Kunming is the principal transport hub of southwest China and reaching it is generally easy.
By air. Kunming Changshui International Airport (KMG), about 25 kilometres northeast of the city, has direct flights to most major Chinese cities and a growing list of international routes — Bangkok, Singapore, Yangon, Vientiane, Kuala Lumpur, Hong Kong, Tokyo, Seoul, and increasingly some European destinations. Metro Line 6 connects the airport to the city in about 30 minutes.
By train. The Kunming South high-speed station, in the south of the city, is on the Shanghai–Kunming and the Guiyang–Kunming HSR lines. Travel times from Beijing are around 10 hours; from Shanghai, around 11; from Guangzhou, around 7. The Kunming–Vientiane railway, opened in 2021, runs the 1,000 kilometres south to the Lao capital in about 10 hours and is the most interesting overland exit from China.
By bus. Long-distance buses go to most destinations in Yunnan from the East, South, North, and West bus stations. For Dali, Lijiang, and Shangri-La the train is now faster and more comfortable.