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Kunming, which is situated in central Yunnan and north of the Dianchi
Basin, is skirted on three sides by mountains, with one side opening onto
the Dianchi Lake. The city is nicknamed "City of Spring" due to the fact
that it is covered all the year round with the rich verdure of trees and
plants. Endowed with a pleasant climate, the city's 15,000 square
kilometres of land is adorned with more than 400 kinds of flowers.
Kunming is world-famous for its abundance of camellias, orchids,
azaleas and Primula malacoides , which can be found in the Kunming
Botanical Garden, where 4,000 varieties of tropical and subtropical plants
grow profusely. Kunming is also a renowned historical and cultural city in
southwest China. In ancient times it was an important gateway to the
celebrated Silk Road which conducted to Tibet, Sichuan, Myanmar and
India. The city's highland scenery is alluring, its karst landform is
bewitching. Its people are known for their varied and exotic habits and
customs, and its land is pockmarked with historical artifacts, places of
cultural interest, and gardens landscaped with a picturesque taste. Among
the major scenic spots of Kunming are the Dianchi Lake, the Cuihu Lake,
the Village of Ethnic Culture, the Jindian (Golden Temple) Park, the
Western Mountain Forest Reserve, the Stone Forest, the Jiuxiang Scenic
Belt, the Yuantong Mountain, the Grand View Pavilion, and the Qiongzhu
Temple.
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Bank:
Post office:
1. 昆明市邮电局工人新村邮电所 安康路80号
2. 西山区邮电局宏盛达邮电所 3. 新迎北区邮电局 】新兴路65号 4. 邮电局白龙路邮电所 白龙路163号 5.
邮电局学府路邮电代办所 学府路91号
6. 云南省邮电局双龙商场邮电支局 北京路134号 7. 中国邮政东郊路邮电局 】东郊路19号
8. 中国邮政云艺邮电局 】昆瑞路
Hospital:
Police Station:
please dail 110
Airport
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 the arrival gate with a
credit card service (3% processing fee), traveler's check exchange (0.75%
fee) and other money exchange services.
Railway station
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): 3:20-4:47(RMB20 for a one-way ticket and RMB30 for a roundtrip
ticket)Kunming to Dali (Number 213): 10:10pm-6:45amReturning (214):
7:42am-10:50pm (RMB50 for a hard seat ticket and 85 for a hard sleeper
middle bunk)Kunming to Yuxi (Train 208): 5:48pm-7:58pmReturning (Train
207): 10:54am-8:31amThe 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.
Bus station
There are four major long distance bus stations in Kunming:A. The South
station is directly opposite the Nanyao railway station on Beijing Lu.
This is Kunming's major bus station and has bus routes to most regional
destinations. There are two classes of bus generally available here: the
cheaper Regular and the faster and more luxurious Gaokuai (literally
"Highway Express"). The station is well managed and ideal for all manner
of tourists.B. The Railway station square bus station has buses for most
destinations in Kunming, although it is less organized with more private
buses that have less fixed schedules. Most of the buses here are normal
coaches and are cheaper than Gaokuai buses. Buses to Shilin and Jiuxiang
start here, but the best way to reach these places is by train, as the
buses on this route tend to pick up as many tourists as possible along the
way and the supposed 2 hour drive invariably ends up being at least 4
hours. C. The Western station used to be the second largest bus station in
Kunming, but is currently the third largest after the Huangtupo Station.
Buses run to most regional destinations from here. The station is well
managed. D. Huangtupo station is growing bigger every day , but since this
station is far from the city and most bus routes are not to tourist
destinations, (with only two sleepers to Zhongdian departing at 3 PM and 7
PM, probably stopping in Lijiang and Dali), it is not widely used by
tourists.
City transport
The fare for public buses is RMB1 throughout Kunming. Most of the buses
in the city start at 6am and end at 10:30pm. Passengers should stand close
to the door if they want to get off, otherwise, the driver may simply not
stop. Some buses also have an English recording that calls out the names
of stops. Taxi fares in Kunming are RMB8 for the first 3 km and RMB1.8 for
each additional km (RMB9.6 and RMB2.7 after 10 PM). For a trip longer than
10 km, the part after 10km is charged RMB2.7/km. Bicycle rental is another
option in Kunming. The Camellia Hotel (RMB2 per hour and RMB10 for a day)
is a good choice. Also, the Friendship Travel Agency in the Kunming Hotel
rents, but for a slightly higher cost. A third choice is the Kunhu Hotel
on Beijing Lu near the railway station charging the same price as the
Camellia.
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