Lijiang

Lijiang sits at about 2,400 metres in the highlands of northwest Yunnan, and you notice it on the first staircase. The reward for the thinner air is one of China's most atmospheric places: Dayan, a UNESCO-listed Naxi old town of cobbled lanes and canals fed by mountain springwater, with the 5,596 m Jade Dragon Snow Mountain filling the northern horizon. Plan two things before you arrive, both covered below: your snow-mountain tickets and a day to acclimatise.

Dayan old town, and the quieter ones next door

Founded more than 800 years ago and inscribed by UNESCO in 1997, Dayan grew without a city wall, its lanes following the land and the flow of water diverted from Black Dragon Pool. Climb Lion Hill for rooftop views over the sea of grey tiles, visit the Mu Palace (Mufu), seat of Lijiang's hereditary Naxi chieftains, and let yourself get lost; every lane eventually drains back to Sifang Street, the old market square. A town maintenance fee is charged at entrances to the old town (one payment covers a full year, with exemptions for children and seniors); keep the receipt, as some sights ask to see it.

By day the workshops sell hand-beaten copper, silver and Naxi embroidery; by night the lanes fill with music and lanterns. When the crowds wear you down, Shuhe Old Town and the fresco-filled village of Baisha deliver the same tiled-roof charm at half the volume, both an easy taxi ride north.

Jade Dragon Snow Mountain: book before you fly

The Glacier Park cable car climbs from 3,356 m to 4,506 m, where a boardwalk continues toward a viewing platform near 4,680 m, about as high as most travellers will ever stand without mountaineering. Getting a slot is the hard part. Tickets are time-slotted and tied to your passport name, and official sales run through Chinese-language WeChat mini-programs that release slots 7 days ahead at 8pm; in the April to October peak they can go within minutes. The workable routes for foreigners: book the cable car through Trip.com in English with your passport details, join a guided day tour (Klook lists several), or try the manual ticket window at the visitor centre with your physical passport. Entry uses passport plus face scan, so carry the real document, not a copy.

At the mountain's foot, Blue Moon Valley's tiered turquoise pools and the open-air Impression Lijiang show directed by Zhang Yimou round out the day. Take the altitude seriously: ascend slowly, drink water, and skip the high cable car if you have heart or lung conditions.

Naxi culture and the local table

Lijiang is the homeland of the Naxi, whose Dongba tradition preserves the world's only living pictographic script. Catch a Naxi Ancient Music performance, an orchestra of mostly elderly musicians playing centuries-old melodies on antique instruments. Eat like a local too: Naxi grilled fish, chewy baba flatbread, chicken hotpot with wild mushrooms, cured yak, and Yunnan's crossing-the-bridge rice noodles, chased with locally roasted Yunnan coffee.

Getting there and when to go

Lijiang Sanyi Airport (LJG), about 28 km from town, connects to Kunming, Chengdu, Shanghai and other hubs. Trains from Kunming take roughly 3.5 to 5 hours and continue toward Shangri-La; book on the official 12306 site or Trip.com. Dayan itself is pedestrian-only, with taxis and ride-hailing for the mountain and outlying towns. Spring (March to May) and autumn (September to October) bring the clearest mountain views; summer is green but rainy, winter cold, crisp and blissfully quiet. Whatever the season, pack layers and sunscreen: highland sun is strong by day and nights are cold year-round. Lijiang also makes the natural launchpad for Tiger Leaping Gorge, one of the world's deepest river canyons, and the Mosuo villages of Lugu Lake.