Dali Old Town

大理古城

A square old town within Ming-dynasty walls, with Fuxing Road, Renmin Road and Foreigners' Street, where Bai-style houses mix with cafés and bookshops, making it the heart of Dali's travel-and-stay culture

The Dali Old Town was first built in the 15th year of the Hongwu reign of the Ming dynasty (1382), near the former capital of the Nanzhao and Dali kingdoms. Its walls measure about 6 km around, and the north and south gate towers and the east and west gates still stand. The streets inside form a grid. Fuxing Road is the main north–south street, and Renmin Road and Foreigners' Street (Huguo Road) run east–west and are the busiest.

Highlights include the South Gate Tower (free; you can climb the city walls for views over the old town and Cang Mountain), the Wenxian Tower, the Wuhua Tower (a four-storey pavilion in the centre of the old town from which you can see in all directions), Foreigners' Street (a backpacker hub from the 1980s, now a strip of bars and cafés), Renmin Road (the lower section is a night market of local vendors and craftsmen, representative of Dali's travel-and-stay culture), the Bedsheet Factory Art District (a creative park converted from old factory buildings on the east side of the old town, with an independent bookshop and exhibitions), and the Dali Catholic Church, a blend of Chinese and Western styles in Bai architectural form.

The old town is free and open 24 hours. A suggested route runs from the South Gate to Fuxing Road, the Wuhua Tower, Renmin Road, Foreigners' Street and the Bedsheet Factory, taking about 3–4 hours. In the evening, head to the South Gate Tower to watch the sunset light up Cang Mountain, then stroll through the Renmin Road night market.

Getting there: take bus No. 8 from Dali station for about 50 minutes, or take a taxi for about 30 minutes. The airport shuttle to the old town takes about an hour. Non-local vehicles are not allowed inside the old town, but your guesthouse can help you find parking.

Note: the quality of guesthouses in the old town varies widely, so check for noise insulation. Renmin Road is very crowded during holidays. You can try rushing cheese (rushan), baked rice cakes, grilled rice noodles and sour and spicy fish in the snack street or local restaurants in the old town. Cycling from the old town to Caicun Wharf takes about 20 minutes.

Dali Old Town

Opening hours

Nearby sights

Places to eat nearby