Dali Ancient City

Walk it early, before the shops open, when the side lanes are full of Bai households hanging washing and sweeping courtyards. The main streets (Fuxing Road and Renmin Road among them) are busy and commercial by midday; the lanes off them are not. Climb onto the restored city wall at the South Gate for a view over the rooftops to the lake. It makes a good base for a few days, but the reason to stay in Dali is outside the walls, so treat the old town as somewhere to come back to in the evening. Some gate towers and sights inside charge separately; check on the spot.