Already indulged in the idyllic landscape of Guilin but wondering how to arrange your vacation in 5 days? Here is what you are looking for.
Most travelers plan 5 days for a Guilin trip, thus they are available to discover the best highlights in the essential areas in this attractive tourist destination, namely the Guilin downtown, Li River reach, Yangshuo county and Longji Terraced Fields. And 5 days is just enough to do it at a medium and classic pace.
Supposing you have 5 days in Guilin, do add the most classic Li River cruise on your list and plan 1 day at least for Yulong River and more iconic sites around Yangshuo County, like Ten-mile Gallery. For your first visit to this city, you shall not miss its two symbolic highlights, Elephant Trunk Hill and Reed Flute Cave, to have a brief understanding of its karst formation. Besides, make sure to arrange 1 to 2 days to Longsheng County to appreciate the awesome Longji Rice Terraces and featured local Yao and Zhuang ethnic minority cultures, based on your interests and physical strength. However, if you are an ethnic culture lover, you can extend to the nearby Sanjiang for a deeper savory. Also, you can select your ideal one by checking our Top Guilin Tour Packages 2025.
Guilin Attractions Map (click to enlarge)
To fully discover all highlights in Guilin, this 5-day itinerary is your best choice, as it covers the most popular attractions and things to do in Guilin downtown, Li River, Yangshuo countryside and Longji Terraced Fields. No hesitation if you want a classic 5-day trip.
Day 1: Guilin Arrival - Elephant Trunk Hill - Reed Flute Cave
Take about half a day to visit the symbolic Elephant Trunk Hill, a rock formation resembling an elephant sipping water with its trunk, and marvel at the karst wonders of Reed Flute Cave, adorned with captivating stalactites and stalagmites. You can begin the trip from your hotel in downtown or directly from the airport / railway station upon arrival! In the evening, you can unwind with a leisurely stroll along the Two Rivers and Four Lakes for an amazing night view.
Day 2: Huangluo Yao Village - Longji Rice Terraces (Ping'an)
In the morning, transfer to Longsheng County to visit Huangluo Yao Village first. It is the "First Village of Long Hair in the World", where you can see women in red ethnic clothes with very long hairs. Continue your transfer to reach the core area of Longji Rice Terraces, namely Ping'an Village that is a beautiful 600-year-old Zhuang Village and boasts grand terraced field view, including Seven Stars with Moon, Nine Dragons and Five Tigers, etc. Stay overnight at Ping'an Village.
Day 3: Longji Rice Terraces Hiking (Ping'an - Zhongliu - Jinkeng Dazhai)
Today, take a 4-hour hike from Ping'an Village to Dazhai Village via Zhongliu. After that, appreciate another core part of Longji - Jinkeng Rice Terraces built by Red Yao groups. With less commercial element but majestic scenery is the reason why Jinkeng is the most popular site for hikers and photographers. You can soak in the fabulous rice terraces forming various shapes with rural wood dwellings dotted. Finally, transfer back to your hotel in Guilin downtown.
Day 4: Li River Cruise - Yangshuo Countryside - West Street
In the morning, head to the pier to embark on the 4-hour Li River cruise from Guilin down to Yangshuo. Drift through 84 kilometers of Guilin’s iconic scenery—a living tapestry of emerald karst hills, pastoral vistas, and the famed 20 RMB note backdrop. Upon arrival, soak in the tranquil countryside of Yangshuo: emerald paddy fields, mirrored riverbanks, and farmers tending fields with water buffalo. Later, wander around vibrant West Street and savor some local snacks and drinks. For an unforgettable evening, watch the famous Impression Liu Sanjie performance with the Li River itself as stage, which is the proud masterpiece by Zhang Yimou.
Day 5: 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! Choose your favored outdoor experience - bamboo rafting (Shuiedi Dock to Gongnong Bridge), hiking, biking (Yangshuo - Jiuxian Village - Xiangui Bridge - Shuiedi Dock), or scootering, and lose yourself in karst-studded beauty. Return to Guilin for your flight or train departure.
Book 【 5-Day Best Guilin Highlights Tour 】 now!
If you are interested in deeper savory of ethnic culture and their architecture, plan 5 days to Longji Rice Terraces with Sanjiang Dong region beyond Guilin and Yangshuo vacation. You will get close to their daily life, arts, houses, rural scenery, costumes, etc. for a unique culture understanding.
Day 1: Guilin Arrival - Longji Rice Terraces (Ping'an)
Arrive in Guilin and transfer to the core part of Longji Rice Terraces, Ping'an Village that is a beautiful 600-year-old Zhuang Village. Accommodate in the village.
Day 2: Longji Rice Terraces (Ping'an)In the morning, start your scenic hiking in Ping'an. The rice terrace is layer upon layer, like the changing ladder created by nature leading to the blue sky, forming a majestic painting between heaven and earth. Do not miss its representative views, including Seven Stars with Moon, Nine Dragons and Five Tigers, etc. In clear sunny days, you can get up early for a magnificent sunrise on the terraces. In the late afternoon, transfer to Sanjiang Dong Autonomous County for accommodation.
Day 3: Chengyang Eight Villages - Sanjiang Drum Tower - Sanjiang Wind and Rain Bridge
After breakfast, head to Chengyang Eight Villages praised as "Shangri-La of Dong Ethnic Minority". Marvel at the Chengyang Wind and Rain Bridge, one of the world’s four historic covered bridges and a masterpiece of ancient carpentry (no nails!) that has weathered storms for over a century. Next, visit Ma'an Village and stroll around the stone lanes and stilted wooden houses. Continue to Yan Village, where a newly built Drum Tower hosts the lively Grand Dong Banquet with locals. Then, head to Ping Village and enjoy their wonderful Dong-style dance and song performance.
In the afternoon, go to Sanjiang Drum Tower, the world’s tallest wooden structure. Ascend its viewing platform for sweeping vistas of Sanjiang County. Then, visit the Sanjiang Wind and Rain Bridge, which is the world’s longest wind and rain bridge and h wooden shelters, pavilions, decorations and modern reinforced concrete bridge structures. After that, transfer back to Guilin downtown.
Day 4: Li River Cruise - Yulong River outdoor activity fun - West Street
In the morning, head for the 4-hour Li River cruise to Yangshuo, with 84 kilometers of Guilin’s iconic scenery, a real Chinese ink painting of emerald karst hills, pastoral vistas. Upon arrival, discover Yulong River and soak in the tranquil countryside with emerald paddy fields, mirrored hills, and farmers tending fields with buffalo! Choose your favored outdoor activities - bamboo rafting (Shuiedi Dock to Gongnong Bridge), hiking, biking (Yangshuo - Jiuxian Village - Xiangui Bridge - Shuiedi Dock), or scootering, and immerse yourself in the typical karst wonderland of Yangshuo. Later, walk around the international West Street and savor some local snacks and drinks. For an unforgettable evening, watch the famous Impression Liu Sanjie performance with the Li River itself as stage, which is the proud masterpiece by Zhang Yimou.
Day 5: Elephant Trunk Hill - Reed Flute Cave
After breakfast, transfer back to Guilin downtown to visit the two symbolic attractions. First is Elephant Trunk Hill, a rock formation resembling an elephant sipping water with its trunk. Finally, marvel at the karst wonders of Reed Flute Cave, adorned with captivating stalactites and stalagmites.
Book to 【 5-Day Guilin Wonderful Tour with Sanjiang Chengyang Wind and Rain Bridge 】 now!
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, exhilarating 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 marvel 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!
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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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