Planning a 3-Day Tour of Guilin's Highlights

You may not know where to start when planning a 3-day holiday in Guilin and its attractive countryside. Here's a popular and workable plan to see the highlights of Guilin and its neighboring counties in only three days.

Daxu Ancient TownDaxu Ancient Town

Day One — Guilin

Don't bother with Guilin? Go straight to Yangshuo? Absolutely NO! Guilin has many things to see that are unique and spectacular.

Highlights

Elephant Trunk Hill — the most iconic limestone hill in Guilin city, shaped like a 55-meter-tall elephant drinking from the Li River

Reed Flute Cave — an outstanding karst cave containing a large number of stalactites and -mites that will extend your imagination with their imaginative names and interesting stories.

Daxu Ancient Town — Get an insight into Guilin's history and culture by visiting the old buildings. It is also a paradise for strawberry picking in spring.

Zhengyang Pedestrian Street — a good place for buying souvenirs

What to Eat

  • Morning — Go to a local restaurant to taste rice noodles. Rice noodles is the most popular food for Guilin people, especially for breakfast.
  • Lunch and Dinner — Many kinds of restaurants can be found in the city. McFound is a popular Chinese restaurant that also serves some Western dishes.

Where to Stay

The Sheraton, Guilin is a top five-star hotel located by the Li River.

Guilin Royal PalaceGuilin Royal Palace

Boutique Hotels in Guilin

  • The White House, Guilin
  • Guilin Royal Palace
  • Jingguanminglou Holiday Hotel

See more recommended Guilin hotels.

Options for Activities in Guilin

  • Learning Chinese, Calligraphy, Painting, and Paper Cutting
  • Learn Traditional Instruments
  • Picking, making, and drinking tea at Guilin's Tea Plantation
  • Visiting Fishermen's Houses
  • Rafting on Zijiang River

Inquire for details.

Also read Best Attractions Around Guilin for some offbeat ideas.

Day Two — Longsheng

Longji Terraced FieldsLongji Terraced Fields

Longji Terraced Fields is a must-see scenic area on an essence tour of Guilin.

Highlights

Longji Terraced Fields — See the swirling pattern of contoured terraces from Ping’an Village, lit up by burning torches during the night show.

Huangluo Yao Minority Village — Attend the Red Yao Red Clothes Festival to immerse yourself in minority culture.

Hiking between the fields from village-to-village will allow you to appreciate more of the the grand natural scenery and the traditional wooden minority houses, and passing a folk museum.

Where to Eat

Ping'an Restaurant — best for scenery and local food

Where to Stay

Ping'an Hotel — best place to see the sunset and sunrise

Interesting Experiences

  • Taking a sedan chair up/down the mountain

Day Three — the Li River and Yangshuo

This day includes a cruise on the Li River and a half-day tour of Yangshuo.

Highlights

cruise on the Li Rivercruise on the Li River

Li River Cruise — Relax and take in the picturesque natural scenery along the river (a speedboat is a faster and more flexible alternative that we offer).

Cycling in the Countryside of Yangshuo — Enjoy the fresh air and rural scenes

Impression Liu Sanjie — a must-see night performance on the Li River, telling a traditional Zhuang minority story

West Street — the best place for night owls, with many hot night clubs and quiet cafés

Options for Activities in Yangshuo

Where to Eat

Many Western restaurants in and around West Street are highly recommended, such as the Restaurant in Rosewood Inn, and Café del Moon.

West StreetWest Street

Where to Stay

Green Lotus Hotel and Yangshuo Resort are the two best hotels in Yangshuo, which provide superb service and sophisticated environment.

Boutique Hotels in Yangshuo

Click here for more Yangshuo hotels.

China Highlights, Your Guilin Specialist!

Based in Guilin, China Highlights is your specialist for China and Guilin tours.

Our Guilin tours are designed based on well over a decade of experience and feedback with the best attractions, restaurants, and hotels, and are fully customizable to your requirements. We can also tailor-make an exclusive tour of Guilin and anywhere else in China you would like to go.

Popular Guilin Tours

Related Links

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Hi, I'm Candice Song
I updated this article on August 22, 2013
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Q: robert epstein Asked on 2013-05-12 Reply
i am a 54 year old father traveling with 20 year old son and considering flying to Guilin for 3 dats 6-6-2013. what would you recommend we do for the 3 days? Best to fly from shanghai, correct?

Hi Robert, for the 3 days, you can visit all the highlights of Guilin. i.e.:

1. one day to the terraced field in Longsheng

2. one day for Li River Cruise from Guilin to Yangshuo+country side tour in a open mini-bus in Yangshuo.

3. half day city tour in Guilin or learning Tai chi, painting, cooking in Yangshuo, after that, fly out of Guilin.

There are lots of flights to and from Guilin, such as Beijing, Xian, Shanghai, Hongkong, etc. Please choose the one which is convenient for you.

We are based in Guilin. We are more than happy to help arrange your Guilin tour. Please kindly advice the  class of hotel you would like to stay in. Thanks, Whitney

Whitney Liao Replied on 2013-05-13