Guilin Travel Guide

Nowadays, people seem to be busy every day—busy studying, busy working, busy socializing... rarely having time to pause and slowly enjoy life. How long has it been since you last went out to play? Follow this guide to explore a different Guilin!

Guilin Lijiang River Scenic Area

The Guilin Lijiang River Scenic Area refers to the 83-kilometer waterway from Guilin to Yangshuo along the Lijiang River, offering beautiful sceneries on both sides. The most stunning section of the Lijiang scenery is the approximately 40-kilometer stretch from the departure dock to Xingping. The Lijiang River is like a green silk ribbon, with the calm water reflecting dreamlike landscapes. Strange peaks line the banks, and the clear water meanders, creating a hundred-mile scroll. I have traveled the Lijiang River several times before, taking a bamboo raft from Yangdi Dock downstream to the scenic spot on the back of the 20 yuan bill at Xingping Ancient Town. Sitting on the bamboo raft and watching the sceneries on both sides, I experienced for the first time what it means to be captivated by the scenery, reluctant to leave.

Address: There are many tourist sites in the Guilin Lijiang River Scenic Area. Main attractions: One River (Lijiang River), Two Caves (Reed Flute Cave, Seven Star Cave), Three Hills (Solitary Beauty Peak, Fubo Hill, Diecai Hill).

Guilin Merryland Resort

Merryland is located in Xing'an County, covering an area of over 6,000 mu. It features an exciting theme park, a high-end five-star resort hotel, and an American-style 36-hole international standard golf course. This is a paradise for children, with a wide variety of large, thrilling, and fun amusement facilities. Behind the lively amusement park lies a quiet, peaceful, and bird-filled Linghu Lake scenic area, suitable for hiking and leisure.

Address: Zhiling Road, Xing'an County

Guilin Solitary Beauty Peak · Prince City Scenic Area

The Jingjiang Princes' Mansion is the best-preserved Ming Dynasty princely mansion in China, with strong walls and deep gates, appearing majestic. The palace buildings follow a strict central axis symmetry, grand and splendid, reflecting the supremacy of royal power. Solitary Beauty Peak is located in the center of Guilin city, with an oval shape and majestic presence. Reflecting the morning sunlight and sunset glow, it resembles a king in purple robe and jade belt, hence also known as "Purple Gold Mountain."

Address: No. 1 Prince City Road, Guilin

Guilin Two Rivers and Four Lakes · Elephant Trunk Hill Scenic Area

On February 27, 2017, the Two Rivers and Four Lakes · Elephant Trunk Hill Scenic Area was awarded the National 5A Tourist Attraction title, becoming another national 5A scenic area in Guilin. The scenic area consists of the Two Rivers and Four Lakes Scenic Area, Elephant Trunk Hill Scenic Area, and Riverside Scenic Area (including Fubo Park and Diecai Park). "A thousand peaks stand in the wild, a single water embraces the city"—the scenery is within the city, and the city is within the scenery, a unique characteristic. The Sun and Moon Twin Pagodas on Shan Lake are new landmarks of Guilin. The Sun Pagoda, resplendent in gold, is the tallest bronze pagoda in the world; the Moon Pagoda is decorated with colored glaze, dignified and elegant. Elephant Trunk Hill Scenic Area is named after the elephant-shaped Elephant Trunk Hill, located at the confluence of the Lijiang River and Peach Blossom River in Guilin. Due to its unique shape and long history, it is designated as the city emblem of Guilin. The Elephant Trunk Hill Scenic Area also served as the southern venue of the 2017 CCTV Spring Festival Gala. On New Year's Eve, the area under Elephant Trunk Hill was brilliant with lights; the water stage merged with the Lijiang River, and the lights on both sides of the Lijiang River changed into seasonal sceneries.

Guilin Diecai Hill Scenic Area

Located beside the Lijiang River, Diecai Hill Scenic Area includes Siwang Hill, Yuyue Hill, and two peaks: Bright Moon and Crane. Since the Tang Dynasty, it has been a famous tourist destination in Guilin. Climbing to the top allows a panoramic view of Guilin.

Address: Two Rivers and Four Lakes · Elephant Trunk Hill is in Xiufeng District, Guilin. Elephant Trunk Hill Scenic Area is at No. 1 Minzhu Road, Guilin. Diecai Hill Scenic Area is at No. 27 Binjiang Road, Guilin.

Have you visited all the 4A scenic spots in Guilin?

Guilin Silver Cave Tourist Resort

The Silver Cave is a typical karst cave, penetrating twelve peaks. It is a multi-layered cave, containing stalactites from different geological ages, crystal clear and pure white, like the Milky Way pouring down, glittering like silver and diamonds.

Address: East side of Ligui Highway, Maling Town, Lipu County, Guilin

Guilin Shangri-La Tourist Area

The Shangri-La Tourist Area was developed based on the意境 described in Tao Yuanming's "Peach Blossom Spring" from the Jin Dynasty, combined with local rural landscapes. The rural scenery, folk customs, and ethnic villages are organically arranged, blending with the natural beauty of the mountains and rivers.

Address: Wulidian, Baisha Town, Yangshuo County, Guilin

Guilin Guanyan Scenic Area

Guanyan is an underground karst cave with a thousand years of human history. It was first named "Ganyan" (Sweet Cave) due to the sweet spring water inside, later renamed "Guanyan" (Crown Cave) because the mountain resembles a crown, and also called "Guangyan" (Light Cave) because a faint light shines through the top in the dark cave.

Address: Caoping Street, Caoping Hui Ethnic Township, Yanshan District, Guilin

Guilin Yuzi Paradise Art Park

Yuzi Paradise was founded in 1998 by Taiwanese entrepreneur Cao Rizhang. It covers 8,000 mu of stunning landscapes, integrating art creation, exhibition, exchange, conference, training, and leisure. With its beautiful natural scenery and rich unique artistic atmosphere, it has become a world-class creation base and resort.

Address: Dabu Township, Yanshan District, Guilin

Seven Star Scenic Area

Seven Star Park is the largest, most historic, and most concentrated comprehensive scenic area in Guilin. In 1998, when US President Bill Clinton visited China, he gave an environmental speech at the foot of Camel Hill.

Address: No. 1 Seven Star Road, Qixing District, Guilin

Reed Flute Cave Scenic Area

Reed Flute Cave Scenic Area is a core part of the Lijiang River Scenic Area. With mountains and waters相依, it is beautiful inside and out, naturally charming, forming a perfect pastoral landscape scroll with high ornamental, sightseeing, scientific, historical, and cultural value.

Address: No. 1 Ludi Road, Xiufeng District, Guilin

Guilin Gudong Waterfall Scenic Area

The Gudong Waterfall Scenic Area has clear streams that never dry up all year round. The area is filled with ancient trees and attractive red maples. Vines entwine trees, trees entwine vines, full of rustic charm. The scenery is beautiful, with birdsong and fragrant flowers, and fresh air.

Address: Gudong Village, Daxu Town, Guilin

Xing'an Lingqu Scenic Area

Xing'an Lingqu is a Qin Dynasty water conservancy project, as famous as Dujiangyan. It consists of the South Canal and the North Canal. The South Canal is well-known, 33.15 km long, using natural river channels with only 5 km manually excavated. Lingqu is no longer in use today, but its past glory can still be seen. During the off-season, there are fewer visitors, making it even more serene and rustic.

Address: Shuangling Road, Xing'an County, Guilin

Guilin Fengyu Rock Tourist Resort

Fengyu Rock Tourist Resort is a cave sightseeing scenic area formed by caves and underground rivers. The wonders of the cave, rural scenery, folk customs, leisure activities, and natural beauty blend together, making it a fascinating tourist and leisure resort.

Address: Sanhe Township, Lipu County, Guilin

Lipu Lijiang Bay Scenic Area

The Lijiang Bay Scenic Area forms a unique semicircular river bend in Qingshan Town, Lipu County, with over ten peaks on both sides that are spectacular. It is known as "water within water, mountain within mountain, the first bay of Guilin's landscape" and "Jiuzhaigou in a cave."

Address: Dashigu Bridgehead, Qingshan Town, Lipu County, Guilin

Guilin Yijiangyuan Scenic Area

The Guilin Yijiangyuan Scenic Area is based on the clear Yijiang River, with the entire village featuring a rustic style, perfectly interpreted with the unique customs of the Miao, Yao, Dong, Zhuang, and other ethnic minorities. It is hailed as "the first village of Guilin's ethnic customs."

Address: Wutong Town, Lingui District, Guilin

Guilin Longsheng Hot Spring Tourist Resort

Longsheng Hot Spring is located in a deep valley surrounded by green peaks. It is warm in winter and cool in summer, with spring-like weather all year round. It is a resort for tourism, recuperation, health care, leisure, and summer escape, known as "Shangri-La," "fairyland on earth," and "heaven on earth."

Address: 32 km northeast of Longsheng County town, Guilin

Guilin Mao'er Mountain Scenic Area

Mao'er Mountain's unique mountain environment and climate conditions create spectacular celestial phenomena such as sunrise, sunset, sea of clouds, Buddha's light, misty rain, ice, snow, and rime. As Lu Dingyi praised: Mao'er Mountain combines "the grandeur of Mount Tai, the peril of Mount Hua, the serenity of Mount Lu, and the beauty of Mount Emei."

Address: Gao Zhai Village, Huajiang Township, Xing'an County, Guilin

Guilin Chuanshan Scenic Area

Chuanshan Scenic Area is a landscape and pastoral park centered on Chuanshan Hill, full of rustic charm. It is one of Guilin's most winding parks, and on the top there is a Ming Dynasty Shoufo Pagoda for visiting.

Address: No. 55 Chuanshan Alley, Qixing District, Guilin

Guilin Yaoshan Scenic Area

Due to the high terrain of Yaoshan Scenic Area, standing on the top and looking around, the rice fields below are like mirrors, the villages are like paintings, and the beautiful scenery of Guilin with "a thousand peaks surrounding the wilderness, a single water embracing the city" is fully visible.

Address: Yaoshan Road, Diecai District, Guilin

Yangshuo Totem Ancient Path — Julong Pool Scenic Area

Julong Pool is the only cave in Yangshuo that can be toured both by land and water, consisting of two major caves: Black Rock and Water Rock. Countless stalactites in the cave resemble dragons in various postures, lifelike.

Address: Guanlian Road, Yangshuo County, Guilin

Yongfu Golden Bell Mountain Tourist Resort

The scenic area integrates Yongfu's long-standing culture of fortune and longevity into the pristine peaks and valleys. Main tourist activities include cave and Tiankeng sightseeing, health hot springs, water park, resort villas, and golf driving range. It is a large comprehensive scenic area combining natural wonders, health hot springs, and resort hotels.

Address: Luojin Town, Yongfu County, Guilin

Longsheng Longji Rice Terraces Scenic Area

Longji Rice Terraces include two scenic areas: Ping'an Zhuang Terraces and Jinkeng Hongyao Terraces. Both terraces display bold cuts and delicate carvings, both majestic and artistic. Due to different mountain shapes, they present two distinct poetic scenes.

Address: Longji Rice Terraces Scenic Area, Longsheng Various Nationalities Autonomous County, Guilin

Guilin Nanxi Hill Scenic Area

Nanxi Hill Park is named after the Nanxi River that winds around it. It has two peaks, east and west, standing side by side, towering a thousand feet, with a cliff on the north side. The mountain rocks are as white as jade, reflecting dazzling light when directly exposed to the sun.

Address: No. 2 Zhongshan South Road, Xiangshan District, Guilin

Guilin Shenlong Water World Scenic Area

Guilin Shenlong Water World is located on the beautiful east bank of the Lijiang River, covering an area of 950 mu, with forest coverage rate of over 80%. The scenic area focuses on water culture, ancient dragon culture, and historical exploration.

Address: Lankou Village, Qianjing Village Committee, Caoping Township, Yanshan District, Guilin

Guilin Yangshuo Butterfly Spring Tourist Scenic Area

In the Yangshuo Butterfly Spring Scenic Area, unique peaks overlap, caves shine, waterfalls splash, springs babble, mountain paths wind, and secluded paths lead to quiet places. Climbing to the viewing platform at the Southern Heavenly Gate is like looking down at the world from heaven, with the ten-mile gallery fully in view.

Address: Next to National Highway 321, Yangshuo County, Guilin

Guilin Xishan Scenic Area

Xishan Park became a tourist attraction as early as the Tang Dynasty over a thousand years ago, and is the earliest developed tourist area in Guilin. The scenic area consists of the Xishan peaks, West Lake, and Yinshan Mountain. The peaks stand in a cluster, with West Lake and Peach Blossom River complementing each other, forming a landscape of overlapping mountains and winding rivers.

Address: No. 2 Xishan Road, Xiufeng District, Guilin

Guilin Xiaoyao Lake Scenic Area

Xiaoyao Lake is a natural ecological scenic area centered on mountains, forests, streams, and lakes. Within the scenic area, ancient trees reach the sky, waterfalls cascade, and the lake and mountains form beautiful sceneries. It also reconstructs lost historical pavilions and towers of Guilin, embellished with antique garden architecture, inscribed poems and articles, historical anecdotes, and folk customs, recreating Guilin's history and culture.

Address: Shang Fu Li Village, Daxu Town, Lingchuan County, Guilin

Guilin Luoshan Lake Maya Water Park Scenic Area

Luoshan Lake Water Park creates a water city landscape space of mountain forest joy, passion, and fragrance. The rich variety of mountain and water landscapes blend with modern amusement facilities and resort projects, allowing you to experience modern theme park fun and resort leisure while immersed in nature.

Address: No. 1008 Liangjiang Avenue, Liangjiang Town, Lingui District, Guilin

Guilin Classic Liu Sanjie Grand View Garden Scenic Area

The scenic area is named after the Zhuang song goddess Liu Sanjie. It is a theme park showcasing Liu Sanjie culture and classic Guangxi minority culture. Here, visitors can closely experience and enjoy Liu Sanjie culture and the essence and fun of Guangxi minority culture.

Address: No. 1 Taohuajiang Road, Xiufeng District, Guilin

Guilin Travel Tips:

As a world-famous tourist city, the unparalleled landscape of Guilin paints a beautiful Chinese scroll. Drifting on a bamboo raft on the Lijiang River is like being in a hundred-mile gallery, full of poetic and picturesque charm. Famous attractions: Guilin landscape, Guilin Merryland Theme Park. Guilin has a relatively low latitude, belonging to the mid-subtropical humid monsoon climate. Overall, Guilin's climate is mild, with four distinct seasons and very favorable conditions. The annual average temperature is 19.3°C, earning it the saying "three winters with little snow, flowers all year round." The best season to visit Guilin is from April to October each year. During this period, there are two golden weeks: May Day and National Day, which are also peak tourist seasons. Guilin with pleasant weather will attract many tourists, and hotel bookings and transportation will be in high demand, with prices rising compared to usual. Therefore, it is best to avoid this time and choose an off-season trip to fully appreciate the beauty of this world.

Safety Issues

Guilin is a very safe city, but because so many people work in tourism, when you encounter people who are overly enthusiastic about introducing various attractions, you need to be careful to avoid an unpleasant trip. There are many pickpockets at Guilin train station and bus station, so be sure to take good care of your belongings. Travel information found on some websites should not be easily trusted; beware of "travel touts."

Lijiang River Cruise Tips

1. According to regulations, inbound tourists cannot take regular cruise ships.

2. Tickets can be purchased one day in advance at the Water Transport Center on Binjiang Road in Guilin (turn right after passing South Gate Bridge, walk 20 meters, then enter the alley on the left).

3. Guilin cruise ships go directly to Yangshuo (during low water season, they sail the Yangdi-Xingping section); you cannot disembark midway, and they do not stop; there are no return ships from Yangshuo to Guilin.

4. For motorboats, you can agree in advance not to use the motor, otherwise the noise may ruin the atmosphere. Also, ask the boatman to explain the scenery right at the start; the boatman's commentary is often no worse than a tour guide's.

5. The price and duration for bamboo rafts and motorboats should be agreed upon with the boatman in advance.

6. Cruise ticket prices (see Lijiang River fare details) include a lunch: regular cruise offers a 10 yuan Chinese fast food, luxury cruise offers a 35 yuan Chinese set meal (6 dishes and 1 soup).

Recommended Itinerary

Day 1: Home → Guilin

Free time to stroll along [Zhengyang Road Pedestrian Street], taste food at [Shangshui Food Street], seek out the flavors of Guilin, experience local customs and night tour of Guilin.

Day 2: Guilin → Yangshuo

After breakfast, head to Yangshuo, take a bamboo raft to visit [Lijiang River Bamboo Raft] (about 1.5 hours tour), experience "the most beautiful place on earth," "the river is a green silk ribbon, the mountains are jade hairpins"; sailing on the river is like opening a scroll of wonderful landscape paintings, truly experiencing the stunning fairyland of the Lijiang River where "the boat travels in the river, people travel in the painting." Watch the reflections of strange peaks, clear waters and green mountains, shepherds singing, fishermen leisurely fishing, simple pastoral homes, fresh breath—everything is poetic and picturesque. (Ticket: 135 yuan/person)

2. Visit [Thailand Latex Lifestyle Museum] (about 1 hour). Thailand's Pattaya latex is the most characteristic product from Thailand. Through ASEAN duty-free entry into China, Thailand Baoli Company chose Guilin to establish an international mall to promote Thailand's national treasure—latex, adding glory to China-Thailand friendship.

3. Visit the world's cave wonder [Silver Cave] (about 1.5 hours). Silver Cave is a bright pearl among Guilin's tourist attractions, combining natural and cultural landscapes, represented by spots such as Music Stone Screen, Guanghan Palace, Snow Mountain Waterfall, Buddha Preaching, Single Pillar Holding Up the Sky, and Mixed Yuan Pearl Umbrella. The entire cave penetrates twelve peaks, containing stalactites from different geological ages, like the Milky Way pouring down, glittering like silver. It is said that "after visiting Silver Cave, you won't lack money for a lifetime." (Ticket: 85 yuan/person)

4. After dinner, enjoy the large-scale song and dance performance [Songcheng · Eternal Love] (about 1.5 hours). It is a must-see show in a lifetime, created by Songcheng Performance with huge investment, comparable to the "O" show in Las Vegas and the Moulin Rouge in Paris, collectively known as the "Three Famous Shows in the World." Using advanced sound, light, and electric technology and stage machinery, it interprets tens of thousands of years of Guilin's history and folklore, the soul of Guilin culture. The performance is divided into acts such as "Legend of Guilin," "Eternal Lingqu," "Song of Lijiang River," "Searching for Liu Sanjie," etc. Hundreds of performers passionately perform in a three-dimensional space of water, land, and air, singing a touching eternal legend of Guilin.

5. At night, you can freely go to [Yangshuo West Street] to stroll on the world-famous China's first foreigner street, walk along West Street's unique bluestone slab roads, and experience the unique European style!

Day 3: Yangshuo → Guilin

1. Early morning bus to Guilin (about 1 hour), visit CCTV-recommended Dongqing Ethnic Custom Garden 3A scenic spot [Dongqing Water Village] (about 2 hours). It was featured in a 5-second image advertisement on CCTV7's "Local" program. Exquisite silver handicrafts, doors without locks, enthusiastic ethnic aunties, totems, wooden buildings, bluestone alleys tell the story of the Dong culture. Let us visit their homes to truly understand the ethnic culture of the Dong people. (Ticket: 60 yuan/person)

2. After lunch, visit [Yushan Park] (about 1 hour). Yushan Park is located in the north of Guilin city, named after Yushan Hill and Yudi Temple within the park. The park is beautiful, the temple is sacred, the hill is strange, and the cave is secluded. It covers an area of 12,000 square meters, making it the most beautiful and largest antique garden in Guilin, as well as the pioneer of Guilin's landscape tourism and the origin of Guilin's history. Yushan Hill rises abruptly, with lush green trees and a quiet environment. On the west side of the hill, Shaoyin Cave runs north-south, with a gentle breeze, blending with the gurgling water of Huangze Bay and the rustling forest at the cave entrance, forming a sound like ancient music. "Shun Cave Xunfeng" is one of the famous eight old sceneries of Guilin. Main attractions include Yudi Temple, Yiqin Garden, Three Perfect Steles, Five Blessings Pagoda, Wenshao Tower, Yunyin Cave, Nine Heavens, and Meiquan Palace. (Ticket: 40 yuan/person)

3. Afterwards, visit [Sun and Moon Twin Pagodas] (about 1 hour). Known as the world's first bronze pagoda, it is a perfect night view spot in Guilin tourism. Located in the center of Guilin. The Sun Pagoda is 41 meters high with nine floors, entirely decorated with pure copper, using 350 tons of copper, resplendent and magnificent, with an elevator for sightseeing. All components of the bronze pagoda, such as pagoda base, tiles, upturned eaves, bracket sets, sparrow braces, doors, windows, columns, beams, ceilings, and floors are entirely decorated with copper murals. This bronze pagoda has created three world records: the tallest bronze pagoda in the world, the tallest copper building in the world, and the tallest pagoda in water. The Moon Pagoda is 35 meters high with seven floors, a glazed pagoda. The carved and painted doors and windows on each floor have different themes, rich in traditional Chinese charm. It is connected to the Sun Pagoda through an 18-meter-long underwater aquarium. In its underground palace, there is a large mural of a Ming Dynasty blue-and-white plum vase from Guilin. The Sun and Moon Twin Pagodas on Shan Lake have become a scenic spot for viewing the essence of Guilin city. (Ticket: 35 yuan/person)

Day 4: Guilin → Home

1. After breakfast, visit [New Silk Exhibition Hall] (about 1.5 hours). New Silk Road is the only silk exhibitor at the ASEAN Expo. "World sericulture looks to China, Chinese sericulture looks to Guangxi." Seize the good opportunity of "east mulberry moving west," actively respond to the national call to "jointly build the Silk Road Economic Belt and retrace the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road" to achieve the strategic goal of the "Belt and Road." Guilin → Home

Meal: Breakfast/Lunch Accommodation: Home

2. After lunch, go to [Liu Sanjie Grand View Garden]. Liu Sanjie Landscape Garden is located at Lion Rock in the west of Guilin city, on the banks of the beautiful Peach Blossom River, with Xishan to the east, Jiashan to the west, and the Peach Blossom River, a tributary of the Lijiang River, in front. The scenic area is named after the Zhuang song goddess Liu Sanjie, a theme park showcasing Liu Sanjie culture and classic Guangxi minority culture. Here, visitors can closely experience and enjoy Liu Sanjie culture and the essence and fun of Guangxi minority culture. Outside the park, the mountains are clear and the water is beautiful, with reflections like paintings, including the ancient Guilin eight scenery "West Peak Sunset" and the subsequent eight scenery "Yangjiang Autumn Moon"; inside the park, there are pavilions, towers, peaks, and caves, including the largest ecological park in Guilin, the Bird Garden; and the Zhuang buildings and Mo Mansion from the movie "Liu Sanjie." (Ticket: 85 yuan/person)

End of pleasant journey!