Lijiang, Shuhe & Surrounding Areas: Your Ultimate Guide

All the best things to do in lovely Yunnan, plus the foods you have to try!

These places are all within Yunnan Province, an area known for its mild climate, friendly people, beautiful nature (with flowers everywhere), and yummy food - things like mushrooms, rose petals, and yak, as well as coffee and yak milk.

While in Yunnan, Shuhe Ancient Town is definitely a must-visit. It is a beautiful ancient town with some lovely restaurants, a stream running through it, and it is pretty quaint (by China standards). It really is a lovely place to explore and spend some time in.

I suggest using it as a base for visiting the surrounding areas, including Baishacun Ancient Village, Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, and even Lijiang Ancient Town.

Although Lijiang Ancient Town comes up on a lot of lists, it's not a must-see for me. It’s a more typical ancient town, with LOTS of people, VERY bright lights, A LOT of noise, etc., etc. If you do opt to visit Lijiang Ancient Town, I suggest just popping in for a few hours, but not actually staying there.

Why should I visit Lijiang, Shuhe, and the surrounding areas?

Best things to do in Lijiang, Shuhe, and the surrounding areas

Best areas to stay in Lijiang, Shuhe, and the surrounding areas

Getting around Lijiang, Shuhe, and the surrounding areas

So, why visit?

• Lovely and unique ancient towns

• Mild weather and beautiful nature

• Awesome and huge mountains and glaciers

• Yummy food, coffee, and rose cakes - click here for must-eat foods!

Best things to do

Explore Shuhe Ancient Town

I love Shuhe Ancient Town – I love how cute it is, I love the quaint coffee shops, I love the rose cakes, I love the little stream running through it, I love the roses climbing up the buildings... so many things to love!

Spend some time just walking around it to explore all the little nooks and crannies. Try some traditional Yunnan food, make sure to get some freshly baked flower cakes from Jiahua Flowers Pastry, and have a yak milk ice cream.

Just be aware - Although the town is a bit less touristy than other larger Ancient Towns in Yunnan, it does get busy and crowded.

Pop into Lijiang Ancient Town (not highly recommended)

Lijiang Ancient Town is definitely very touristy with all of the noise, crowds, bright lights, etc., etc. But it can be an interesting place to walk around.

My favorite thing about Lijiang was going to a restaurant at the top of the hill to see the view and see Lijiang Ancient Town from up high. Aim for 新华街黄山上段65号 and then pick your favorite spot within this area.

Visit the very ancient Baishacun Ancient Villiage

Baishacun Ancient Village is less of a village and more of a road or two lined by some beautiful old houses converted into shops, cafes, and restaurants. It's a nice place to visit and is a good place to while away a few hours in a café. We walked here from Shuhe Ancient Town, but you could probably also either taxi or cycle.

Visit the impressive Jade Dragon Snow Mountain

Jade Dragon Mountain is the tallest mountain within a mountain range about 15km from Lijiang City.

There are multiple hikes in the area, but Glacier Park is the main attraction. The glacier is at the top of the mountain and is impressive (although not the biggest/best glacier you will ever see), but the views from the top are incredible. It's will probably take you about 3 hours to visit the Glacier Park.

There are various other sites in the area, which we didn’t go to, so I can't say much about them. But from what I could tell (and the glimpses we caught on the way home in the taxi), it seems like quite a mission to get to the other places, and may not necessarily be worth it.

Tips

Please make sure to dress very warmly because it's absolutely freezing and very windy at the top. On your way to the scenic area, you can ask your driver to stop at one of the many shops along the way to hire a very thick wind-proof coat for RMB 50 with an RMB 100 deposit (I would say it's definitely worth it). Although this wasn’t the case when we went, you may be able to rent coats directly from Glacier Park.

You will reach a final height of 4,680 m above sea level, which can cause altitude sickness. Please be careful and take it very easy when walking up the stairs.

Additionally, the UV rays are very strong at this altitude – make sure to take UV sunglasses.

Getting there:

The best way is to get a driver to take you to the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain Scenic Area and drop you off at Glacier Park. From there you can catch a cable car up most of the mountain, and then walk up the stairs to the top.

Alternatively, you can get a bus from Yuhe Parking Lot near Lijiang Ancient Town North Gate. The bus leaves at 8:30 and returns at 16:30.

Eat amazing food

Yunnan is home to some of the most delicious food in China. It's not food that you would typically associate with China, which in my mind, makes it even more important to try it all!

Click here for my post about all the best foods you just MUST try while you're in Yunnan.

Best areas to stay

Shuhe Ancient Town is much quieter, more quaint, and more lovely than Lijiang Ancient Town - I highly recommend staying in Shuhe as your base to explore everywhere. All places within the area are an easy drive from Shuhe.

As long as you stay WITHIN the actual Shuhe Ancient Town, your accommodation will probably be within a good area. However, please do note that there are a bunch of karaoke places within the town, so when reading the reviews of the accommodation, keep an eye out for mentions of noisy karaoke.

Getting around the area

It depends on where you are going! If you are headed to Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, I suggest organizing a driver or catching a bus. If you are moving between Shuhe and Lijiang, a taxi is probably the easiest.