Getting from Lijiang train station to Old city: Wait for bus No.4 at the bus stop in front of the train station. The bus will take you to the main gate of Old city (simplified Chinese: 丽江古城; traditional Chinese: 麗江古城; pinyin: Lìjiāng Gǔchéng). The bus costs ¥1.

Xian hua bing is the name of the little rose cakes

We had a good guide in Lijiang who went around with us and she organised the driver. Our costs included the hotel which she booked for us, so may not be as relevant if you are doing that yourself. If you would like her details, please get in touch.

My boyfriend and I were looking around for tours and all of them are really expensive and we didn't book at first. Then we stumbled upon a really nice spa, called Eden Spa and we spoke to the owner who has lived there and travels a lot. She introduced us to a friend of hers who we booked a private car with for the next day to Tiger Leaping Gorge. If you want the contact you could message me privately and I can give you her contact via wechat. If not, good luck and have enjoy your trip!

Lijiang is without a doubt one of China's genuine highlights, and I think that it would be a real mistake to miss it out. There are only two or three main throroughfares that are busy, while the rest of the many maze-like alleyways and winding lanes are almost ignored by the vast majority of tourists. There are hidden temples, romantic waterways and amazing architecture to be discovered once you venture off the beaten tracks. Get a guide who knows the maze of back alleys well, and you will be impressed at what you can discover. Even the busy main drags are a fascinating insight into contemporary Chinese culture, and they are a great opportunity to meet fellow tourists from China. In Lijiang everybody is on holiday in one of their dream destinations and so they are much more friendly than the miserable, downtrodden populations of Shanghai, Beijing and Hong Kong. It is a rare chance to interact and make friends with ordinary Chinese people. My own favourite thing about Lijiang is the choice of amazing guesthouses and their wonderful interior designs. Nowhere on earth has such a wide choice and the listings on Tripadvisor represent only a fraction of the accommodation that is available. This is such a departure of the boring plain four wall tourist hotels that we are usually subjected too. I could write a book about things to see, do and experience in and around Lijiang. It might be all be little daunting for some travellers but it is definitely worth the effort.

I highly recommend Keith Lyons - his email is pretty much his name. Just google it or he is on trip adviser. He provided us with English speaking, local guides that are very knowledgeable about the area and also guided us to Tiger Leaping Gorge and Shangri-La. He booked us accommodations in Lijiiang and our guide arranged for all the others during our trip as well as transportation. Our guide took us places we would never have seen otherwise and knew many of the local people. They are the best.