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You are here: Home » China Tours by Destination » Guilin Tours » How to Spend 6 Days in Guilin

Guilin has much more than most publications on the media. If you are planning 6 days for a Guilin trip, you can reward an in-depth exploration of all the best highlights of its nature, culture, and outdoor fun at a medium pace. To test whether Guilin’s landscape is the best under heaven or not, whether Guilin is a joyous vacation getaway or not, 6 days is truly recommended to clearly feel the authentic charm of the city. From Li River gallery, Yangshuo countryside, to Longsheng ethnic mountainous areas, you will discover without any hurry!

Our recommended Guilin itinerary will help you balance your time between popular sights and unique experiences, ensuring you capture the essences of the stunning city, from the top popular attractions to less known hidden gems. Additionally, you can customize your own itinerary with extension, to more destinations. Therefore, you can discover more beautiful sightseeing, brilliant culture, profound history, and local life charm in one go!

Where to Go If You Have 6 Days in Guilin

For a 6-day vacation, take your time to discover every top traveler’s pick in Guilin. Apart from the must-do Li River cruise with classic Guilin karst landscape, iconic Elephant Trunk Hill and Reed Flute Cave views, you can slowly soak in the ideal Yangshuo countryside scenery around Yulong River, Ten-mile Gallery, Moon Hill, Xianggong Hill, and international vibes at West Street. Besides, enjoy a memorable scenic hike at impressive Longji Rice Terraces covering its top favored areas, namely Ping'an, Zhongliu and Jinkeng, with a unique discovery of Huangluo Yao Village famed with long-hair women.

Featured activities:

Hiking: Take a hike along the Yulong River or Ten-mile Gallery to appreciate the lovely rural scenery of idyllic Yangshuo. Also, hiking at the mountainous Longji Terraced Fields layer by layer is quite popular for rural agricultural art savory.

Cycling: Riding a bike in Yangshuo countryside is a time-saving and popular way for international travelers to catch the essential karst wonder of this small county. Among all the routes, Yulong River and Ten-mile Gallery are the top picks for the best scenery.

Yulong River Bamboo Rafting: Taking a bamboo raft gives a unique and best angle to admire the karst hills on both banks of Yulong River. It not only enables a view on water, feeling like traveling in a painting scroll, but also offers exciting fun passing the shoal with waves.

Taichi: Learning Taichi in the park is a favored experience for visitors to learn such a typical Chinese healthy practice, especially under the pleasant emerald nature.

Cooking Class: Follow the chief to buy ingredients, learn how to cook classic Chinese dishes, and taste your culinary result. This is a great way to get close to local life and leaves you with an unforgettable trip memory.

Painting Fan: Follow the master to paint various patterns on the fan panel and finish the assembly. That is a meaningful and worthy cultural and manual Chinese experience.

Calligraphy: Learn the essence of Chinese culture by writing with calligraphy brushes on the paper, no matter the commonly used characters or your name. Culture lovers shall not miss.

Here is the Guilin Attractions Map for your better understanding of the top highlights! For all highlights in Guilin, please check the Top Guilin Attractions to plan your detailed Guilin 6 Days Itinerary. You can also simply find a recommended tour from our Top Guilin Tour Packages 2025.

6 Days in Guilin

Guilin Attractions Map (click to enlarge)

PLAN A: 6-Day Guilin In-depth Tour (More Flexible Arrival)

This itinerary covers one single day for your convenient arrival in Guilin, so you can have much more flight or bullet train choices from various destinations like Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Chengdu, etc. or your country. Besides, a deep and comprehensive discovery of Guilin, Yangshuo and Longsheng regions is offered for an in-depth understanding of such impressive wonderland.

Day 1: Guilin Arrival

It is a free day for your arrival with international and domestic flights and high speed trains linking many cities nationwide. For your free time after arrival, glance at the city’s appearance at Two Rivers and Four Lakes that boasts nice views both day and night.

Day 2: Huangluo Yao Village - Longji Rice Terraces (Ping'an)

In the morning, depart for Longji Rice Terraces and visit Huangluo Yao Village on the way. It is reputed as the "First Village of Long Hair in the World", where you can encounter women of various ages in bright red ethnic attire keeping extremely long hairs. You can choose to enjoy their folk dance for Yao culture savory. Continue to the core area of Longji Rice Terraces, Ping’an Village, which is an appealing 600-year-old Zhuang ethnic village. Admire the terraced field scenery while walking on the layers of rural paths. Don’t miss the iconic viewpoints - Seven Stars with Moon, Nine Dragons and Five Tigers, etc. - to be awed by nature’s artistry and human beings’ wisdom and diligence. Enjoy a peaceful night in Ping’an Village.

Day 3: Longji Rice Terraces Hiking (Ping’an - Zhongliu - Jinkeng Dazhai)

After breakfast, have a 4-hour hike from Ping’an Village to Dazhai Village via Zhongliu. Upon arrival, indulge yourself in the incredibly charming Jinkeng Rice Terraces that is another proud core part of Longji Rice Terraces and is a masterpiece created by the Red Yao people. Less crowded yet more awe-inspiring, 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, go back to your hotel in Guilin downtown.

Day 4: Li River Cruise - Yangshuo Ten-mile Gallery - West Street

In the morning, head for the 4-hour Li River cruise down to Yangshuo. As you sail along the 84-kilometer Li River, Guilin’s iconic scenery unfolds vividly like a painting scroll. Emerald karst hills of various shapes, poetic pastoral scenery with houses, cattle, fishing men, reflection of mountains and the clouds on the shimmering flow, etc. Do not miss the symbolic view of the famed 20 RMB note backdrop. Upon arrival, take a short break at your hotel or start your exploration of the ideal countryside view of the Ten-mile Gallery directly. Be enthralled by the patches of paddy fields nestling under green Karst hills, with farmers cultivating. Besides, you can take nice pictures of the peculiar natural hole of Moon Hill in Li Village. Then, wander around lively West Street and savor some local snacks and drinks. For an unforgettable evening, watch the famous Impression Liu Sanjie, a large-scale real landscape performance with karst mountains as the backdrop and directed by Zhang Yimou.

Day 5: Yulong River outdoor activity fun

Today is another refreshing but more exciting day in the countryside. Immerse yourself in the best landscape and joy of Yangshuo by discovering Yulong River, the essence of your Yangshuo trip! Get lost in the karst beauty of nature and ready to choose your more interested outdoor adventure - bamboo rafting (Shuiedi Dock to Gongnong Bridge), hiking, biking (Yangshuo - Jiuxian Village - Xiangui Bridge - Shuiedi Dock), or scootering. Before returning to Guilin for accommodation, you can enrich today with more interesting activities or DIYs, like the cooking class, calligraphy, painting fans, Tai Chi, photography, etc. based on your schedule and energy.

Day 6: Elephant Trunk Hill - Reed Flute Cave

On this final day, take about half a day to visit the symbolic attractions of Guilin downtown. First, go to see the Elephant Trunk Hill, a city park with a rock mountain resembling an elephant drinking water with its trunk. Then, transfer to appreciate Reed Flute Cave, which is featured with captivating stalactites and stalagmites with gorgeous lights.

Contact Us to Book a 【 6-Day Guilin In-depth Tour from your departure city 】 now!

PLAN B: 6-Day Guilin In-Depth Photography Tour with Xianggong Mountain

Guilin is always an ideal destination for photographers. If you are planning a photo tour or want to catch more attractive scenery in those photography masterpieces, like Li River, Xingping, Xianggong Mountain, etc., this 6-day itinerary will be your best pick.

Day 1: Guilin Arrival - Elephant Trunk Hill - Reed Flute Cave

Today, you are suggested to arrive in Guilin before the noon hours. So, after you check in at your hotel in downtown Guilin, head for Elephant Trunk Hill to capture the city’s symbolic view. It is a city park with a rock formation resembling an elephant sipping water with its trunk. Then, go to Reed Flute Cave, where you can take gorgeous pictures of the incredible stalactite, stalagmite, stone shield, and stone waterfall of different sizes and shapes, formed millions of years ago. If you want to shoot some night scenes, visit Two Rivers and Four Lakes, which looks stunning with colorful neon on its two pagodas and belting the lakes.

Day 2: Huangluo Yao Village - Longji Rice Terraces (Jinkeng)

In the morning, you will go to Longji Rice Terraces for nature and ethnic culture photography. First, stop at Huangluo Yao Village reputed as the "First Village of Long Hair in the World." Here, you can take photos of local Yao women of various ages in red ethnic costumes with extremely long hairs. Record their folk dance if you are interested. Continue to the core of Longji Rice Terraces - Jinkeng Rice Terraces. Throw yourself into the amazing giant pit and begin your photography of thousands of layers of exquisite fields where local ethnic villagers cultivate fresh wheat and crops into such fabulous spectacles. Hike among the levels and go up to the Golden Buddha Peak, the best viewpoint for shooting the majestic panorama of Jingkeng Rice Terraces with various shapes, such as eagle wings, phoenix, and so on. Have a tranquil night in the village.

Day 3: Longji Rice Terraces (Jinkeng)

You will enjoy ample time shooting the amazing sceneries of Jinkeng on this day. Rise early and go to the renowned photography spot at West Hill Music, the No.1 choice to marvel at Longji Rice Terraces. Enjoy your exciting moments by capturing romantic sunrise photos with morning glow, mist, lush forests, and serene mountains. After a break, continue to Large-scale Thousand-layer Terraces and take pictures of the unbelievable scenes of countless layers of bright terraced fields pouring down to the depths of the village pit. Finally, enjoy some pleasant time to capture the featured folk life of Jinkeng’s Red Yao people and their distinctive wooden houses. Return to Guilin for accommodation.

Day 4: Li River Cruise - Xingping Ancient Town - Xingping Scenic Spot

Today, you will figure out why it is said: “Guilin’s landscape is the best under heaven,” as you take the most popular things to do in Guilin - Li River cruise. Along the 4-hour enchanting cruise, capture your favored images as the dazzling scenery unfolds like an endless Chinese painting before you - green karst mountains, fascinating countryside, fishing boats, graceful waterfowls, “A Painting of Nine Horses” rockery hill, etc. Keep your camera ready for the famous landscape printed on the back of the 20 RMB note. You will disembark in Yangshuo in the afternoon and make your way to Xingping for some historical and scenic photography. Explore Xingping Ancient Town and capture its charming dwellings, quaint alleys, and daily life of residents there. At dusk, head to the Xingping scenic spot, one of the best places for Li River photography. Record sunset images of the shimmering river with surrounding karst hills bathed in the faint twilight glow. After today’s shooting, go back to Yangshuo for accommodation.

Day 5: Yulong River - Cuiping Five Finger Mountain

Get up early today as well to photograph the captivating sunrise over Yulong River. Take appealing photos of notable Karst scenery against the morning sunlight. Let all the refreshing scenes please you to the utmost and take your time soaking in the incredible countryside surroundings, like Karst hills, meandering streams, rippling reflections on the water, swaying floras, patches of crops, and comfortable breeze… All adding charm to your snaps. Consider embracing the picturesque view with one of the various outdoor activities, such as biking, hiking, bamboo rafting, etc. In the afternoon, transfer to Cuiping Five Fingers Mountain to shoot the idyllic panorama of the emerald Yangshuo countryside like a fairy tale world and immerse in the dreamy sunset hue. After the visit, go to Xianggong Mountain for accommodation.

Day 6: Xianggong Hill

Prepare for an early wake-up again for the unforgettable mysterious sunrise view from Xianggong Mountain where many famous landscape masterpieces of the Li River and Yangshuo countryside were shot. Ascend to the platform and catch the spectacular vista of the winding river, shrouding mists, a sea of Karst hills, rural houses, patches of fields, etc., all illuminated by beams of light breaking through the dawn.

However, if you prefer better accommodation and ampler sleep, you can also stay overnight in Yangshuo on Day 5 and visit Xianggong Mountain in the afternoon on this day, when you will encounter the brighter scenery instead.

Book 【 6-Day Guilin Photography Tour 】 now!

PLAN C: Extend Your Guilin Trip to Hong Kong, Shanghai, Chengdu, Guangzhou, Guizhou, Yangtze Cruise…

If you want to enrich your trip beyond the essences of Guilin, consider extending to the nearby or other popular destinations. For many of our traveler guests, they have enjoyed their 6-day trip to Guilin, together with another place, like Guizhou with more ethnic culture and geological wonder, Chengdu famous for giant pandas and leisure life pace, Guangzhou as a convenient gateway city and featured with Cantonese culture and cuisine, Yangtze River cruise for leisure sightseeing sailing vacation, Shenzhen with convenient bullet train connection and famed as the window to see the China speed, etc. Check the recommended itineraries below to get inspired!

Destinations Itinerary Recommended Tour
Chengdu + Guilin Day 1: Chengdu Arrival
Day 2: Chengdu Panda Base - People’s Park - Wenshu Monastery - Jinli Old Street
Day 3: High Speed Train to Guilin - Transfer to Longji Rice Terraces (Ping’an Village)
Day 4: Longji Rice Terraces (Ping’an Village) - Guilin
Day 5: Li River Cruise - Yulong River - West Street
Day 6: Elephant Trunk Hill - Reed Flute Cave - Guilin Departure
6 Days Chengdu Guilin Highlights Tour
Guangzhou + Guilin Day 1: Guangzhou Arrival
Day 2: Yuexiu Park - Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall - Chen Clan Ancestral Hall - Shamian Island - Huacheng Square
Day 3: High Speed Train to Guilin - Transfer to Longji Rice Terraces (Ping’an Village)
Day 4: Longji Rice Terraces (Ping’an Village) - Guilin
Day 5: Li River Cruise - Yulong River - West Street
Day 6: Elephant Trunk Hill - Reed Flute Cave - Guilin Departure
6 Days Scenic Guilin Tour with Guangzhou by High Speed Train
Fanjingshan + Guilin Day 1: Guilin Arrival - Transfer to Longji Rice Terraces (Ping’an Village)
Day 2: Longji Rice Terraces (Ping’an Village)
Day 3: Li River Cruise - Yulong River - West Street
Day 4: Elephant Trunk Hill - Reed Flute Cave - Flight to Tongren - Transfer to Fanjingshan
Day 5: Fanjingshan (Mushroom Stone - Old Golden Summit - Red Clouds Golden Summit - Chengen Temple) - Transfer to Tongren
Day 6: Tongren Departure
6 Days Idyllic Guilin & Unusual Mount Fanjing Tour
Yangtze Cruise + Guilin Day 1: Guilin Arrival
Day 2: Li River Cruise - Yulong River - West Street
Day 3: Elephant Trunk Hill - Reed Flute Cave - High Speed Train to Chongqing - Yangtze Cruise boarding
Day 4: Yangtze River Cruise (shore excursions and entertainment onboard)
Day 5: Yangtze River Cruise (Three Gorges, shore excursions and entertainment onboard)
Day 6: Yangtze River Cruise disembarkation - Three Gorges Dam - Yichang Departure
Contact us
Shenzhen + Guilin Day 1: Shenzhen Arrival
Day 2: Ping'an Finance Center - Shenzhen Museum - Splendid China Folk Village
Day 3: High Speed Train to Guilin - Transfer to Longji Rice Terraces (Ping’an Village)
Day 4: Longji Rice Terraces (Ping’an Village) - Guilin
Day 5: Li River Cruise - Yulong River - West Street
Day 6: Elephant Trunk Hill - Reed Flute Cave - Guilin Departure
6 Days Shenzhen & Guilin Beauty Tour by High Speed Train

Let China Discovery Design Your 6-Day Itinerary in Guilin

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.

Guilin Travel Photos

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Most Important Guilin Travel Notes

1. Guilin 240-Hour Visa Free Transit

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.

2. How to get to Guilin

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.

3. Accommodation in Guilin, Longji and Yangshuo

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.

4. Best Time to Visit Guilin

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.

5. Warm Tips for Visiting Yulong River

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.

6. Tailor Your Activities

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.

7. To Customize Your Guilin Tour

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.

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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