昆明市

Why this place

Kunming sits on a plateau at 1,900 metres, which gives it the mildest climate of any provincial capital in China — hence 'Spring City'. It is the gateway to Yunnan's minority regions and to the mountains and rice terraces of the south, and it holds two unusual natural sights of its own.

What to see

• The Stone Forest (Shilin) — a karst maze of limestone blades, two hours east
• Dianchi Lake and the Western Hills, with the Dragon Gate cut into the cliff
• Cuihu Park, with the red-beaked gulls that winter in the city centre
• The Yunnan Provincial Museum, for the Dian kingdom bronzes and the province's minorities
• The flower market at Dounan — Asia's largest, open overnight

What to eat

• Crossing-the-bridge noodles (guoqiao mixian) — Yunnan's signature dish, assembled at the table
• Wild mushrooms, in season from June to September — a serious local passion
• Yunnan coffee, which is now genuinely good; and the local ham, Xuanwei
• Steam-pot chicken and the Dai and Bai minority dishes

How to plan

Two days in the city and the Stone Forest, then onward to Dali, Lijiang or Xishuangbanna.

Best time

March–May and October–November; the climate is pleasant all year

Practical tips

• Mushroom season (June–September) is the best time to be a food traveller in Kunming — but only eat at restaurants that know what they are doing