Kunming guide
Kunming splits into several distinct neighbourhoods, and the right one depends on whether you want old-town character, walkability or a quiet room.
Tangzixiang and Dongfengxiang, a few minutes from Green Lake, are the lanes people actually want: old courtyard houses, small guesthouses, and walkability to everything in the old city. This is where we send couples and anyone who wants to step out of the door into the city.
Kunming Old Street and Qianwang Street are the renovated, slightly more commercial version, with more restaurants and a higher price. Good for a first trip, noisy at weekends.
Right on the lake, Green Lake is the most comfortable base: calm, central, with the city best cafes and long runs along the water. The hotels on the north and west shore are the ones worth booking.
For a short business trip, the new city around Chenggong and Century City is closer to the high-speed rail station and to the airport road, and the hotels are newer and more predictable.
Anning, 30 km south, has hot springs hotels that are a genuine weekend trip for Kunming residents. It is a good way to spend a rest day in the middle of a longer trip.