Li River Cruise
The karst gorge between Guilin and Yangshuo is the landscape the postcards are made from, and the river is the only way to see it end to end.
Open the attraction guideGuilin
Karst peaks, a river that looks edited, and a countryside you can still cycle without a tour bus in the frame.
- Province
- Guangxi
- Best months
- Apr–Jun, Sep–Oct
- Time needed
- 3–4 days (estimated)
- Airport
- Guilin Liangjiang International Airport (KWL), about 45 minutes from the city centre by airport shuttle or taxi (estimated).
- Rail
- Guilin North and Guilin West are the main high-speed stations (Guilin Station also serves the city); Yangshuo has its own station on the Guiyang–Guangzhou line, about 40 minutes by road from Yangshuo town (estimated).
- Getting around
- Taxis and ride-hailing are cheap in the city. For the countryside, a hired driver or an e-bike in Yangshuo is more useful than any bus schedule.
Guilin at a glance
Guilin is the rare Chinese destination where the postcard is accurate. The trick is to spend less time in the city itself and more on the river and in the villages around Yangshuo. Two nights in Guilin plus two in Yangshuo beats a rushed four-night stay in one place.
01
What to see
Start with these. Each attraction page has hours, transport, reservation rules and a Chinese address card.
Longji Rice Terraces
The terraces are one of the few landscapes in China that still rewards walking rather than viewing: the paths between villages are the actual experience.
Open the attraction guide
Reed Flute Cave
It is a 40-minute, genuinely impressive cave — the scale of the chambers is bigger than photos suggest.
Open the attraction guideThings to do in Guilin
02
Where to stay
Pick the area for the evenings you want, then compare rates — the neighbourhood matters more than the star rating.
Guilin city centre, near the Two Rivers and Four Lakes
Arrival night. Useful for the airport transfer and the cruise pier; not the reason you came.
Yangshuo town
First visit to the countryside. Walkable, busy at night, close to the river. The further you are from West Street, the better you sleep.
Yulong River villages
Quiet and scenery. Boutique guesthouses in the fields, 20–30 minutes from Yangshuo town by e-bike or car.
03
A realistic 3-day plan
No 6 a.m. starts, and one afternoon deliberately left empty.
Arrive Guilin
Land, check in, walk the lakes after dark. Book the next morning's cruise or bus to Yangshuo now.
Li River to Yangshuo
Cruise or bus downriver in the morning, check in, cycle the Yulong River in the late afternoon.
Countryside day
E-bike to the villages north of Yangshuo, or take the long day trip to the Longji terraces (about 2–3 hours each way, estimated).
When to go
Weather, crowds and price by season. Confirm current conditions before booking.
| Months | Weather | Crowds | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar–May | Misty and wet; the classic postcard haze | Moderate (estimated) | Mid (estimated) |
| Jun–Aug | Hot, heavy rain, high river levels | Peak (estimated) | High (estimated) |
| Sep–Oct | Milder and drier, with occasional rain | Peak around National Day (estimated) | High (estimated) |
| Nov–Feb | Cool and damp; terraces are bare | Low (estimated) | Low (estimated) |
Budget bands: Guesthouses in Yangshuo plus public buses — CNY 150–350 per night (estimated). / Riverside hotels and a cruise ticket — CNY 400–900 per night (estimated). / Luxury riverside resorts and a private raft — CNY 1,200+ per night (estimated)..
Before you lock the dates
Crowds and hotel prices move sharply around Chinese public holidays. Book the main sights before you fix flights, and check the attraction pages for reservation rules.
Getting there and getting around
- Airport to city — Airport shuttle to the centre, or a taxi. Shuttle fares are not published online — check at the airport. (about 45 minutes (estimated))
- Guilin to Yangshuo — Cruise from the Zhujiang or Mopanshan piers, or a high-speed train from Guilin West to Yangshuo station plus a local transfer.
- Getting around Yangshuo — E-bikes are the local default; agree the daily rate and check the battery before you leave.
Guilin how-to guides
Yangshuo in two days: a plan built around the river
How to use two days in Yangshuo without rushing: arrive by the Li River, sleep in town, and spend the second day on a sectional raft or the countryside.
Read the guideQuestions we get
Guilin or Yangshuo — where should I stay?
Both, split unevenly: one night in Guilin for the transfer, two or more in Yangshuo for the scenery. Staying only in Guilin means adding an hour of transfer to every countryside day.
Is the Li River cruise worth it?
Yes if you want the four-hour version of the postcard, no if you have limited time — a bus to Yangshuo is faster and cheaper, and you can still do rafts on the Yulong River.
When should I visit the rice terraces?
Two windows: after the terraces are flooded in spring, and when the rice turns gold in autumn. Everything is bare and brown in winter.