Guilin

Give Guilin three days and split them three ways. Day 1 in the city: Elephant Trunk Hill at dawn, Seven Star Park, Reed Flute Cave. Day 2 on the water: the 4-hour Li River cruise (300-500 CNY) or the 9 km bamboo raft, ending in Yangshuo for a West Street evening. Day 3 in the Longji rice terraces 80 km north, or cycling the Yulong River valley. Come between April and October, when the river runs high enough for the full cruise route; May-June floods the terraces into mirrors, September-October turns them gold. Mid-range budget: about 500-1,000 CNY per person per day including a hotel.

Why Guilin

Guilin sits in the northeast corner of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, on a seabed that hardened into limestone roughly 300 million years ago and has since dissolved into cones, arches and caves — one of the densest karst fields on Earth, part of the South China Karst World Heritage listing. The Li River crosses this landscape for 83 km between Guilin and Yangshuo, and Chinese painters and poets have been working that corridor for more than 1,000 years. One bend near Xingping ended up on the back of the 20 CNY banknote, which is as clear a statement of national branding as any city gets.

Two practical facts follow from the geography. First, Yangshuo and Longsheng — the county that holds the Longji terraces — are both administered by Guilin, so everything in this guide sits inside one prefecture. Second, the sights are spread out: the city itself is a base, and the scenery starts 20 minutes in any direction and keeps going for 100 km.

The Li River Cruise: Mopanshan, Zhujiang or the Xingping Raft

The full cruise covers 83 km downstream from Guilin to Yangshuo in about 4 hours, with boats departing between 9:00 and 10:00 and tickets running 300-500 CNY with a simple lunch included. Star class decides your pier: three-star boats leave from Mopanshan Wharf (磨盘山码头), four-star and above from Zhujiang Wharf (竹江码头). The two piers sit about 6.5 km apart, roughly 28 km from downtown — count on a 40-60 minute transfer — and both routes finish in Yangshuo, the three-star boats at Longtou Shan, the four-star boats at Shuidongmen. The scenery is identical either way: named peaks, Nine Horses Fresco Hill, the Yellow Cloth Shoal bend, water buffalo, and cormorant fishermen. The official price list lives at liriver.com.cn; book 1-2 days ahead through your hotel or the official channel rather than the touts at the bus station.

The raft is the shorter, cheaper answer. Motorized rafts — PVC pontoons, 2-4 seats — run the 9 km Yangdi-Xingping stretch, the most dramatic section of the river, in about an hour for 180-250 CNY per raft (not per person), from 7:30 to 17:00. You sit closer to the water, the boats are spread out rather than sailing in a 20-30 boat convoy, and you finish in Xingping instead of downtown Yangshuo. Our rule: raft if you are able-bodied and traveling light; cruise if you want air-conditioning, a guaranteed seat and a roof when the spring rain arrives. One caveat for both: in the winter dry season the river level drops and the sailing route can be shortened or shifted — check the same-day notice before paying.

Xingping and the 20-Yuan Banknote View

Xingping is a 1,400-year-old ferry town at the raft's downstream end, and the landscape around it — the Yellow Cloth Shoal stretch — is the view printed on the 20 CNY note. Stand on the riverside promenade with a banknote in your hand and match the peaks; most visitors photograph it at sunrise or after 16:00, when the light comes sideways. The old town itself is a compact grid of stone lanes and shop houses, an easy 40-60 minute loop between raft landings.

Photographers add a third stop: Xianggong Mountain, about 30 minutes from Yangshuo by road, a cliff-top platform over an oxbow of the river. The climb starts around 5:00 for the misty sunrise, and on a clear morning the bends of the Li River stack up in layers below you.

Yangshuo: West Street, Yulong River and the Ten-Mile Gallery

Yangshuo county belongs to Guilin prefecture — 65 km south of downtown by road, 83 km by river — and most travelers end up spending more nights here than in Guilin itself. West Street is the commercial heart: 1.5 km of stone paving, free to walk, shops from 8:00 to 22:00, restaurants from 7:00, and bars that run from 18:00 until 02:00. It is at its best in two windows that have nothing in common — 7:00-9:00, when breakfast vendors and chess players own the street, and 18:00-23:00, when the lanterns come on.

The quieter half of Yangshuo is water and farmland. The Yulong River, a tributary a short ride west of town, is polled the old way: a hand-poled bamboo raft, 90-150 minutes per stretch, 200-400 CNY per raft holding two to four people. Book through your guesthouse the day before. The Ten-Mile Gallery, a road south of town lined with karst walls, is e-bike territory — rentals run 50-80 CNY per day from dozens of shops, no license needed, and Moon Hill's arch makes a natural turnaround point. Ride the country lanes before dusk; rural roads here have no streetlights worth the name.

The Longji Rice Terraces: Jinkeng or Ping'an

The Longji ("Dragon's Backbone") terraces lie in Longsheng county, 80 km north of the city and still inside Guilin prefecture: 66 square kilometers of paddies cut between 300 and 1,100 m over roughly 650 years by Zhuang and Yao farming families. Entry is 80 CNY (price as of June 2026), plus a 25 CNY shuttle from the park gate to Ping'an, or a cable car at Dazhai — 70 CNY one-way, 120 CNY round trip — if you would rather not climb.

Which village is a real decision. Ping'an, Zhuang and closest to the gate, is the easy half-day: developed guesthouses, marked paths, 3-4 hours door to door from Guilin. Dazhai and the Jinkeng valley, Yao country farther in, hold the biggest panoramas and the cable car; give them 5-7 hours. Transport is the same for both — direct buses from Guilin take 2.5-3 hours for 60-80 CNY, or a 2-hour bus to Longsheng town (40 CNY) plus a 30-minute local connection (15 CNY). Stay overnight if you can: wooden stilt-house guesthouses run roughly 200-500 CNY with meals, and the terraces belong to you once the day buses leave. The two headline seasons are late May-early June, when the flooded paddies mirror the sky, and late September-early October, when the harvest turns everything gold.

Elephant Trunk Hill, Seven Star Park and Reed Flute Cave

Elephant Trunk Hill, a 55-meter karst arch on the riverbank at the edge of downtown, is the city's postcard. Full park entry is 100 CNY as of 2026 and covers the water-level arch; you can also see the elephant profile for free from the riverbank outside the fence. Hours run 6:30-18:30 (April-October) with evening illumination 19:30-21:30; buses 16, 23 and 57 stop nearby. Go at opening, when the limestone catches low light and the tour groups have not landed.

Seven Star Park, 137 hectares on the east bank, is the city's largest green space: seven peaks, the Tang-dynasty inscriptions of Qixia Cave, a small zoo with pandas, and a civilization museum. Entry is 55 CNY, the zoo 40 CNY extra, the museum 30 CNY extra or 100 CNY combined (museum closed Mondays). It opens 6:30 and locals treat it as a park, not a ticketed site — morning tai chi, calligraphy with water brushes, vendors. A dozen bus lines (10, 11, 14, 24, 25, 30, 31, 54) serve the gates.

Reed Flute Cave, 5 km northwest, is the rainy-day card: a 540-meter lit path through six chambers of a 240-million-year-old cave holding more than 70,000 formations, a steady 16-18°C inside whatever the weather. Tickets are 90 CNY (85 CNY online) plus a 30 CNY audio guide that is worth taking; open 8:00-17:30 April-October, 8:30-17:00 November-March; buses 3 and 58 terminate at the gate. If you want the skyline version instead, Yao Mountain — the highest point inside the city at 909 m — has a cable car (80 CNY one-way, 140 CNY round trip including park entry) and an 18-meter Buddha on top.

A Two-Day and Three-Day Plan

1. Day 1 — Guilin city. Elephant Trunk Hill at 7:00 opening, rice noodles for breakfast, Seven Star Park mid-morning, Reed Flute Cave after lunch, an evening loop around the Two Rivers and Four Lakes (the lakeshore walk is free).
2. Day 2 — the river. 9:00 cruise from Mopanshan or Zhujiang, or an early bus to Yangdi for the 9 km raft. Land in Yangshuo or Xingping by 14:00, check in, and give West Street the evening.
3. Day 3 — mountains or pedals. Option A: Longji day trip on the early bus, Ping'an loop, back by the late-afternoon bus. Option B: Yulong River raft in the morning, Ten-Mile Gallery by e-bike after lunch.
4. Day 4, if it exists — sleep at Longji for sunrise, or add Daxu Ancient Town, an 800-year-old river port 18 km south of Guilin reached by bus 306 for 6 CNY, free to wander, with a farmers' market running 6:00-10:00.

What to Eat: Rice Noodles and Beer Fish

Guilin eats rice noodles for breakfast, and the price is the tell: in neighborhood shops a bowl runs 5-8 CNY, dressed at the condiment table with pickled long beans, peanuts, chili and crisp-fried pork (guoshao). Tourist-street versions cost more and taste the same or worse, so follow the office crowds at 7:30.

Beer fish — Yangshuo's signature carp braised in beer with tomatoes, garlic and pickled peppers — runs 120-180 CNY per whole fish, enough for two; roast goose portions at the Chunji chain in Yangshuo go for 80-120 CNY. Two more local habits worth picking up: you cha, a bitter-salty whipped oil tea served with puffed rice, and ciba, pounded glutinous-rice cakes. River fish should arrive fully cooked; eat where the tables turn over.

Getting There: Liangjiang Airport and Three Railway Stations

Guilin Liangjiang International Airport sits about 30 km southwest of downtown. The airport bus runs every 30 minutes from 6:00 to 23:00 for 20 CNY and takes 60-90 minutes; a DiDi costs 100-130 CNY and does it in about 40. The rail story needs more care, because the Guiyang-Guangzhou high-speed line (opened December 2014) plus the Hengyang-Liuzhou line give the city three stations that are easy to confuse:

Check the station name on every ticket — the three are far apart, though Guilin North and Guilin West are a 10-minute train hop from each other. For Yangshuo, trains from Guilin North take 20-40 minutes (most around 28) and cost roughly 24-32 CNY in second class, with 40-plus departures daily. The catch: Yangshuo station is out at Xingping, about 30 km and a 40-minute shuttle from Yangshuo town, so the 90-minute, 65 CNY direct bus to the town center is sometimes the faster door to door.

Getting Around

There is no metro in Guilin — the workhorses are buses (2 CNY flat on most lines), taxis and DiDi, with most in-city rides at 10-25 CNY. To the cruise piers, use the official transfer coaches or a 40-60 minute DiDi; to Longji, the direct tourist buses beat everything on price. Inside Yangshuo, walking covers West Street and e-bikes (50-80 CNY/day) cover the countryside. We keep a hotel card in Chinese for taxi conversations and let DiDi handle everything else.

Where to Stay: Choosing a Base

Four bases cover every itinerary. Downtown Guilin, around the Two Rivers and Four Lakes and the pedestrian streets, suits first-timers and short stays — mid-range rooms run 300-600 CNY and every city sight is a short ride away. Yangshuo town puts you next to West Street's food and noise; the countryside guesthouses between the Yulong River and the Ten-Mile Gallery trade walkability for karst-view balconies at similar rates. Xingping is the quiet option, best for sunrise photographers who want the banknote view before the day boats arrive. The Longji villages justify one night for the terraces at dawn and dusk — book stilt-house rooms ahead in the May-June and September-October windows. A sensible default: two nights downtown, two in Yangshuo, one at Longji if the schedule allows.

What a Day Costs

Set against those numbers, the working budget is about 500-1,000 CNY per person per day at mid-range including accommodation — the low end outside the May, June and October peaks — and a backpacker day on hostels, buses and noodles comes in under 300 CNY.

When to Go

April through October is the working window. Spring rains from April onward refill the Li River, which is what keeps the full 83 km cruise route open — in low-water winters the sailing can be shortened. Late May and early June flood the Longji paddies into mirrors; July and August bring the heathaze, 32-36°C afternoons and the greenest peaks, tolerable if you schedule caves and rafts around midday; September and October combine harvest gold in the terraces with the year's clearest air. November to March is damp and 5-15°C, cheapest and emptiest, with the trade-off at the water. Skip the two national holiday weeks — around October 1-7 and Chinese New Year — when the river runs a 20-30 boat convoy and prices double.

Practical Tips

• Payments: Alipay accepts linked international Visa/Mastercard/JCB; carry 200-500 CNY cash for noodle shops and village guesthouses.
• Connectivity: a tourist eSIM avoids the ID-registration line; download offline maps for the gorges, and install your VPN before arrival.
• Power: China runs 220V on plug types A, C and I — a universal adapter covers all three.
• Visa: many nationalities get visa-free entry, and the 240-hour transit exemption covers Guilin if you are continuing to a third country; confirm the current list before booking.
• Health: drink bottled water; skip undercooked river fish; police 110, ambulance 120, tourist hotline 12301.
• Booking rhythm: reserve the cruise or raft 1-2 days ahead, Longji rooms a week ahead in terraces season, and refuse the cormorant-fishing photo op unless you accept the 20-50 CNY ask that follows.

Guilin in Questions

How many days do I need in Guilin?

Three: one for the city sights, one for the river run to Yangshuo, one for either Longji or the Yulong valley. Two days force a choice between terraces and Yangshuo countryside; a fourth day buys a Longji sunrise.

Li River cruise or bamboo raft — which one?

The raft (9 km, about an hour, 180-250 CNY per raft) is shorter, cheaper and closer to the water; the cruise (83 km, 4 hours, 300-500 CNY with lunch) is cooler, covered and easier on knees and luggage. Most able-bodied travelers prefer the raft; choose the cruise in rain, with small children or heavy bags.

How do I get from Guilin to Yangshuo?

Three ways: the direct bus (90 minutes, 65 CNY, arrives in town), the high-speed train (20-40 minutes, 24-32 CNY — but the station is 30 km out at Xingping, plus a 40-minute shuttle), or the cruise/raft itself, which is transport and sightseeing in one ticket. Door to door, the bus usually wins; the train wins when you are continuing to Xingping anyway.

When is the best time to visit Guilin?

April-October, with two peaks inside it: May-June for flooded terraces and a full river, September-October for golden terraces and clear air. Winter cruises risk shortened routes; October 1-7 and Chinese New Year are the weeks to avoid.

Is Longji worth the trip if I only have one free day?

Yes, if that day is clear: the early direct bus, the Ping'an loop and the late bus back is a long but complete day. If rain cancels the mountain light, spend the day on the Yulong River instead — terraces under fog are mud and mist.

Sources

• Source: Li River scenic area official price list — liriver.com.cn (cruise classes, piers, routes).
• Source: China Railway 12306 — 12306.cn (Guilin-Yangshuo train times and fares).
• Source: Guilin municipal government tourism portal — guilin.gov.cn (attraction policies and notices).
• Source: UNESCO World Heritage, South China Karst — whc.unesco.org.

Every figure above — the 83 km river, the 300-500 CNY cruise, the 80 CNY terraces ticket, the 24-32 CNY train seat — is checked against our Guilin attraction data and the official listings cited here. Prices move; reconfirm close to travel. Last verified 2026-10-12. For day-by-day versions, see our 3-day Guilin itinerary and the wider Guangxi guide.