How to Get to & around Lijiang: by Flight, Train, Coach & Bus

Lijiang Airport, also called Lijiang Sanyi Airport, is the second largest airport in Yunnan after Kunming Changshui International Airport. Lijiang Airport has flights from Kunming, Chengdu, Beijing, Shanghai, Guilin, Xian, Chongqing, Changsha, Guiyang, Lhasa, Hangzhou, Wuhan, Nanjing, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Xiamen, Xishuangbanna and more cities. International flights can connect Lijiang with Hong Kong, Taipei, Bangkok, Singapore, Seoul and more regions.

Lijiang Airport is about 29 kilometers from Lijiang Old Town. You can take a taxi (usually 80-100 Yuan) or outside the arrivals hall you will find the airport bus to the old town.

Address: Sanyi Village, Qihe Town, Gucheng District, Lijiang City (丽江市古城区七河镇三义村)

▶ Learn more about: How to Get from Lijiang Airport to Lijiang Old Town

Taking a bus or long distance coach to get to Lijiang is a cheap but time-consuming way. It is mostly chosen by Independent travelers. Long distance coaches or buses are connecting Lijiang with Shangri-La (about 3.5-4 hours), Dali (about 3 hours), Jianchuan, Baoshan, Lugu Lake (5-6 hours), Tiger Leaping Gorge (about 2 hours), Kunming (about 8-9 hours), and more destinations.

Lijiang Bus Station is located in the south of Lijiang Old Town, about 1.4 kilometers within several minutes’ by walking.

Address: No. 25, Kangzhong Road, Gucheng District, Lijiang City (丽江市古城区康仲路25号)

Kunming is situated in the southeast of Lijiang, with a distance about 517 kilometers. Travelers can get to Lijiang from Kunming either by high speed train (bout 3-3.5 hours) or by flight (about 1 hour). Taking a high speed train is more popular than taking a flight.

By High Speed Train

There are about 6 high speed trains running from Kunming Railway Station to Lijiang Railway Station. The earliest one starts at 07:14 and the last one departs at 17:22. The whole train riding takes about 3-3.5 hours. If you are in budget, you can board a normal train which departs from Kunming at night and arrives in Lijiang in the early morning that you can save one night accommodation fee. This overnight train takes about 9 hours.

To check the real-time high speed train schedule from Kunming to Lijiang, you can turn to Kunming to Lijiang High Speed Train Schedule >>

▶ 5 Days Kunming Lijiang High Speed Train Tour (Kunming / Lijiang)

By Flight

If you prefer to take a flight from Kunming to Lijiang, there are 5 daily flights (two in the morning, one at noon and two at night) are available. It takes off from Kunming Changshui International Airport and lands at Lijiang Sanyi Airport. It takes about 1 hour and 10 minutes. Since it needs to head to Kunming Airport two hours in advance and this airport is far from Kunming downtown area, many travelers choose to take a high speed train instead of taking a flight.

▶ 5 Days Kunming Lijiang Minority Tour (by Flight) (Kunming / Lijiang)

▶ Learn more about: How to Get from Kunming to Lijiang | How to Get from Lijiang to Kunming

Shangri-La is located in the northwest of Lijiang City, with a distance about 120 kilometers. Taking a private car is the most recommended way to transfer between Lijiang and Shangri-La. The reason is that Tiger Leaping Gorge (a must-visited attraction in Yunnan) is in situated on the border of Lijiang and Shangri-La, that you visit it during the driving.

By Car

To drive from Shangri-La to Lijiang, you would spend about 3.5-4 hours to drive for about 180km long way. To drive from Shangri-La to Tiger Leaping Gorge, it needs about 2 hours. And the drive from Tiger Leaping Gorge to Lijiang, it takes about 1.5 hours.

By Bus

Distance coaches are the most frequent transfer method to go between Lijiang and Shangri-La. From 08:00 to 18:00, there are comfortable coaches departing from Shangri-La Bus Terminal (香格里拉客运站) to Lijang Bus Terminal (丽江客运站) , which needs about 4 hours for the whole way.

▶ Learn more about: Transportation between Lijiang and Shangri-La

Lijiang to Tiger Leaping Gorge

Tiger Leaping Gorge is in the northwest of Lijiang, about 78 kilometers away. If by car, it takes about 1.5 hours to get there. If you are independent travelers, you can take a bus from Lijiang Bus Station and arrive at Hutiaoxia Town. The distance between Hutiaoxia Town and Upper Tiger Leaping Gorge is about 12 kilometers that you need to hire a car for the transfer. It takes about 2-3 hours. Taking a bus is not recommended.

▶ Learn more about: Tiger Leaping Gorge & Its Highlights, Hiking, Transportation

▶ 4 Days Tiger Leaping Gorge Hiking Tour with Lijiang Highlights