Magnificent Guilin: Accompanying You as You Grow Older and Younger — Exploring the Great Rivers and Mountains of Our Motherland: Guilin and Yangshuo Chapter

During the 2019 May Day holiday, I took my grandparents on a trip during off-peak days and found Yangshuo to be really nice, so during summer vacation I took my parents for another close encounter. We departed from Shenzhen on August 22 and returned to Shenzhen on August 24.

Yangshuo and Guilin can be arranged for 4-5 days, with 3 days in Yangshuo and 2 days in Guilin.

In Yangshuo, recommended activities include Xingping Ancient Town, Li River cruise (the Yangshuo section is the highlight), Yulong River rafting (I gave it up because the child was too young for bamboo rafts; I went 16 years ago and it was nice), and Jiuxian County. In Xingping Ancient Town, I recommend staying at Sanqianli, a beautiful hotel.

In Guilin, I suggest visiting Two Rivers and Four Lakes, Elephant Trunk Hill, Xiaoyao Tower, etc. (Don't trust unlicensed guides.)

1. About high-speed rail tickets:

There are relatively few trains between Shenzhen and Yangshuo, only 2-3 per day. The departure times are either early morning or late evening, which are inconvenient. Similarly, the return also has about 3 trains. If you want better timing, consider transferring at Guangzhou South Station, which has more trains.

Our specific situation was as follows:

(1) Outbound: Shenzhen North Station to Yangshuo. There was a train around 7-something in the morning. Although it was a bit tiring, we arrived just after 10 a.m., had lunch, rested at the hotel, and could play in the afternoon, making good use of time.

(2) Return: Guilin to Shenzhen. We bought a ticket for 5 p.m. and arrived back in the evening.

2. Some notes:

(1) Preparation: Check the weather before departure. When we went to Yangshuo and Guilin at the end of August, the weather was similar to Shenzhen, still very hot. Bring a sunscreen jacket. Be sure to bring an umbrella for both rain and sun protection. Sunscreen is a must.

(2) Transportation in Yangshuo: For this trip, with two elderly and two children, we basically used Didi rides. Didi cars were easy to hail and not expensive; the starting fare was 8 yuan. I also recommend a driver surnamed Ye, who served us in Yangshuo. His car was very new, an SUV. If you go to Yangshuo, you can charter his car. (Contact me privately; it seems phone numbers can't be freely posted or the post might be blocked.)

(3) Accommodation in Yangshuo: Sanqianli Hotel. During the summer peak season, we booked a double room for 918 yuan. Sometimes there are package deals that are very cost-effective. Follow the official account 'Sanqianli' to stay updated. In Guilin, we booked a budget hotel that was a five-minute walk from Elephant Trunk Hill and within walking distance of the Two Rivers and Four Lakes night view.

(4) Dining: In Xingping Ancient Town — Yunzhiwei; on West Street — Xiaonanguo.

(5) Attractions: Sanqianli Town (enjoy the hotel itself, which is a scenic spot) — Guilin Elephant Trunk Hill, Xiaoyao Tower, East-West Alley, etc.

August 22, Yangshuo Day 1

Got up at 5:50 a.m., left at 6:10, hailed a taxi, but three adults and two children counted as overload, and we were refused. Fortunately, I had told my husband earlier to be ready to take us because there was a chance of rejection. Everything went smoothly; we arrived at North Station at 6:50, walked in with our IDs directly. Played for a while at the amusement area, then boarded the train.

Arrived in Yangshuo at 10 a.m. Since we had booked Sanqianli, the hotel arranged a shuttle to pick us up at the Yangshuo high-speed rail station at a fixed time. (It was at the station parking lot, on the left after exiting.)

We couldn't check in yet, so we first went to Xingping Ancient Town (just a starting fare by Didi) to have a look. We wanted to take a Li River cruise. But under the scorching sun, after waiting in line for 20 minutes, someone came to hand out a number and said it would take 1 hour 30 minutes to buy tickets. Oh my, the blistering sun was unbearable. The picture below shows the cruise route; I think it would be nice to take it.

We walked to the viewing platform for the 20-yuan banknote scene.

After that, we took a short walk around the ancient town (30 minutes is enough). The old stage is worth a visit.

We had lunch at Yunzhiwei (newly opened in 2019, recommended by the hotel front desk, very good). The three adults and two kids ordered bamboo chicken pot, braised pork, and steamed egg custard.

After lunch, we returned to the hotel, checked in smoothly, and rested. Two beds pushed together made a 2.4m wide bed, which was just enough for three adults and two kids (my dad is relatively slim).

In the afternoon, I took Tangyuan swimming. The hotel's Sky Mirror was great for taking photos.

The pool at Sanqianli was beautiful, with the 20-yuan banknote scene in the background.

After swimming, Tuanzi woke up, so we took Dad, Mom, Tangyuan, and Tuanzi to the Dream Kids Park.

In the evening, I took Tuanzi swimming again. The twilight scenery was serene and beautiful.

Suddenly there was a violent storm with lightning and thunder, so the performance was canceled. Instead, there was a bamboo pole dance in the hotel lobby. Then we had Guilin rice noodles for dinner. After a jog, we returned to the hotel to rest.

August 23, Yangshuo Day 2

Got up at 7 a.m. and jogged around the hotel. The scenery was gorgeous.

The hotel's breakfast was very hearty.

After breakfast, we took more photos.

Tangyuan wanted to swim again.

At noon, we took a taxi to the station hoping to take a bus to Guilin, but there were no buses. Then the Didi driver took us directly to West Street for 100 yuan. For lunch, based on Dianping recommendations, we ate at Xiaonanguo; the beer fish was quite good.

After lunch, we strolled on West Street. It was very hot, so we didn't stay long.

After lunch, we headed to Guilin. From West Street, we took a Didi to Yangshuo Bus Station and bought bus tickets to Guilin. The bus arrived at South Station (we only found out after boarding that the original bus station in the city center had just been moved to the suburbs). I suggest taking a Didi from Yangshuo to Guilin for convenience; otherwise, you still need to take a 30-minute taxi to the city center after arriving.

We arrived at the hotel around 4 p.m. While it wasn't too hot, we visited the Sun and Moon Twin Pagodas.

Then we saw the night view of Two Rivers and Four Lakes. We wanted to see the waterfall at the Waterfall Hotel, but the performance was canceled.

We walked to Zhengyang Pedestrian Street for shopping. It was a lively street.

Got up at 7 a.m. to have breakfast, planning to quickly visit Elephant Trunk Hill and then return to the hotel to sleep, checking out at 2 p.m. But unexpectedly, we were persuaded by a roadside unlicensed guide to take a boat ride. It cost about 100 yuan per adult (I don't remember exactly). Then we were taken to see the West Mountain Grotto, followed by a 9 a.m. boat ride on the Li River to see Elephant Trunk Hill, Fubo Hill, Qixing Hill, etc. Finished at 10 a.m.

Elephant Trunk Hill (we just saw it from the boat and took photos; heard you don't need to enter the park to see it, haha).

After the boat ride, we walked to Xiaoyao Tower, passing by Guilin citizens dancing joyfully — it's a city with a high happiness index. Xiaoyao Tower was rebuilt in 2015 after being destroyed; it is one of the four famous towers in China, on par with the Yellow Crane Tower.

After visiting Xiaoyao Tower, we went to East-West Alley.

It was hot, so we took a taxi back, ate rice noodles, and took a nap. Two liang of Guilin rice noodles cost 4.5 yuan per serving — cheap! After checking out, we did some shopping at the nearby Guilin Department Store.

We left for the high-speed rail station at 4 p.m. to avoid traffic. Little Tuanzi fell asleep, and I carried him all the way while collecting tickets and going through security. I really wanted to throw him away. The station was packed with people; we couldn't even find a seat. Summer vacation travelers were everywhere, sigh. On the train, the sun was about to set, and the distant mountains seemed to wave goodbye to me.

My little friend ate snacks all the way, with purple seaweed on his mouth, so cute, haha. But taking kids out is really tiring; the adults and elderly can't enjoy themselves fully either. Hurry up and grow up, you two little ones.