Welcome to Guilin

As one of the major tourist cities in China there is an abundance of hotels in all price-classes to give you shelter until you find your own place to stay.

1. Basic tips: Before getting started, some simple survival rules for every day.

   It is highly recommended (especially in the first days until your belly gets used to Guilin food) to always carry some toilet paper on you. Most public toilets and toilets in shops and restaurants do not supply paper.

   Take care of your wallet. Guilin has its fair share of pickpockets and they are extremely skilled of getting what they want. If you live in a hotel, leave your major I.D. and credit cards there.

   If your Chinese is not that great, get a business card of the hotel or ask a Chinese to write the address of your compound down. If you get lost in the city just pop into a taxi and show the driver the address.

   If you buy fruits, wash them.... wash them well. Failure to do so might result in explosive evacuation of your digestive system. Trust us, we've been there.

2. Finding a flat: Like many other cities, Guilins construction industry had a boom in the recent years. Whole areas where razed for new living complexes in all parts of the city.

   Many foreigners live in the San Li Dian Area, which is the traditional living area for foreigners. From here there are bus connections to nearly all other part of the city. The center is just 10 minutes by taxi. Please look in our Accomodation category for more information.

3. Register with the authorities: This is not neccessary if you live in a hotel (they take care for you). If you rent your own place, by law, you are required to register with the local police office within 48 hours. Just take your passport and your rent contract and they will enter you into the system.

   Don't skip this step. They can make you trouble at the airport if they find that you have not registered.

4. Open a bank account: Most banks in Guilin have (more or less) English speaking staff. To open a bank account you need your passport.

   The Bank of China is the biggest bank in Guilin with offices in nearly every block (though they have a sometimes shitty service). We can also recommend the Shanghai Pudong Development Bank (SPD Bank) with its main office opposite the Nancheng Department store.

5. Get a SIM card: The two major mobile providers in Guilin are China Telecom and China Unicom. You can get prepaid sim cards in most of their offices. Please be aware that you have to pay more for telephone numbers with like numbers like "8" and "5" inside. Telephone numbers with a lot of "4" and "7" are cheaper.

   Sim cards are prepaid. You can recharge them in the provider's offices and many small supermarkets and newspaper-shops.

6. Open a bank account: Most banks in Guilin have (more or less) English speaking staff. To open a bank account you need your passport.

   The Bank of China is the biggest bank in Guilin with offices in nearly every block (though they have a sometimes shitty service). We can also recommend the Shanghai Pudong Development Bank (SPD Bank) with its main office opposite the Nancheng Department store.

7. Food: We have a whole category dedicated to food and restaurants. Please click here to get forwarded.

   As a basic rule of survival: if the places are filled with people, you can eat there without worries. If a restaurant is half empty at dinner time, the locals probably know why and avoid it.

8. Meeting other expats: There are a few watering-holes in the city where expats meet. The easiest way to get hooked up is to send us a message and we tell you when we have our next get together. (click here)