Overview
Take a trip to Kunming on your China Vacation
Kunming is the capital and largest city of the Yunnan Province and is located in the southwest of the country on China tours. Nearing the border of southeastern Asian countries, Kunming serves as a transportation hub, linking by rail to Vietnam and by road to Burma and Laos – playing an important role in China’s trade.
Although being the gateway to the Silk Road and having a nearly 2400-year history, Kunming only really started developing in the early 20th century, after it built its first railroad to Hanoi. Since then it was also used as a Chinese military centre during World War II, an American air base, and a transport terminus for the Burma Road.
Furthering in its development, Kunming has fast become Yunnan’s economic, political, and cultural centre. An industrious complex filled with universities, museums and galleries, Kunming has been designated as a special tourism area, as construction of new hotels and high-rises continue to be seen on tours to China.
In spite of constant development, part of Kunming’s history consists of an old, previously walled city, as well as Yuantong Temple, first built in the 8th and early 9th century during the Tang Dynasty and considered Yunnan’s most important Buddhist temple.
Known as ‘The City of Eternal Spring, Kunming sports an ideal climate for China travel. Flowering throughout the year, Kunming is situated in the middle of the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau, at an altitude of 1,900 metres above sea level and at a latitude just north of the Tropic of Cancer.
A variety of historic sites, a fascinating city centre, famous local restaurants, and beautiful scenery make Kunming an interesting place to visit.
In spite of constant development, part of Kunming’s history consists of an old, previously walled city, as well as Yuantong Temple, first built in the 8th and early 9th century during the Tang Dynasty and considered Yunnan’s most important Buddhist temple.
Known as ‘The City of Eternal Spring, Kunming sports an ideal climate for China travel. Flowering throughout the year, Kunming is situated in the middle of the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau, at an altitude of 1,900 metres above sea level and at a latitude just north of the Tropic of Cancer.
A variety of historic sites, a fascinating city centre, famous local restaurants, and beautiful scenery make Kunming an interesting place to visit.
At a Glance
Languages
MandarinCurrency
Chinese Yuan (CNY)What do the experts say?
It is very enjoyable to travel in China by high-speed train, but you should avoid travelling during the National Holidays from October 1 to 7 and from May 1 to 4, as they get extra busy.
Jinxian Road in Shanghai is a small road but full of superb, Michelin-recognized restaurants. I highly recommend visiting here on your travels to China.
China's many beautiful natural sights and rich cultural areas are what I love most about visiting. Some of my personal favourites are Yunnan's Shangri-La, Xinjiang, Zhangjiajie, and the 5 Great Mountains.
Razor rock mountains at Stone Forest National P...
YuanTong Temple - the biggest buddhist temple i...
An ancient arch
The Stone Forest
Daguan Park
Most Popular Time to Travel
Know when to go.
Place
Conditions
Daily max temperatureMonthly rainfall
KunmingOccasional Showers
30°C / 86°F
48mm / 1.9"
Weather data is based on monthly averages.Popularity rating
-
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ExcellentBased on 5,194 ReviewsElisa planned our trip. We were met at the airport by Paul who drove us to Arusha. Adam, our guide and driver was with us the whole trip and was very knowledgeable about the country and the animals & birds we encountered. Accommodations were excellent, meals were delicious and the Tanzanian people we met at each location were so kind and welcoming. A wonderful trip.pat vickersWe had a wonderful trip to Peru for 11 days organized by Goway. Overall the trip was great, we loved our guides throughout, some of the hotels were truly amazing and it was helpful having everything organized and having a point person to ask questions and check in while we were there.
Some main highlights were:
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2) Cusco especially the Hotel Aranwa Cusco. The hotel was incredible, excellent service, modern updates, it was a true highlight of the trip. Cusco itself was also a highlight, loved our half day tour, plus getting ideas for our guide on what else to see in our free time and where to eat.
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Eric Paul SchatzelShalini at Goway Travel was super helpful arranging our dream trip to Greece. We suggested locations and sights we wanted to see and she modified the trip perfectly for us. Working with local guides, securing transfers and accommodations as needed. Great hotels, private transfers, perfect locations, and she listened to all of our "wants" to make sure our trip was truly customized. Made for an amazing trip!Lorena BarettaEasy to work with . The reservationist gave me several options in a timely manner.Rita AllenWe used Goway on our 32 day vacation to New Zealand and Australia. The person I worked with on planning the vacation was really helpful. The way they let you plan a vacation allows for lots of flexibility. You don't have to go with one tour the whole time. We saw a lot and they tailored it to what we were interested in. All the hotels were great and in good locations. Most of the tours were good but we would have preferred to spend a little more time exploring on our own in Sydney. The only thing we were not happy with is the customer service while we were there. Hard to get a hold of and some of the instructions were not clear/ accurate. That was a little stressful. Good value for the money. Dawn Krafft HawkinsWe travelled to Morocco for 10 days, 9 nights, booked through GoWay- they used an excellent local tour company- Cynab. GoWay booked our flights with a stopover Paris, so we did a weekend on our own with family, then transfer to Morocco. Because dates of small group tours didn't work, we booked a private tour for 2, and it wasn't much different in price from small group. Everything went smoothly from start to finish. We were picked up in Casablanca and dropped at Marrakech airport 10 days later with the same driver the whole way. He was a very good driver, always told us what time to expect him next morning and was there like clockwork. Local guides were met along the way for tours of Medinas of Fes, Marrakech and Essouria. The trip was spectacular. Saw many beautiful sites. All the hotels were great- first night at Villa Mandarine in Rabat, with orange trees in the garden, the Oz Palace in Ouarzazate and the Merzouga luxury desert camp were paticularly special. The Jaal Riad in Marrakech was a beautiful hotel and a good one to relax by the pool our last day after our busy travel days. In Fes, the Merides up on a hill was a great respite from the intensity of a day walking through the Fes Medina. NIce to sit on the terrace and watch the sun go down and the lights come up. Although the days were packed, the hotels were always an oases of calm at end of day, and because we didn't need to do any navigating, it was very relaxing. Be prepared to be shown alot of artisan shops- its interesting to see and important to contribute somewhat to the economy, but I sometimes felt a bit pressured to buy, but we ended up with a reasonable amount of souvenirs and not a big cost compared to the trip. Overall a highly memorable trip, we felt very welcome in Morocco, people are very warm and hotel staff treated us royally. We felt very safe and comfortable the whole time. As someone with IBD, I was impressed I had no tummy troubles the whole time. The driver stopped at great places for lunch, and with the private tours in the city we could tell the guide when we wanted to stop and they always suggested a great place. Food was excellent throughout. A tour arranged dinner on a roof top restaurant in Marrakech was particularly special, with a gorgeous sunset and the waiters sang! The meal in the Sahara desert camp was also particularly special. Highly recommend this tripTWHello and Happy Travels.
I have been working with Isabella Luu for
two separate trips, one has traveled. They absolutely loved everything put together by Isabella.
She has been knowledgeable and helpful answering all questions I and clients have had. The work she put into these trips has shown by the ease of the clients travel.
Nothing says more than a Happy Client with smiles and a desire to rebook. THANK YOU Isabella. 04Dawn White Dream VacationsGreat Support throughout the process. Booking travel is a team sport these days and Allan was a supportive teammate in arranging a wonderful holiday for my clients!DellaAllan from Goway is fantastic to work with. He is always quick to respond, highly professional, and very friendly. I know I can count on him for excellent service every time.
He has helped us with multiple Europe travel trips for our clients, and every one of them has gone smoothly. I truly appreciate the reliability, communication, and care Allan provides, and I look forward to continuing to work with him in the future.AphroditeExcellent service! Farnaz did a wonderful job of coordinating detail. She had spot on recommendations and applied our wants and desires into a fantastic tripTommy Thompson
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