Kunming

Baohai Park

宝海公园

The park covers an area of 250 mu (16.67 hectares) and is one of Kunming's largest modern parks. It features camphor, azaleas and other native plants.

Closed · opens 8 am·¥5

Black Dragon Pool Park

黑龙潭公园; Hēilóng Tán Gōngyuán

Black Dragon Pool Park is a rare large garden, is the Kunming plum resort, known as the" Longquan exploration plum". The" Tang Mei" legend from Nanzhao transplant, with the tranquility Caoxi Temple" Yuan Mei" is considered to be Yunnan's most precious Gu Mei. The park features trees that are rare, not only because of their scarcity in the area, but also for their astounding age and size.

Closed · opens 8 am·Entry is pricey at ¥20 per person per day;

Burma Road History Museum

滇缅公路历史博物馆

A museum about the Burma Road. The museum was founded by Chen Daya, the author of a book about the Overseas Chinese drivers and mechanics who came to China to work on the Burma Road. The museum does not have a lot of artefacts, but has many photographs, illustrations and models. The most valuable and authentic item on display is an old case used for carrying items along the Burma Road. If you understand Mandarin, a friendly guide dressed in period costume can give you a free tour of the museum. A signed copy of Chen's book (published in Chinese only) can be purchased from the museum gift shop.

Free

Daguan Pavilion

大观楼; Dàguānlóu; lit. Grand View Pavilion

Daguan Park in the western part of Kunming races the Dianchi Lake in the south and the Western Mountains in the west. The pavilion, with a history of more than three hundred years, is a three-floor square structure with flying eaves and golden-lacquered ornamentation. The top floor of the pavilion provides an all-embracing view of the vast Dianchi Lake and the peaks of the Western Mountains. A 180-character couplet is hanging down the pavilion, which is lauded as the number one couplet past and present. The park is the most fascinating garden in urban Kunming.

Closed · opens 7 am·¥20

Dianchi Lake

滇池湖 (Diānchíhú); also known as Kunming Lake or Kunming Pond or Dian Pond

Plateau lake with improving scenery. Historically, a pearl on the Yungui Plateau, the ecosystem was severely damaged in the 1960s by conversion of wetland into farmland. Great efforts are made starting from the 1990s to reverse this damage. Today the northern tip of the lake is gated by a series of causeways. Trawlers are working around the clock to purify the water. The best places to see the lake are along (观景路) and (海埂公园) near the Yunnan Nationalities Village (listed above). Here you can see tourists holding up snacks to feed flyby seagulls, opposite of the lake here is the Western Mountain. The lake proper is 40 by 8 km and is 1,886 m above sea level. It is the largest lake in Kunming. Traditional fishing boats still sail on the lake.

Dragon Gate

龙门, Longmen

The Dragon Gate is the most famous sight here, it is built on the steep rock hills, which was cut in the years from 1781. On March 3, every lunar year, hundreds of Kunming people crowd up to the hills for celebrating their traditional distinguished gathering called Spring Touring, dancing and singing on the green western hills.

Entrance to the Dragon Gate is an additional ¥30, a golf cart ¥12.5, and the lift for ¥25

Fulintang Drugstore (Bi'anguo Branch)

福林堂(彼岸国药店)

Opened in 1857, this is the oldest established drugstore in Kunming. The traditional style building has remained largely unchanged since the 19th century and has been included on China's national heritage list. As of April 2026 the structure was closed and looked dilapidated.

Guandu Ancient Town

官渡古镇

An historic town that was founded during the Tang Dynasty and was once part of the kingdoms of Nanzhao and Dali. A number of old buildings are preserved here, including several temples.

Open all day·Free

Jacarandas blossom at Jiaochang Middle Road

End of April and May jacaranda trees blossom all over the city. Jiaochang Middle Road (教场中路 Jiaochang Zhong Lu) is a popular spot for viewing them.

Jindian Park

昆明金殿公园; Kūnmíng Jīndiàn Gōngyuán; lit. Kunming Golden Temple Park. Other names include Jindian National Forest Park 金殿国家森林公园 and Jindian Scenic Area 金殿名胜区

The park, sprawling for more than 133.3 hectares on the Mingfeng Mountain, is a national forest reserve comprising natural scenery mingled with sites of historical interest and man-made gardens. Some 12% of the surface are lakes or ponds. On the Mingfeng Mountain stands the exquisite and serene Golden Temple, 6.7 meters in height and 7.8 meters in width, and cast of 250 tons of solid bronze. It is the largest bronze hall in China.

Closed · opens 7:30 am·The park is free to visit. A trip on the cable car to the World Horti-Expo Garden may be purchased for ¥40

Jingxing Street Flower and Bird Market

景星街花鸟市场; Jǐngxīng Jiē Huāniǎo Shìchǎng

If purchasing cute little puppy dogs, live crickets, birds, live bird food, tortoises and other things creepy, crawly and/or fluffy is your thing then it is here to be had... along with a few flowers and a great many trinkets. The most obvious stalls begin where Wuyi Road meets Dongfeng West Road but other sellers can be found on other streets within the district.

Kunming Botanical Gardens

昆明植物园; Kūnmíng Zhíwùyuán

These gardens are 12 km from Kunming proper and, together with the Black Dragon Pool Park (黑龙潭公园), constitute a national scenic area. The gardens have introduced precious flowers, traditional medicinal herbs, important trees and endangered plants of the province. Also they have cultivated many plants for domestication and the protection of their migration. The gardens have collected some 4,000 species of plants and established 10 special plant gardens and experimental districts. The camellia garden is unique in the country and has collected 40 species of camellias. Yunnan Province boasts more than 100 species of camellia. These gardens were one of the earliest gardens to collect the cedar.

Tue-Sun 09:00-17:00·¥10 (West Garden), ¥5 (East Garden)

Kunming City Museum

昆明市博物馆; Kūnmíngshì Bówùguǎn

A simple museum whose main attraction is a central pillar taken from an old temple (now destroyed) and other relics from the Dian Kingdom (a tribute state of the Western Song dynasty). A large part of the museum is taken up by a series of shops selling fossils/minerals (many of the fossils are fakes) plus overpriced Chinese paintings, textiles, porcelains and some furniture.

09:30-17:00, no entry after 16:30·Free, including a tour

Kunming Flying Tigers Memorial

昆明飞虎队纪念馆

The Flying Tigers were fighter pilots — officially called the American Volunteer Group — who fought the Japanese in China through much of World War II, both before and after the US entered the war. Despite a whole range of problems, they shot down several hundred enemy planes. Kunming was one of their main bases.

Tu-Su 10:00-17:00, no entry after 16:30·Free

Kunming Planning Exhibition Hall

昆明规划馆

A public exhibition hall presenting Kunming's urban development, construction achievements and future planning through models, multimedia displays and interactive exhibits. Free guided tours are offered at 10:00 and 14:30.

Tu-Su 09:00-17:00; last entry 16:30·Free

Kunming Pump House

昆明自来水厂泵房旧址

As a result of droughts parching Yunnan, the reservoirs surrounding Kunming are of vital importance. The specter of Kunming's taps suddenly running dry is of great concern for residents. The two-room "History Museum of Kunming Water Supply" (昆明市自来水历史博物馆) is inside the Green Lake Park, and is housed in the building that once pumped 1,000 m³ of water daily from Green Lake's spring-fed Nine Dragon Pond (九龙池) and along a 9.5-km network of municipal water pipes. The pump station was completed in 1917 and started operating in 1918. It continued to be used until 1957. The current museum still contains what appear to be the two original French-made electric water pumps, along with a small collection of old photos and other curios, such as tokens that could be used to buy water from any of the more than 50 public water taps that were part of the system.

Wed-Sun 09:30-16:30·Free

Kunming Walk

Kunming Walking Tours

Small-group guided walking tour (up to 6 people) through Green Lake (Cuihu) and the old university quarter, focusing on Kunming's history of foreign influence. Covers the French-built Yunnan–Vietnam railway, a poet and professor turned activist Wen Yiduo, and the wartime National Southwestern Associated University (Lianda) where two future Nobel laureates studied. In English. Book via the website.

Wed & Sat 10:00, 3 hours; other days by appointment·$30 per person

Kunming Zoo

昆明动物园; Kūnmíng Dòngwùyuán

The Zoo was built in 1953 and has over 300 species. There is a peacock garden, butterfly enclosure, aviary and aquarium. In spring the zoo is reputed to be a sea of flowers, in particular the blossom of cherry trees and weeping Chinese crab apple trees. Overall the zoo is a pleasant enough place but with a slight air of weariness and decay about it. Local people also use it as a place for performing exercise or playing cards and mahjong.

07:30-18:30, no entry to large animal section after 16:30·¥20 for general entry with a further ¥80 for the circus

Kunming Zoology Museum

昆明动物博物馆; Kūnmíng Dòngwù Bówùguǎn

Anybody interested in Yunnan's animals through the ages could spend a couple of hours here. The museum is adjacent to, and indeed shares a compound with, a university science campus. The exhibits are arranged on five floors starting with dinosaurs, fossils and skeletons on the ground floor and working up to a tropical rain forest replica on the uppermost floor. There are sections with preserved fish and amphibians, stuffed animals and preserved insects. The exhibits seem to concentrate on creatures that are, or were, to be found in Yunnan. Most exhibits are labelled in English and Chinese but the longer explanations and information boards are generally Chinese only. Overall it is a pleasant, clean, museum with the exhibits well presented and usually well lit. It is not really an interactive museum; there is plenty to point at and peer at but not much to do. There is a small table offering mementos for sale but otherwise no shop. Nor is there any onsite catering.

Closed · opens 9 am·¥40

National Southwestern Associated University Site

国立西南联合大学旧址

The National Southwestern Associated University was a wartime amalgamation of Peking University, Tsinghua University and Nankai University. It was established in Changsha in 1937 following the occupation of university campuses in Beijing and Tianjin by Japanese forces and was originally known as the Changsha Temporary University. In 1938, the university relocated to this site in Kunming following heavy air raids on Changsha and continued to operate here until the end of the war. The site, which is now part of Yunnan Normal University, is a national level heritage site and is open to the public.

Open all day·Free

Qiongzhu Temple

筇竹寺; Qióngzhúsì; lit. Bamboo Temple

An amazing work of art hidden in a temple several kilometers up in the mountains encircling Kunming. For the most part, it is a normal temple, but in one room, there is a series of sculptures that is an incredible work of art. A mixture of life-like figures in totally fantastical positions (man whose eyebrows grow down to the floor, monks riding giant fish), this is some trippy artwork that is worth the trip.

Closed · opens 8:30 am·¥10

Stone Forest

石林; Shílín

This is a UNESCO listed site of remarkable karst geography. Good weekend or day trip and lots to see. Visit early to avoid crowds.

Tanhua Temple

昙华寺; Tánhuàsì; also known as Tanhua Nunnery 昙华庵

Built in 1634. According to historical records, before the temple was erected, there had been a thatched shack where Shi Shiqiao, a scholar of the Ming Dynasty, buried himself in books. Shi Tai, grandson of Shi Shiqiao, donated the estate for the shack whereon the temple was built. In the backyard there was an epiphyllum tree, which is called tanhua in Chinese, hence the name. The temple went through many renovations during the Qing Dynasty. It is well-known for its flowers and plants. It has been a scenic spot for more than three hundred years, and an epitome of Kunming, the Flower City of the Southern Frontier. The epiphyllum tree was planted in the side court of the depository of Buddhist Scriptures. There is a stone tablet on which four characters are carved The Epiphyllum Brings Luck. After the erection of the temple, the original epiphyllum withered and died. The epiphyllum now standing taller than the eaves of the temple sprang from the root of the original one at the beginning of the Qing Dynasty, and is about 300 years old. It bursts into flowers in mid-summer. The big loquat tree in the backyard is said to have been planted in the early Ming Dynasty. In the South Garden there are flowers and rockeries with winding paths among the flowers and the zigzagging corridor surround the Lotus Pond, where you can watch fish. The East Garden is shaded by tall cedars and cypresses and include seven smaller gardens and a Children's Playground. The old temple has resumed its original grandeur. It has become one of the most famous scenic spots in Kunming.

Closed · opens 7 am·Free

Victory over Japan Memorial Hall

抗战胜利纪念堂, 抗战胜利堂, Anti-Japanese War Memorial Hall

Completed in 1947, this was one of the first war memorials to be commissioned in China following the end of the Second World War. It is now a national heritage site.

Open all day·Free

Western Mountains Forest Reserve / Xishan Scenic Area

西山森林公园 Xīshān Sēnlín Gōngyuán

The forest reserve on the west bank of the Dianchi Lake consists of the Huating, Taihua and Luohan Mountains, which extend for more than 40 km at an altitude of 2,500 m. This is a colossal natural forest reserve, its lofty chain of mountains crisscrossed by gurgling brooks and streams. Ancient trees heap up rich piles of foliage, and birds warble and flutter in the midst of fragrant flowers. Viewed from the southeast corner of Kunming, the entire forest reserve looks like a beautiful maiden reclining leisurely by the Dianchi Lake, her long hair quivering in the limpid water. Hence the nickname of the Western Mountains Forest Reserve peak, Sleeping Beauty.

Mon-Fri 08:30-17:00, Sat Sun 08:00-17:30·Entry to the park is free but there is a fee to enter the Dragon Gate (see below)

World Horti-Expo Garden

世界园艺博览园

The garden was constructed for the 1999 Kunming International Horticulture Exposition but is still in use and displays a wide variety of plants. It attracts many locals who can buy annual tickets at a fraction of the cost charged to foreigners, and is a popular site for wedding photographs.

Closed · opens 8 am·The garden is free to enter. A ticket for the cable car to Jindian park may be purchased for ¥40

Yuantong Temple

圆通寺; Yuántōngsì

With a history of more than 1,200 years, Yuantong Temple is the grandest and most important Buddhist temple in Yunnan Province. King Yimouxun of the Nanzhao Kingdom built the temple in late eighth century. The restorations from the Qing Dynasty onward has not changed the unique mixed architectural style of the Yuan and Ming Dynasties. Unlike all other Buddhist temples, you enter Yuantong Temple from above and descend along a gently sloping garden path. A memorial archway with four Chinese characters is standing halfway. The temple complex is built around Yuantong Hall, which is surrounded by a very large pond. A delicate stone bridge which has an elegant octagonal pavilion stands in the center and connects the hall and the temple entrance. The pavilion is connected to the rest of the complex by various bridges and walkways. Sakymuni, Amitabha and the Medicine Buddha, all Yuan Dynasty statues, are found in the main hall. The surrounding 500 Buddhist Arhats which are carved in the walls are noted for their perfect proportions and lively appearances. Also in this temple hall are two ten metre high pillars from the Ming Dynasty, each engraved with a dragon trying to extend their bodies and claws into the air. Outside, on each side of the main hall, there are stone staircases carved out of the mountainside and wind their way to the top of the hill. There are ancient inscriptions along the way and various stone artworks considered the most important historical relics in Kunming. From the top of the stairs, you are presented with a terrific panoramic view of the entire complex. In 1982, Thai Buddhists sent a 3.5 metre copper statue of Sakymuni, which is now placed in the Copper Buddha Hall combining Chinese and Tai styles. Surrounding the temple pond are a series of halls where you will find old women praying, people sitting and chatting, ongoing classes in Buddhist scriptures, a magnificent calligraphy studio, an exhibit of temple photographs, a temple shop, a restaurant

Closed · opens 6 am·¥6

Yunnan Art Museum

云南美术馆

Occupies the building where the Yunnan Provincial Museum (listed below) used to be.

Closed · opens 9 am·Free

Yunnan Grand Theatre

云南省大剧院

A major performing arts venue in Kunming with a large theatre, concert hall and multifunctional theatre. It hosts dance, opera, drama, concerts and other stage performances.

Yunnan Literature and Art Museum

云南文学艺术馆

An arts and cultural exhibition center presenting visual art, literature and other forms of Yunnan culture. It hosts permanent and temporary exhibitions as well as cultural events.

09:00-16:30; closed Mondays