5 Days in Guilin: First-Timer Plan

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Five days is the sweet spot: three days for Guilin city, the Li River cruise, and Yangshuo’s countryside, plus a genuine overnight up in the Longji rice terraces for sunrise light. The 4-day plan is the version to cut back to if Longji doesn’t matter to you; 6 and 7-day plans add Xingping as its own overnight too.

Book these before you go

Day 1: Guilin city classics

Elephant Trunk Hill (¥55, hours per travelchinaguide.com ; arch is Water-Moon Cave, best at sunrise or sunset), Reed Flute Cave (¥90, constant ~20°C, bring a layer), and Seven Star Park (¥55, +¥45 for the cave, giant-panda zoo). Round out the evening with the Two Rivers Four Lakes night cruise (¥210 adult/¥105 child, ~90 minutes) past the Sun and Moon Twin Pagodas.

Day 2: The Li River cruise to Yangshuo

One-way from Mopanshan (¥215, 3-star) or Zhujiang Pier (¥360-480, 4-star with meals), 3.5-5 hours through the Yangdi-Xingping stretch’s Nine Horse Fresco Hill and Yellow Cloth Shoal. Check into Yangshuo and see Impression Sanjie Liu (tiers ¥200-680) that evening, staged on the Li River itself with real karst peaks as the backdrop.

Day 3: Yangshuo countryside

Bike (¥15-50/day) the Ten-Mile Gallery route (maps at travelchinaguide.com ) to Moon Hill, the postcard limestone arch a short ride south of town. Try Yulong River bamboo rafting (¥200-320 per raft) in the afternoon, a different, calmer river from the Li, then beer fish for dinner on West Street, confirm the per-catty price before it’s cooked.

Day 4: Up to the Longji rice terraces

Travel to Ping’an (about 2 hours, easier walking, Nine Dragons and Five Tigers viewpoint) or the wilder Dazhai/Jinkeng (about 2.5 hours, cable car, three sunrise/sunset platforms). A combined ¥80 ticket covers both areas plus Huangluo Yao Village. Withdraw cash before you go; foreign-card ATMs thin out fast once you’re past Guilin, and taxis won’t run the full round trip, so arrange a private transfer or the public coach. Settle into a village guesthouse for the night.

Day 5: Sunrise at the terraces and departure

Catch first light on the ridgelines, then head back to Guilin (~2 hours; book any onward high-speed rail via trip.com rather than the Chinese-only 12306 site). Use the rest of the day for a last mifen bowl or a Three Treasures souvenir stop (Sanhua liquor, chili sauce, fermented bean curd) near Zhengyang Pedestrian Street before your flight.

Getting around and where to stay

Guilin city centre suits days 1 and 5; Yangshuo suits days 2 and 3; a village guesthouse in Ping’an or Dazhai covers day 4. Search hotels on Booking.com for the city legs, and see our Guilin day trips guide for the full Longji breakdown.

One concrete tip: overnight in Longji rather than day-tripping it. The sunrise and sunset light on the terraces is the whole point, and a same-day round trip from Guilin burns most of the light chasing the drive instead.