Guilin travel guide
The landscape on China's 20-yuan note, brought to breathtaking life
Plan your visit
Recommended stay3–4 days
Getting there1.5–2 hours by flight from Nanning or Guangzhou; pairs naturally with Yangshuo.
Good to knowAllow one day for the Li River cruise and one for Yangshuo cycling.
Guilin's karst landscape is the China of scroll paintings — sugar-loaf hills rising from the Li River plain. The city is the transport hub; the scenery is downriver at Yangshuo and upstream at Longji's rice terraces, so most travelers use Guilin as a two-night base.
Top sights
- Li River cruise — The 4-hour boat run to Yangshuo past Elephant Trunk Hill and the ¥20-note landscape — take the morning departure.
- Reed Flute Cave — Illuminated karst cavern with pagoda-like stalagmites, 20 minutes from downtown.
- Longji Rice Terraces — Two hours north: terraced hillsides with Zhuang and Yao minority villages — go to Ping'an or Dazhai and stay a night.
- Elephant Trunk Hill — The river emblem where the karst dips like a drinking elephant — quick photo stop in town.
- Sun and Moon Pagodas — Twin lakeside pagodas in the city park, best photographed lit up after dark.
Suggested itinerary
- Li River Dream. Scenic cruise through karst peaks to Yangshuo, cormorant fishing demonstration
- Yangshuo Countryside. Bike through rice paddies, Moon Hill climb, bamboo rafting on Yulong River
- Terraces & Caves. Longji Rice Terraces sunrise, Reed Flute Cave colorful formations, tea plantation visit
Budget reference
LodgingGuilin riverside hotels ¥250–500; Yangshuo West Street guesthouses ¥150–350.
FoodGuilin rice noodles ¥10–15 (breakfast of champions), beer fish in Yangshuo ¥80–120 for two.
Local transportBuses cheap ¥2; Guilin–Yangshuo shuttle ¥20–40, taxi ¥150–200.
TicketsLi River cruise ¥210–450 by boat class, Longji terraces ¥80–100, Reed Flute Cave ¥90.
Where to stay
Guilin: riverside near the central lakes. Yangshuo: away from West Street noise if you sleep light.
Good to know
- Eat Guilin rice noodles standing at a street counter — locals pay half the sit-down price.
- The Li cruise direction matters: downstream to Yangshuo keeps the scenery on both banks ahead of you.
- Longji is 2 hours of mountain road — motion-sickness pills if winding drives bother you.
Explore
Guilin travel guide