios that make nice places to enjoy a meal. Pizza da Rocco can accommodate both families as well as those looking for a quiet romantic evening out.

Direction: Located toward the east end of Wenlin Jie between Chapter One and Kunming Eastern Language and Culture School, not too far away from the south entrance to Yunnan University. The number 1 bus will drop you about a block away if you get off at either of the Wenlin Jie or Yunnan University stops (walk east if you get off at Wenlin Jie; walk west if you get off at Yunnan University).

Find it on the map

Kunming Articles

Stone Forest （石林）

The Stone Forest lies about 80 miles to the southeast of Kunming. A geological phenomenon, the Stone Forest was a vast expanse of sea during the Paleozoic era--some 270 million years ago....

The Stone Forest lies about 80 miles to the southeast of Kunming. A geological phenomenon, the Stone Forest was a vast expanse of sea during the Paleozoic era--some 270 million years ago. Later, the movement of tectonic plates altered the earth's crust, causing the sea to recede and its limestone bottom to appear, thereby forming land. Due to the constant seeping of rain through the cracks in the limestone, some of the stone formation dissolved and the fissures broadened, producing a group of great sculptures of different shapes, all molded by nature. In the midst of the forest, there is a huge rock screen on which two words--Stone Forest--are engraved in official script (in a calligraphic style typical of the Han Dynasty, 206 B.C.-220 A.D.). Among the scenic sights is the "Sword Peak Pond" with jadeite-colored water so clear that one can see the bottom of the pond. Other astonishing sights include "Figure of Ashima," "Shi Ba Xiang Song" (its name originating in the Chinese love story, "Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai"), and "Lotus Peak." The splendor of the Stone Forest is enhanced by the local customs of the native Sani people (who are part of the Yi minority). Sani people are industrious and hospitable--and unconstrained. Sani women are expert at spinning, weaving, and embroidering. They like to wear rainbow-colored headgear and bright-colored dresses. The young people especially are very good singers and dancers. Every day at sunset, under the moonlight, boys and girls gather at the village platform. While the boys play the three-stringed plucked instruments, the girls clap their hands and dance the strong-rhythmed traditional "A'Xi (Ah-shi) Dance in the Moon" with great enthusiasm. If you happen to witness the event, you will be invited to join in the festivity. Note that every lunar year, on June 24th, the Sani people celebrate their national festival--the Torch Festival. On that day, the entire Stone Forest is permeated with a celebratory atmosphere. There are traditional performances of wrestling and bull-fighting. Finally, when the land is enveloped in the curtain of night, the young men (holding torches in their hands) run after the young women to propose marriage in the light of colored lanterns.

Downtown Kunming Map

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Top Kunming Tours

$300 Per Day

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Day 1 - pick up from airport in Kunming - overnight Kunming
Day 2 - Dongchuan Red Lands - overnight Dongchuan
Day 3 - Dongchuan back to Kunming - overnight Kunming
Day 4 - Kunming to Dali - overnight Dali
Day 5 - Dali - overnight Dali
Day 6 - Dali to Lijang - overnight Lijang
Day 7- Lijang to Tiger Leaping Gorge - overnight Tea Horse GH, sister overnight middle gorge
Day 8 - middle gorge - overnight middle gorge
Day 9- Middle gorge to Shangrila -overnight Shangrila...Read more

$800 Per Day

5 Days Kunming Jianshui Yuanyang Hani Rice Terraces Photograph Tour

Tour Cateogry: Yunnan Classic Tour

Tour Dates: Daily
Starts/Ends: Kunming/Yuanyang
Trip Type: Photograph Tour
Activity Level: Easy
Tour Route:
Kunming-Shilin-Yuanyang-Jianshui-Kunming

Tour Cateogry: Yunnan Classic Tour

Tour Dates: Daily
Starts/Ends: Kunming/Yuanyang
Trip Type: Photograph Tour
Activity Level: Easy
Tour Route:
Kunming-Shilin-Yuanyang-Jianshui-Kunming

Trip Highlights:
Yuanyang is renowned for its rice terraces, sculpted by bare hands by the Hani people one thousand years ago, transforming a barren valley into a humid Eden; perfect for rice crops. The 1000m of mountain slopes of terraces is still in use today, claiming to be the world's most spectacular and extensive terraces. It is a self sustaining ecosystem and a perfect example of a symbiosis with nature.

Day 1 Kunming Arrive in Kunming City,transfer to the hotel.

Day 2 Kunming-Shilin-Jianshui Drive to Shilin County and visit the Stone Forest, drive to Jianshui, Visit the Ancient Wells and Chaoyang Tower and Jianshui Old Town.

Day 3 Jianshui-Yuanyang
Visit Zhu Family Garden, Jianshui Confucius Temple, Tuanshan Village and Zhang Family Garden, transfer to Yuanyang

Day 4 Yuanyang Visit Hani and Yi ethnic villages and the Yuangyang Rice Terraces including Duoyishu, Laohuzui, Bada and Longshuba

Day 5 Yuanyang-Kunming Transfer back to Kunming, visit Xingmeng Mongolian Village on the way

Day 6 Departure from Kunming Transfer to Kunming Airport for returning. Service ends

$300 Per Day

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