Though 3 days is a little short for a Guilin discovery. If you have only such a short break to this lovely destination, it is still feasible for a brief savory of the classic highlights of Guilin City, Li River and Yangshuo countryside view, for a simple first-time encounter.
A Guilin trip is not complete without the classic Li River cruise. Besides, the idyllic rural scenery around Yulong River, symbolic Elephant Trunk Hill and gorgeous Reed Flute Cave are always on travelers’ visiting list. If you prefer an in-depth Yangshuo countryside escape, do explore the Ten-mile Gallery. Here is the Guilin Attractions Map to help you understand the top attractions in Guilin and their locations. Check it below to plan your Guilin 3-Day Itinerary. Also, you can select your ideal one by checking our Top Guilin Tour Packages 2025.
Guilin Attractions Map (click to enlarge)
This 3-day itinerary is favored by many first-timers to Guilin to discover the best highlights in the city and Yangshuo regions, with Guilin landmarks, Li River and Yangshuo countryside sightseeing in one go!
Day 1: Your Hotel / Guilin Airport / Railway Station - Elephant Trunk Hill - Reed Flute Cave
Take about half a day to visit the symbolic Elephant Trunk Hill that is a giant rock hill like an elephant drinking water with its long nose and explore the karst Reed Flute Cave with various charming stalactite and stalagmite wonders. You can start from your hotel in Guilin City or from the airport / railway station after arriving! For the evening hours, you can enjoy a leisurely stroll at the popular Two Rivers and Four Lakes for the amazing night views.
Day 2: Li River Cruise - Ten-mile Gallery - West Street
Set off from your hotel to embark on the Li River cruise and enjoy a 4-hour scenic drifting down to Yangshuo. The entire 84-kilometer section offers dazzling spectacles of the typical Guilin landscape - traditional Chinese ink painting allure, including green limestone karst mountains, fascinating countryside views, and the notable view printed on the back of the 20 RMB note, etc. After reaching Yangshuo, go to Ten-mile Gallery to admire the ideal countryside view and relaxed atmosphere. Do catch the view of the peculiar hole of Moon Hill at Li Village. Finally, have a relaxing walk around vibrant West Street with diverse snacks and drinks. You can enrich this night with the famous Impression Liu Sanjie with the Li River itself as the stage, which is the proud masterpiece by Zhang Yimou.
Day 3: Yulong River outdoor activity fun
On this final day, immerse yourself in the most beautiful landscape and the best fun of Yangshuo by discovering Yulong River! Among the various outdoor experiences, choose your favored one for a scenic obsession, including bamboo rafting (Shuiedi Dock to Gongnong Bridge), hiking, biking (Yangshuo - Jiuxian Village - Xiangui Bridge - Shuiedi Dock), and scootering. After the sightseeing, return to Guilin for departure.
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If you are a hiking lover or want more countryside moments, consider this 3-day arrangement. Beyond the Guilin classic highlights, Li River cruise experience, and Yangshuo essences, you will take a unique hiking adventure along the appealing Yulong River with ideal rural sightseeing!
Day 1: Your Hotel / Guilin Airport / Railway Station - Elephant Trunk Hill - Reed Flute Cave
Spend half a day visiting the iconic Elephant Trunk Hill, a giant rock hill resembling an elephant drinking water with its long nose, and marvel at the karst Reed Flute Cave with various attractive stalactits and stalagmites. You can start from your hotel in Guilin City or from the airport / railway station after arriving! For the evening hours, you can enjoy a pleasant stroll at the popular Two Rivers and Four Lakes for the amazing night views.
Day 2: Li River Cruise - Yulong River outdoor activity funIn the morning, board the Li River cruise and enjoy a 4-hour scenic drifting down to Yangshuo. The entire 84-kilometer section offers dazzling spectacles of the typical Guilin landscape - traditional Chinese ink painting allure, including emerald karst mountains, fascinating countryside views, and the famed view of the 20 RMB backdrop, etc. After disembarking in Yangshuo, soak in the most beautiful landscape and the best fun of this well-known county by discovering Yulong River! Among the different outdoor activities, choose your interested one, such as bamboo rafting (Shuiedi Dock to Gongnong Bridge), hiking, biking (Yangshuo - Jiuxian Village - Xiangui Bridge - Shuiedi Dock), and scootering. Then, stroll around vibrant West Street with diverse snacks and drinks. You can enrich tonight with the famous Impression Liu Sanjie with the Li River itself as the stage, which is the proud masterpiece by Zhang Yimou.
Day 3: Yulong River Hiking (Gongnong Bridge - Yulong Bridge)
After breakfast, let’s stretch your body with a joyous hike along the Yulong River. The entire path from Gongnong Bridge to Yulong Bridge covers about 12 kilometers, which is the classic hiking route for tourists to explore countryside landscape and culture. You will appreciate the murmuring river, beautiful green karst mountains, some peaceful old villages, several ancient stone bridges, and a few antique buildings. After hiking, go back to Guilin for your departure.
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Two Rivers and Four Lakes
Li River Cruise
Yulong River
Impression Liu Sanjie
If you are fond of landscape photography or seeking for the sceneries on those photography blockbusters, like Xingping, Xianggong Mountain, etc., take this 3-day Guilin itinerary with shooting sites in Yangshuo and Li River. This arrangement requires you to arrive in Guilin one day in advance or in the early morning on Day 1.
Day 1: Your Hotel - Li River Cruise - Xingping - Yangshuo
Head to the pier to take the classic 4-hour Li River cruise for catching the traditional Chinese ink painting with winding river, overlapped karst mountains, grazing herds, rural dwellings, etc., however, including the most famous landscape on the back of the 20 RMB note. After getting off in Yangshuo, transfer to Xingping to admire the ancient town architecture and the Li River fishing scenes. Finally, go back to Yangshuo for accommodation.
Day 2: Yulong River - Cuiping Five Fingers MountainIn the early morning, discover the essential Yulong River and feast your eyes with the winding river, floating bamboo rafts, lovely karst hills, patches of crops, verdant plantations, rural scenery, etc. Then, go to Cuiping Five Fingers Mountain to see the grand view of the entire Yangshuo county, which resembles a fairyland, especially at sunset time. After the visit, go to Xianggong Mountain for accommodation.
Day 3: Xianggong Mountain
Today need an early get-up for the wonderful and mysterious sunrise view from Xianggong Mountain. Ascend to the platform and soak in the terrific sightseeing of the meandering Li River, changing mists, thousands of karst hills, rural houses, and beams of light penetrating afar.
However, if you want better accommodation and longer sleep, you can also stay overnight in Yangshuo on Day 2 and visit Xianggong Mountain in the afternoon, when you will meet the brighter scenery instead.
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Yulong River
Xingping Ancient Town
Xianggong Mountain
Cuiping Five Fingers Mountain
Haven't found an itinerary that fits your interests? We're here to help! Contact us to customize your own itinerary in Guilin. Our expert team can create a tour package tailored to your specific preferences, travel duration, and budget, ensuring you get the most out of your experience. Whether you're interested in exploring the countryside view of Yangshuo, leisure and classic highlights of Guilin City and Li River, or rice terraces splendor of Longsheng, we can craft the perfect plan for you. You can also explore our top Guilin tour packages for inspiration and ideas to kickstart your vacation.
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Guilin has implemented 240-Hour Visa-free Transit. So, citizens of the 50+ countries who hold an ordinary passport with at least 3 months of validity and an onward flight, train, or cruise ticket to a third country (or region) within 240 hours can transit in designated areas of 24 provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities in China’s Mainland for up to 240 hours without a visa.
Guilin as one of the top tourist destinations in China is well linked with other gateway cities and tourist places with flights (Guilin Liangjiang International Airport), bullet trains, distance buses, etc. So far, you can get to Guilin Liangjiang International Airport by flight from Hong Kong (1.5 hours), Beijing (3 hours), Shanghai (3 hours), Xian (2 hours), Chengdu (1 hour & 40 minutes), Chongqing (1.5 hours), etc. Besides, there are fast high speed trains from Hong Kong (3 hours & 20 minutes), Guangzhou (2.5 hours), Chongqing (5 hours), Chengdu (7-7.5 hours), Guiyang (2-3 hours), Kunming (4.5 hours), Shenzhen (3.5 hours), Changsha (3.5 hours), Wuhan (5 hours), etc.
Both Guilin and Yangshuo offer various hotels and hostels of different standards and levels. As an international tourist hot spot, almost all accommodation provides great facilities and equipment for your comfortable stay in Guilin and Yangshuo. While at Longji Rice Terraces, you can stay at a local guest house or a better hotel. Though it is not as good as in the downtown area, necessary items are provided, such as hot water, air conditioner, TV, private washroom, free Wi-Fi, etc. Some types of rooms there even have private viewing balcony that facing the marvelous rice terraces. Since the houses are mainly made of wood, please be careful with the use of fire.
Guilin situated in southern China is a hot destination to explore its special Karst landscape view. It is suitable to visit all year round due to its evergreen plants and its warm temperature. April to October is the best time to appreciate the sightseeing of Guilin and Yangshuo. Spring (April-June) is best to enjoy the cozy weather and the vigorous scene of multiple flowers and the crops cultivated by local farmers. Autumn is also very good to enjoy the clear river view and clear sky. However, as it often rains, particularly during April to July, when you can see the misty beauty of the hills and water, you are advised to prepare your rain gears. From late-April to mid-October is the best time to visit Longji Rice Terraces. From late April to mid-June is when to enjoy the mirror-like watery fields and labor life. From mid-June to mid-September, you can see the magnificent view of green rice plants filling the terraces. While, from mid-September to mid-October, it is fall harvest time and the entire rice terraces area becomes a golden world.
For biking: we suggest you wear comfortable and quick-drying clothes and trainers to enjoy a better biking experience and protect yourself from catching a cold after sweating. During summer, it may be a little hot for biking for a long time, so you can tell how much time you want to bike along the Yulong River to your guide. Also, it is highly recommended to prepare your hat, sunglasses, and sun cream for UV protection.
For bamboo rafting: it is a classic activity to enjoy the fun and beauty of Yulong River. However, one raft can only hold 2 people, and children more than 1 meter high are required to take the raft together with adults. Besides, as the raft is slippery, it is better to sit on your chair for sightseeing and avoid standing or walking in case of falling into the river. Furthermore, it would arouse some waves when passing weirs, so remember to lift your feet and protect your belongings, especially mobiles and cameras.
In Yangshuo - to explore the natural scenery and fun of Yangshuo, you will have many kinds of activities and ways to choose. We can take you to enjoy bamboo rafting at Yulong River, biking at any region in Yangshuo, hiking along Yulong River or other places, cultural experience of Chinese cooking, Taichi, and calligraphy classes, photographing, and so forth.
In Longji Rice Terraces - if time and energy allow, you can hike from Ping'an Rice Terrace to Jinkeng Rice Terrace, which is a popular wild hiking route among hikers, and takes about 4-4.5 hours to finish. Jinkeng Rice Terraces, as a part of Longji Rice Terraces like Ping'an, has the largest amount of Rice Terraces. It is a Yao minority inhabited area. Many of the gorgeous photos about Longji Rice Terraces published on the website were shot here.
Please feel free to tell us about your ideal activities, route, time, period, etc., to tailor your special activity experience.
We have rich experience in providing Guilin tour packages and customization service for global visitors. Our professional travel expert will help to design your Guilin tour sincerely if you are interested in extending your tour for more in-depth experiences, such as hiking, photography, family holiday, food tour, etc. Just feel free to let us know your idea.
Guilin in South China offers not only the "best landscape under heaven", but a series of amazing natural, cultural, historical and outdoor wonders to discover, such as terraced fields amongst mountains, peculiar grotto spectacles, diverse ethnic minority villages, exhilirating rafting and boating, etc. No matter how many times you have traveled to Guilin, China Discovery will always provide a suitable tour package for you to marve at and feel the authentic Guilin in the best way. If you have no idea where to start or what to discover, or would like to extend your trip to more destinations in China, like Beijing, Shanghai, Xian, Chengdu, Zhangjiajie, Yangtze River, etc., please don't hesitate to contact our travel experts to help with your vacation planning in 2025/2026!
This is the in-depth way to travel Guilin. Guilin, Yangshuo and Longji, three most popular tourist destinations with best highlights are arranged to the point to let you love the terrific sightseeing and simple life of this wonderland!
This Guilin and Zhangjiajie Tour is really amazing with all bests and beauties to experience in both top favored scenic destinations for lots of travelers and photographers. You will not miss Li River, Yangshuo Town, Longsheng Ping’an Village, Wulingyuan, Tianmen Mountain, etc.
With the Golden Triangle plus the fabulous Karst and countryside scenery of Guilin, this tour leads you to top 4 destinations anyone cannot miss out in China especially for the first-timers.
This short 4-day tour covers the three most popular destinations of Guilin - Li River, Yangshuo County and Longji Rice Terraces. Only 4 days are needed to get them all in a single trip.
Visit the top travel destinations in vast China, Beijing, Xian and Shanghai, with the fabulous trip to Zhangjiajie and Guilin with stunning natural miracles.
This 4-day tour is your best vacation to idyllic Guilin and Yangshuo. Immerse yourself in the lovely rural sightseeing and joy!
Hong Kong is the best gateway city to Guilin by high speed train within 3.5 hours. This 6-day Guilin tour is specially designed for travelers who are interested in visiting Guilin in-depth, including Guilin City, Yangshuo Town and Longji Rice Terrace areas.
In-depth exploration of both China's culture and nature. You will experience mixture charm of ancient and modern China in Shanghai, Xian and Beijing, also cruise Yangtze River, visit pandas, etc.
Start planning your tailor-made holiday to China by contacting one of our specialists. Once inquired, you’ll get a response within 0.5~23.5 hours.
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