Four Underrated Budget-Friendly Off-the-Beaten-Path Cities You Must Not Miss!

Underrated Off-the-Beaten-Path City Travel Guide‼️‼️‼️‼️ 💫This is a seriously underrated artistic small town ➡️ rich in cultural and historical heritage, with a magical world by the lakeside🌏, few people and beautiful scenery. Before it becomes popular, get moving quickly!🔈🔈🔈 ✅ Shitai 📍Recommended Attractions: 🔷1. Guniujiang Scenic Area: Primitive forest scenery, ticket 80 RMB 🔷2. Penglai Fairy Cave: Karst cave wonder, ticket 60 RMB 🔷3. Qiupu River Scenic Area: Landscape once visited by Li Bai, free admission 📸 Must-visit spots 🔸Guniujiang — "The last piece of primitive forest in southern Anhui" Hike through misty canyons, occasionally spotting leopards and sika deer (excellent ecology!) The mountaintop meadow looks like a Windows desktop; in May, alpine rhododendrons bloom into a pink sea. 🔸Penglai Fairy Cave — "Underground Palace of Art" Strange and wonderful stalactites under lighting look like a fairyland; entering the cave cools the temperature by 10℃ instantly in summer! Explore the glowing stone steps of the Sea Corridor, stepping on them feels like walking through a star river. 🔸Qiupu River — "A river flowing with Tang poetry" Li Bai visited Qiupu five times and wrote 17 poems! Bamboo raft drifting, ancient trees tower on both banks, egrets fly low. The strange pools by the river are perfect for creek tracing and fishing, a great place for kids to play in the water! 🔸Yanjia Ancient Village — "A living Ming and Qing museum" Horse-head walls are weathered and historic; villagers still use ancient methods to dry autumn crops and make tea. A thousand-year-old ginkgo tree at the village entrance, with golden leaf carpets in autumn, a hidden gem for photographers! 🚌 Transportation Guide: Take a bus directly from Hefei Bus Station to Shitai, about 3 hours 🍽️ Food Recommendations: Shitai One-Pot, Qiupu Flower Mandarin Fish, Qidu Stinky Tofu ✅ Yanshan 📍Recommended Attractions: 🔷1. Ehu Academy: Ancient famous academy ruins, ticket 30 RMB 🔷2. Gexian Mountain: Famous Taoist mountain, cable car round trip 80 RMB 🔷3. Hekou Ancient Town: Well-preserved Ming and Qing ancient street, free 📷 Recommended Check-in Spots ✅ Gexian Mountain Famous since the Han dynasty for the Taoist, medical scholar, and founder of the Lingbao sect, Ge Xuan, who ascended here. "One mountain, two religions, Taoism and Buddhism practiced together" refers to this place. Take the cable car to Tianjing Terrace for panoramic views of Gexian Village, then hike 15 minutes to the Great Gexian Hall. Be sure to pay respects for good luck; it’s said to be very effective! ✅ Zhongmiao Pavilion The main building of the scenic area, you can go upstairs to see the whole town. In front of the pavilion is a lake where you can boat among schools of koi fish. As the mist clears, the koi leap onto the boat’s bow—truly living up to the saying "Spend a few days living like immortals in Gexian Village"~ ✅ Flame Festival Performance The Oriental carnival night flame show in Gexian Village is viral online: fire tigers, fire sticks, fire pots, fire skirt dance, and burning pagodas... a series of oriental flame magic shows, watching in person is incredibly stunning! ✅ All NPCs All NPCs online for zero-distance interaction, immersive Journey to the West themed performances, running continuously in November. Come to Gexian Village to "go wild"! ✅ Lingbao Fairy Street At nightfall, lanterns light up, turning this place into a CG game-like immortal world. Wear Hanfu and carry lanterns to stroll the ancient streets, feeling like you’re in the prosperous Tang dynasty... 🚝 Transportation Guide: Take a bus from Shangrao High-Speed Rail Station to Yanshan, about 1 hour 🍽️ Food Recommendations: Yanshan Hot Rice Noodles, Dengzhan Cake, Mazi Cake ✅ Mengzi 📍Recommended Attractions: 🔷1. Bisezhai Station: French-style train station, free 🔷2. Nanhu Park: City’s green lung, free 🔷3. Changqiao Sea: Plateau lake scenery, ticket 20 RMB 📷 Recommended Check-in Spots: 📍Bisezhai 💰: 0 (a bit far from downtown, transport🚗: taxi or 8 RMB bus) Famous from the movie "Youth." 🌟 Stroll along the century-old meter-gauge railway, touch the weathered French station signs, and shoot a "Youth" style photo series at the retro station! Yellow walls and red tiles make you feel like you’ve traveled to a Parisian town, even the air smells like coffee. 📍Nisu Town Next is a line of spots to visit (all walkable) 📍Yuhuang Pavilion (not open, actually no need to go) 📍Wangyun Museum 💰: 0 📍Southwest Associated University Memorial Hall 💰: 0 📍Old Customs Site 💰: 0 📍Pioneer Bookstore (great photo spot) in the middle of Nanhu Park Besides Bisezhai, these places can be covered in 1-2 hours; overall, Mengzi doesn’t have many attractions. 🚝 Transportation Guide: Kunming High-Speed Rail reaches Mengzi in 1.5 hours 🍽️ Food Recommendations: Crossing-the-Bridge Rice Noodles, Mengzi Rice Cake, Pomegranates (best in September-October) ✅ Kaili 📍Recommended Attractions: 🔷1. Xijiang Qianhu Miao Village: Largest Miao ethnic village, ticket 90 RMB 🔷2. Xiashi Ancient Town: Ancient town by the Qingshui River, ticket 60 RMB 🔷3. Langde Upper Village: Pristine Miao village, free 📸 **Must-visit spots** ✅ **Qingshui Riverbank**: Take a small boat and see stilted buildings reflected in the river, like stepping into a Chinese ink painting. ✅ **Yangming Academy**: Wang Yangming once lectured here; the ancient-style academy is perfect for Hanfu photos! ✅ **Old Wharf Old Street**: Weathered old walls, red lanterns hanging high, the evening lights create a strong time-travel vibe. ✅ **Miao Embroidery Workshop**: Experience intangible cultural heritage Miao embroidery hands-on and take home a unique souvenir~ 🚝 Transportation Guide: 40 minutes by high-speed rail from Guiyang to Kaili; city buses reach all attractions 🍽️ Food Recommendations: Sour Soup Fish, Miao-style Cured Meat, Glutinous Rice Wine 💕 Travel Tips: 1. Off-season (November-April) accommodation is cheaper 2. Scenic area combo tickets are more cost-effective than single tickets 3. Local snack stalls are cheaper than restaurants 4. Public transport saves more than taxis The youth of "Youth" shines on the railway✨, the spirit of the Associated University resounds in the Red Building📖, the gentleness of Nanhu flows in the aroma of rice noodles🍜—this small city in southern Yunnan holds half of modern Chinese history! Are you ready to travel through time?💥