Central Guilin

A landscape city ringed by the Two Rivers and Four Lakes, with Solitary Beauty Peak in the Prince Jingjiang's City, Elephant Trunk Hill and Reed Flute Cave right in town, and the Longji Terraces to the north, where you can stay in a Zhuang village.

Guilin is in northeastern Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. The Li River flows through the city from north to south, and isolated peaks such as Solitary Beauty Peak, Diecai Hill, Fubo Hill and Elephant Trunk Hill rise abruptly from the ground, in the words of the old poem, "a thousand peaks stand around the plain, and a single river embraces the city." In 2014, the Guilin section of "South China Karst" was inscribed as a World Natural Heritage Site. The climate is humid subtropical monsoon. April–May and September–November are the best seasons. June–August is rainy but the greenest, and winter has the fewest visitors. This destination uses Guilin's urban area as a base and covers the surroundings within about 100 km. The city's core is a "landscape city": the Prince Jingjiang's City and Solitary Beauty Peak, Elephant Trunk Hill, Fubo Hill, Diecai Hill, Qixing Park, the Two Rivers and Four Lakes with the Sun and Moon Pagodas, and Zhengyang pedestrian street with Dongxi Lane, mostly reachable on foot or by a short taxi ride. A night cruise on the Two Rivers and Four Lakes is a classic. In the northwestern suburbs are Reed Flute Cave and the Guilin Museum, and in the eastern suburbs you can take a cable car up Yaoshan for views of the whole city. Around Guilin: Daxu Ancient Town and Gudong Waterfall about 20–30 km to the southeast; the Yuzile Sculpture Park in Yanshan to the south; to the north, Xing'an with the Qin-dynasty Lingqu Canal and Maoer Mountain, the highest peak in South China; and about 80 km to the northwest, Longsheng with the Longji Terraces, Huangluo Yao Village and Longsheng Hot Springs, where we recommend staying a night to see the terraces at sunrise and sunset. The Li River cruise, Yangshuo's West Street, the Yulong River and Xingping are covered under the "Yangshuo & Li River" destination, and from Guilin's Mopanshan Pier a cruise to Yangshuo takes about 4 hours. Getting there: Liangjiang International Airport is about 30 km from the city. Guilin North and Guilin stations have high-speed trains to Guangzhou, Nanning, Changsha and elsewhere. Longji has dedicated tourist buses. We suggest 2–3 days: 1–2 days in the city, 1–2 days at the Longji Terraces, then on to Yangshuo. Tips: Longji is most beautiful when the terraces are flooded in May–June and golden in September–October. The mountain roads are winding, so those prone to carsickness should bring medication. Caves are slippery, so wear non-slip shoes. Guilin rice noodles, beer fish and oil tea are must-try foods.

Top sights

Where to eat

Itineraries