Dali Railway Station Ticket Office — Local services in Dali City

CAREFUL not to book the WRONG DALI station if you booked your ticket on the app! There is indeed two Dali destinations on the app "Railway 12306", make sure to pick the right one by comparing the Mandarin calligrams to the actual station you're aiming. (for us we arrived and were told that the train we booked was departing from another Dali! We had to cancel our tickets and get new ones. In the end kind of pricy mistake, but a least a fun story to tell from us, foreigners who can't read Mandarin 55555)

Foreigners taking the train in Zhōnghuó-China for the first time or still lost on how to move around:

*either buy your tickets on the app "Railway 12306" and of course always show up in advance because passing security can take time

*either buy your ticket at counters (sometimes have to queue for half an hour before to reach window). You must have passport for each passenger you want to book for (otherwise you won't get ticket). As very few railway staff speaks English, you must have an offline-working translation app on your phone (with Mandarin (simplified) pre-downloaded) to be able to communicate your wish. (Finally, you cannot buy your ticket on the machines unless you have a Chinese ID)

*book way in advance (sometimes) as, during high seasons, all tickets might be sold out already a few days before departure. Checking on the app "Railway 12306" sometimes might give you an idea if it's time for you to book before it runs out.

*on your ticket it usually show your coach number and your seat/sleeper number. If you can't identify which number is which, ask locals they'll be pleased to point you the right wagon.

*for long travels, they sell basic instant food aboard. You can also bring your own food aboard. All trains have free boiling water fountains. For overnight travels, it of course exists different classes of sleepers, with blanket and pillow provided.

*toilets aboard the train are often only squatting ones, sometimes can have seating ones

P.S.: to reach Dali old town, you can take one of the buses right outside the station, it takes less than an hour...

If you are arriving here and need to take the bus to the hotel near Dali ancient town , DO NOT take the “express bus” (5 RMB) that promises a direct journey without stopping. Although it does not stop in between, it will only leave when there are enough passengers (so it will wait for the arrival of passengers from the next train arriving) , and it only has one drop off location which is near the South Gate of the ancient town. Unless your hotel is nearby.

I would encourage you to take the local town bus routes instead. The friendly staff can advise you on the bus route to take. There are a few local buses to take.

If you are also planning to go Shaxi ancient town, you can walk over to “Dali bus passenger transport station” nearby to buy bus ticket (55 RMB, 10am & 3pm daily)....

Actually, my post not only relates to the Dali Railway Station Ticket Office, but more to the Dali Railway Station as such. It represents an impressive example of combined traditional and modern Chinese Architecture. And the ceiling shows a magnificent representation of the well-known local art of making tie-dye cloths. And I want to give bonus points to the Cotti Coffee outlet at the Railway Station. The Cappuccino (“Cabpuccino”) is better than the one we had from Luckin Coffee and at the same time much cheaper (CN¥ 13.70 for Cotti against CN¥ 28.00 for Luckin). The only reason for missing a 5 star rating is that the Station building fails to offer a luggage...