Dali Old Town

Dali Old Town (Dali Gucheng) is a lovingly preserved walled city on the Yunnan plateau, built at 1,900 metres between the Cang Shan mountain range and Erhai Lake. The town's stone streets, whitewashed courtyard houses, and four ancient gate towers date to the Ming Dynasty, though Dali's history as a political centre of the Bai people stretches back to the 8th-century Nanzhao Kingdom. Today the old town is home to a relaxed café culture, Bai handicraft markets, Tie-dye workshops, and the weekly market where minority peoples from surrounding villages converge to trade. Foreigners' Street (Yangren Jie) offers the densest concentration of guesthouses and bars, but quieter lanes further in retain an authentic village feel. Cycling the lakeside road to the Three Pagodas is one of the most popular half-day trips, and the old town makes an excellent base for exploring the entire Dali basin.