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Voykit pocket guide · China
Guilin
桂林
Base in Guilin 2 nights for the city caves and peaks, then move to Yangshuo for the river: 3 nights total does both without rushing.
Guilin is the hub for the karst country of North Guangxi: a compact city of rivers, lakes and limestone peaks, with the Li River, Longji rice terraces and Yangshuo all within a day of it. Most travellers give the city one or two nights and put the rest of the trip downstream in Yangshuo. It is a clean, walkable, mid-size city with a tourist economy and low street crime.
- Country
- China
- Local name
- 桂林
- Best months
- Apr–May, Sep–Oct
- Avoid
- Jun–Aug (heavy rain and heat), Chinese New Year and Golden Week
- Stay
- 2–3 nights
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- CNY
- Money
- Alipay and WeChat Pay accept Visa, Mastercard, JCB and Amex cards; single payments over ¥200 carry a fee of about 3% on a foreign card (smaller ones are free), and per-payment and yearly caps apply — check the app. Keep a second way to pay.
- Daily spend
- Budget ¥250–450 excl. bed · Mid ¥450–900 excl. bed · High ¥900+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- A roaming eSIM from outside China routes traffic through its home network, so Google, WhatsApp and Instagram work without a VPN — the simplest setup.
- Emergency
- Police 110 · Fire 119 · Ambulance 120
- Plugs
- Types A, C, I · 220 V · 50 Hz · Many sockets take flat two-pin (A), round two-pin (C) and angled three-pin (I) plugs; UK plugs need an adapter.
- Tipping
- Restaurants: No tip; upmarket hotels add 10–15% service.; Taxis and DiDi: No tip.; Tour guides and drivers: Expected on organised tours: about ¥100–200 a day for a guide, ¥50–100 for a driver.; Hotel porters: Not expected; ¥10–20 in luxury hotels.
- Water
- Not for drinking from the tap; bottled water ¥2–5, and kettles and free bottles in hotel rooms. Restaurants serve hot water or tea.
- Toilets
- Public toilets are frequent and free; squat toilets outside hotels and malls. Carry tissues — many have no paper.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Bowl of Guilin rice noodles | ¥8–15 |
| Coffee | ¥20–35 |
| Beer: draught / can at a shop | ¥15–30 / ¥5–10 |
| 5 km taxi3.1 mi taxi | ¥15–25 |
| City bus ride | ¥2 (5x buses free) |
| eSIM or data SIM, about a week | ¥80–150 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- KWL · Guilin Liangjiang International
- About 30 km southwest of the centre; airport buses run to the city terminal and Guilin North station, and a taxi to a central hotel is around ¥100.About 19 mi southwest of the centre; airport buses run to the city terminal and Guilin North station, and a taxi to a central hotel is around ¥100.
Typical fares
- Airport → city centre, bus
- about ¥20, then a short taxi
- Airport → city centre, taxi
- about ¥100
- Guilin → Yangshuo, bus
- about ¥18, 1–1.5 h
Get around
City buses cover the parks and river spots and fares are capped at ¥2; buses numbered 5x are free, and bus 58 links the stations with several sights. Taxis are cheap and easy to hail except 17:30–19:00. For a half or full day of outlying sights, a hired driver is often the simplest option.City buses cover the parks and river spots and fares are capped at ¥2; buses numbered 5x are free, and bus 58 links the stations with several sights. Taxis are cheap and easy to hail except 5:30 PM–7:00 PM. For a half or full day of outlying sights, a hired driver is often the simplest option.
See and do
Known for
- Karst limestone peaks
- Li River scenery
- Reed Flute Cave and Elephant Trunk Hill
- Gateway to Yangshuo and Longji terraces
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Yangshuo | Bus from the Guilin bus terminal or minibus by the railway station, about 1–1.5 h; or the Li River cruise downstream | 1–1.5 h by road |
| Xingping | Bus toward Yangshuo then a local bus, or a boat down the Li River | 2–2.5 h |
| Longsheng (Longji rice terraces) | Bus from Guilin to Longsheng then a local bus up to the terraces | 2.5–3 h |
| Liuzhou | High-speed train from Guilin station | About 1.5 h |
Sleep
- City centre (Xiufeng, around Central Square)
- Two rivers and four lakes on foot, Sun and Moon Pagodas and Jingjiang Princes' City nearby; best for a first night with bags.
- Guilin North station area
- Convenient if you arrive or leave by high-speed rail; a bus ride from the sights.
- Xiangshan (Elephant Trunk Hill side)
- Quieter, river-facing hotels; 15–20 min walk or a short taxi to the centre.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Hello | 你好nǐ hǎo |
| Thank you | 谢谢xiè xiè |
| How much is it? | 多少钱？duō shǎo qián |
| This one, please | 这个zhè ge |
| Where is the toilet? | 厕所在哪里？cè suǒ zài nǎ lǐ |
| Can I pay by card? | 可以刷卡吗？kě yǐ shuā kǎ ma |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Handshake and a nod; use surnames with a title; avoid: Hugs and cheek kisses
- Face: Disagree privately and indirectly; avoid: Correcting or embarrassing someone in front of others
- Gifts: Give with two hands; expect the gift to be refused once or twice and opened later; avoid: Clocks, umbrellas, white flowers, sets of four
- Business cards: Present and receive with both hands, read it, keep it on the table; avoid: Writing on it or pocketing it at once
- Queues and crowds: Hold your ground politely in scrums at buses and lifts; avoid: Taking pushing personally
- Temples: Walk clockwise around Tibetan stupas and prayer wheels; remove hats; avoid: Touching statues or photographing where signs forbid
- Politics: Listen; follow your host's lead; avoid: Raising Tibet, Taiwan, Xinjiang, 1989 or the party leadership
- Numbers and colour: Red and 8 are lucky; red envelopes carry money gifts; avoid: Writing names in red; the number 4
Scams and watch-outs
- Ignore drivers at the train station who push tours or add charges; walk past them to the bus stop.
- Buy Li River cruises and cave tickets from official counters or your hotel, not from touts.
- Summer is hot and wet, with the heaviest rain June–August; check river levels before booking a cruise.
- The 144-hour visa-free rule for some ASEAN passports covers only Guilin, Yangshuo and Longsheng, and needs an approved group tour — check your own nationality's rules.
Guilin is a low-crime, walkable city; the real risks are pickpocketing in crowds, overpriced tours sold by touts, and summer heat and rain. Use official ticket counters and keep valuables out of sight.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Guilin yet. Suggested stay: 2–3 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Karst limestone peaks
- Li River scenery
- Reed Flute Cave and Elephant Trunk Hill
- Gateway to Yangshuo and Longji terraces
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Wikivoyage: Guilin, revision 5340127 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5340127
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Guilin桂林
请到这个地址
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
Most countries have embassies in Beijing and consulates-general in Guangzhou or Chengdu; check your own country's nearest office before you travel.
Prices are 2026 estimates in yuan.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/guilin). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.