By early evening in Dali Old Town, the light is going off the Cangshan range and the streets around Renmin Road are filling up: travellers comparing notes over dinner, guesthouse courtyards opening their gates, and a few bars already pouring. Later, the same streets carry the evening on with live music, flavoured spirits and conversation that runs well past midnight.
Dali's nightlife is small-scale and sociable rather than slick. It suits people who want to eat, drink and talk in the same few blocks, who are happy to move between a bar, a courtyard and a late snack, and who prefer a relaxed evening to a big night out. Much of it clusters in the Old Town, with a separate, more local scene down in Xiaguan.
Where to go out in Dali
1. Renmin Road, Dali Old Town
This is the main spine of an evening in the Old Town, with bars, cafes and restaurants sitting side by side along the same street. It suits a night where you want options within walking distance and no fixed plan.
Two long-established names on this street are Bad Monkey at 59 Renmin Road, which opens from 09:00 and shifts from cafe to bar with bands and DJs later on, and Daliba at 260 Renmin Road, described as the first flavoured vodka bar in China. Both are named in the source; check locally that they are still trading before you build a night around them.
2. Bo Ai Lu
A second Old Town street with a quieter, cafe-and-drinks character. Neverland Cafe on Bo Ai Lu is noted for homemade wine and fruit wines, along with baked potatoes topped with tuna; the owner speaks English.
It suits an early, low-key drink rather than a late night, and pairs well with a wander back towards Renmin Road afterwards.
3. The traveller bar scene
The Old Town's bars are largely built around foreign and Chinese travellers mixing with Dali locals, with pool tables, live bands and DJ sets as the evening goes on. Bad Monkey is the longest-running example of this kind of place, and its own beers are brewed on site.
This suits anyone who wants to arrive alone and end up in conversation. Expect a mixed crowd rather than a single scene.
4. Courtyard cafes and guesthouse bars
Some of the most pleasant places to drink are courtyards attached to cafes and guesthouses, where you can sit outside and stay for a few rounds. Sun Island Cafe is one such relaxed spot, run by a friendly owner and with rooms around the courtyard for visitors.
This suits a slow evening, a small group, or a nightcap close to where you are staying.
5. Climbing-oriented bars
Dali has a climbing community, and at least one bar is built around it: ClimbDali on Renmin Road offers free bouldering, cheap beer, information on rock climbing in the area, an organic garden and a pool table.
It suits anyone planning to climb the next day, or simply wanting a bar with something to do besides drink.
6. Xiaguan
Down by the lake, Xiaguan is the more local counterpart to the Old Town, and an evening here is a different proposition: harder to navigate without Chinese, but worth the trip for the food and drink. One restaurant-bar on Renmin Street is known for Revolution-era memorabilia, a talkative owner, homemade fruit liquors such as plum baijiu, and local dishes including stir-fried erkuai with peanuts and chives and dumplings in chilli sauce.
It suits a group, a designated Chinese speaker, and an appetite for a proper meal with drinks. The source notes this particular place may have closed and been demolished, so treat it as a description of the area's character rather than a fixed destination.
7. Cangshan Mountainside Cafe
Higher up on Cangshan, this rustic cafe sits near a hiking trail and is reachable only on foot, serving locally sourced coffee and tea with views over Erhai Lake and the Old Town below. It lists hours of 09:00 to 18:00, weather permitting.
This is a daytime stop rather than a night out, but it works as the start of an evening: walk down, then eat and drink in the Old Town.
How a night out unfolds
Dali's evenings start early and stay informal. Bars such as Bad Monkey open from 09:00 and run through the day as cafes, so there is no sharp division between afternoon coffee and evening drinking; dancing tends to begin later in the night. In Xiaguan, an evening trip south of the lake is built around dinner and drinks together rather than a separate night out afterwards. The sources do not give closing times, so plan around the fact that the Old Town's bars and restaurants are clustered closely enough to move between on foot.
Festivals and events worth timing a trip around
- National Day and the National Day Golden Week holiday — early October, with the holiday running across the first week of the month.
- Double Ninth Festival — mid-to-late October.
- Christmas Day — 25 December.
- New Year's Day — 1 January.
- Spring Festival Eve and Chinese New Year — early February.
Frequently asked questions
Where do most visitors go out in Dali?
The Old Town, particularly along Renmin Road and Bo Ai Lu, where bars, cafes and restaurants sit close together. Xiaguan offers a more local alternative south of the lake.
What does a drink cost?
A 500 ml bottle of Dali Beer costs around ¥10–12 in a bar and about ¥4–5 from a grocer, according to the source. A wide range of beers is available, though some are coloured green and take getting used to.
Is there live music?
Yes. Bad Monkey is noted for regular performances by bands and DJs, with dancing starting later in the evening.
Do I need Chinese to go out in Xiaguan?
It helps. The source advises bringing a Chinese-speaking friend, since some venues and signs use Chinese names only.
Decide whether you want the Old Town's sociable streets or a meal-and-drinks evening in Xiaguan, then plan your route so the evening ends within walking distance of where you are staying.