Yangshuo

By air

KWL · Guilin Liangjiang International

Nearest airport, in Guilin. Airport shuttle to Yangshuo northern bus station, about 90 min, ¥50.

Typical fares

Guilin Airport → Yangshuo, shuttle

¥50, about 90 min

Guilin → Yangshuo, express bus

¥22, about 1.5 h

Li River cruise, Guilin → Yangshuo

¥400+, slower than the bus

Taxi within town

¥10–30 after bargaining

West Street (Xijie) and Guihua Lu

The old tourist core, bars and cafés on the creek; loud at night, walkable to everything.

Diecuilu and Pantao Rd

Main bus station sits at the corner; more hotels, quieter, 10–15 min walk to West Street.

Riverside, south end of town

Hotels near the Li River foot of town; calmer, still a short walk to the centre.

Yulong River valley villages

Guesthouses 5–10 km out among the fields; you need a bike, scooter or arranged shuttle.Guesthouses 3.1–6.2 mi out among the fields; you need a bike, scooter or arranged shuttle.

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

• Taxi and minibus touts at Guilin station overcharge; buy from the counter at the bus terminal instead.
• Petrol scooters and motorbikes are illegal without a Chinese licence; police mostly ignore electric scooters.
• Bag-snatching from motorbikes happens to cyclists — use a closed basket and lock it.
• Shops pay guides commission, so guided 'shopping' stops are overpriced; bargain hard and shop without a guide.
• Businesses move or close often; a listed address may be out of date.
• In the winter dry season Li River cruises may start halfway down the river, with a bus leg first.