大理白族自治州

Why this place

Dali was the capital of the Bai kingdom of Nanzhao and then of Dali, and its old town sits between Erhai Lake and the Cangshan mountains with a wall of snow behind it. It is the most relaxed of Yunnan's old towns, and the Bai minority culture — tie-dye, three-course tea, festivals — is intact.

What to see

• The old town and its gates, and the Three Pagodas of Chongsheng Temple at its edge
• Erhai Lake — cycle or drive the ring road, and take a boat to the fishing villages
• The Cangshan mountains, with a chairlift and a long ridge walk
• Xizhou and the Bai market towns, with their painted courtyard houses
• The Dali stone forests and the Shaxi old town on the old tea-horse road

What to eat

• Bai cooking: 'rushan' (fried milk fan), 'xizhou baba' and the local river fish
• Erhai lake fish and shrimp, cooked sour and spicy
• Three-course tea — bitter, sweet, then aftertaste, served in sequence

How to plan

Three days: old town and Three Pagodas, Erhai ring road and Xizhou, Cangshan.

Best time

March–May and September–November; winter is clear with the best mountain views

Practical tips

• The lake's ring road is excellent by bicycle or scooter — the west shore villages are the nicest