Pu'er

Pǔ'ěr (普洱), previously known as Sīmáo (思茅), is a prefecture-level city in Southern Yunnan. It has been a center for trade, mainly with Myanmar, for centuries. It is perhaps best known for its eponymous tea. In 2024, it had a population of 2.34 million people.

Understand

Pu'er Prefecture location in Yunnan

Get in

By plane

• 1 Pu'er Simao Airport (普洱思茅机场), 123 Siting Road, Simao District (思茅区思亭路123号) (there is no dedicated airport-city bus, but the airport is close to the city center so a taxi ride to your hotel should be relatively cheap), ☏ +86 879 2153017. A small airport with only a few flights per week. As of October 2022, flights are only available from Changsha, Chengdu. Kunming and Mangshi. (updated Oct 2022)

By train

• 2 Pu'er Railway Station (普洱站), Kunming-Mohan Expressway, Simao District (思茅区昆磨高速) (bus nos. 3 and K1 are the main buses connecting the station to the city; there are also special tourist buses operating between the station and several of the city's major tourist attractions). A relatively new station, which opened in late 2021 with the completion of the Kunming-Mohan Railway. Trains from Kunming take 2½ to 3½ hours to reach Pu'er. From Jinghong, the journey time is only about 40 to 50 minutes. (updated Oct 2022)

By bus

• 3 Pu'er Bus Station (普洱客运站), 148 Zhenxing Avenue, Simao District (思茅区振兴大道148号) (there is a bus stop outside the station, which is served by bus nos. 1, 4 and CX01), ☏ +86 879 2308286. The city's main long-distance bus station. (updated Oct 2022)

See

• 1 Pu'er Museum (普洱市博物馆), No. 10 Pu'er Culture Center, Binhe Road, Simao District (思茅区滨河路普洱市文化中心10号) (take bus no. 4 and get off at the Pu'er Grand Theatre bus stop), ☏ +86 879 2306961. 09:00-17:00, no entry after 16:30, closed on Mondays. Part of a cluster of museums in the same building complex, which also includes the Pu'er Museum of Urban Planning, Science and Technology (普洱市城市规划与科技馆), the Pu'er Art Museum (普洱市美术馆) and the Pu'er Tea Museum (普洱茶博物馆). Free. (updated Oct 2022)

Do

• 1 China Pu'er Tea Exhibition Garden (中华普洱茶博览苑), Yingpan Mountain, Yixiang Town, Simao District (思茅区倚象镇营盘山) (take the special tourist bus that departs from outside Pu'er Railway Station), ☏ +86 879 2813788. 08:30-17:30. Entry tickets are ¥30, battery car tickets are also ¥30. (updated Oct 2022)
• 2 Pu'er Sun River National Park (普洱太阳河国家公园), Dakai River Road, Yixiang Town, Simao District (思茅区倚象镇大开河段) (take the special tourist bus that departs from outside Pu'er Railway Station), ☏ +86 879 3027663. 08:00-18:00. ¥150. (updated Oct 2022)
• 3 Pu'er Tea Horse Road Scenic Area (普洱茶马古道旅游景区), Pu'er Avenue, Simao District (思茅区普洱大道) (take the special tourist bus that departs from outside Pu'er Railway Station; you can also get here on bus no. 3), ☏ +86 879 3088111 (enquiries), +86 879 3016111 (complaints), 121027478@qq.com. M-Th 08:00-17:30, no entry after 16:30, F-Sa 08:00-18:00, no entry after 17:00. battery car tickets are ¥10, the museum charges ¥60, the eagle show is ¥50, and the lake cruise is ¥30; all-inclusive tickets are also available for ¥80. (updated Oct 2022)

• 4 Jingmai Mountain (景迈山), Lancang Lahu Autonomous County (澜沧拉祜族自治县) (about 200 km from downtown Pu'er and about 60km from the county seat of Lancang County; a company called Abaila Cultural Tourism (阿百腊文旅) operates bus services to the area from Pu'er Simao Airport, Pu'er Railway Station, and Lancang Jingmai Airport as well as the airport and railway station in Jinghong - tickets can be purchased on the company's WeChat account; alternatively you could get a bus to Huimin (惠民), which is the nearest town; buses to Huimin depart from Lancang Bus Station). Listed as an UNESCO World Heritage Site, this mountain is covered in old tea trees and tea has been produced here since the 10th century CE. (updated Sep 2023)

Buy

Pu'er town view

The area's best-known product is Pu'er cha, Pu'er tea, a heavily fermented tea packed into flat cakes. These were originally for the horse caravan trade into Tibet and Myanmar. The cakes are embossed with designs, pretty enough that some people hang them as wall ornaments.