How Long to Spend in Guilin (3 Top Itineraries)

Guilin's picturesque karst landscape and idyllic countryside views attracts millions of travelers every year. But how to make the most of your days in Guilin? Keep reading to find your ideal Guilin adventure!

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• How Many Days to Spend in Guilin?
• 4 Days in Guilin: A Classic Highlights Tour
• 5 Days in Guilin: Enjoy Vibrant Activities
• 6 Days in Guilin: A Vacation for Relaxation

How Many Days to Spend in Guilin?

The Bamboo Rafts on Yulong River in Yangshuo, Guilin

To have a relatively complete Guilin trip, we suggest spending at least 4 days in Guilin, including the arrival and departure days. For a shorter stay in Guilin, you could opt for the following day trip plans to fill your itinerary.

• Guilin city tour: 1 day for the Elephant Trunk Hill, Reed Flute Cave, and Daxu Ancient Town. Best for snapping the landmarks.
• Longji Rice Terraces: 1 day for hiking between the terraces and visiting a local's house. Best for hikers and nature lovers.
• Yangshuo Countryside: 1 day for the Li River Cruise and cycling to explore the landscape. Recommended for enjoying natural views leisurely with a little sweat.

Enjoy the Rural Vibe in Yangshuo, Guilin

If you want to soak it all up and fully enjoy the vibrant outdoor activities and the rural vibe, we'd suggest taking it slow and aim for around 5-6 days to enjoy a leisurely stay.

• Best for families with children for fun: 5-Day Dynamic Guilin and Yangshuo Tour
• Aim for relaxation and slow pace: 6-Day Guilin Relaxation Tour

Life Seems to Slow Down in Guilin, China

If you have 7 or more days to spend and are looking for a trip combining other cities, there are some popular choices from our clients, such as Hong Kong, Zhangjiajie, and Chengdu.

• Hong Kong: 2–3 days to enjoy Hong Kong's theme parks and landmarks.
• Zhangjiajie: 3+ days to explore its stunning and surreal landscape.
• Chengdu: 2+ days to adore the giant pandas and savor spicy hot pot.
• Guizhou: 3+ days to explore diverse minority cultures.

It should be noted that all our private tours could be customized and tailored to your interests and needs. Please feel free to reach out to us, and we'd be happy to help create a tour just for you.

Discover real reviews of Highlights Travel Family's best-rated service across trusted platforms.

Beautiful landscapes in Guilin and Yangshuo We spent some beautiful days between Guilin and Yangshuo. Our guide Chase was wonderful! A kind and patient man. With him, we visited Guilin and the Longji Rice Terraces. We took a stunning cruise on the Lijiang River, and then in Yangshuo, we rented scooters and spent a lovely afternoon by the river. Five stars to Chase, and thank you for a trip we will never forget! more Aug 2025, Lerobyrecensioni

Amazing guide, Chan and wonderful Guilin and Yangshuo Great experience. We had the pleasure of visiting Guilin and Yangshuo and our guide, Chan was wonderful.She suggested to see the three lakes boat tour in Guilin and the Sanjie Liu Impression show in Yangshuo and those were some of the most memorable things we saw.Highly recomend staying at the Moondance hotel, outside Yangshuo - on the country side, for the wonderful views from the room. It felt like heaven. more Aug 2025, Navigate57945106640

Ruta de 21 días por China Hemos estado unos días en Guilin en nuestra ruta de 21 días contratado con China Highlights (estupenda agencia de viajes), nuestro guía fue Alonso, del que le queremos agradecer toda su amabilidad, profesionalidad y buen hacer, así como sus conocimientos de los lugares que fuimos, una estupenda persona, more Aug 2025, carlos rizo

4 Days in Guilin: A Classic Highlights Tour

Take a Li River Cruise to View the Karst Landscape, Guilin

For a trip to Guilin, Guilin's key areas are Guilin city, Yangshuo, and Longsheng.

With a 4-day itinerary, it would be a little difficult to conclude all at once, especially when you must consider the arriving and departing times. Since the peaceful countryside and mountains (especially in Yangshuo/Longsheng) are more rewarding than the city, we suggest skipping Guilin city or adding an extra day for a relaxed pace.

However, it is possible if you don't mind a rather tight itinerary to include all 3 in 4 days, but it would be tiring and not recommended for most travelers.

• Day 1: Guilin arrival.
• Day 2: Take a day trip to Longsheng (hiking on terraced fields and experiencing local life).
• Day 3: Guilin to Yangshuo (take a Li River Cruise from Guilin to Yangshuo).
• Day 4: Travel around Yangshuo, then back to Guilin and departure (drive through the villages and the paddy fields, then take a ferry ride to visit a local town).

If your flight arrives early on day 1, feel free to explore the city. You could savor some local street food at Zhengyang Pedestrian Street, and enjoy the night view of the Sun and Moon Pagodas.

Embark early for a day trip to the stunning Longji Terraced Fields on your day 2. If you are not fit for walking, you could opt for an electric buggy to appreciate the landscape and get to the top easily. However, the best views come from walking. The route from Ping'an Village to Ancient Zhuang Village is highly recommended, as it is less difficult and scenic.

On day 3, you could take a 4-hour Li River Cruise from Guilin to Yangshuo County. This is a must-do as it is the best way to admire the karst landscape without rushing. Typically, we would book you a 4-star cruise with comprehensive facilities and a buffet lunch included.

Day 4 would be your departure day, and we don't want to take you on an overly touristy experience. Instead, we suggest exploring the real rural life by hopping on a local farmer's taxi to a farmers market, then driving through the villages where you could see water buffaloes working in the field.

Interested in this itinerary? Read on to get more details on our 4-Day Guilin Scenic and Ethnic Discovery.

5 Days in Guilin: Enjoy Vibrant Activities

Enjoy the Panoramic View from the Top of the Xianggong Mountain, Yangshuo

With 5 days in Guilin, you could enjoy a comfortable pace that perfectly balances city sights and countryside adventures. This itinerary is crafted for summer vacations, making it especially ideal for families traveling with children.

• Day 1: Guilin arrival.
• Day 2: Guilin day tour (explore the Li River Source Grand Canyon in Xing'an County).
• Days 3–4: Yangshuo (take a bamboo raft on Li River, climb the Xianggong Mountain, venture around by an ATV, explore an underground cave, and SUP on the Yulong River).
• Day 5: Back to Guilin and departure.

Guilin and Yangshuo offer the ultimate cool summer escape, with refreshing water activities and shaded countryside adventures ideal for beating the heat.

Before coming to Guilin, you may have heard that the Li River is the mother river of the Guilin people. Today, we would like to introduce the source of the Li River - Lijiangyuan Grand Canyon. You could swim in the clear water, enjoy the serene landscapes, and experience the Li River's purity firsthand.

Spending 2 days in Yangshuo would be appropriate since it has so much to offer. Younger children enjoy gentle water fun like SUP(stand-up paddleboarding) and bamboo rafting, while older kids tackle rock climbing or ATV adventures.

Check out our 5-Day Dynamic Guilin and Yangshuo Tour for more details.

All our private tours are customizable. Reach out to us if you are encountering difficulties with planning a Guilin trip. You are in expert hands, and our travel consultants would craft personalized itineraries based on your dates and interests.

For inspiration, we also have a 5-day family tour that contains the Longji Rice Terraces if you are interested in: 5-Day Guilin Family Tour — Nature and Countryside Fun

6 Days in Guilin: A Vacation for Relaxation

The Colorful Reed Flute Cave Showing Stalactites of Various Shapes, Guilin

• Day 1: Guilin arrival, then stay overnight in Longji Rice Terraces(feel free to enjoy the sunset and sunrise).
• Day 2: Hike around the Longji Rice Terraces, then back to Guilin (enjoy the nature and learn about minority ethnic culture through a home visit).
• Day 3: Guilin City tour (explore the main highlights like Elephant Trunk Hill and Reed Flute Cave, feel the slow life here).
• Days 4–5: Yangshuo (take a Li River Cruise from Guilin to Yangshuo, enjoy a riverside afternoon tea, and cycle between the paddy fields).
• Day 6: Back to Guilin and departure.

If choosing between a 4-day or 5-day Guilin itinerary feels overwhelming, this 6-day plan offers the perfect balance.

Having 6 days in Guilin lets you embrace the city's leisurely rhythm. Guilin is a small third-tier city where residents generally have a slow pace of life, and even time seems to have slowed down here.

We don't want to push you forward with the attractions like a tight working schedule. This itinerary is designed to let you break out of your daily routine, and allow yourself to slow down and hear the rhythm of the peaceful nature.

All our tours could be tailored, and you could admire the highlights of Guilin without doing intense activities if this is what you are looking for.

Discover Guilin with China Highlights

Planning a great trip to Guilin is time-consuming and difficult. You could find all sorts of guides and itineraries on the internet, but what we want to introduce you to is the true essence of this city.

You will be in good hands with our native Guilin tour guides, and please let us know your interests and needs. We would share insider recommendations and tailor-make your unique Guilin tour.