4 Days in Guilin: First-Timer Plan

Heads up: some links here are affiliate links. Book or buy through them and we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. We only point you to things we would actually use.

Four days covers Guilin’s city classics, the Li River cruise to an overnight in Yangshuo, and a full countryside day, though it’s tight enough that Longji doesn’t fit without cutting something else. The 5-day plan adds the rice terraces properly; for less time try the 2-day version, for more, 6 or 7-day plans add Xingping too.

Book these before you go

Day 1: Guilin city classics

Start at Elephant Trunk Hill (¥55, hours per travelchinaguide.com ), the arch is Water-Moon Cave, best at sunrise or sunset. Move to Reed Flute Cave (¥90, constant ~20°C, bring a layer) and Seven Star Park (¥55, +¥45 for the cave, giant-panda zoo included). In the evening, the Two Rivers Four Lakes night cruise (¥210 adult/¥105 child, ~90 minutes) loops the illuminated old-city waterway past the Sun and Moon Twin Pagodas. Have Guilin mifen (¥3-10) for breakfast; it’s a real local dish, not a tourist one.

Day 2: The Li River cruise to Yangshuo

Take the one-way cruise from Mopanshan (¥215, 3-star) or Zhujiang Pier (¥360-480, 4-star with meals) through the Yangdi-Xingping stretch’s Nine Horse Fresco Hill and Yellow Cloth Shoal, 3.5-5 hours. Check into a Yangshuo hotel and walk West Street that evening, then catch Impression Sanjie Liu (tiers ¥200-680), Zhang Yimou’s night show staged with real karst peaks as the backdrop, closed January-February.

Day 3: Yangshuo countryside

Rent a bike (¥15-50/day) and ride the Ten-Mile Gallery route past Moon Hill (details and route maps at travelchinaguide.com ), the postcard limestone arch a short ride south of town, worth the climb to its base for the view. In the afternoon, try Yulong River bamboo rafting (¥200-320 per raft, a different, calmer river from the Li), then order beer fish (priced per catty, confirm the weight before it’s cooked) for dinner on West Street.

Day 4: Return to Guilin and depart

Take the train (20-47 minutes, ¥25-35, book English-language via trip.com ) or bus (~1.5 hours, ¥27-40) back to Guilin. Use the morning for a last stop at Fubo Hill or Diecai Hill, both small waterfront hills near each other, or a Three Treasures souvenir run (Sanhua liquor, chili sauce, fermented bean curd) near Zhengyang Pedestrian Street before your flight. Longji genuinely doesn’t fit into four days without cutting a day above; if the rice terraces matter to you, add a fifth day instead.

Getting around and where to stay

Guilin city centre suits days 1 and 4; Yangshuo suits days 2 and 3. Search hotels on Booking.com for either base, and use DiDi for rides in both towns, it links a foreign card without a Chinese bank account and gives you an English interface.

One concrete tip: book the Li River cruise the same day you fix your dates, not the week before. April-November tickets for both piers sell out, and a late booking often means whichever seat is left, not the boat class you wanted.