丽江古城
A UNESCO-listed Naxi minority town of cobblestone canals and wooden architecture — best before 9am.
Lijiang Old Town (Dayan) is one of China's most genuinely beautiful historic urban areas — a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1997. The Naxi minority town of wooden buildings, cobblestone lanes, and willow-lined canal streets has been inhabited continuously for over 800 years. The surrounding mountain backdrop and the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain visible above the rooftops make it visually extraordinary. Visit at dawn for the experience without the crowds.
The old town is a 30-minute walk or short DiDi from Lijiang train station or airport. An entrance fee (¥80 per person) is charged once per stay — pay at the gates or information booths. Stay inside the old town for the best experience — guesthouses in the old town wake you to the sound of the canal. Morning visits before 9am are magical; afternoon visits are crowded.
Opening Hours
Old town: always open. Entrance fee collected 9:00am – 9:00pm.
Entry Fee
¥80 per person (charged once per stay, valid for the entire visit duration)
Address
Dayan Old Town, Lijiang City, Yunnan Province
云南省丽江市大研古城
Show these to locals — large Chinese text designed to be read at arm's length.
Show this to locals:
师傅您好，请送我去丽江大研古城，四方街附近。谢谢！
Hello, please take me to Lijiang Dayan Old Town, near Sifang Square. Thank you!
For your eyes only:
Sifang Square (四方街) is the main central square of the old town. The driver can drop you at the entrance closest to it.
Follow these guides to navigate each part of your visit.
Stay inside the old town in a Naxi courtyard guesthouse — this is essential for the dawn experience
Wake before 7am and walk the canal lanes before tourists arrive — this is the real Lijiang
Walk from your guesthouse toward Sifang Square (四方街) — the cobblestone streets are empty at dawn
Explore the Mu Family Mansion (木府) — the former Naxi chieftain's palace, open 8am–6pm (¥60)
Follow the watermill canal north of Sifang Square — the most photogenic stretch of the old town
Visit Black Dragon Pool Park (黑龙潭公园) for the famous reflection of Jade Dragon Snow Mountain in the water
Afternoon: browse the craft shops along Xin Yi Street for Naxi embroidery and Dongba script art
Wake before 7am for the dawn old town — it is extraordinary with almost no other visitors. This alone justifies staying inside the old town.
The ¥80 entrance fee is charged once per stay — keep your ticket or wristband as you may be checked multiple times.
Stay at least 2 nights — arriving and leaving the same day means missing the dawn magic entirely.
Black Dragon Pool Park is free to enter and has the most photogenic view of Jade Dragon Snow Mountain reflected in water.
Jade Dragon Snow Mountain
玉龙雪山
A 5,596m glacier massif above Lijiang — take the highest cable car in China to 4,506m.
Explore →Tiger Leaping Gorge
虎跳峡
One of the world's deepest gorges — a 2-day hiking trail along clifftops above the Yangtze.
Explore →Yuanyang Rice Terraces
元阳梯田
3,000 years of Hani agricultural engineering — the most extraordinary sunrise landscape in China.
Explore →Save all your travel cards, action guides, and reservations in one place — accessible offline anywhere in China.