By air

Changshui International Airport, opened June 2012, in Kunming is the biggest airport in Yunnan. The airport is located 30 kilometers northeast of downtown Kunming.
Kunming has non-stop service from Beijing, Guangzhou, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Chengdu, Xiamen, Chingqiing and other Chinese cities.
In addition to expanded domestic flight services, the airport is expected to further internationalize the city with direct links to Europe, the Middle East, South Asia, Southeast Asia and possibly Australia and the Americas.
Subway, shuttle bus, and taxi are available to the downtown area. The first phase of Subway Line 6 is into operation between the airport and East Bus Station and runs from 09.00 to 19.10 on an interval of 25 minutes. Duration 23 minutes and cost 5 Yuan. Tickets can be purchased from bilingual ticket machines.

 

Europe - Kunming

From Europe, you can fly to Kunming. You have to transfer either in Guangzhou, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Beijing or Chengdu. Chengdu can be reached directly from Schiphol airport - The Netherlands.

 

Southeast Asia - Kunming

Changshui International Airport also serves flights to, among others, Laos (Ventiane), Thailand (Bangkok and Chiang Mai), and Vietnam (Hanoi). There is even a direct flight between Bangkok and Jinghong.

 

Within Yunnan province

Kunming airport serves several cities in the province. There are (daily) flights between Kunming and the cities Dali (Xiaguan), Lijiang, Baoshan, Tenchong, Shangri-La (former Zhongdian), Lhasa and Jinghong as well as less known destinations such as Dehong, Wenshan, and Zhotong.
The city Jinghong can also be reached by a direct flight from Beijing, Chengdu, Dali, Lijiang, Chingqiing and Shanghai (Hongqiao), Bangkok (Thailand).

 

By train

Traveling by train might be the other experience. Railroad tracks offer spectacular sceneries, with long bridges and sometimes endless tunnels.
Available seats:
Hard seat (Yingzuo, YZ): cheapest tickets, 110 seats per carriage.
Soft seat (Ruanzuo, RZ): seldom available.
Hard sleeper (Yingwo, YW): a sleeping carriage for both traveling during day or night. There are 6 beds per compartment (without a door), and 66 beds per car.
Soft sleeper (Ruanwo, RW): this is also a sleeping carriage. There are 4 beds per compartment that can be closed.

 

China - Kunming

A railroad connects Kunming and Guilin, around 900 km east of Kunming.
Kunming can also be reached by train from central China via Guiyang in the province Guizhou. From the province north of Kunming, Sichuan, a railway track leads from Chengdu to Kunming.

 

Kunming - Dali

Since July 2018 Dali has a fast train connection with Kunming. There are 33 trains per day in both directions. Depending on the number of stops, the fast train takes almost 2 hours to reach Dali New City, while the slowest train takes 2.5 hours. There aren't any night trains. Fast train connections become more and more important to tourists traveling within the province.
The costs range from Rmb 123 to 145 for second class seats. The price varies between Rmb 196 and 231 rmb for first class seats. Some trains also have business class seats for Rmb 433.

From Vietnam, the border crossing is from Lao Cai, Vietnam, to Hekou, China. The rail route from Hekou to Kunming remains closed, so the only public transport option is by bus or private car. The ride lasts roughly 10 hours.

 

Yunnan - Hanoi

The Chinese part of the French built a narrow-gauge railroad between Kunming and Hanoi got closed in 2005. Thus, take a bus to get to Hekou at the border. Here you can cross the border to Lao Cai and take the train to Hanoi.
There is a railway from Hanoi to Nanning in Guangxi province, and one from Nanning to Kunming.

 

By bus

All cities and villages are accessible by bus. In general, the easiest way to reach your destination is to travel to the nearest big city, change buses and maybe change again. There are normal buses, express buses, and night buses.

 

Kunming - Dali

There are several bus stations in Kunming. Each station serves its own destinations. Every hour, a bus leaves between Kunming and Dali. It will take you around five hours, a break en route included. There are also express buses available, that also depart every hour. You will be slightly faster; the trip might last around four hours.

 

Kunming - other provincial places

The travel distance in time between Kunming and Lijiang is around seven to eight hours. Kunming - Zhongdian might take you twelve hours.

 

Laos - Yunnan

There are multiple roads between Laos and Yunnan. Coming from Luang Namtha in Laos, bus services are available to Jing Hong in Xishuangbanna. In Luang Prabang (Laos) a bus leaves daily at 7:00 am and arrives at the long distance bus station in Kunming the next day around 5 or 6 am. That depends on the driver. The condition of Laos's roads are at times of lesser quality and definitely mountainous. Not everybody can handle the discomfort that comes along with it. But, the road gets smoother in China, which improved its road conditions.