Dali City Tour with Private Guide: Customized Itinerary

Eight hours exploring Dali's Ming dynasty old city and ancient temples on your own schedule

An eight-hour private guided tour of Dali lets you customize the stops and pace. You explore the walled old city with its traditional Bai architecture, visit the Three Pagodas of Chongsheng Temple dating to the 9th century, and learn the city's history from a guide who speaks English or Chinese. Choose between a guide alone or a guide with private vehicle. Pickup from your hotel is included in the vehicle option.

Step-by-step itinerary

Explore Dali's cultural and historical sites

• Meet guide at hotel or chosen location
• Visit ancient town of Dali
• Explore Three Pagodas of Chongsheng Temple
• Learn about Dali's history and culture

The experience

The tour builds around what you want to see. Meet your guide at your hotel or a location you pick, then shape the itinerary together. Tell them what interests you and they'll suggest the stops that fit. The walled old city from the Ming dynasty holds traditional homes and towers built by the Bai ethnic minority, and the Three Pagodas of Chongsheng Temple rise beyond it, their 9th-century stone still standing. Your guide walks you through the city's layers, from the kingdom of Nanzhao in the 8th century through the dynasties that followed.

The eight-hour window gives you time to move without rushing. You set the rhythm and the focus, whether that means lingering in one neighborhood, asking deeper questions about the architecture, or covering more ground. The guide speaks English or Chinese, so language is not a barrier to understanding what you're seeing.

You choose the format at checkout: a guide alone, or a guide with a private vehicle included. The vehicle option includes hotel pickup, which simplifies the logistics if you're arriving without your own transport. Additional languages (French, German, Italian, Spanish, Russian, Malay, Indonesian, Thai or Vietnamese) are available for an extra fee.

What’s included

• A private guide in English or Chinese.
• customized itinerary based on your interests.
• eight hours of guided exploration.
• private vehicle and hotel pickup (if you select that option at checkout).

Options for this experience

3 options

Private guide onlyGuide in English or Chinese · 09:00 and 13:30Private guide without transport

Private vehicle onlyGuide in English or Chinese · 09:00 and 13:30Private vehicle with pickup, no tour guide

Private vehicle with guideGuide in English or Chinese · 09:00 and 13:30Private guide and private vehicle with pickup

You pick the guide language when booking.

You'll see the exact price of each option when you check availability.See dates and prices

Before you book

Days and timesEvery dayDepartures at 09:00 and 13:30

AgesAdult (3 to 70 years) · Under 3: can't be booked

GroupPrivate

Live guideEnglish and Chinese

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup is optional; you can also go straight to the meeting point. Ends back at the starting point.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.

Prices and times updated 8 days ago

Good to know

Low physical effortInfants must sit on laps

Operated by Aether Tours

Is this one for you?Choose the guide-only option if you have your own transport or prefer to arrange your own pickup. Select the guide with vehicle if you want hotel pickup included and don't want to navigate on your own. Either way, the customized itinerary means you're not following a fixed route. You're building the day around what matters to you.

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Top questions

What languages is the tour guided in?

Live guide in English and Chinese.

What are the Three Pagodas of Chongsheng Temple?

The Three Pagodas of Chongsheng Temple are ancient structures dating back to the 9th century, standing beyond Dali's walled old city. They're among the most recognizable landmarks in the region and a focal point on most customized itineraries.

Can I customize which sites we visit during the tour?

Yes, the itinerary is customized based on what you tell your guide you want to see. You discuss your interests when you meet, and the guide suggests stops and a route that fit your preferences and the eight-hour timeframe.

Does the tour include hotel pickup?

Hotel pickup is included if you choose the private vehicle option. If you book the guide-only option, you'll meet your guide at a location you select together.

What's inside Dali's old city?

The walled old city dates from the Ming dynasty and contains traditional homes and towers built by the Bai ethnic minority. It's the cultural heart of Dali and typically a centerpiece of the tour.