Route guide · High-speed rail
Lijiang to Kunming by High-Speed Train (2026)
440 km from Lijiang to Kunming — about 3h 29m on the fastest C-train, with around 11 departures a day.
China for Travelers EditorialUpdated Rail data refreshed monthly
- 2nd class
- ¥166 – ¥199
- what everyone buys
- Frequency
- 11/day
- 07:50–17:26
- Train types
- C
- C = intercity
- Flight
- 1h
- train wins
Train wins vs flying — door-to-door about 4h 29m by train vs 4h flying. Opened 2023. Flight is similar door-to-door but train goes through Yunnan highlands.
The route at a glance
The Lijiang to Kunming corridor is 440 km of C-class high-speed rail. Trains run from Lijiang Railway Station to Kunming Railway Station, with the fastest service taking 3h 29m and most in the 3h 29m – 4h 45m range. Second-class seats start at ¥166 – ¥199. Opened 2023. Flight is similar door-to-door but train goes through Yunnan highlands.
Train vs flight
Both stations are in town, so the train is door-to-door; the flight adds airport transfers and security each end. Here is the trade on this corridor:
| High-speed train | Flight | |
|---|---|---|
| Fastest | 3h 29m | 1h in the air |
| Door-to-door | ~4h 29m | ~4h |
| Price | ¥166 – ¥199 | ¥400 – ¥1000 |
Editor: Opened 2023. Flight is similar door-to-door but train goes through Yunnan highlands.
Classes and price
Fares are dynamically priced — peak departures trend to the high end of each band, the cheapest seats go to off-peak mid-week trains. The seat is identical across trains in the same class.
| Class | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Second classmost buy | ¥166 – ¥199 | 3+2 seating, a tray table and power at every seat. |
| First class | ¥265 – ¥318 | 2+2 seating, wider and quieter — worth it on a longer ride. |
| Business class | ¥496 – ¥596 | Lie-flat / deep-recline pods at the front of the train. |
Stations on this route
- Departing fromLijiang Railway StationLijiang · G/D-class · ~25 min to city centre
HSR line from Kunming opened 2023. Buses 16/18 to Lijiang Old Town in 25 min; taxis ~¥40.
- Arriving atKunming Railway StationKunming · D/T-class · ~15 min to city centre
Downtown station, much closer to Green Lake + old town than Kunming South. Handles the direct Lijiang D-trains plus conventional services (T/K). Use this for Lijiang unless you're connecting from another HSR line.
How to book with a foreign passport
12306 English app — the official China Railway channel: face-value fares, no booking fee. The trade-off is hassle — passport registration must be approved before you can buy (often slow), and customer service is Chinese-first and limited if a booking goes wrong.
Trip.com ↗ — the same China Railway seats, booked in English with a foreign Visa or Mastercard, no verification wait and 24/7 multilingual support. Prices track 12306, and with new-customer promotions Trip often comes out level or cheaper. As China’s largest OTA you can also add hotels, attraction tickets and tours to the same trip. See the booking walkthrough.
Still deciding? Read the full 12306 vs Trip.com comparison. Tickets open exactly 15 days before departure, and the good daytime slots sell first.
Book on Trip.comNASDAQ: TCOM
One of the few platforms selling real China Railway tickets in English, to a foreign passport and card. (Is it legit? — 12306 vs Trip.com )
Booking through our Trip.com links costs you nothing extra and helps fund our independent research — we earn a small commission. How we’re funded.
Deep guide available. We have a full editorial write-up for this route — when to go, which class to pick, station tips, things to do at both ends. Read the Lijiang ↔ Kunming guide →
Frequently asked questions
How long is the Lijiang to Kunming train?
The fastest high-speed train covers the 440 km in 3h 29m, with most services in the 3h 29m–4h 45m range. Trains are C-class.
How much is a Lijiang to Kunming train ticket?
Second class is ¥166 – ¥199, first class ¥265 – ¥318, business class ¥496 – ¥596. Fares are dynamically priced — peak departures trend to the high end of each band.
How many trains run from Lijiang to Kunming each day?
About 11 trains a day each way, with the first around 07:50 and the last around 17:26.
Is the train or the flight better for Lijiang to Kunming?
Opened 2023. Flight is similar door-to-door but train goes through Yunnan highlands. Door-to-door the train is ~4h 29m vs ~4h flying.
How do I book Lijiang to Kunming tickets with a foreign passport?
Two ways: the official 12306 English app (face price, passport-bound account, no booking fee) or Trip.com (English UI, foreign cards accepted, 24/7 multilingual support; new-customer promos often bring the price level with or below 12306). Tickets open exactly 15 days before departure.
Once you reach Kunming
The train is the easy part — here’s what to do at the other end.
Verification scope
Route data — distance, journey time, fare bands and daily frequencies — is sampled from China’s national rail system and refreshed monthly. This is an auto-generated route record in our curated 25-city dataset.
Confirm before booking: exact schedules and fares vary by train and season under dynamic pricing. For the hand-written editorial guide, see the Lijiang ↔ Kunming guide.