Guilin
The landscape on the twenty-yuan note. Use Guilin city as the gateway, drift down the river, and stay in the countryside around Yangshuo.
- Region
- Guangxi, South
- Best
- Apr–May, Sep–Nov
- Airports
- KWL
- Stay
- 3–4 days
Overview
Guilin is a pleasant mid-sized city with limestone peaks poking up between the buildings, but the reason to come is the Li River and the karst country south of it. The classic plan is a morning boat or bamboo raft downstream, then a few nights in Yangshuo or one of the villages nearby.
Yangshuo town itself is loud. The villages along the Yulong River, ten minutes away, are not. Rent a bike or an electric scooter and spend your days between rice paddies and peaks.
Summer is hot and wet; the river is highest and greenest. Winter is grey and the water low. Spring and autumn are the compromise.
Getting there
Liangjiang (KWL) has flights from the major cities. High-speed trains stop at Guilin (several stations; Guilin West and Guilin North are the main ones) and at Yangshuo station, which is actually in Xingping, 40 minutes from Yangshuo town by bus.
Rail tip. Your passport is your ticket. Book on 12306 or Trip.com, then go straight to the gate. See Getting around. The Trip.com link earns us a small commission at no cost to you (how that works).
Stay online. Google, WhatsApp and Instagram are blocked on Chinese networks; a travel eSIM that roams gets around it. Install one before you fly — Saily takes US$5 off a first plan with the code CHINA. See Staying online. The code earns us the same amount in Saily credits, at no cost to you (how that works).
Where to stay
Book on Trip.comYangshuo countryside
阳朔乡村Guesthouses among the peaks along the Yulong River. The reason you came.
Villages like Jiuxian and Chaolong, ten to twenty minutes from town. Bikes, river bends, and nothing to do after dark, which is the point.
Xingping
兴坪Old river town at the best stretch of the Li. Sleepy after the day-trippers leave.
The twenty-yuan view is a short walk away. Good for a night or two; limited restaurants.
Guilin city centre
桂林市区Around Two Rivers and Four Lakes. Convenient for transport, one night is enough.
Fine for arrival or departure days. The lakes are pleasant in the evening.
Booking. Compare hotels in Guilin on Trip.com, filtered to its China travel essentials list: English-speaking staff, foreign cards, guest rating 8 or higher. See Where to stay. Booking through this link earns us a small commission at no cost to you (how that works).
Things to do
Li River cruise
漓江Four hours downstream from Guilin to Yangshuo, or a raft on the best stretch from Xingping.
Yulong River
遇龙河Cycle or raft the Li's quieter tributary through the rice fields.
Xianggong Mountain
相公山The sunrise viewpoint over the Li River bends. Worth the early alarm.
Reed Flute Cave
芦笛岩A vast limestone cave lit like a nightclub. Gaudy and genuinely impressive.
Eat
Guilin rice noodles for breakfast, everywhere, for a few yuan. Beer fish is the Yangshuo speciality. Snail noodles (luosifen) from nearby Liuzhou are famous for their smell and their fans. The countryside guesthouses cook simple, excellent farmhouse food.
From travellers in Guilin
3 posts · 3 tips · 0 questions · 0 stories
Cruise or raft, decide by how much time you want on the water
Panda · 1 month ago
Use Guilin as a gateway and sleep among the peaks instead
Panda · 1 month ago
Breakfast is rice noodles, and you assemble them yourself
Panda · 1 month ago
