Guilin, China: 2-Day Itinerary

The karst peaks around Guilin are on the Chinese 20-yuan banknote, which tells you something about how central this landscape is to the national imagination. The hills are real and they are as dramatic as the picture suggests, but most of the magic is actually south of the city, along the Li River toward Yangshuo. Two days is enough to do the city itself and the river cruise properly, but it means an early start each morning.

Getting in: Guilin Liangjiang International Airport (KWL) is 30 km north-west of the city. A taxi to the city centre costs 80 to 100 yuan (approximately USD 11 to 14) and takes 40 to 50 minutes. Airport shuttle buses run to the city for around 20 yuan if you have light luggage. Within the city, Didi (China’s ride-hail app) works well; download it before you arrive and link a Visa or Mastercard, as the app now accepts international payment cards.

Cash and payments: WeChat Pay and Alipay dominate in Guilin; cash yuan is accepted everywhere but you may find it inconvenient for small purchases. Foreigners can now link international Visa and Mastercard to both apps, which solved the biggest practical frustration for non-Chinese visitors. Set this up before you arrive. ATMs at major banks (Bank of China, ICBC) dispense yuan to foreign cards.

Language: English is limited outside the tourist areas. A translation app on your phone (screenshots work when there is no signal) is more useful than a phrasebook.

Day 1: Guilin City and the Li River

Morning: Elephant Trunk Hill (Xiangbishan) is the city’s signature landmark: a karst hill that has eroded into a shape resembling an elephant drinking from the Li River. Entry costs 75 yuan for adults. The surrounding park is pleasant but the hill is the reason to come; you can see the famous arch (the elephant’s “trunk”) from the riverside path without paying, which is a reasonable call if your budget is tight.

Walk north along the Li River bank to Ronghu Lake for a mid-morning rest. The lake is surrounded by banyan trees and connected to Shanhu Lake by a causeway. Free to enter. The Two Rivers and Four Lakes scenic area links the main city lakes by boat (tickets around 98 yuan per person) if you prefer a guided circuit, but the walks along the banks are just as good and free.

Lunch: For Guilin rice noodles (mifen), find a local noodle shop rather than a restaurant with an English menu. A bowl of noodles in beef or pork broth with pickled vegetables and chilli costs 10 to 20 yuan; the tourist-area restaurants charge three times that for the same thing. The noodle shops along Zhongshan Road in the central district are the place to look. Snail noodles (luosifen) are a local speciality and worth trying once; the smell is confrontational but the taste is good.

Afternoon: Visit the Reed Flute Cave (Ludi Yan), a natural limestone cavern 5 km north-west of the city centre. The coloured lighting inside is theatrical in the way that Chinese scenic-site lighting often is (intense and unapologetic), but the stalactite formations are genuinely impressive. Entry is 120 yuan; take a Didi as taxis to this spot have a reputation for overcharging tourists without meters.

Evening: The Two Rivers and Four Lakes light show runs along the city waterways from around 7.30pm to 9pm. You can watch portions of it for free from the bridges, or take a ticketed evening cruise (around 230 yuan). The Dadaoshan Street night market sells local snacks, tea and souvenirs; it is tourist-facing but has decent Guilin-area produce worth buying (dried osmanthus flowers, aged vinegar, local rice wine).

Day 2: Li River Cruise to Yangshuo

This is the centrepiece of any Guilin visit and should not be rushed.

The cruise: The Li River cruise from Guilin to Yangshuo runs 83 km downstream and takes around 4 to 4.5 hours. Three-star cruises cost 215 yuan per adult; four-star boats (larger, with English commentary) cost 360 to 480 yuan. The four-star option is worth the extra cost for English-speaking visitors who want context for what they are seeing. Book in advance: tickets sell out during peak season (April to November) especially during Chinese public holidays. Departures leave from Zhujiang Pier (recommended for international visitors over the Mopanshan Pier, which caters primarily to domestic tour groups). The cruise includes a meal on board; it is functional rather than memorable.

The scenery from the boat is the draw: 83 km of vertical karst peaks, bamboo groves, cormorant fishermen, and small villages on the river banks. The section between Xingping and Yangshuo is the most photographed stretch, including the view that appears on the 20-yuan note. Go to the upper deck regardless of weather.

Yangshuo: The cruise ends at Yangshuo, a tourist town that has absorbed enormous visitor numbers over the past decade. West Street (Xi Jie) is the backpacker heartland and can feel overwhelming; skip it for lunch and walk five minutes in any direction to find less tourist-saturated restaurants. Beer fish (pijiu yu) is the local dish: river fish braised in beer with pickled chilli and tomatoes. A plate costs 60 to 100 yuan depending on the fish size.

After lunch, rent a bicycle (20 to 30 yuan per day from any of the many rental shops near the bus station) and ride the 10 km rural loop toward the Yulong River. The landscape away from town is quieter and more representative of what makes this area worth visiting: stone bridges, rice paddies, water buffalo, and karst hills on every horizon. Moon Hill, a naturally arched karst peak, is 8 km from town and costs 25 yuan to climb; the view from the arch justifies the 20-minute uphill walk.

Return to Guilin by intercity bus from Yangshuo Bus Station (35 yuan, approximately 1.5 hours) or arrange a private transfer in advance.

Best season: Late April to mid-May and late September to mid-November give the most comfortable temperatures (18 to 26 degrees Celsius) and good water levels in the Li River. Summer (July and August) is hot and busy; the Chinese National Holiday week (October 1 to 7) should be avoided unless you book everything months in advance. The karst hills create their own local weather patterns; morning mist in spring and autumn is not a problem but an enhancement, particularly for photographs.