 |
Kunming, which is situated in central Yunnan and north of the Dianchi
Basin, is skirted on three sides by mountains, with one side opening
onto the Dianchi Lake. The city is nicknamed "City of Spring"
due to the fact that it is covered all the year round with the rich
verdure of trees and plants. Endowed with a pleasant climate, the city's
15,000 square kilometres of land is adorned with more than 400 kinds
of flowers.
Kunming is world-famous for its abundance of camellias, orchids, azaleas
and Primula malacoides , which can be found in the Kunming Botanical
Garden, where 4,000 varieties of tropical and subtropical plants grow
profusely. Kunming is also a renowned historical and cultural city in
southwest China.
In ancient times it was an important gateway to the celebrated Silk
Road which conducted to Tibet, Sichuan, Myanmar and India.
The city's highland scenery is alluring, its karst landform is bewitching.
Its people are known for their varied and exotic habits and customs,
and its land is pockmarked with historical artifacts, places of cultural
interest, and gardens landscaped with a picturesque taste. Among the
major scenic spots of Kunming are the Dianchi Lake, the Cuihu Lake,
the Village of Ethnic Culture, the Jindian (Golden Temple) Park, the
Western Mountain Forest Reserve, the Stone Forest, the Jiuxiang Scenic
Belt, the Yuantong Mountain, the Grand View Pavilion, and the Qiongzhu
Temple.
| 
|
Bank:
Post
office:
1. 昆明市邮电局工人新村邮电所 安康路80号
2. 西山区邮电局宏盛达邮电所
3. 新迎北区邮电局 】新兴路65号
4. 邮电局白龙路邮电所 白龙路163号
5. 邮电局学府路邮电代办所 学府路91号
6. 云南省邮电局双龙商场邮电支局 北京路134号
7. 中国邮政东郊路邮电局 】东郊路19号
8. 中国邮政云艺邮电局 】昆瑞路
Hospital:
Police
Station:
please dail 110
Airport
Kunming Wujiaba International Airport has managed to connect the city
with other places within Yunnan, in China, and even around the world.
Flights are available to most major Chinese cities such as Beijing (3
hours), Shanghai (2.5 hours), Chengdu (1 hour), Guangzhou (1 hour),
Guilin (1.25 hours) as well as international destinations such as Hong
Kong, Bangkok, Singapore and Kuala Lumpur. Flights to regional Yunnan
tourist destinations (Baoshan, Jinghong, Lijiang, Manshi, Xiaguan and
Zhaotong) are generally available. The airport is 5 km south of the
city center (Dongfeng Square). To get to the airport by taxi usually
costs about RMB15 and takes 20 minutes. Bus No. 52 runs from Daguan
Tower via the main railway station to the airport. Also, bus No.67 runs
by the north railway station via the main railway station. Lastly, bus
No.78 runs between the airport and the north railway station via the
municipal government building. Most of the above buses are available
from 6am to 10pm. There is no money exchange service at the airport,
but there are ATMs that accept the Bank of China's Changcheng card and
most international cards. However, there is a Bank of China branch opposite
the the arrival gate with a credit card service (3% processing fee),
traveler's check exchange (0.75% fee) and other money exchange services.
Railway
station
There are two railway stations in Kunming. The main railway station
(also known as Nanyao station) is located about 4 km from the city,
a RMB10 taxi ride that takes about 15 minutes. Apart from bus lines
that link the railway station with the airport, bus No.68 runs to the
Expo '99 Garden and bus No.80 runs to the Xiyuan bus station. Most hotels
in Kunming have rail ticket booking services. The main railway ticket
office is at 19 Kubshi Lu not far from the Nanjing Hotel. There, tickets
can be arranged from 8am-5:30pm (with a long lunch break).Yunnan tourist
trains:Kunming to Shilin (Number 202): 8:28am-9:55am Returning (Number
201): 3:20-4:47(RMB20 for a one-way ticket and RMB30 for a roundtrip
ticket)Kunming to Dali (Number 213): 10:10pm-6:45amReturning (214):
7:42am-10:50pm (RMB50 for a hard seat ticket and 85 for a hard sleeper
middle bunk)Kunming to Yuxi (Train 208): 5:48pm-7:58pmReturning (Train
207): 10:54am-8:31amThe Northern Railway station might be useful for
those seeking a further trip to Vietnam. Be careful as it is impossible
to get a Vietnamese visa in Kunming, a visa has to be arranged beforehand
in Guangzhou or Beijing or other parts of the world. The railway station
is 3 km from the city to the north. A taxi will get you there for RMB10
in 15 minutes. Bus No.25 and bus No.64 both run to the northern station
(and the main Nanyao rail station as well) and bus No.78 runs between
the northern rail station and the airport.
Bus
station
There are four major long distance bus stations in Kunming:A. The South
station is directly opposite the Nanyao railway station on Beijing Lu.
This is Kunming's major bus station and has bus routes to most regional
destinations. There are two classes of bus generally available here:
the cheaper Regular and the faster and more luxurious Gaokuai (literally
"Highway Express"). The station is well managed and ideal
for all manner of tourists.B. The Railway station square bus station
has buses for most destinations in Kunming, although it is less organized
with more private buses that have less fixed schedules. Most of the
buses here are normal coaches and are cheaper than Gaokuai buses. Buses
to Shilin and Jiuxiang start here, but the best way to reach these places
is by train, as the buses on this route tend to pick up as many tourists
as possible along the way and the supposed 2 hour drive invariably ends
up being at least 4 hours. C. The Western station used to be the second
largest bus station in Kunming, but is currently the third largest after
the Huangtupo Station. Buses run to most regional destinations from
here. The station is well managed. D. Huangtupo station is growing bigger
every day , but since this station is far from the city and most bus
routes are not to tourist destinations, (with only two sleepers to Zhongdian
departing at 3 PM and 7 PM, probably stopping in Lijiang and Dali),
it is not widely used by tourists.
city
transport
The fare for public buses is RMB1 throughout Kunming. Most of the buses
in the city start at 6am and end at 10:30pm. Passengers should stand
close to the door if they want to get off, otherwise, the driver may
simply not stop. Some buses also have an English recording that calls
out the names of stops. Taxi fares in Kunming are RMB8 for the first
3 km and RMB1.8 for each additional km (RMB9.6 and RMB2.7 after 10 PM).
For a trip longer than 10 km, the part after 10km is charged RMB2.7/km.
Bicycle rental is another option in Kunming. The Camellia Hotel (RMB2
per hour and RMB10 for a day) is a good choice. Also, the Friendship
Travel Agency in the Kunming Hotel rents, but for a slightly higher
cost. A third choice is the Kunhu Hotel on Beijing Lu near the railway
station charging the same price as the Camellia.
Food
Shopping
Entertainment |