Getting around Guilin and Yangshuo

Most visitors use Guilin as a base and spend part of their stay downstream in Yangshuo, roughly seventy kilometres away.

The Li river

The cruise between Guilin and Yangshuo takes four to five hours and passes the karst peaks that appear on the twenty-yuan banknote. Bamboo rafts cover shorter sections of the river and of the quieter Yulong, a tributary.

Rail and road

High-speed trains link Guilin to Guangzhou, Shenzhen and beyond, and a short line runs to Yangshuo, whose station sits some distance from the town itself. Buses cover the same route more slowly but drop passengers in the centre.

Cycling

The countryside around Yangshuo is flat and largely rural, and bicycles or electric scooters are the usual way to reach the villages, the Moon Hill and the riverside paths.

When to go

Spring and autumn are the most comfortable seasons. Summers are hot and humid, with heavy rain that can raise the river and suspend cruises, while winter is cool and often misty, which some travellers find more atmospheric.