Mu Shi Yuan Inn Lijiang
by the TopOfHotel team
Mu Shi Yuan is a boutique courtyard inn in the heart of the old town, a 5-8 minute walk from the Mu Palace, scoring 9.7 at the best price on the list.
Mu Shi Yuan is a boutique courtyard inn in the heart of the old town, a 5-8 minute walk from the Mu Palace, scoring 9.7 at the best price on the list.
In-Depth Review
Number 3 is for the mid-budget traveler who still wants to sleep in a real Naxi courtyard — Mu Shi Yuan Inn Lijiang, a 3-star boutique inn in the heart of Dayan old town. Rooms start near $26 a night, it scores 9.7, and it's the best value here once you weigh price against room quality. It replaces a former number 3 whose Trip.com page no longer works.
Rooms and decor
The building is a genuine Naxi house arranged around a central courtyard with a small fish pond and a plum tree that's been there for decades. Rooms run roughly 22-25 sqm, walls clad in Yunnan pine, with real wood floors and high ceilings that show the original beams. The queen bed sits on a firm mattress, and the warm duck-down duvet earns its keep on the nights Lijiang drops to 5°C. The bathroom is small but spotless, the hot water comes fast, and the heater runs all night. A few rooms have a small wooden balcony over the courtyard. It feels more like staying at a relative's place than at a hotel.
Food and amenities
This is a small inn — around 12 rooms, with 3-4 staff taking turns and remembering nearly every guest's name. Wi-Fi is free and quick enough for Netflix, luggage storage before and after check-in costs nothing, and laundry runs out to a shop at $4-7 per kg. The desk will also book you onto the snow-mountain tour, the Tiger Leaping Gorge trip, or a Naxi baba cooking class, and there's free Pu'er tea in the lobby all day. The 9.7 score comes from over 1,500 reviews, and what guests flag most is the cleanliness, the quiet at night, and how easygoing the owners are.
Location and getting there
Location is the other selling point. Chongren Alley, off Qiyi Street, sits between Sifang Square and the south town gate, so it's only about a 5-8 minute walk to the 800-year-old Mu Palace (Mu Fu) and another 3 minutes to Sifang Square in the centre of the old town. Black Dragon Pool, where you photograph Jade Dragon Snow Mountain reflected in the water, is about 2 km away — a $1.40 taxi or a 25-minute walk. Lijiang train station is around 10 km out and the airport 28 km, with Didi easy to hail.
Things to know before booking
It's a small inn, so the amenities are basic and the dozen or so rooms book out fast — reserve 2-3 weeks ahead. It sits on a lane, and the old town's stone alleys are genuinely easy to lose, so grab a map from the desk before you wander. And worth repeating: this is a stand-in for the original number 3, whose Trip.com page stopped working, not the article's first pick.
Our take
Mu Shi Yuan Inn Lijiang is the answer for budget travelers who don't want to cut corners on quality. $26 a night with a 9.7 score in a World Heritage old town is rare. We'd recommend it for couples, solo backpackers, or groups of 2-3 who'd rather put their money toward the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain tour and the food than the room. Book 2-3 weeks out because rooms are few — our proud number 3.
Score Breakdown
Assessed by our editorial team from data and real guest reviews
The Honest Verdict — pros & what to know
- A boutique courtyard hotel right in the heart of Dayan old town, built into a real Naxi house.
- Traditional Naxi courtyard layout finished in warm-toned wood, with a small fish pond and a decades-old plum tree in the central court.
- About a 5-8 minute walk to the 800-year-old Mu Palace and just a few minutes to Sifang Square.
- Guests consistently praise the cleanliness, the quiet nights, and the easygoing, on-first-name-terms service.
- The cheapest starting price on the list paired with a high 9.7 score from 1,500-plus reviews.
- It's a small inn — only around 12 rooms — so amenities are basic and it books out fast.
- It sits on a lane, and the old town's maze of stone alleys can be tricky to navigate at first.
- It replaces a former number 3 entry whose Trip.com page no longer works, rather than being the original pick.
Who It’s For
Match Score by travel style
Amenities
Location & Nearby Spots
Things to do near Lijiang
Day tours, attraction tickets and experiences around Lijiang — book ahead on Klook with mobile e-tickets.
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Insider Tips
- Book 2-3 weeks ahead — the high score means the dozen or so rooms fill quickly.
- You can walk to both the Mu Palace and Sifang Square in a few minutes, so skip the taxi.
- Grab a hand-drawn alley map from the front desk so you don't get lost in the old town.