--- title: "Top 10 Things To Do in Kunming, China | Wimup" description: "The 10 best things to do in Kunming, ranked. When to see the Stone Forest, where the winter gulls land, and how to eat your way through Yunnan's capital." url: https://wimup.com/city/kunming type: City guide updated: 2026-10-27 publisher: Wimup (https://wimup.com) --- # Top 10 Things To Do in Kunming Kunming, China · Asia · By Wimup Editorial, 12 min read Kunming is Yunnan's working capital, a city of more than eight million at about 1,890 metres, with a climate mild enough to earn it the name Spring City. Most travellers pass through on the way to Dali and Lijiang. Give it three days and it pays back with temples, lakes and the province's best food. ## Quick answer Kunming is the capital of Yunnan, a highland city on the north shore of Dianchi Lake. Take the train to the Stone Forest, walk the cliff path to the Dragon Gate in the Western Hills, feed the winter gulls at Green Lake, see the Dian bronzes at the provincial museum and eat crossing-the-bridge noodles. Three days covers it, four with Jiuxiang. ## Quick facts - **Best months:** Mar · Apr · Nov - **Ideal length:** 3 days - **Budget per day:** ¥300–800 - **Language:** Mandarin (Kunming dialect) - **Getting around:** By metro, taxi and train - **Tourism board:** [Official site](https://www.km.gov.cn/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) ## The 10 best things to do in Kunming ### 1. Walk the karst towers of the Stone Forest Day trip · Shilin Scenic Area, Shilin Yi Autonomous County Shilin is a forest of grey limestone pillars about 90 km southeast of the city, part of the South China Karst World Heritage Site. The Greater and Lesser Stone Forests take three to four hours on foot. Arrive at opening or after mid-afternoon, when the tour groups thin. - **Time:** Full day - **Cost:** ¥130, cart extra - **Best at:** 8am or after 2:30pm - **Tip:** Take the D train from Kunming South to Shilin West, then the connecting bus. Book the return train when you book the outward one. Links: [UNESCO](https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1248/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) ### 2. Climb to the Dragon Gate in the Western Hills Viewpoint · Longmen, Western Hills Forest Park, Xishan District A path and tunnels cut by hand into the cliff lead to the Dragon Gate, a carved stone archway hanging above Dianchi Lake. Huating and Taihua temples sit lower on the same hillside. A cable car from Haigeng Dam saves the climb. - **Time:** Half day - **Cost:** Ticketed, cable car extra - **Best at:** Clear mornings - **Tip:** Go on a weekday. The cliff path is narrow and single-file, and weekend queues stall it. ### 3. Feed the winter gulls at Green Lake Park · Green Lake Park (Cuihu), Wuhua District Black-headed gulls from Siberia winter on Kunming's lakes, and Green Lake is where they meet the city: thousands wheel over the bridges while locals feed them. Outside the season it is still the city's best stroll, with pavilions, dancers and tea. - **Time:** 1–2 hours - **Cost:** Free - **Best at:** November to March, mornings - **Tip:** Buy gull bread from the licensed stalls by the lake rather than bringing your own. ### 4. See the Dian bronzes at the Yunnan Provincial Museum Museum · 6393 Guangfu Road, Guandu District The province's main museum, in a modern building south of the centre. Its bronzes from the ancient Dian kingdom, cowrie containers crowded with tiny figures, are the reason to come. Entry is free with a passport, and it closes on Mondays. - **Time:** 2–3 hours - **Cost:** Free with passport - **Best at:** Weekday mornings - **Tip:** Last entry is 4:30pm. Reserve a slot online before a weekend or holiday visit. Links: [Yunnan Provincial Museum](https://www.ynmuseum.org/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) ### 5. Step into Yuantong Temple Temple · Yuantong Street, Wuhua District Kunming's oldest Buddhist temple traces its origins to the Nanzhao era, over a thousand years ago. Its halls stand around a large pond crossed by a stone bridge, and the street outside sells incense and Buddhist goods. A calm hour in the middle of the city. - **Time:** 1 hour - **Cost:** Small fee - **Best at:** Morning - **Tip:** Yuantong Hill, with its March cherry blossom, is a short walk north. ### 6. Meet the 500 arhats at the Bamboo Temple Temple · Qiongzhu Temple, Yu'an Mountain, Wuhua District Founded in the Yuan dynasty as Yunnan's first Chan temple, Qiongzhu is famous for its 500 clay arhats, sculpted between 1883 and 1890 by Li Guangxiu and his pupils. Each is about a metre tall, and no two faces match. Some ride on waves, others on beasts. - **Time:** Half day - **Cost:** Ticketed - **Best at:** Weekday mornings - **Tip:** It is in the hills northwest of town, so take a taxi and agree on a return. ### 7. Shop Zhuanxin Market for mushrooms and ham Market · 270 Xinwen Road, Wuhua District Kunming's best-known farmers' market has more than 600 stalls of Yunnan produce: wild mushrooms, Xuanwei ham, tea, flowers and chillies. Locals treat its prices as the city's food index. Eat breakfast at the snack stalls and shop afterwards. - **Time:** 1–2 hours - **Cost:** Free to browse - **Best at:** Mornings, June to September for mushrooms - **Tip:** Wild mushrooms must be cooked through. Buy them where a restaurant will cook them for you. ### 8. Climb to the bronze hall of the Golden Temple Temple · Golden Temple Park, Mingfeng Mountain, Panlong District A Taoist temple whose main hall is cast entirely in bronze, more than 250 tonnes of it. It was rebuilt here in 1671 by the general Wu Sangui on an older Ming base. The park climbs through pines and has a bell tower and camellia garden. - **Time:** 2 hours - **Cost:** Ticketed - **Best at:** Spring, for the camellias - **Tip:** Combine it with the World Horti-Expo Garden, which is close by on the same side of town. ### 9. Wander Guandu Ancient Town Old town · Guandu Ancient Town, Guandu District Once a market port on the northeast shore of Dianchi, Guandu keeps the closest thing to old Kunming. Its Jingang Pagoda, built in 1458 inside Miaozhan Temple, is a rare stupa raised on a gateway. Come hungry: the lanes are lined with snack stalls. - **Time:** 2–3 hours - **Cost:** Free to walk - **Best at:** Weekday afternoons - **Tip:** The lanes are a short taxi from the airport road, so this works on an arrival or departure day. ### 10. Watch the night trade at Dounan Flower Market Market · Dounan Flower Market, Chenggong District Asia's largest fresh-cut flower market handles most of Yunnan's flower trade, and the floor fills with buckets of roses, lilies and carnations every day. It is busiest after dark, when wholesalers pack boxes for flights and trains. Bunches sell for a few yuan. - **Time:** 1–2 hours - **Cost:** Free - **Best at:** Evening - **Tip:** It is in Chenggong, south of the centre. Pair it with the provincial museum on the way. ## Best temples in Kunming Five temples, from Nanzhao foundations to a hall cast in bronze. 1. **Yuantong Temple** (Small fee · Wuhua): The oldest temple in the city, its halls set around a pond. 2. **Qiongzhu (Bamboo) Temple** (Ticketed · Yu'an Mountain): Five hundred clay arhats, each face different. 3. **Golden Temple** (Ticketed · Mingfeng Mountain): A Taoist hall cast in bronze, rebuilt in 1671. 4. **Huating Temple** (Ticketed · Western Hills): The largest temple in the Western Hills, at the foot of the climb. 5. **East and West Pagodas** (Free to view · Guandu): Two brick pagodas in the south of the old city, a legacy of Nanzhao Tuodong. ## Best parks & lakes in Kunming Lakes, gardens and hills, most of them free or close to it. 1. **Green Lake Park** (Free · Wuhua): The city's living room, with gulls from November to March. 2. **Daguan Park** (Ticketed · Xishan): Lakeside park whose tower carries a famous 180-character couplet. 3. **Haigeng Dam** (Free · Xishan): Dianchi shore promenade and the best spot for the winter gulls. 4. **Black Dragon Pool Park** (Ticketed · Panlong): Springs, old plum trees and a Ming-era Taoist temple in the north. 5. **Kunming Botanical Garden** (Ticketed · Panlong): Founded in 1938, with camellias and magnolias across 44 hectares. 6. **Yuantong Hill** (Ticketed · Wuhua): The zoo hill, where Kunming's cherry trees bloom in March. ## Best museums in Kunming Four museums, from Dian kingdom bronzes to a wartime university. 1. **Yunnan Provincial Museum** (Free with passport · Guandu): Dian bronzes and the province's history. Closed Mondays. [Yunnan Provincial Museum](https://www.ynmuseum.org/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) 2. **Kunming Museum** (Ticketed · Guandu): Built around a carved Dali-kingdom sutra pillar, lit from above. 3. **Southwest Associated University Museum** (Free · Yunnan Normal University): The wartime university of Peking, Tsinghua and Nankai, 1938 to 1946. 4. **Yunnan Railway Museum** (Wed–Sun · Panlong): The French-built line to Vietnam, in the old Kunming North station. ## Best markets in Kunming Three markets that show what Yunnan grows, and how much of it. 1. **Zhuanxin Market** (Free · Wuhua): Hundreds of stalls of mushrooms, ham, tea and chillies. 2. **Dounan Flower Market** (Free · Chenggong): Asia's largest cut-flower trade, busiest after dark. 3. **Mushuihua Wild Mushroom Market** (Free · Guandu): China's largest wild mushroom wholesale hub, at its peak in July and August. ## Ethnic culture in Kunming Yunnan is home to 25 recognised minority groups. Three ways to meet their culture in town. 1. **Yunnan Nationalities Museum** (Free with passport · Dianchi): Costume, crafts and ritual of the province's peoples. Closed Mondays. [Yunnan Nationalities Museum](https://www.ynnmuseum.com/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) 2. **Yunnan Ethnic Village** (¥90 · Dianchi): Lakeside park of village sections, staged but useful as a primer. 3. **Dynamic Yunnan** (Ticketed · Dongfeng West Road): Yang Liping's song-and-dance show of Yunnan's peoples, staged since 2003. ## Best neighbourhoods in Kunming Four areas, from the lake to the last old lanes. 1. **Green Lake (Cuihu)** (Central · Wuhua): The best base: walkable, central, close to the old lanes. 2. **Laojie (Old Street)** (Central · Wuhua): Rebuilt late-Qing lanes near Zhengyi Road, with cafés and snacks. 3. **Wenlin Street** (Central · Wuhua): Student quarter by Yunnan University, with cafés and bars. 4. **Guandu** (South · Guandu): The old lakeside port, near the airport road. ## Best day trips in Kunming Six trips, from karst pillars to a Confucian town. Most work by train. 1. **Stone Forest (Shilin)** (¥130 · Shilin): Karst pillars, 22 minutes by D train to Shilin West plus a bus. [UNESCO](https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1248/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) 2. **Jiuxiang Caves** (Ticketed · Yiliang): A cave system of chambers and underground rivers near Yiliang. 3. **Dongchuan Red Land** (Drive · Dongchuan): Terraced fields of red earth, best on an overnight trip. 4. **Fuxian Lake** (Bus or drive · Chengjiang): One of China's deepest lakes, clear water near Chengjiang. 5. **Jianshui** (Train · Honghe): Confucian Temple and courtyard mansions, about two hours by train. 6. **Dali** (Train · Dali): The Bai old town on Erhai Lake, about two hours by D train. ## Festivals & annual events in Kunming (2026) - **Spring Festival** (Jan / Feb): Chinese New Year, on the lunar calendar. Trains out of Kunming sell out, so book early. - **Cherry blossom** (March): Yuantong Hill and Yuantong Temple bloom pink, with weekend crowds. - **Water-Splashing Festival** (Mid-April): The Dai New Year, marked in town at Yunnan Ethnic Village with water blessings. - **Wild mushroom season** (Jun–Sep): The rains bring the mushrooms. Markets and hotpot restaurants are at their best. - **Torch Festival** (Jul / Aug): The Yi summer festival, on the lunar calendar, celebrated with bonfires in Shilin. - **Mid-Autumn Festival** (Sep / Oct): The season for Yunnan ham mooncakes, sold all over the city. - **Kunming International Flower Expo** (September): The flower industry's trade fair, at the Dianchi International Exhibition Center. - **Gull season** (Nov–Mar): Black-headed gulls from Siberia winter on Green Lake and Dianchi. ## Must-try dishes in Kunming, China - **Crossing-the-bridge noodles**: Rice noodles cooked at the table in scalding chicken broth with raw slices. - **Small-pot rice noodles**: Xiaoguo mixian, cooked to order in a small copper pot with pork and chives. - **Steam-pot chicken**: Qiguoji, chicken steamed in a clay pot until it makes its own broth. - **Wild mushroom hotpot**: A summer broth of whatever the hills produced that week. - **Xuanwei ham**: Yunnan's dry-cured ham, fried, steamed or folded into pastry. - **Ham mooncake**: Yuntui yuebing, a crumbly pastry filled with sweet-salty Xuanwei ham. - **Flower cake**: Xianhua bing, flaky pastry filled with rose petals. - **Rubing**: Fresh goat's cheese of the Sani Yi, from Shilin, usually grilled or fried. ## Kunming transport & airports - **Kunming Changshui Airport** (KMG): About 25 km northeast of the centre. Metro Line 6 reaches the city in about 30 minutes; a taxi takes about the same. - **High-speed rail** (Rail): Kunming South serves most high-speed trains and the line to Vientiane; some Dali and Lijiang trains use the central Kunming station. Book on 12306 with your passport. [China Railway 12306](https://www.12306.cn/en/index.html?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) - **Metro** (Metro): Six lines link the centre, the airport, Kunming South and Chenggong. Fares are a few yuan, payable by app or card. - **Taxi and ride-hailing** (Taxi): Taxis are metered and cheap. DiDi works with a foreign card, and is easiest for the Bamboo Temple and the hills. ## Kunming at a glance - **Country:** China - **Region:** Capital of Yunnan province - **Population:** 8.69 million residents in the city region (end of 2024) - **Founded:** 765, as Tuodong in the Nanzhao kingdom - **Nickname:** Spring City - **Language:** Mandarin, with the Kunming dialect - **Currency:** Chinese yuan (¥, CNY) - **Time zone:** China Standard Time · UTC+8 - **Calling code:** +86 - **Airports:** KMG, about 25 km northeast - **Power:** 220V · Type A/C/I - **Emergency:** 110 police / 120 ambulance / 119 fire ## Interesting facts - Kunming was founded in 765 as Tuodong, a city of the Nanzhao kingdom. - At about 1,890 metres, the city rarely freezes or swelters, hence the name Spring City. - Black-headed gulls from Siberia have wintered on Kunming's lakes since the 1980s. - From 1938 to 1946, Peking, Tsinghua and Nankai universities ran here in exile as one university. - The China-Laos railway, opened in December 2021, runs from Kunming to Vientiane. ## Kunming travel FAQ ### How many days do you need in Kunming? Three. One for Green Lake, Yuantong Temple and the museums, one for the Western Hills and the Dianchi shore, and one for the Stone Forest. Add a fourth for Jiuxiang or the Bamboo Temple. ### When is the best time to visit Kunming? March and April for blossom and dry weather, and November for clear skies and the first gulls. Summer is the rainy season but brings the wild mushrooms. Avoid the Spring Festival and the October Golden Week, when trains and sights fill up. ### How do you get from Kunming to the Stone Forest? Take a D train from Kunming South to Shilin West, about 22 minutes, then the connecting bus to the gate. Book both legs on 12306 in advance. Entry is ¥130, and the electric cart inside is paid separately. ### Is Kunming a good base for Dali and Lijiang? Yes. D trains reach Dali in about two hours and Lijiang in a little over three. Check whether your ticket leaves from Kunming South or the central Kunming station: they are far apart. ### Do the museums in Kunming charge entry? The Yunnan Provincial Museum and the Yunnan Nationalities Museum are free with a passport and close on Mondays. Book a slot online before weekends and holidays. ## Nearby guides - [Lijiang](https://wimup.com/city/lijiang.md): China · 10 picks - [Sa Pa](https://wimup.com/city/sapa.md): Vietnam · 10 picks - [Hanoi](https://wimup.com/city/hanoi.md): Vietnam · 10 picks - [All of Asia →](https://wimup.com/asia): 105 cities Part of the [China guide](https://wimup.com/country/china.md) · [Asia](https://wimup.com/asia.md) ## Sources - [Kunming tourism board](https://www.km.gov.cn/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) - [Walk the karst towers of the Stone Forest: UNESCO](https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1248/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) - [See the Dian bronzes at the Yunnan Provincial Museum: Yunnan Provincial Museum](https://www.ynmuseum.org/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) - [Yunnan Nationalities Museum: Yunnan Nationalities Museum](https://www.ynnmuseum.com/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) - [High-speed rail: China Railway 12306](https://www.12306.cn/en/index.html?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) - Rankings are Wimup editorial picks. Prices, durations and budgets are editorial estimates, not live quotes; check the official site before you go.