The Kunming-Lijiang train line is a very popular train route in China as Lijiang is one of the top destinations. There are no high-speed trains for this route. As the capital of the Yunnan province, Kunming is the transportation hub for the province.
Kunming to Lijiang trains
The best trains from Kunming leave late at night and arrive early in the morning. Some daytime trains are faster but it means wasting a whole day sitting in a train rather than visiting. It is more convenient to travel while you sleep and have more time to visit. Also note that most trains also stop at Dali, another interesting place to visit in Yunnan. If going to Dali, it is better to take K9626 as the other overnight trains stop in Dali in the middle of the night. K9626 stops in Dali at 6h42, just on time to visit the local market.
For this route, train K9682 and K9686 have a special VIP compartment, a compartment for up to 3 people. Two people can book the whole cabin; even if you are a single traveler and wish to have your own private room. You just pay for the whole compartment. If you are a group of 3 people, it is perfect as the cost is about the same as taking soft sleepers. We don’t show VIP option in our website schedule, but if you put VIP in the special request, we will check for you.
VIP compartment – ¥669 (for up to 3 passengers)
Soft sleepers – ¥217 (upper) – ¥226 (lower)
Hard sleepers – ¥141.5 (upper) – ¥147 (middle) – ¥152 (lower)
Hard seats – ¥89
Kunming to Lijiang timetable
| Train # | Dep. | Arr. | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| K9612 | 9:39 | 17:47 | 8 h 08 min |
| K9682 | 11:44 | 19:07 | 7 h 23 min |
| K9606 | 21:04 | 6:05 | 9 h 01 min |
| K9686 | 21:20 | 6:43 | 9 h 23 min |
| K9616 | 21:45 | 7:10 | 9 h 25 min |
| K9602 | 22:23 | 8:35 | 10 h 12 min |
| K9626 | 23:31 | 9:55 | 10 h 24 min |
Lijiang to Kunming trains
Traveling back from Lijiang to Kunming, you face similar choices. We find that many people like to take a day train to return to Kunming to enjoy the scenery. For Lijiang to Kunming, trains K9688 and K9684 offer the VIP cabin.
The fares for these trains are as follows:
VIP compartment – ¥669 (for up to 3 passengers)
Soft sleepers – ¥217 (upper) – ¥226 (lower)
Hard sleepers – ¥141.5 (upper) – ¥147 (middle) – ¥152 (lower)
Hard seats – ¥89
Lijiang to Kunming timetable
| Train # | Dep. | Arr. | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| K9608 | 8:00 | 15:50 | 7 h 50 min |
| K9688 | 9:20 | 16:18 | 6 h 58 min |
| K9618 | 20:00 | 5:02 | 9 h 02 min |
| K9614 | 21:10 | 5:31 | 8 h 21 min |
| K9684 | 21:50 | 6:41 | 8 h 51 min |
| K9604 | 22:50 | 9:03 | 10 h 13 min |
| K9628 | 23:50 | 9:41 | 9 h 51 min |
Watch this video about normal trains
Learn more about:
– High-Speed China trains
– Normal China trains
– Classes of travel on China trains
– China train stations
China train travel Tips
– How to buy train tickets
– How to pick up your train tickets
– Peak travel times to avoid
– How to read a train ticket
– Luggage on China trains
– Child discounts