Guilin Travel Guide

Guilin Travel Guide: Guilin is a great place for travel, with absolutely unique scenery. The scenery along both banks of the Li River is beautiful, the air is very fresh, and boating on the Li River to see the Ten-Mile Gallery is very pleasant. The karst landscape is also quite impressive. Besides the natural scenery, Guilin has a lot of delicious food. Guilin Travel Guide: Guilin is truly beautiful. For thousands of years, the landscapes of Guilin have inspired countless poets and artists to paint, and have attracted many people to be fascinated and intoxicated. The unique karst landform has nurtured these extraordinary mountains and waters. On the Li River, a boat ride feels like traveling on a green silk ribbon winding among thousands of peculiar peaks, known as the Hundred-Mile Li River, Hundred-Mile Gallery. Guilin Travel Guide: In different weather, the Li River displays various charms: on sunny days, green peaks reflect in the water; on cloudy days, mountains are shrouded in mist; on rainy days, it is dreamlike. Guilin Travel Guide: Actually, the Li River on rainy days has more charm, with misty waves on the river, mountains looming in and out of sight, floating clouds weaving through the peaks, and a light veil of rain covering the landscape. The misty Li River looks like a myriad of ink-wash paintings in various postures, truly 'Guilin's scenery is the best under heaven, and the Li River in autumn is an exquisite painting.' Guilin Travel Guide: Strolling along the Two Rivers and Four Lakes, which are an important part of Guilin's scenic beauty, they have become a natural business card for Guilin's tourism. The two rivers and four lakes crisscross, offering beautiful waterscapes. Walking along them, you can enjoy the views on both sides: the Gold and Silver Twin Pagodas in the lake, and the pavilions and terraces on the shore, forming a beautiful scene. The two rivers are the Li River and the Taohua River; the four lakes are Mulong Lake (including Tiefo Pond), Gui Lake, Rong Lake, and Shan Lake. Elephant Trunk Hill is fascinating for its lifelike image, considered a representative of Guilin's scenery. The hill stands steep and solitary, with ancient rocks, climbing vines, and banyan trees clinging to its cliffs. Its charming scenery, magical shape, and moving legends have captivated countless refined scholars. Longji Rice Terraces: Longji is a gift from God for photographers. Its grand and magnificent scale, with imposing momentum, has earned it the reputation of being the top terraced fields in the world. Guilin Travel Guide: The Longji Rice Terraces wind from the foot of the mountain to the top, with small terraces like snails and large ones like towers, layered and stacked, high and low. Guilin Travel Guide: Viewed from above, the graceful curves of the terraces, parallel or crossing, winding like spring snails, draped in mist like cloud towers, flowing smoothly and gracefully, displaying a breathtaking curvaceous beauty. Guilin Travel Guide: Along the way, enjoy the Yangshuo Ten-Mile Gallery, located at Moon Hill in Yangshuo. Due to the beautiful scenery along the road, poetic and picturesque, it is called Yangshuo Ten-Mile Gallery. Guilin Travel Guide: Main attractions include Dolphin Emerging from Water, Flame Mountain, Dragon Horn Mountain, Qing'e Scenery, and Ancient Banyan Tree Beauty. Guilin Travel Guide: Exploring the Silver Cave: Silver Cave is a layered karst cave with various stalactites that are white and crystal clear, like the Milky Way pouring down at night, shining with silver light. Guilin Travel Guide: The wonders of stalactites and the cave pools reflect each other, with mountains in water and water in mountains, the reflections like deep abysses. Guilin Travel Guide: Under the effect of lights, the rocks show colorful and dreamlike colors. Guilin Travel Guide: When traveling, pre-trip preparation is naturally essential. Whether you prepare well determines the quality of the travel experience. So what to do? The solution is: follow my steps, and I will answer your travel questions one by one. Today, I’ll address your concerns about traveling to Guilin. 1. How to play in Guilin for 4 days and 3 nights? Are there recommended routes? 2. What are the recommended foods in Guilin? Where to eat? 3. What hotels or guesthouses in Guilin offer views of the picturesque scenery? How to play in Guilin for 4 days? Recommended itinerary: D1 Arrive in Guilin, a pick-up attendant will meet you and take you to the hotel. Upon arrival in Guilin, I saw the pick-up attendant waiting for me as soon as I exited the station. They were very enthusiastic. The first night we stayed in Guilin. (Note: The pick-up attendant will contact you in advance, please keep your phone line open.) We stayed in five-star (unrated) hotels throughout. D2: World Peace Park — Ten-Mile Gallery. 'World Peace Park' is located near Baisha Town in Yangshuo County, mainly composed of Lotus Pond, Swallow Lake, Swallow Cave, Dong Ethnic Customs, and Primitive Tribes. In the season of 'apricot rain drenching clothes, and willow wind not chilling the face,' stepping into 'World Peace Park' reveals a beautiful rural landscape. Guilin Travel Guide: Ten-Mile Gallery is located at Moon Hill in Yangshuo. Because the scenery along the way is beautiful and picturesque, it is called 'Yangshuo Ten-Mile Gallery.' After walking through it, it’s like viewing a lasting landscape painting. Tourists can ride bicycles along the Ten-Mile Gallery and enjoy the natural scenery anytime. For example, the small reservoir on the west side of the Ten-Mile Gallery is a delicate and peculiar small peak. After thousands of years of weathering and karst erosion, it naturally formed a spindle-shaped mountain, resembling a dolphin emerging from the water, a scenic spot called 'Dolphin Emerging from Water.' D3: Xingping Li River — Xingping Ancient Town — Silver Cave — West Street. The Li River Scenic Area is the world’s largest and most beautiful karst landscape area, the essence of Guilin scenery. People call it 'Hundred-Mile Li River, Hundred-Mile Gallery.' Guilin Travel Guide: One wonderful aspect of touring the Li River is that the scenery is unique regardless of time, place, or weather. Different weather brings different flavors: sunny days with green peaks reflected; overcast days with misty mountains; rainy days with dreamlike haze. Tourists often prefer sunny days, but overcast or rainy days can yield great photos. The misty river, looming mountains, floating clouds among peaks, and rain like a veil over the landscape create ink-wash paintings. Indeed, 'Guilin's scenery is the best under heaven, and the exquisite Li River in autumn.' Xingping Town is located in the northeast of Yangshuo, 25 km from the county town. The Li River makes a big bend here. Xingping is nestled by mountains and rivers, with beautiful scenery, white walls, black tiles, and stone alleys, making it the most beautiful ancient town along the Li River. Guilin Travel Guide: Xingping Ancient Town is a genuine ancient town with smooth bluestone paths, Tang and Song Dynasty stages, Ming and Qing buildings, Xiping County ruins, temple ruins, etc., still extant, showing deep historical and cultural heritage. Silver Cave is located in Lipu County, Guilin City, typical karst landform. Its caves span twelve peaks, gathering stalactites from different geological ages, crystal clear and white, like the Milky Way pouring down, shining like silver, hence the name 'Silver Cave.' Guilin Travel Guide: Nature’s craftsmanship is fully displayed here. West Street has a history of over 1,400 years. It is the oldest and most prosperous street in Yangshuo and an important tourist attraction. Ancient city walls, inscriptions, old temples, pavilions, former residences of celebrities, memorial halls, etc., are well preserved. Guilin Travel Guide: People like West Street for its leisurely pace, prosperity, and various reasons. Most are attracted by its beautiful nightlife and irresistible food temptations. The taste lingers not only on the tongue but also in the heart. Food brings us not just taste and satisfaction but also a broad sentiment. D4: Elephant Trunk Hill Park — Return trip. The park is small but gathers the essence of Guilin’s landscapes and cultural attractions. The main feature is the symbol of Guilin city — Elephant Trunk Hill. When you arrive, a picture long imprinted in your mind becomes real: a giant elephant stands by the river, its long trunk dipping into the water as if drinking, lifelike. Guilin Travel Guide: Other attractions include Water Moon Cave, Puxian Pagoda, Elephant Eye Rock, Relic Pagoda, and Love Island formed by three recreational islands to the north, as well as Yunfeng Temple at the southern foot. The park has limited highlights. You can enjoy the reflection of Elephant Hill and Li River from Love Island, or climb to the top to explore the legend of Puxian Pagoda and Elephant Hill, overlooking the meandering Li River embracing Guilin. What are the recommended foods in Guilin? Where to eat? Must-eat foods: 1. Li River Fish and Snails with Beer. Li River fish is a local specialty of Yangshuo. It uses fresh big carp from the Li River in Yangshuo, first deep-fried in raw tea oil from northern Guangxi, then braised with top-grade Guilin beer. The result is a unique crispy-tender flavor that whets your appetite. Especially the fish scales fried into a crispy shell soaked in sauce, offering a completely new taste experience. Recommended restaurant: Master Chef Beer Fish (West Street Branch 1). Yangshuo’s snails are very special. Stuffed snails are also a Guilin specialty. They are large, some as big as ping-pong balls, and the taste is entirely different from regular snail meat. The meat is not all snail meat; the snail meat is extracted, mixed with pork, coriander, and other seasonings, then stuffed back into the shell and cooked with sauce. Recommended restaurant: Xie Sanjie Beer Fish Headquarter, inside Sunshine 100, Diecui Road, Yangshuo County (near Furong Intersection). 2. Lipu Taro and Pork Belly. This is a traditional banquet dish made with authentic Lipu taro, pork belly with skin, Guilin fermented bean curd, and various seasonings. The pork belly and taro pieces are deep-fried separately, then arranged in a bowl with the skin side down and taro slices in between, steamed, and then inverted onto another plate. It features golden color, soft and tasty taro and meat slices, and rich aroma. It helps clear heat and remove toxins, and moisturize the skin. Recommended location: Binjiang Road Food Street. 3. Guilin Rice Noodles. Guilin rice noodles are famous for their unique flavor. The process is meticulous: high-quality rice is ground into a slurry, bagged and dried, then kneaded into dough, cooked, and pressed into round sticks or slices. Rice noodle shops are everywhere on the streets. 4. Stir-fried Li River Shrimp. Stir-fried Li River shrimp is a typical Guilin dish. It uses river shrimp from the Li River, quickly stir-fried with a little Guilin Sanhua liquor. 5. Guilin Sponge Cake. Mix glutinous rice with non-glutinous rice, grind into powder, add a little brown sugar water and mix, then layer the semi-dry powder into a steamer and steam for 1-2 hours until done. It tastes soft, fluffy, and sweet. It is even better if mixed with diced Lipu taro. What hotels or guesthouses are in Guilin? There are many hotels and hostels of various grades in Guilin city. For general independent travelers, youth hostels are the best choice. Guilin International Youth Hostel is on Binjiang Road in the city center. Four-star Guilin Hotel is on Ronghu South Road in Xiufeng District. Ctrip price starts at 310 RMB. Wangjianglou Inn is a guesthouse with sentiment, full of artistic elements... Each floor’s corridor has models of vintage cameras... all classic... Every item seems carefully designed from the perspective of light and shadow, overall aesthetic... Entering the inn gives a scholarly feel, with a touch of modern elegance. The fusion of Chinese and Western culture is just right! Many foreigners visit during dinner. The inn prepares both Chinese and Western breakfasts for guests and can deliver to the room upon request. The inn also serves local specialties.