Exploring the Old Town of Lijiang in Yunnan China

After an adventurous day hiking up the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, you’ll likely want to take a rest the following day, and what better way to relax than to walk through the historical Old Town of Lijiang shopping, and in my case, eating your way through the hundreds of Yunnanese street food stalls!

With hundreds of street food vendors, clothing shops, souvenir stalls, bars, and music clubs, the Old Town of Lijiang is actually a trendy place amongst the younger generation despite its ancient and traditional vibe. So come with me as I bring you to explore the stone-paved maze-like streets of the Old Town of Lijiang!

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A UNESCO World Heritage Site

Like the Dali Ancient City (which to be honest, I prefer to the Old Town of Lijiang…), the Old Town of Lijiang (officially known as Dayan Old Town) is also classed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. And while the Dali Ancient City is an actual city with a proper infrastructure and services to support living in there, the Old Town of Lijiang is more of a nightlife/walking street for tourists and locals alike.

The Old Town of Lijiang was active around the 12th century AD and it was (and is) a popular trading and commercial hub along the ancient Old Tea Horse Caravan Trail. Much like the other cities in the Yunnan region, the culture of the Lijiang is a combination of the local Nakhi people as well as the Han Chinese who settled in the region. If you’re interested to learn more about Nakhi history and culture, there are is a museum/learning center you can visit at the Lijiang Black Dragon Pool Park, which is another famous tourist attraction in Lijiang and also very conveniently within walking distance from the the Old Town of Lijiang :)

I’ve mentioned that the streets of the Old Town of Lijiang is maze-like, yes, I’m not exaggerating. The Old Town of Lijiang takes up 7.3 Square Kilometers of space and it’s very confusing to navigate. I found myself lost in the many alleys of the town a couple of times. It’s even more scary because I was with a tour group and we only had a certain amount of time to explore, so uhh definitely don’t wanna get lost in here…

Google Maps doesn’t help either by the way :)

That’s another things to note, Google Maps data isn’t very up to date in Yunnan.

Hotel Recommendations in Lijiang Old Town

Personally, I think staying at a hotel near the Old Town of Lijiang is a great idea as most of Lijiang’s major attractions are concentrated around this area. And considering the Old Town of Lijiang has vibrant nightlife scene with bars and music clubs, you might want to book an accommodation nearby to experience the nightlife culture. Here are some hotels in Lijiang Old Town that I recommend:

Lijiang Muqian Hotel - If you’re willing to splurge, the Muqian Hotel provides excellent accommodations, included breakfast, and a establishment that is elegantly decorated.
Lijiang Lize Graceland Merry Inn - For a comfy yet traditional feeling hotel, this inn boast clean modern rooms combined with very charming traditional Chinese decorations
Xilu Xiaoxie Inn - For a budget friendly option, the hotel that I stayed at was this inn, and I love it so much, friendly staff, clean and comfy rooms, and a very home-y feel. Feels like staying at your Chinese aunty’s home.

Let’s Explore the Lijiang Old Town!

Old Town of Lijiang waterwheels — *I’m not sure if these water wheels serve a purpose or if it’s just for show*

The first thing you’ll probably see when you first step foot into the Old Town of Lijiang are these waterwheels, they are an iconic landmark of the Lijiang Old Town.

While cool, I honestly think the more iconic thing is the building behind the waterwheels with its imposing design structure.

Here is where the streets split into various paths, to the right of the waterwheels is the Bar street which I will talk about later down the blog post.

While tea shops are vintage antique stores are plentiful, the main reason people (especially the younger generations) come here are for the bar street as well as the various chic, trendy cafes and restaurants that line the stone paved streets of the Lijiang Old town.

The area where these things are most concentrated is the Sifang (Square) Street, a large open area where the roads split.

What I also noticed, similar to the Dali Ancient City, is that there are A LOT of people dressing up in traditional ethnic clothing and having their photos taken by professional photographers. I even saw a lady making dressed in very revealing “ethnic” clothing dancing for TikTok… I ummm… not sure if that’s acceptable but sure…

What I find fascinating is that in addition to shops and vendors selling your usual modern products and foods, there is also a large array of shops selling teas.

Large round compact disks of Pu-Er tea lined the walls of these traditional tea shops. I was thinking about purchasing some to bring back home but these guys are EXPENSIVE. That’s not to say they are overpriced or anything, I meant that these are the real deal, high quality, locally sourced tea.

Sort of like buying speciality coffee beans (which I am more familiar with), I’m not really deep into the tea rabbit hole so my knowledge of teas aren’t that great, but if you are interested then the Old Town of Lijiang has your tea needs covered.

Old Town of Lijiang bar street — *Is there a reason why these paper lanterns are pink? I feel like there is a meaning behind their color*

Branching off to the right side of Sifang Square is the Bar Street that I mentioned before. The visuals of this alley is totally different to the rest of the Old Town of Lijiang, here the streets are more cramped, with a shallow river flowing through the middle dividing the 2 sides of the street.

The atmosphere is different as well, the shops and bars are decorated with much more vegetation and you can’t miss the glowing pink paper lanterns hung on the roofs of all these traditional wooden buildings.

Despite all the fancy traditional decor, the insides of some of these bars are wild.

Loud music, check.

A stage and poles for dancers, check.

Bright colored spotlights, check.

Those machines that produces smoke that you see in concerts, check.

An a disco ball, check.

The people here really know how to party, yeah you could find a more chill bar/pub style establishment to just enjoy a couple of drinks but why would you?

Lijiang Old Town Nightlife

Old Town of Lijiang nightlife — *Ancient traditional architecture combined with neon lights is a vibe that I never knew I needed*

This leads on to exploring the nightlife of the Old Town of Lijiang. When the sun sets, the neon lights come out. It’s certainly a different vibe to what you would see during the day time. I’m not much of a nightlife person but I think it’s worth checking out the Old Town of Lijiang during sundown, especially for the atmosphere and the view.

While a lot of the shops might be closed, the ones that are open are mainly street food stalls, turning the Old Town of Lijiang into a vibrant street food night market.

Lijiang Black Dragon Pool

Another famous attraction in Lijiang that I want to mention is the Black Dragon Pool that is located right next to the Old Town of Lijiang (within walking distance). I wrote another blog post about My Visit to the Lijiang Black Dragon Pool if you are interested in reading.

Basically this place is one known to be one of the great views of China where you can see the Jade Dragon Snow Mountains in the background, the views are incredibly stunning and a quick visit wouldn’t hurt.

And as previously mentioned, you can also learn a bit more about the culture of the Nakhi people here.

Details About Old Town of Lijiang

The Old Town of Lijiang is a 1000+ year old UNESCO World Heritage Site located in Lijiang City. This walking district is famous for its traditional architecture as well as a perfect relaxing ambience. Filled to the brim with shops and street food vendors, when the sun sets, the district becomes a nightlife hub for locals as well as tourists alike.

Location: Gucheng District, Lijiang, Yunnan, China, 674100

Opening Hours: 24 Hours | Mon - Sun

How to get to the Old Town of Lijiang

The Old Town of Lijiang is located right in the center of Lijiang City so assuming you are already located there, you can take a Taxi directly there, price depends on where you are starting from.

If you would like to use public transport, you can take the Train from Lijiang Railway Station to the Lijiang Old Town. The public bus No. 4 and No. 104 can also take you directly there.

Looking for Things to Do in Yunnan, China?

6 Day Shangri-La in Dali, Lijiang, Yunnan Tour - Encountering Cangshan Erhai Lake & Climbing Jade Dragon Snow Mountain & Viewing Rizhao Jinshan Mountain
5 Day Once in a Lifetime Yunnan Tour - Yubeng Village, Ancient Temples, Rizhao Jinshan Mountain

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