Lijiang

March to early June and September to early November. Spring is mild with cherry blossom and clear views of Jade Dragon Snow Mountain; autumn brings golden poplars at Black Dragon Pool and crisp afternoons. Avoid Chinese Golden Week (first week of October) and Spring Festival — the old town doubles in density. Winter is quiet and beautiful, just bring a layer for nights below freezing.

The old town gets busy after 4pm, but mornings and the back lanes are still magical. We route around the obvious bottlenecks — using the quieter east entrance, breakfasting in Shuhe instead of central Dayan, and basing you in a Naxi-courtyard boutique stay where you can come and go on your own rhythm. The villages around the Lashi wetlands and the Naxi mural circuit hold their soul completely.

Two days for the old town, Black Dragon Pool, and a half-day in Shuhe. Add a third for Jade Dragon Snow Mountain or a Lashi Lake horse ride, and a fourth if you want to drive the Tiger Leaping Gorge road on your way north to Shangri-La. Most guests build Lijiang in as a 3-night base for the wider region.

Direct flights from Kunming (50 min), Chengdu (1h 40), Shanghai, Beijing, and most major Chinese hubs land at Lijiang Sanyi (LJG), 28km south of the old town. From overseas, the cleanest route is fly into Kunming or Chengdu, then transfer same-day. We build airport pickup, transfer, and check-in into every itinerary so you're never figuring out a Chinese taxi after a long-haul flight.