The airport bus (¥5) leaves from outside the Yunnan Air headquarters on Tuodong Lu - check with them inside for bus departure times, and be prepared to take a taxi (¥11) if the bus doesn't materialize. The journey takes about thirty minutes, and it's recommended that you get to the airport with two hours to spare. As well as flights to all major Chinese cities, there are regular services to Vientienne, Rangoon, Singapore and Bangkok. Yunnan Air is very helpful and organized, and can also book you on other airlines out of Kunming.

At Kunming train station , you'll find the booking office on the east side of the vast station square, with windows open 6.30am-10pm. When staffed, the ticket service desk here is pretty helpful and will fill you in on which queue to join; at present, window #5 is staffed by an English-speaker. Trains run north to Chengdu - try breaking your journey at Xichang in southern Sichuan - southeast via Xingyi to Baise and Nanning in Guangxi, and east through Guizhou , via Liupanshui, Anshun and Guiyang, into the rest of the country. Tickets are sold three days in advance and, if you plan ahead, it's not difficult to get what you're after.

Trains to Hekou and Vietnam leave from the North train station , and you have to buy tickets there - take bus #23 up Beijing Lu. Hidden away at the northeast corner of the station, the ticket office's advertised hours are 6am-10.40pm, but don't take this too literally. There's currently one afternoon train, which takes about sixteen hours to reach Hekou (a seat is ¥28, berths ¥57-77), and, if you've the right visas, thirty-six to Hanoi.

At Kunming's main long-distance bus station , the ticket office is computerized and staff are helpful, with standard, luxury, express and sleeper buses departing for all over Yunnan and neighbouring provinces - but finding the right vehicle out the back can be a protracted business. Keep a tight hold on your luggage, as nearly everybody seems to get something pinched either at the station or in transit. You can also catch standard and sleeper buses to Dali, Jinghong and elsewhere in Yunnan from the depot across the road from the main bus station, and from the western side of the train station square - the latter's vehicles are in bad repair, but slightly cheaper.

Leaving China by road into Vietnam and Laos is also possible, through the respective crossings at Hekou in southeastern Yunnan or Bian Mao Zhan in Xishuangbanna. At the time of writing, foreigners entering Burma had to fly in to Rangoon - no overland entry was allowed - and had to change US$300 for their stay.