Kunming is located in the middle of the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau in the southwest of China. It is surrounded by mountains on three sides and is connected to the Guizhou and Guangxi to the east and connects Myanmar to India and Pakistan in the west. It is China's gateway to Southeast and South Asia. The four seasons in Kunming are all as warm as spring, making it a place worth visiting at any time. Kunming is also an important hub for travel to all parts of Yunnan.
Located within the city, Dianchi Lake, the surrounding stone forest, Jiuxiang and Dongchuan Red Land are must-see attractions. Visitors often spend two days within the city of Kunming, and then another two days in the stone forest nearby. For those who like taking photos, there’s also the option of spending 3 days on a Dongchuan Red Land photography tour. If you have enough time, you can also spend 1-2 days in Chuxiong. Another day can be spent at Fuxian Lake in Yuxi, a place famous for its cold rice noodles. There are many other travel routes worth discovering in Kunming and the central region of Yunnan.
If you use Kunming as a transit point to reach other cities, then one day may be enough. For example, visitors can spend their time feeding birds at Dianchi Lake, tasting authentic Yunnan cuisine at Heping Village Snack Street, and walking along the lakeside of Green Lake Park.
Each year from November to April is the best season to travel to Kunming. At this time, Siberian red-billed gulls also migrate to here for hibernation. Kunming has clean air, warming sunshine, and the weather is always spring like. Summer is also the next best season for visiting in Kunming. It coincides with the rainy season and the temperature difference between day and night is relatively large, so remember to bring appropriate clothing if you’re planning to head out for a whole day.
Kunming is on a low-latitude plateau where the landforms are diverse. The city is in a subtropical region with mild temperatures in both the summer and winter, with typical temperate climate characteristics. It is warm, dry, and rarely rainy in the spring, and the temperature changes greatly throughout the day. In the summer, rainy clouds dominate the weather, and there is plenty of rainfall, accounting for more than 60% of the amount that falls throughout the whole year, and there is no period of extreme heat. Autumn is cool and dry with low amounts of rainfall. The rainy season ends in about the middle of October. Kunming in the winter has plenty of sunshine and occasional bouts of cold weather. In the spring and summer, it’s a good idea to carry a light jacket to protect yourself from the heavy winds. In the autumn and winter, bring a heavy coat to stay warm. June-September is rainy season in Kunming, so remember to bring an umbrella when you go out.
