Guilin – Guilin is home to the famous Li River

​​​Last Update: 2nd October 2020

What is Guilin?

Guilin is well-known for the Li River around the world. Guilin is endowed with natural beauty with the local ethnic folk customs. Originally built in the Warring States Period (475 BC – 221 BC), Guilin is home to more than tens of nationalities, such as Han, Yao, Zhuang, Miao, Hui people and more ethnic minorities.

Guilin Fast Facts

  • Chinese Name: Guilin (桂林)
  • Area: 27,800 x square meters
  • Things to do there: Photography, Cave, Adventure
  • Who visits: Photographers, Adventure Enthusiasts
  • Time required: 1 x hour
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Interested in visiting Guilin on a Tour?

Wendy Wei Tours offers a variety of different packaged tours as well as custom tours in Guilin, among other cities and areas. To find out more, please visit our Tours page or Contact Us directly to find out more.

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What to expect in Guilin

If you would like to enjoy the karst mountains in Guilin City, it is suggested that you visit Yao Mountain located around 8 kilometers from the center of the city which is the tallest hill in the city. Fubo Hill is a great place to admire the bird’s eye view of Guilin City. If you don’t like the crowd, you could explore Daxu Old Town or Jiangtou Village Jiuwu Town.

​Compared to Daxu Old Town, Jiangtou Village is much quieter and less touristy as it is hidden in the countryside which is around 70 minutes drive from the city. 60% of the houses at Jiangtou Village were built in the Ming (1368 -1644) and Qing (1644 – 1912) Dynasties.

Reed Flute Cave

The night views in Guilin are also gorgeous. You could walk along the city lakes and overlook the Sun and Moon Pagodas standing in one of the city lakes in the evening. If interested, you could appreciate the views on a night cruise boat. After the night cruise or walking, you could taste the local food in Shangshui Snack Street, such as Guilin Rice Noodles – the very popular food among tourists and the like together with Zhengyang Walking Street, a paradise for shopping lovers.

 

Elephant Trunk Hill
Dreamlike Li River Show is a feast for eyes and soul. It is a combination of ballet, acrobatics, local nature and local culture. If you want to admire the Flying Tigers who had contributed a lot in the Anti-Japanese War, it is recommended that you visit the Flying Tigers Museum in Lingui District which is located around 50 minutes drive from the center of Guilin. The museum offers precious cultural relics of the Flying Tigers to admire, such as the military uniforms of the Flying Tigers, medals donated by the families of the Flying Tigers, old pictures and other related materials. You will be moved at the selfless actions of the Flying Tigers.

Best time to visit Guilin

The best months to visit Guilin are from April to October.

 

How to get to Guilin

There are several airplanes to Guilin from the main cities around China, such as Beijing, Tianjin, Xiamen, Ningbo, Changsha, Hongkong, Shanghai, Chengdu, Chongqing, Nanjing, Wuhan, Guangzhou, Guiyang, Nanning, Hangzhou, Xi’an, etc. There are some direct trains to Guilin from Xi’an, Kunming, Beijing, Chongqing, Chengdu, Changsha, Guiyang, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Hongkong, Nanning, etc. Please get to Guilin by air or by train based on your schedule.

 

Additional Guilin Travel Advice

  • From November to March, it sometimes rains. Thus, you may feel much colder on a rainy day in winter. Please take enough warm clothes with you.
  • Please take umbrellas with you to prevent the sun or the rain in Guilin.
  • Genarally speaking, Guilin food is spicy but you could let the waiters at the restaurant make note that you prefer non-spicy food if you don’t like spicy food.
  • Please take care of your valuables in crowded places.

Interested in visiting Guilin on a Tour?

Wendy Wei Tours offers a variety of different packaged tours as well as custom tours in Guilin, among other cities and areas. To find out more, please visit our Tours page or Contact Us directly to find out more.