By metro

The metro system consists of five lines, with more under construction. The metro operates from approximately 07:00 to 22:00, and fares are ¥2–10 depending on the distance traveled. To buy a single-journey ticket card, select your destination on one of the ticket machines and insert the required cash. The machines give change, but only accept paper money—no coins, cards, WeChat, or Alipay. Swipe your ticket to enter the metro and insert it when you leave, similar to the Shanghai metro system.

Line 6 from the airport to downtown was the first line to go into service, followed by Line 1 and Line 2, which temporarily combined as one line running from south to north through the city center and via Kunming Railway Station. Line 3 is an east-west line connecting to Line 6. Line 4 is a south-north line starting from the new Kunming South Railway Station. English signage on the metro system is pretty good.

By bus

City buses cost ¥1-2 per trip and cover most of the city. They operate from about 06:00 until late evening 21:30/22:00! (from the first stop, which means, if you go from the last stop, you can get the bus also at 23:00 going back to the first stop). They stop at every stop along their assigned route, but not all bus routes stop at all physical bus stops! Don't be surprised to see a bus driving right past a stop, as it may not be on their route. Stops are usually 500 m to 1 km apart. Bus drivers are lead-footed and often race each other, especially on the ring roads. They tend to stop suddenly too, so get a good handhold. Some of the bus stops are at the sides of the road but some bus stops are in the middle of the road and appear to have been designed to provide maximum inconvenience and danger for passengers. 

It is possible to get a bus card, which reduces the cost per trip to ¥0.90. The card itself costs ¥20 and is bought at bus stations. Bus Nos. 52 and 67 run to the airport and may cost ¥2 depending on the bus and hour. Also, some other buses cost ¥2. These usually go longer distances such as to "villages" around Kunming. Bus routes are marked on some local maps (purchased from street vendors or kiosks) but are not always accurate. You can check the following Chinese-only website (bus 10) but at least there is a map with the bus stop and you can quickly change the bus number in the URL (this only works for regular buses, not c62 and the like).

Photo Credit: Unsplash

Reference: Wiki Voyage

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