Manting Park has a dedicated parking lot for self-drive vehicles, but during the Spring Festival, there are too many cars, and the park’s parking lot is likely to be full. The Manting Park parking lot can only accommodate dozens of vehicles. Parking at the park is free. It’s quite convenient to take a taxi from Gaozhuang, which only takes about 10 minutes.
NO.1
Largest Parking Lot – Jiufeng Mountain
The scenic area’s large parking lot has 1,600 available spaces, and there is also a small parking lot that can accommodate 100 vehicles. In addition, temples in the middle of Jiufeng Mountain and the courtyards of nearby farmhouse inns can also accommodate outside vehicles. The entire scenic area is expected to provide parking for 2,300–2,500 vehicles.
NO.2
Smallest Parking Lot – Manting Park
Staff members stated that the Manting Park parking lot can only accommodate dozens of vehicles. Parking at the park is free.
NO.3
Most Crowded Parking Lot – Lijiang
There are only 1,630 marked parking spaces throughout Lijiang city. With so many people driving into the ancient town, do the cars have to be parked outside the urban area? To address this, the Forestry Bureau of Gucheng District, the Planning Sub-bureau of Gucheng District, Lijiang Film City, the Lijiang Highway Management Division, and other units have opened their courtyards or parking lots to tourists for free. These units have set up free parking signs during the golden week and have assigned personnel to watch over the areas.
NO.4
Most Humanized Parking Lot – Xishuangbanna Tropical Flower Garden
To prevent situations where too many tourists result in no available parking, the flower garden has an emergency measure for the “parking issue.” “Cars that can’t be accommodated will be directed to the accommodation area of the flower garden’s premises,” and this service is free of charge.
Hey, it’s an 8-day holiday, and highway tolls are waived too. Not taking a self-drive trip to enjoy the beautiful landscapes of our country would really be a waste of an opportunity for yourself.
The landscapes of our country are indeed beautiful, but the scenery in Yunnan is even more stunning. The charm of its 25 ethnic minorities goes without saying. The youth inspirational dramas “Beijing Love Story” and “Beijing Youth,” which reflect the lives and emotional realities of the post-80s generation, were both filmed in Yunnan, making fans of these two shows even more eager to visit Yunnan.
This year during the National Day holiday, the nationwide implementation of “toll-free self-drive travel” and the recently announced “discounted admission to tourist attractions in Yunnan” have made many people eager to hit the road. Those with cars are driving here, and those without are taking buses. But then again, with so many people driving to scenic spots, where can we find a “parking spot” for our beloved cars?
Today, we are proud to present the “Self-Drive Parking Guide for Yunnan,” compiling information on the number of parking spaces, parking fees, and emergency parking measures during the holiday season for most major tourist attractions in Yunnan, to serve as a reference for your travels. Of course, we’ve also included the various promotional offers at major tourist sites during the holidays—you’ll want to take your time reading this.
Dali – Surrounding Areas Step Up to Help
With only 9.16 public parking spaces for every 100 vehicles, this is the current situation in Dali, a tourist city. During the “Double Festival” period when tolls for vehicles with seven seats or fewer are waived, Dali will undoubtedly face an explosive increase in private car traffic.
According to statistics from the First Traffic Police Brigade of the Dali Public Security Bureau, as of the end of last year, Dali had 138,022 registered motor vehicles (71,796 cars and 65,439 motorcycles). The city has only 4,913 public parking spaces and 1,670 on-street parking spaces. The public parking space ratio per 100 vehicles is 9.16, which only meets the standards of a Level 6 city in the Smooth Traffic Project evaluation.
This Double Festival, in response to the influx of private cars and various transit vehicles, the First Traffic Police Brigade of the Dali Public Security Bureau is fully prepared, adding “mobile peak-duty posts” at key transportation hubs such as the train station, bus station, Zhengyang area, National Fitness Center, Mingzhu Square, and the Xiaguan toll station exit of the Chuxiong-Dali Expressway.
Dali Three Pagodas – Borrowing Municipal Square for Temporary Parking
The Dali Three Pagodas scenic area currently has three parking lots, which together can accommodate 210 vehicles. During the Double Festival, to ensure sufficient parking spaces for visitors, the scenic area management stated that they will borrow the municipal square in front of the Three Pagodas entrance as a temporary parking lot, which can accommodate approximately 300 self-drive vehicles. Along the road from the north side of the scenic area to the golf course, around 80 tour buses can be parked. The parking fee is 5 yuan per entry.
Jiufeng Mountain – Scenic Area Can Accommodate 2,500 Vehicles
Currently, some spaces in the large parking lot constructed at Jiufeng Mountain have begun operation. According to Zhang Chengbiao, the person in charge of the scenic area, the large parking lot can accommodate 1,600 vehicles, and there is also a small parking lot that can hold 100 vehicles. In addition, temples in the middle of Jiufeng Mountain and the courtyards of nearby farmhouse inns can also accommodate outside vehicles. The entire scenic area is expected to provide parking for 2,300–2,500 vehicles. The parking fee is charged according to the standards issued by the Binchuan County Development and Reform Commission: 10 yuan per day for sedans, and 15 yuan per day for buses or tour vehicles with more than 20 seats.
Butterfly Spring – Using Both Sides of the Road as Temporary Parking
According to Wang Zhengjun, the person in charge of the scenic area, Butterfly Spring is more like a small park with high visitor turnover. During the holiday period, about 1,000 vehicles are parked daily in a flowing manner. The scenic area’s parking lot was jointly built by nearby villagers and can accommodate nearly 200 vehicles. During the Double Festival, to ensure vehicle parking, the scenic area will use both sides of the road as temporary parking spots, accommodating around 200 vehicles. Management personnel will be deployed along with traffic police and relevant departments to ensure orderly parking without affecting traffic flow. The parking fee is 7 yuan per day.
The Cangshan Cable Car and the Film City have arranged roadside parking for outside vehicles.
A person in charge at the scenic area, Manager Hong, stated that the Cangshan Cable Car scenic spot does not have a dedicated parking lot, so visitors' vehicles will be parked in the Film City’s parking area. It is understood that there are four parking lots in the Film City scenic area, with a capacity of 300 vehicles. During holidays, when visitor numbers significantly increase and the 1.5-kilometer stretch of road outside the scenic area is deserted, the scenic area will temporarily place outside vehicles along the roadside as makeshift parking spots. Whether parked in the scenic area’s parking lots or along the roadside, parking is free of charge, with no fees applied.
Xishuangbanna: Parking lots are all small, just squeeze in along the roadside.
Manting Park: The park is very small and can only accommodate dozens of vehicles.
Staff at Manting Park mentioned that the park’s parking lot is quite small and can only hold a few dozen cars. Parking in the park is free.
Tropical Botanical Garden: Limited parking spaces, so come early.
The Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden has two parking lots. The front gate parking lot can accommodate around 30 vehicles, while the back gate parking lot can hold 50–70 vehicles. Staff said that there is no parking fee at the botanical garden. “Parking spaces are very limited, so you’ll need to arrive early, otherwise there may be no spots left.”
Tropical Flowers Garden: If it's full, you can park in the accommodation area.
The Xishuangbanna Flower Garden parking lot has 300 parking spaces, and parking fees are not time-based. Small vehicles are charged 5 yuan per entry; large vehicles with fewer than 18 seats are charged 10 yuan; those with 18–25 seats are charged 15 yuan; and those with over 30 seats are charged 20 yuan.
Staff mentioned that based on past experience, the current number of parking spaces is sufficient to meet demand. However, due to the special circumstance of no “toll fees” being charged during this year’s National Day holiday, and to prevent overcrowding that could lead to insufficient parking, the flower garden will implement emergency measures regarding the “parking issue.” “Cars that can’t be accommodated will be directed to park in the flower garden’s staff accommodation area.” “Since there is no dedicated personnel guarding the accommodation area, parking there is free,” the staff explained.
Lijiang: Free parking available in multiple areas during the Golden Week.
“Currently, to alleviate parking difficulties during the Golden Week, we are working on opening up courtyards and parking lots of units around the ancient town and main streets to tourists for free,” introduced a police officer from the Second Traffic Police Brigade of the Ancient City District.
It is understood that in recent years, to ensure convenient parking for tourists visiting Lijiang during the Golden Week and effectively relieve the “parking difficulty” issue, the Lijiang Ancient City District Government decided that during the Golden Week, the courtyards or parking lots of units such as the Lijiang Ancient City District People’s Government, the Lijiang Ancient City District Forestry Bureau, the Ancient City District Planning Branch, Lijiang Movie City, and the Lijiang Highway Management Division would be opened to tourists for free. Each unit will set up free parking signs during the Golden Week and assign personnel to watch over the areas.
Previously, many roadside parking spaces were marked out in downtown Lijiang, but according to a person in charge from the Urban Road Temporary Parking Space Management Branch, there are currently 1,630 parking spaces marked out on city roads.
In addition to free parking spots, there are also the following parking lots available in downtown Lijiang where you can park your car.
Lugu Lake: Has around 1,000 parking spaces, but due to their scattered distribution, there is no unified standard for parking fees at this scenic area.
Jade Dragon Snow Mountain: The parking at this scenic area is managed by several departments jointly, and no statistics have been compiled, so the exact number of parking spaces is currently unavailable. The main parking lot at Ganhaizi does not charge parking fees, and self-driving tourists must transfer to eco-friendly buses to reach the scenic spots after arriving at Ganhaizi.
Chuxiong: Street-side parking is more regulated and still free.
According to Mr. Shang, a staff member from the property management of Yiren Ancient Town in Chuxiong, Yiren Ancient Town has about 500 fixed parking spaces. Normally, from 8 a.m. to midnight, the fee is 5 yuan with no time limit. From midnight to 8 a.m. the next day, the fee is 10 yuan, also with no time limit. There are roughly over 500 parking spaces within the residential area of Yiren Ancient Town, but they are generally not open to the public. Mr. Shang said that over 1,000 vehicles can be parked along the streets of Yiren Ancient Town, and as long as the parking is orderly, no fees are charged. According to the 2012 Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day Holiday Tourism Reception Preparation and Emergency Plan issued by the Yiren Ancient Town Tourism Development Co., Ltd., during peak holiday periods, vehicle access on the main roads of sections one to three with high pedestrian traffic will be restricted. In response to a high volume of self-driving vehicles, in addition to six open parking lots, one-way parking will be implemented on the section from the West Gate to the Food Street.
Regarding the “two holidays,” Mr. Shang said that it is estimated that the parking situation at Yiren Ancient Town will remain the same as usual. If there is a shortage of parking spaces during the holidays, tourists will have to find their own parking solutions.
Dehong: Ensuring no tourists are left stranded on the streets.
During the National Day holiday, the Dehong Prefecture Tourism Bureau set up consultation points at the entrances of various counties and cities, where tourists can go for any inquiries. In addition, to ensure that “no tourist is left stranded on the street,” relevant departments conducted a survey of all habitable places across the prefecture and cleared some public facilities as emergency preparations. Tourists in Dehong who have questions can call 0692-2104169 for assistance.
“We have set up consultation points at the entry points of every county and city across the prefecture,” said a staff member from the Planning and Development Division of the Dehong Prefecture Tourism Bureau. The staff at these consultation points will do their best to serve everyone. All information related to food, entertainment, accommodation, and transportation can be inquired about, and the points can also provide timely updates on scenic area conditions to guide tourists in avoiding peak visiting times.
Additionally, tourism-related departments in Dehong Prefecture, among others, have cleared some public facilities and surveyed all possible lodging options such as hotels across the prefecture. If tourists are unable to find accommodations, relevant departments will take emergency measures, such as setting up beds in school classrooms or arranging rest areas in farm stays or buses for tourists.
Regarding the increase in self-driving tourists due to this year’s highway toll exemption, tourists need not worry. “The main popular scenic spots in Dehong are the Moli Tropical Rainforest and One Village Two Countries. The former can provide up to 1,000 parking spaces, and the latter can offer 500 spaces—capacity is not an issue, and other scenic areas are also well prepared.” Furthermore, the staff member explained that currently, none of Dehong’s scenic areas charge parking fees.