Black Dragon Pool Park
On the northern edge of town is Black Dragon Pool Park; the view from here of Jade Dragon Snow Mountain is an obligatory photo stop in southwestern China…
Getty Images/AWL Images RM
Lijiang
How popular is this time-locked place? Lijiang’s (丽江, Lìjiāng) maze of cobbled streets, rickety (or rickety-looking, given gentrification) wooden buildings and gushing canals suck in over eight million people a year. So thick are the crowds in the narrow alleys that it can feel like they've all arrived at the same time.
But remember the 80/20 rule: 80% of the tourists will be in 20% of the places. Get up early enough and you can often beat the crowds. And when they do appear, that’s the cue to hop on a bike and cycle out to one of the nearby villages.
Explore Lijiang
- Black Dragon Pool Park
On the northern edge of town is Black Dragon Pool Park; the view from here of Jade Dragon Snow Mountain is an obligatory photo stop in southwestern China…
- LLijiang Old Town
The old town is centred on busy and touristy Old Market Square, with the Waterwheel defining the northern edge and the lively Zhongyi Market marking the…
- LLion Hill
Towering over the west side of Lijiang's Old Town, Lion Hill's 23 hectares of park land are a pleasant diversion. The obvious high point is the panoramic…
- Jade Dragon Snow Mountain
Jade Dragon Snow Mountain soars to some 5596m, and the massif's thirteen peaks dominate the skyline of the surrounding regions. Undeniably beautiful, the…
- MMu Family Mansion
The home of a Naxi chieftain, the Mu Family Mansion was heavily renovated (more like built from scratch) after the devastating earthquake that struck…
- MMuseum of Dongba Culture
The Museum of Dongba Culture houses displays on Naxi dress and culture, Dongba pictographic script, Lijiang's old town and the dubious claim that the…
- DDongba Cultural Institute
The Dongba Cultural Institute is part of a renovated complex on the hillside north of the old town. Here you can see Naxi cultural artefacts and scrolls…
- OOld Market Square
The heart of the old town.
- WWhite Horse Dragon Pool
Ancient pool still used by the locals to wash veggies from the nearby market and clothes from surrounding homes. The White Horse Dragon Pool Temple next…
Top attractions
These are our favorite local haunts, touristy spots, and hidden gems throughout Lijiang.
See
Black Dragon Pool Park
On the northern edge of town is Black Dragon Pool Park; the view from here of Jade Dragon Snow Mountain is an obligatory photo stop in southwestern China…
See
Lijiang Old Town
The old town is centred on busy and touristy Old Market Square, with the Waterwheel defining the northern edge and the lively Zhongyi Market marking the…
See
Lion Hill
Towering over the west side of Lijiang's Old Town, Lion Hill's 23 hectares of park land are a pleasant diversion. The obvious high point is the panoramic…
See
Jade Dragon Snow Mountain
Jade Dragon Snow Mountain soars to some 5596m, and the massif's thirteen peaks dominate the skyline of the surrounding regions. Undeniably beautiful, the…
See
Mu Family Mansion
The home of a Naxi chieftain, the Mu Family Mansion was heavily renovated (more like built from scratch) after the devastating earthquake that struck…
See
Museum of Dongba Culture
The Museum of Dongba Culture houses displays on Naxi dress and culture, Dongba pictographic script, Lijiang's old town and the dubious claim that the…
See
Dongba Cultural Institute
The Dongba Cultural Institute is part of a renovated complex on the hillside north of the old town. Here you can see Naxi cultural artefacts and scrolls…
See
White Horse Dragon Pool
Ancient pool still used by the locals to wash veggies from the nearby market and clothes from surrounding homes. The White Horse Dragon Pool Temple next…
Guidebooks
Learn more about Lijiang
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