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Travel guide
Guilin and Yangshuo
5 days · 8 things to do
Best time to go: April to May, and September to October
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Welcome
Guilin and Yangshuo, in a few days
Guilin and Yangshuo sit among thousands of limestone peaks riddled with caves. The Li River winds 83 km between these towers of rock, and the Longji rice terraces climb the hillsides to 1,100 metres.
- Day by day
- D1 Day 1 1 thing
- D2 Day 2 2 things
- D3 Day 3 3 things
- D4 Day 4 1 thing
- D5 Day 5 1 thing
- Worth sorting before you go
- Words that help
- The practical page
- Packing checklist
The trip
Day by day
Map of the sights (numbers follow the suggested order). It prints with the base map.
D1
Day 1
1 thing to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Li River cruise · half a dayFour to five hours by open-decked boat over the 83 km from Guilin to Yangshuo, between limestone peaks of 100 to 200 metres.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Lijiang Waterfall Hotel ↗ · All places to stay by budget →€85 a night
D2
Day 2
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Cycling the Yulong River free · half a dayDirt tracks and lanes along a tributary of the Li, through rice fields and brick villages, usually starting from the Ming stone bridge of 1412.
- Late afternoon · West Street, Yangshuo free · about 1 h 30An old paved street, now Yangshuo's commercial heart, where low grey-brick houses with wooden balconies hold restaurants, tea shops and bars.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Lijiang Waterfall Hotel ↗€85 a night
D3
Day 3
3 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Moon Hill · about 1 hA peak 8 km south of Yangshuo pierced by an arch over 50 metres wide, which turns from crescent to full moon as you move.
- Afternoon · Elephant Trunk Hill free · about 30 minA 55-metre hill where the Li meets the Taohua, shaped like an elephant drinking; its arch and reflection form an almost perfect circle.
- Late afternoon · Solitary Beauty Peak · about 1 h 30A 66-metre rock in the old town, climbed by 306 steps, inside the walled Jingjiang Princes' City built in 1372 for a Ming prince.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Lijiang Waterfall Hotel ↗€85 a night
D4
Day 4
1 thing to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Reed Flute Cave · about 45 minA limestone cave full of stalactites, columns and draperies, open to the public since 1962 but bearing ink inscriptions from the 8th century.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Lijiang Waterfall Hotel ↗€85 a night
D5
Day 5
1 thing to do · at your own pace
- All day · Longji rice terraces · a full dayTerraces cut by the Zhuang and Yao from the 13th century onwards, rising from 300 to 1,100 metres around Longsheng, two hours north of Guilin.
Before you go
Worth sorting before you go
📶 eSIM data
Online the moment you land, no roaming bill.
Get one · Holafly
Online the moment you land, no roaming bill.
Get one · Holafly
🛡️ Travel insurance
Health, luggage, cancellation.
Cover it · Ekta
Health, luggage, cancellation.
Cover it · Ekta
💳 Fee-free card
Pay at the real rate, with no exchange markup.
Open one · Revolut
Pay at the real rate, with no exchange markup.
Open one · Revolut
🚐 Airport transfer
A private car at a fixed price from the moment you land.
Book it · GetTransfer
A private car at a fixed price from the moment you land.
Book it · GetTransfer
Some links are partner links: we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you.
Good to know
Flavours & local habits
🍽️ Worth tasting
- Dim sum: small steamed and fried dishes shared over tea, a Cantonese morning ritual.
- Peking duck: lacquered, roasted until the skin cracks, and carved at the table.
- Hot pot: a simmering pot of broth, often fiercely spiced in the Sichuan style, to cook your own meat and vegetables.
- Jiaozi and hand-pulled noodles: dumplings and noodles made to order, cheapest and best in the north.
- Tea and baijiu: green, oolong or pu'er depending on the region, and a very strong grain spirit for toasts.
⚠️ Best avoided
- Google, WhatsApp and most Western apps are blocked: sort out a roaming eSIM or a VPN before you arrive.
- Set up Alipay or WeChat Pay with your foreign card before you go: cash is accepted less and less.
- Carry your hotel's address written in Chinese characters for taxi drivers.
- Stay away from political topics in conversation.
Getting by
Words that help
English ↔ Mandarin
| English | Mandarin |
|---|---|
| Hello | 你好 (nǐ hǎo) |
| Thank you | 谢谢 (xièxie) |
| Please | 请 (qǐng) |
| Yes | 是 (shì) |
| No | 不是 (bù shì) |
| Excuse me | 对不起 (duìbuqǐ) |
| Goodbye | 再见 (zàijiàn) |
| Do you speak English? | 你会说英语吗 (nǐ huì shuō yīngyǔ ma) |
| I don't understand | 我不懂 (wǒ bù dǒng) |
| How much is it? | 多少钱 (duōshǎo qián) |
| Where are the toilets? | 厕所在哪里 (cèsuǒ zài nǎlǐ) |
| The bill, please | 买单 (mǎidān) |
| Help! | 救命！ (jiùmìng!) |
| Cheers! | 干杯！ (gānbēi!) |
The essentials
The practical page
CurrencyChinese yuan (CNY, ¥)
BudgetAbout €70 a day, mid-range
Best seasonApril to May, and September to October
PlugA/I/C · 220V
Tap waterBoiled or bottled only
TippingNo tipping, it is not the custom
Emergency110 / 120
EntryUntil 31 December 2026, UK, Canadian, Australian and most EU passports (not Czech or Lithuanian) enter visa-free for up to 30 days. US citizens need a visa, unless they qualify for the 240-hour visa-free transit with a confirmed onward ticket to a third country.
HealthHepatitis A and typhoid are recommended. China has been certified free of malaria since 2021. Dengue occurs in the south in summer, and Japanese encephalitis in some rural areas: use repellent.
Scan to open this guide online, always up to date.
https://offwegooo.com/en/guides/guilin
Don't forget
Packing checklist
Have a good trip.
Guide made on offwegooo.com · Photos via Pexels · Details are indicative, check before you leave.