Interesting natural attractions combined with historical sites and structures to provide a varied selection of places that can be visited for their aesthetic properties. A walking tour of the downtown area is enough to uncover aspects of local life that make for interesting people-watching.

Black Dragon Pool
About 15kms north of the city is the scenic area known as Black Dragon Pool, a rural location with an abundance of trees, plants and shrubs and a number of interesting cultural structures. The Longquan Temple (Dragon Spring Temple) and Black Dragon Palace are the main architectural sights and hail from the Qing and Ming Dynasties respectively. Situated just in front of the Longquan temple are three magnificent ancient trees: the Tang Dynastic Plum, the Song Dynastic Cypress and the Ming Dynastic Camellia.

Stone Forest
The Stone Forest is a contender for the top spot on Kunming’s essential sights list and is popular with Chinese and international visitors alike. This fascinating attraction is situated 120kms from the city and covers an area of 400 square kilometres. Visitors can marvel at the intricate natural stone formations that have been known as the 'First Wonder of the World’ since the Ming Dynasty. The Major Stone Forest, Minor Stone Forest and Naigu Stone Forest, the Subterranean Stone Forest and the Strange Wind Cave are among the Stone Forest’s best known areas of interest.

The Dianchi Lake Scenic Area
Situated in the southwest district of Kunming, the Dianchi Lake Scenic Area is a pleasant location in which many of the city’s popular attractions such as Daguan Park, Baiyukou Park and Haigeng Bank, are located. The lake itself covers a massive 300 square kilometres and is the largest freshwater lake in the Yunnan province. The lake has over 20 rivers connected to it as well as a shoreline stretching 163.2 kilometres and is an ideal place to take a pleasant walk and escape the urban hustle and bustle.

The East and West Temple Pagodas
These two fascinating structures are interesting from both an aesthetic and historic perspective. Both pagodas originally date back to the Tang period (618-907) however the current the faithful reconstructions of previous temples hail from the Qing Dynasty.

The Flower and Bird Market
The Flower and Bird Market is situated on Jingming street and is a great place to watch traditional Chinese life with all its intricacies and idiosyncrasies as well as offering a good opportunity to make some interesting purchases. Chinese handicrafts are abundant as are blossoms, potted plants and antiques.

The Golden Temple
The Golden Temple, also known as the Tongwa Temple, is situated on top of the Mingfeng Hill and is hailed as the largest copper temple in the country. The history of the temple can be traced back to the reign of Emperor Wanli during this Ming Dynasty in the early 17th century. This was the temple’s earliest incarnation however and over the years it was rebuilt, repositioned and repaired with the building that we can see today dating back to the year 1890 when Emperor Guangxu ordered a total overhaul and renovation of the structure.

Yuantong Temple
Built over a millennium ago when the Yunnan province was still a part of the Kingdom of Nanzhao, the Yuantong temple is an interesting structure located in the northern part of the city. The temple is unusual in that it is entered from above, being situated at the bottom of a gently sloping path. Halfway down the path is an ornate memorial archway featuring four Chinese characters while at the bottom sits the temple complex built around Yuantong Hall. A small fee is charged for entry to the temple which is still a working religious facility.

Attend the Chinese New Year Celebrations. The Spring Festival is a significant period in the Chinese lunar calendar and an event celebrated with much enthusiasm in Kunming. Visitors would be wise to plan their trip to the city to coincide with the height of the festivities. Marvel at the street parades complete with traditional dragon and tiger dances, enjoy local food delicacies and join the masses in lighting abundant quantities of firecrackers to usher in the New Year and bid farewell to the old one.

Rent a bicycle and see the city’s top sights at your own leisure. China is a very bicycle-friendly country and getting around on two wheels is often the best way of seeing all of the city’s most interesting sights. A bicycle gives you the freedom to go where you want and to stop at any time or place for a more detailed exploration and examination of the location. Orientation around the city is uncomplicated and it’s unlikely that you’ll get lost unless you stray far from the beaten track.

Sample the local cuisine. Yunnanese food is mildly spiced and well suited to a western palate so most visitors won’t find the local dishes overly pungent and indeed should make the effort to sample them as much as possible in order to get a true sense of the city’s rich culture. The tasty duck dish, Kunming Lu Ya, is popular with foreign visitors while the steamed chicken dish, Qiguo Ji and the braised mushroom dish, Hongshao Jizong, are popular with locals and visitors alike.

Take a Kunming Tour. Local tour operators offer visitors the chance to see all of the city’s most popular sights without any of the hassle of transportation. Book a one, two or three day tour through your hotel and you’ll be picked up in the morning taken to a variety of key attractions and returned to the hotel in the evening with lunch and refreshments provided. Organised tours are the easy way of seeing the sights removing any of the problems associated with negotiating public transport or dealing with non-English speaking staff.