Here are five affordable cities with beautiful scenery for budget travelers in May

Hey, everyone! Want to travel in May but worried about spending too much? You have to check out these five affordable cities ✨ With an average of less than CNY 200 per day, you can enjoy beautiful scenery, delicious food, and great experiences. Students and workers, come on! 1. Dali, Yunnan (CNY 800–1,200 per person) Recommended because: Who doesn't love the romance of Dali's natural beauty? Rent a scooter and ride around Erhai Lake 🛵, take Miyazaki-style photos in the Xizhou rice fields, watch the sunset over Cangshan Mountain in Shuanglang Ancient Town, and stroll through the folk song bars on Renmin Road at night 🎸. It's healing and saves money. Cost: Hostels cost CNY 40–80/night 🛏️, roasted milk fan costs CNY 5/portion, Ersi noodles cost CNY 10/bowl 🍜, cycling around Erhai Lake is free, Xizhou Ancient Town is free, and renting a car on Huanhai West Road costs CNY 30/day. Four days is enough! Travel time: 4 days and 3 nights. Day 1: Eat and stroll around the ancient city; Day 2: Ride around Erhai Lake (Panxi Village–Xizhou–Shuanglang); Day 3: Climb Jizu Mountain to watch the sunrise; Day 4: Visit Wase Market + return trip. 2. Chengdu, Sichuan (CNY 1,000–1,500 per person) Recommended because: It's a city full of local life! Drink covered-cup tea and watch gray-haired elders playing chess in People's Park 🀄, go to the snack street in Jianshe Road to enjoy ice jelly and crispy potato 🍢, watch baby pandas drinking milk at the Panda Base 🐼, and listen to street bands for free at Jiuyan Bridge at night. Cost: Homestays cost CNY 100–150/night 🛏️, skewers cost CNY 60 per person, Panda Base tickets cost CNY 55, and subway and bus tickets cost CNY 20/day 🚇. Three days is super satisfying! Travel time: 3 days and 2 nights. Day 1: Chunxi Road + Panda Base; Day 2: Kuanzhai Alley + People's Park + Jinli; Day 3: Dongjiao Memory + Jianshe Road. 3. Quanzhou, Fujian (CNY 700–1,000 per person) Recommended because: It's a "World Heritage City" with both local life and beauty! Take photos of the red brick houses at the West Street Bell Tower 📸, visit the Guan Yue Temple to see the incense smoke, rent a set of hairpin flower ornaments for CNY 15 in Xunpu Village to become a Xunpu girl 🌺, and enjoy rice noodles with fried dough sticks. It's so delicious! Cost: Homestays in the old city cost CNY 80–120/night 🛏️, rice noodles cost CNY 8/bowl, meat dumplings cost CNY 5/piece 🍙, Kaiyuan Temple is free, Luoyang Bridge is free, and taxis have a starting price of CNY 7 🚖. Two to three days is just right! Travel time: 3 days and 2 nights. Day 1: West Street + Kaiyuan Temple + Guan Yue Temple; Day 2: Xunpu Village + Luoyang Bridge; Day 3: Catch the sea in Xunpu + eat and stroll around Zhongshan Road. 4. Guiyang, Guizhou (CNY 900–1,300 per person) Recommended because: It's an underrated "hot and sour food paradise"! Enjoy Siwawa and Changwang noodles at the Erqi Road Snack Street 🌶️, watch wild macaques in Qianlingshan Park 🐒, eat rose ice jelly in Qingyan Ancient Town, visit the White House to see the night view at night, and find bars everywhere where you can get tipsy for CNY 30 per person. Cost: Hotels in the city cost CNY 120–180/night 🛏️, Siwawa costs CNY 10/portion, Laoguo costs CNY 50 per person, Qianlingshan tickets cost CNY 5, and subway and bus tickets cost CNY 15/day 🚍. Three days is enough! Travel time: 3 days and 2 nights. Day 1: Jiaxiu Tower + Erqi Road Snack Street; Day 2: Qianlingshan Park + Zhongshuge; Day 3: Qingyan Ancient Town + Huaxi Yelang Valley. 5. Yantai, Shandong (CNY 1,000–1,400 per person) Recommended because: It's a "coastal fairy city" with fewer people than Qingdao! Ride around Yangma Island to see the waves crashing against the reefs 🌊, feed seagulls and take photos of European-style buildings at Fisherman's Wharf, eat braised food and seaweed buns 🥟 in Suochengli Old Street, and wait for the orange sea sunset at Jinshatan in the evening. It's so romantic! Cost: Seaside homestays cost CNY 100–150/night 🛏️, seafood stalls cost CNY 60 per person, Yangma Island is free, the coastal road bus is free 🚌, and renting an electric car costs CNY 50/day. Three days is super fun! Travel time: 3 days and 2 nights. Day 1: Ride around Yangma Island; Day 2: Fisherman's Wharf + Whale Shark Aquarium; Day 3: Suochengli + Jinshatan sunset. ✨ Budget travel tips: ✅ Choose accommodations in the old city/around scenic spots, so you can walk to the core attractions. ✅ Prioritize cities with "bus + shared bicycle" options to keep transportation costs within CNY 20 per day. ✅ Eat local snacks for lunch and find small restaurants in residential areas for dinner. They're cheap and authentic. The wind in May is gentle. Take this guide and see the world! 💖