KUNMING, CHINA: The ULTIMATE Layover?! | One Day in Yunnan Travel Guide
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- Опубліковано 18 вер 2024
- Kunming, the capital of Yunnan Province in China is often thought of as a stopover or layover city. It has a busy airport and many train links to destinations across the country. But is it worth exploring for one day?
In this guide, we take a look at some of the best things to do in a seriously underrated city. We had 2 amazing days there on the way to other parts of the country, so this itinerary is easily achievable in 24 hours or 48 hours.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS (some extra informations on all of the sights/experiences featured in the film):
0:15 - The Journey from Xingping to Kunming
We travelled by bus and train for pretty much a whole day. The views from the window were pretty stunning all the way.
0:41 - Yuantong Temple
The most famous Buddhist temple in Kunming.
0:58 - Green Lake Park
Also known as Cuihu Park, in the center of the city. A good place for locals' leisure activities such as street food, dancing, renting electric boats, yoga and art.
2:07 - Sleeper Train from Lijiang to Kunming
An 8 hour overnight train. It's comfortable enough.
2:40 - The Western Hills Park
In the western suburbs of Kunming lies Western Hills. They are also called 'Sleeping Buddha Hills'. From a distance, they have the appearance of a giant sleeping Buddha. From the top (which you can reach by cable car or hiking), you can get amazing views of Dianchi Lake.
3:18 - Lingxu Pavillion
The best view you can get of Kunming city and the Dianchi Lake.
3:40 - The Dragon Gate
There is a quote in China that says: "If you do not visit Western Hills, you haven't visited Kunming; if you do not come to Dragon Gate, you haven't been to Western Hills." Dragon Gate is a stone carved Buddhist edifice. The stone paths, stone rooms, stone grottos, and stone Buddhist figures are all hand carved and makes for an amazing trek around the cliffside.
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This travel guide comes from One Shot Adventures, an independent production company that specializes in unique travel videography.
Kunming was probably the biggest surprise we had in China. What was your best ever stopover?
I was never so far away at time. Just only in Europe. But how tall are you? 🤔
It was in LA for 10 hours on my way to London. I got to walk from Venice Beach to Santa Monica Pier and then hiked up near the Hollywood sign, all with my daughter.
my world of experience I am about 6ft, maybe a little more. Makes Chinese sleeper trains a bit of a squeeze haha
Go Travel On The Cheap that sounds amazing! Awesome way to spend 10 hours!
kunming, so far the best!
Wow! There is so much life in the Chinese parks, so many people enjoying the beautiful day outside.The view on Dianchi lake from the cable car was so gorgeous but the view from the pavilion was out of this world! I'm in love with your China series guys, well actually in love with all of your videos so far! You manage to capture the beauty around you with every shot you take. Keep making these awesome videos!
The parks are really like a city on their own, I love the buzz there. Thanks so much guys, really glad you're liking the videos - it means a lot :)
Exactly, amazing vibe in the parks and in Kunming, I think the dancing grandmas are the best ones. I am amazed by the activities happening in those parks. I even danced with them and they were so welcoming
So lush, green, and beautiful scenery! The park seems so vibrant and active! Looks like a fantastic place to explore and enjoy the day.
It was!
Your videos have change my mind about travelling to China so much to see and do. Thanks
Travel Rocks Our World wow, thanks for that! What a great compliment 😊
We absolutely love when a stopover turns out to be a highlight! We were able to explore Paris for 23 hrs this way on our way to Rome. This city looks like there is so much to explore!
Traveling Graces ah Paris is an amazing place for a stopover, you can can fit so much into that time 😊
Green Lake Park and The Dragon Gate was stunning! Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for watching!
We sooo agree! We always head to the local parks at part of our visit--wherever we go. The cable car ride looks lovely! Great escape! Thanks for the information!
Travel BagsandBones Blog thanks so much for watching! Local parks can be so interesting from place to place 😊
I really like this part of China. And that park looked so nice. I especially enjoyed the boat trip. ❤️
Alexandra Dumitrescu the boat was really good fun!
Great video! You're right, there's a lot of China that the western world just has no idea about, only certain preconceptions. I'm hoping to do a big trip to China next year, so much to see!
Daphne Xplores there really is and in a lot of ways - I was one of the people with misconceptions. I learned so much about the Chinese culture and people on this trip. I hope you get to do your big trip!
Really enjoyed watching this video, great contents and editing!
Hype in Tokyo thank you! Really glad you enjoyed it
Very well editing. This video is a big proof that there is much more to see in china then just big citys like Beijing & Hongkong
Absolutely! It's such a huge country that it blows my mind to think about it haha
Came over from Travel Vlogger FB - really enjoyed this! I love when a destination takes you by surprise. Just added all your vids to my watch later list.
RebeccaTheFlightAttendant thanks so much for coming over! Glad you enjoyed the video 😊 Let me know what you think of the others!
Never heard of this city so cool to discover. I LOVE temples in Asia. I so agree parks are the best places to interact for real. I even played ping pong for 20 min with local in a park. Wow the views up there are amazing. Cave stairs so cool.
Evelyne at CulturEatz it's definitely a hot spot for local experiences!
I loved the subtle "that's what she said" and "she didn't say that" 😂😂😂😂😂 all about the little details haha!
omgisthatvik haha well spotted 😂
Very professional with a steady cam and good sound. Very nice and beautiful traveling vlog 👍👍👍 love the camera angle and the close up and personal look
SailingArgo thank you, I'm really glad you liked it'!
it looks like an amazing place to visit! I cant believe how utilized that park was! not that it looked so crowded that it was offsetting, but busy where there were so many different things going on to participate in! I enjoy people watching so that would have been right up my alley.
Nomadic Buff it's absolutely fascinating to people watch there! I feel that Asian public parks are often an extension of people's homes. They seem like a really social place
Your imagery is gorgeous and it’s always the unexpected stops that turn into so much fun! Great video once again I thoroughly enjoyed it!!
Thanks Dominique!
Appreciate the vlog made with nice editing. The long journey must be tiring but the result is rewarding .
travel quartz thank you, glad you liked the edit!
The park is really pretty!! Food looks yummy! The boat seems fun! Cool to see people painting by the lake. I like how you include the currency exchange. The ski lift ride looks fun too. My wife would be scared of it. Great view on the path to the cave!
Thanks for watching! The ski lift ride was pretty scary and I'm not even scared of heights haha
you really explored a lot in China which is amazing for me, destinations that are not so hugely popular to tourists such as Beijing, Shanghai etc. i like that you explored different kinds of places in China. this makes me really want to explore it in another perspective. thanks!
Alex Simeon thank you Alex, that's what I was hoping! China is such a huge country full of so many cool places 😊
Nice! Going here for more than a stopover sounds totally great though! Our best ever stopover was Singapore. It's known for its airport!!
Unravelling Travelling Oh cool! I haven't got to Singapore yet, but will do over the next few months - I've heard a lot about that airport!
Wow, nice to see the parts of china i never saw in pictures, those shots from Dragon Gate and cave way were awesome and it was less crowded than i imagined in such a places
It was a cool place to explore! A really nice surprise :)
Wow didn't expect that either! Can't believe how much Kunming had to offer, I didn't see any off it on my stopover to Lijiang 😂😭 Maybe next time? hehe
Congrats on hitting 500 subs Ryan, 1000 is just around the corner! PS this is really starting to resemble a travel show on TV (it's a good thing) :D Keep it up!
meletispix haha the only reason I even looked at things to do was because of the train timings! Thanks so much mate, really appreciate it! 😊
Love these unexpected gems. Sometimes when you have no expectations about a destinations it turns out to be the best experience. This looks like such a fun city.
My favourite kind of places!
Hi this is my first comment thank you so much for sharing such a beautiful videos.
Thank you so much, that means a lot to me!
New subscriber here! You guys do a great job😊
Stephanie Holsapple thanks Stephanie, welcome to the channel 😊
Great shots, lovely editing and nice china insights - subbed
Atherton Travels thanks, glad you liked the film!
I have never taken a sleeper train but it seems like such an economical and efficient way to travel. How was it? That park life looks amazing. The boats on the water were so picturesque and the locals doing yoga. Such a great day. Beautiful views from the cable car!
Radiant Wanderings this was a pretty good sleeper train! Can't beat a night in a proper bed, but definitely great for saving time and money on a busy itinerary 😊
12 travel day! Eek! But the views are soooo good. The temple does look gorgeous. The candles make me feel relaxed. It's so true though that the places you really don't expect and which aren't a real part of your itinerary always end up blowing you away. The boat looks like great fun! I love what you captured of the town - the locals painting and doing yoga. It's so lovely! Everyone loved a floating bench ;) lol that's what she said.
Ella in Wanderlust thanks Ella! I didn't even think I would make a video about Kunming tbh, but it was such a nice surprise!
Your editing is so entertaining, loved the AE text - gave us info and didn't disrupt the shot. Glad you managed to capture some good luck on that trip! -c/t
Nomadic Gear thank you! Really glad you liked it!
Such an interesting town. The Dragon's Gate with the caves and view was amazing.
Penguin Wanderlust it was an unexpected cool place to explore! Thanks for watching
Nice place, nice video, great editing.
c/t
Ayo Jelajah Indonesia thanks!
Congratulations on a wonderfully informing and entertaining video, you have an easy style to watch and listen to so keep up the good work. Will be watching for the next instalment.
TRAVEGRAPHICS thank you so much! New episode will be up tomorrow 😊
Dude, you are getting good with including more personality in your episodes! Thanks for making us laugh more than a few times. :-D Thanks for capturing the essence of 'real Chinese life'...this just makes me itch to get to China even more! I think April would've had a bit of an issue with her fear of heights and the "floating bench", aka ski lift...haha
Go Travel On The Cheap haha Emma wasn't too keen on that either! Thanks for watching Wayne, glad you like the changing format 😊
I used to live near Green Park for a year. This brings back so much memories. Kunming is still one of my favorite cities in China. Great trip you had there.
Watched again! Always enjoy your content.
C/t 🤗
KikiTiki thank you, that means a lot!
There's nothing like a satisfying layover. Kuming seems to be a memorable one! I'm glad you got to experience local culture there. No thanks on the "floating bench" haha. New subscriber!
Thanks so much! Yeah it was a pretty sketchy ride up the mountain!
There are also hot springs in that city, the best hot spring I have ever had in my life. I find Yunnan full of surprises, I have been to some of the smaller cities like TengChong (腾冲) and there are volcanos, it some of really scenic views. Snow mountains in Yunnan are also incredible. I have also seen some wet lands and minorities architectures. It's a truely amazing place to visit.
Thanks for sharing your experiences, I would love to go back again and check out the hot spring!
Your content is amazing!!! Cant wait to see ur upcoming Beijing vlog!!!
Beijing/Great Wall will be around episode 7 or 8!
I love Kunming too! I had no idea that it was gonna be that beautiful but I'm travelling solo in China and publishing my videos as well and loving the experience of being in Yunnan. I loved your channel!
Thanks!
Thank you so much for this video! It's well-made and makes me homesick even more!
I am your 1000 viewer. I love the Asian Temples like Yuantong Temple. The bamboo garden is so cool. Those caves are so amazing.
Go Travel On The Cheap woohooo! Thanks Wayne!
You're welcome. Now, what is my prize? :-D
Thank you for the beautiful sharing of your travel experience. Always a pleasure to find new places to visit in Asia :)
China is a great place to travel!
Love the narration here. I'll admit that I tried it on our latest video, but then trashed it because the recording sounded like I was talking into a can, and I'm currently under the weather. I'll revisit it in another video...and lol'd at "that's what she said".
Adventure Everywhere oh yeah, recording voiceover is harder than it looks, there's so many variables for good recordings (the room, the mic, background noise)... Normally takes me a few attempts per video!
Your favorite mic...?
Adventure Everywhere I'm currently using the Samson Go, which is very cheap on Amazon and small (good for me as I'm recording on the road). But if I were to suggest a microphone that won't be travelling with you, I liked my Blue Yeti mic (also pretty affordable). But to be honest, 70% of it is the room you record in. I always try to find the corner of a room with some sort of soft surface on the walls (I've used pillows and curtains in the past). Lots of trial and error with microphone positioning and distance.
Ok, I'm going to check out the Samson Go. I'm just using my embedded mic in my macbook.
Great storytelling and imagery! I'd really like to check out one of those parks... and the sleeper train looks cool! Everything seems really affordable too.
JoshRimer China was generally pretty affordable!
Beautiful! And awesome editing! c/t
Sleeping like that is really hard.
It definitely is! Especially when you are over 6ft tall. To be fair though, this wasn't the worst sleeper train I've ever been on...
I've only been to Kunming for business trips and have never had any time to explore. You've inspired me to take some extra time next time! That chair lift over the lake especially looks awesome. Such a beautiful green lake!
Yeah it's a much cooler city than I was expecting!
Man did u use a gimbal for us smooth shots? That park is the best in China but i didnt film it like u did. This is great. I subbed ya mate
Get Off This Rock Travel thank you! I do have a gimbal but I didn't use it for this video at all. Just a steady hand with a little post stabilisation 😊
Glad you enjoyed our home base ;) Kunming is still one of China's most livable cities!
I love it! :)
Thanks for that nice little snapshot of Kunming. It's not quite the place it used to be, but it will forever hold a place in my heart. I wish I had known you were passing through at the time, I would have loved to share with you some other hiden gems. nice little overview though. thanks again for the video
Those electric boats are so cute and that park is beautiful. I didn't think we were in this city when we went to China but going to Dragon's Gate sounded so familiar..then it didn't look it so I had to look back at our trip. We were at Heaven's Gate at Tianmen Mountain. Too many gates to keep them straight!
Loved that one too! Took surely a lot of work to edit that, but good job!
It did! haha I'm a pretty slow editor, but getting better at speeding up the process (I hope)
One Shot Adventures take your time. Better quality over quantity! Keep on rockin'!
@@EveryDayHoliDay Thanks guys, you too :)
I am soooo keen to go to China! This place looks awesome!!
There are much nicer places in China, but Kunming is definitely an underrated gem :)
What a dope adventure!!
It was an unexpected surprise, definitely!
Was excited to see a new episode out! The kids seem so nice and friendly! That lake was huge and the dragon gate was cool too. Was the sky lift pretty sketchy?
The Journey I think it looks more sketchy than it actually was! It was rough around the edges, but didn't feel unsafe when we were up there 😊
Never even heard of Kunming but now it's on my list to visit because I like these cities that are lesser known :)
It's a cool city to explore! Especially to break up a longer journey :)
Kunming is the capital of Yunnan province, is a famous city which called 'spring city'.
@@OneShotAdventures And the province name 'Yunnan' means the south of iridescent cloud. Yunnan is a province full of original natural scenes and different cultures of many chinese ethnics.
If u want to know more about China's every provinces, I suggest you this documentary:
ua-cam.com/video/iPdMOC0a3E4/v-deo.html
really nice and surprising of China. It's good to know that the locals are friendly, I've been to some places where there's not much tourists and the locals are not that friendly to me
Oh no, where was that? In general we found the people of China to be very interested in us and mostly friendly 😊
@@OneShotAdventures it's not in China, it's in differentplacesindifferentcountries but I think language barrier is the biggest factor
Yes, language barrier can be a big problem for sure
I’m not really familiar with all the different parts of China. After seeing this I’ll definitely look to include Kunming once we make a trip there. Those cave tunnels around the cliff side of the Dragons Gate are really awesome!
Thanks for watching David (and family), glad you liked the look of Kunming! It's definitely worth a stop on your way through Yunnan province
We are going to do a similar trip in May Yangshuo - Kunming - Dali - Lijiang - Tiger Leaping Gorge so I am excited to watch all your videos! I just hope we have enough time!
Nico awesome! That is a really good route! How long are you travelling for?
@@OneShotAdventures Thanks we only have two weeks off from work so its going to be a bit busy but hopefully doable!
Nico yeah it's definitely doable! Hope you have an amazing time
@@OneShotAdventures Great, thanks! Thats a relief! I can't wait to get into nature and explore a bit more of China.
Nico China is such an amazing place to travel, it will keep on surprising you 😊
Kunming...ohh we had a funny time there haha! It was a pretty cool city though and the park was beautiful! We went to the Yunnan Ethnic Groups 'amusement park' when we were there (taken there by one of our drivers), it was interesting to see all the different groups but kinda sad the way it was done! Anyway thanks for sharing another great video!!!
Timezone Junkies thanks guys! The amusement park definitely sounds interesting... Only in China eh? Haha
You deserve so much more subscribers ! :D
Sebastian Dylag you're too kind! We'll keep grinding!
@@OneShotAdventures and more views!
Thanks@@mustardseed9969, things are definitely moving in the right direction :)
@@OneShotAdventures yes! look forward your next travel film about Tokyo
@@mustardseed9969 Thank you! Got a Top 10 China overview coming next week, then hopefully the first of 2 Tokyo films soon after that 😊
I might stop over in Kumming next time I fly to Laos thanks for the video
Have fun!
well edit video!
王子雍 thank you!
Welcome to my hometown ! I have not been back for 3 years.
Jeff Wu thank you Jeff, it's a great city - I was pleasantly surprised
One Shot Adventures Awesome piece of work ! Keep it up. And let me know if you consider a second time visit, if I am there I can definitely show you around :)
Jeff Wu that would be awesome, thank you! We hope to visit China again some day so I will keep you in mind 😊
翠湖啊，好多回忆
Beautiful place!
Glad you made it to Kunming! Too bad you didn't make it to see us at Salvador's hehe ;)
Actually we did! We ate there twice, great beer too :)
@@OneShotAdventures Oh awesome! So glad we had a chance to help you on your trip. Great video too, glad you had a chance to visit Yunnan!
@@krismoonpie We loved it at Salvadors, great atmosphere, so thanks for having us :) We loved Yunnan!
The sleeper train didn't look most comfortable for you...did you sleep ok? April says she can relate to Emma felt about riding on the floating bench! And she thinks it's so cute when the little girl waved you. Is that the only time you two have been sick since the beginning of your travels?
Go Travel On The Cheap not the most comfortable for someone as tall as me haha, but I managed to sleep so I consider that a win! We've both been sick a few times on our trip, the end of Myanmar was a pretty bad one for me!
Haha, yep! How tall are you? Do you know what made you so sick at the end of Myanmar?
Temples near Dragon Gate are not Buddist, they are Taoist Temples.
And if you never be in Kunming again, you should check out the Stone Forest (1 day) and the Caves (1 day).
I will!
wow so amazing.
You either had forgotten or do not know yourself the long history about Lijiang ! I have been there, read about the Tea and Horse caravan path, and incredible story which dates back to the 14 th century and from there we drove another 6 hours by car up to the real Shangri-La valley close to Tibet, check it out
Mate what camera are you shooting with, the camera video footage looks sexy as!!
Dishy Dan The Travelling Man thanks Dan! I'm shooting on the Sony a7s at the moment 😊
I love your edition! What editing software do you use?
Thanks, I use Final Cut
awesome video. check out kunming's more videos here.
What is that? I have never seen this before. I cannot see the video. It is an information "Premiere" that I can see it tomorrow at 5:45 PM.
my world of experience it's a new feature on UA-cam that lets you schedule your uploads - so I'm just testing it out for this one. It should just become a regular upload when the timer runs down! Did you get a notification for it?
I did put the reminder setting. Will let you know if I get the notification when it is starting premiering.
Chasing the bliss awesome, thank you! Did you get a notification for the premiere?
👍👍👍👍👍👍
😊🙌
Lol can't wait to move there in the future
Good video. c/t
Thanks
where did you shoot the mountains in the beginning of this video. The mountains do not appear to be anywhere near Kunming. Correct. How you we get to the mountians
The mountains are in Yangshuo, we took the train to Kunming from there
What would you suggest for getting around? Buses, taxi, Uber...?
Nico Sanchez we used the Kunming metro, which was really good
I think I'd prefer the rural areas more than the city view, looks a lot more cluttered.
It's a great city with some amazing green spaces!
Tienes cara de pablo picasso en pochetino
If we only have a 7 hr and 45 min layover here, is it possible to get out and explore for a bit still?
Sorry I missed your comment. It would all depend on your airline and time you need to get back to the airport
why are your videos so short?
I used to make short videos back then 😊
Seems you didn't travel alot in China or only do the tourist things... but every Chinese city has nice places (including landscapes) to offer, you just need to find them.
mark120886 😂😂😂
Western media 😂😂😂🤣🤣 only for zombies