Dali to Lijiang train: how many trains, how long, how much
The fastest train is C323: it leaves Dali (大理) at 07:00 and reaches Lijiang (丽江) at 08:36, 1h36m. That comes from the 12306 search for 14 October 2026, made on 6 October 2026. Trains, times and fares change by date, so treat the numbers below as a snapshot of one day, not a fixed timetable.
The search returned 10 trains, all from Dali to Lijiang. On 6 October 7 of them were on sale: six C trains and one Y train. Two more Y trains (Y767 and Y763) were not yet on sale; their sale was due to open at 08:00 on 9 October. One more train was listed as suspended because of a timetable adjustment. That search also showed discounts: only C321's fares were discounted that day (30% off in second class), so fares vary by train and date.
| Train | Leaves Dali | Reaches Lijiang | Time | Second class | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C323 | 07:00 | 08:36 | 1h36m | ¥80 | Fastest |
| C985 | 07:45 | 09:35 | 1h50m | ¥80 | Goes on to Shangri-La |
| C987 | 09:58 | 11:57 | 1h59m | ¥80 | Goes on to Shangri-La |
| C377 | 11:47 | 14:15 | 2h28m | ¥80 | Baoshan to Shangri-La |
| Y759 | 13:40 | 18:00 | 4h20m | Check 12306 | Y train |
| C325 | 16:35 | 19:05 | 2h30m | ¥80 | Slowest C train |
| C321 | 18:18 | 20:19 | 2h1m | ¥56 (30% off) | Last C train |
The other C-train classes that day: on the five trains with no discount, first class ¥127 and business class ¥239; on C321, first class ¥89 (29% off) and business class ¥167 (30% off). A standing ticket cost the same as second class. The ¥56, ¥89 and ¥167 fares were C321's discounted fares only, with higher full fares for those seats; the other five C trains charged ¥80, ¥127 and ¥239 without a discount.
Y759 is the only Y train that was on sale. This page has no fare for it, so look it up on 12306 for your date. Y767 ran 08:17 to 10:45 (2h28m) and started at Xishuangbanna (西双版纳) the day before. Y763 ran 12:58 to 15:57 (2h59m) and started at Baoshan (保山).
C trains or Y trains: what is the difference?
In this search the C trains were the quick ones, 1h36m to 2h30m, and sold second class, first class, business class and standing tickets. The Y trains took 2h28m to 4h20m. If you want to be in Lijiang fast, we'd pick a C train.
A Y train is a tourist train. A 2024 People's Daily article, reposted on China Railway's site on 7 November 2024, describes one of them, Y752. It calls Y752 an ethnic-culture tourist train: double-decker, all sleepers, not fast. It leaves Kunming every night and reaches Lijiang next morning. In the daytime the train number changes and it runs between Lijiang and Dali. That article is about Y752 only. It does not say whether Y759 is the same train or what seats it has, so don't assume the double-decker sleeper carriages.
Dali railway station: where it is and how to get there from Dali Old Town
On 12306 the station is simply Dali (大理). A Dali Prefecture government bus page, published on 16 December 2024, names the stop 下关（火车站）, Xiaguan (railway station). So Dali station is in Xiaguan, not in the Old Town.
The same page lists three routes between the station and the Old Town:
- Bus 4 goes via the Old Town South Gate (大理古城南门) to the Three Pagodas stop, 大理古城（崇圣寺三塔）.
- Bus 8 goes via the Old Town East Gate (大理古城东门) and ends at the Old Town bus depot (大理古城公交车场).
- The tourist express (旅游快线) goes via the South Gate to the Three Pagodas stop.
The page lists each route starting from the station, so read the stop signs for direction. It gives no fares, first or last bus, frequency or ride time. More on the town itself is in our Dali travel guide.
Lijiang railway station: how to get to Lijiang Old Town
Lijiang Station is in Yulong Naxi Autonomous County (玉龙纳西族自治县). China Railway's 2023 news item gives its altitude as 2,400 m and says it was an existing station when the Shangri-La line opened. That item gives no distance from the station to Lijiang Old Town, and Lijiang's government page names no bus number or route for the trip. So there is no ride time or typical fare here.
What Lijiang's municipal government page (Lijiang Transport Bureau, 16 August 2023) does give is general:
- City buses: first bus 07:00, last bus 21:00. Suburban buses run until 19:00. The page does not say which kind serves the station. C321 arrives at 20:19.
- Metered taxis: ¥8 for the first 2 km, then ¥2.6 per km. At night (23:00 to 07:00) it is ¥9 for the first 2 km, then ¥3 per km. These are the rates as published in 2023.
Going into the Old Town? It can charge a maintenance fee; see Lijiang Old Town fee. For the rest of the trip, see the Lijiang travel guide.
How to buy a Dali to Lijiang train ticket with a foreign passport
On 12306's English FAQ, foreign passengers can buy real-name tickets with valid passports, and the 12306.cn English website accepts only valid foreign passports that can be used under the relevant regulations. E-tickets are sold on 12306.cn or the 12306 app, at station ticket counters, on automatic ticketing machines or through ticket agencies. Choose Dali (大理) as the start and Lijiang (丽江) as the destination.
- Search your date on 12306 and pick a train from the list above.
- Buy with the passport you will travel on. The step-by-step is in how to buy 12306 train tickets and 12306 passport verification.
- At Dali station, show the same ID you used to buy the ticket to enter the station and again to board.
The FAQ says a ticket is valid only for the date and train printed on it. It also warns of queues at the security check, ID verification and the ticket gate, so leave enough time. Plans may change: see 12306 refund and change fees. Carrying a power bank? Read power bank rules for trains.
Coming from Kunming first? See Kunming railway stations and Kunming to Dali by train.
Is the Dali to Lijiang train the same line as the one to Shangri-La?
Partly. The Lijiang–Shangri-La railway starts at Lijiang Station and joins Shangri-La Station (香格里拉). China Railway's news item of 24 November 2023 says it opened on 26 November 2023 and that Kunming can reach Shangri-La directly via Dali and Lijiang. It does not describe the Dali–Lijiang section itself.
In the 12306 search above, three trains continue past Lijiang: C985 and C987 start at Dali and run on to Shangri-La (12306 spells it Xianggelila), and C377 runs from Baoshan to Shangri-La. At opening in 2023 the fastest times to Shangri-La were 4h30m from Kunming, 3h58m from Dali and 1h18m from Lijiang. Those are opening-time figures, not today's timetable. At opening, passenger service ran at Lijiang, Lashihai (拉市海) and Shangri-La stations, and Xiaozhongdian (小中甸) handled passengers and freight.
For the onward leg, see Lijiang to Shangri-La by train.
