Kunming was the first city I visited in China, I flew in from Kuala Lumpur. I was interested in the landscapes and culture of Yunnan so I decided to enter Kunming instead of more popular cities like Shanghai or Beijing.
As the provincial center of Yunnan, Kunming is one of the most developed cities in the region. It's tourism is also rising because of the developments taking place. There are plenty of historic and cultural attractions in the city that could easily fill your itinerary.
Places of Interest
Dianchi Lake
I didn't actually go to the lake but saw it during chair lift ride in West Hill. Dianchi Lake is the biggest freshwater lake in Yunnan.
Western Hills
The Western Hills are a popular outdoor destination. It has hiking and walking trails that takes you through the dense forest. There are also beautiful flowers and overlooking views of the city. Other places of interest include the Dragon Gate, Huating Temple and Taihua Temple
Temples
Like many cities in China, there are plenty of temples in Kunming. The Golden Temple was one of the places I visited during my stay in the city. The temple dates all the way back to the Ming Dynasty.
Day Trips
Stone Forest
If you have time or are interested, the Stone Forest is a possible inclusion to your itinerary. Click here for my post about it: Stone Forest.
Getting Around
Getting around the city is easy there are many buses and a handful of metro lines (and more currently under construction) to take you from point A to point B. Many of the attractions in the city have bus and metro stations within walking distance.
How to Go to Kunming
There are no direct flights from Manila to Kunming, the airport you'd have to enter is via Guangzhou. However, there are direct flights from other parts of Southeast Asia such as Kuala Lumpur. From Guangzhou there are trains that travel to Kunming regularly, whether bullet train or overnight one. There are also other trains coming from different parts of the country, you can check schedules here: www.trip.com.
Onward Destination
Kunming is a possible jump-off point to other parts of the region. Since it is a transportation hub there are trains and buses going elsewhere such as:
Expenses
*Everything's in Chinese Yuan unless otherwise stated
245.5 - Food
50 - Round trip airport shuttle from
69 - Transportation
150 - 4 nights at Cloudland Youth Hostel
88 - Combo ticket for the Dragon Gate and West Hill
25 - Combo ticket for Huating and Taihua Temples
30 - Entrance fee for the Golden Temple
70 - Utilities
223 - Overnight bus to Shangri-La
68 - Round trip express bus to Stone Forest from Kunming
175 - Entrance fee for Stone Forest
25 - Car transportation in Stone Forest
1,218.5 - Total
