By plane:
Kunming Wujiaba International Airport has managed to connect the city with other places within Yunnan, in China, and even around the world. Flights are available to most major Chinese cities such as Beijing (3 hours), Shanghai (2.5 hours), Chengdu (1 hour), Guangzhou (1 hour), Guilin (1.25 hours) as well as international destinations such as Hong Kong, Bangkok, Singapore and Kuala Lumpur. Flights to regional Yunnan tourist destinations ( Baoshan, Jinghong, Lijiang, Manshi, Xiaguan and Zhaotong ) are generally available.
The airport is 5 km south of the city center (Dongfeng Square). To get to the airport by taxi usually costs about RMB15 and takes 20 minutes. Bus No. 52 runs from Daguan Tower via the main railway station to the airport. Also, bus No.67 runs by the north railway station via the main railway station. Lastly, bus No.78 runs between the airport and the north railway station via the municipal government building. Most of the above buses are available from 6am to 10pm.
There is no money exchange service at the airport, but there are ATMs that accept the Bank of China's Changcheng card and most international cards. However, there is a Bank of China branch opposite the arrival gate with a credit card service (3% processing fee), traveler's check exchange (0.75% fee) and other money exchange services.
By train:
There are two railway stations in Kunming.
The main railway station (also known as Nanyao station) is located about 4 km from the city, a RMB10 taxi ride that takes about 15 minutes. Apart from bus lines that link the railway station with the airport, bus No.68 runs to the Expo '99 Garden and bus No.80 runs to the Xiyuan bus station. Most hotels in Kunming have rail ticket booking services. The main railway ticket office is at 19 Kubshi Lu not far from the Nanjing Hotel. There, tickets can be arranged from 8am-5:30pm (with a long lunch break).
Yunnan tourist trains:
Kunming to Shilin (Number 202): 8:28am-9:55am
Returning (Number 201): 3:20pm-4:47pm
(RMB20 for a one-way ticket and RMB30 for a roundtrip ticket)
Kunming to Dali (Number 213): 10:10pm-6:45am
Returning (214): 7:42am-10:50pm
(RMB50 for a hard seat ticket and RMB85 for a hard sleeper middle bunk)
The Northern Railway station might be useful for those seeking a further trip to Vietnam. Be careful as it is impossible to get a Vietnamese visa in Kunming, a visa has to be arranged beforehand in Guangzhou or Beijing or other parts of the world. The railway station is 3 km from the city to the north. A taxi will get you there for RMB10 in 15 minutes. Bus No.25 and bus No.64 both run to the northern station (and the main Nanyao rail station as well) and bus No.78 runs between the northern rail station and the airport.
