China Travel Guides
Last updated 2026-08-24

Guilin Travel Guide: Seven Places Worth Visiting (with a Three-Day Itinerary)

"Guilin's scenery is the finest under heaven" — this line first came from a poem by Wang Zhenggong, the Song-era judicial intendant of Guangxi during the Jiatai reign, carved above and to the right of the entrance to Reading Rock on Duxiu Peak, and still there today. I've checked the sources for these seven sights one by one. The Li River is the soul of Guilin's landscape; Elephant Trunk Hill is the city's emblem; Reed Flute Cave best represents the karst caves; the Prince Jing Manor holds a Ming-dynasty princely residence, and the origin of the "finest under heaven" line lies within it. Yangshuo's West Street and the Yulong River are Guilin's landscape extended to the Yangshuo end.

When to come to Guilin

Guilin is classic limestone karst terrain, with an annual average temperature of 18.8°C. All four seasons suit travel. April to October has abundant water — the Li River and Yulong River run high, and bamboo rafts and cruise boats both operate normally. Spring and autumn are the most comfortable, neither cold nor hot. Summer is the rainy season — June often brings showers, but after the rain the Li River is wreathed in mist and cloud, a different flavor. In winter the water is low, and cruise boats on some reaches of the Li shorten their route; ask clearly before you go. Sweet osmanthus is Guilin's city flower, and in autumn the whole city is fragrant with it.

Sights in Guilin city worth a visit

Elephant Trunk Hill

Elephant Trunk Hill, Guilin
Elephant Trunk Hill. Photo from Wikimedia Commons, by Airunp, CC BY-SA 2.1-es.

Elephant Trunk Hill, also called Elephant Hill, sits where the Taohua River meets the Li River, and is Guilin's city emblem. Its shape resembles an elephant dipping its trunk into the water to drink. At the summit stands a pagoda, Puxian Pagoda; on the east side is a cave, Water-Moon Cave, through which the river flows; and partway up the hillside another cave pierces straight through, looking from afar like the elephant's eye. In 2017, the Two Rivers and Four Lakes · Elephant Hill scenic area was rated a national 5A tourist attraction.

Elephant Hill Park is one of Guilin's most famous parks, themed around Elephant Hill. Stone steps lead up both sides of the hill, so you can climb to the top for views over urban Guilin. The night cruise on the Two Rivers and Four Lakes also passes Elephant Hill; lit up and reflected in the Li, it is Guilin's classic image. The hill is close to the city center, so you can go on your first day in Guilin.

Diecai Hill

Diecai Hill, Guilin, looking toward Fubo Hill
Fubo Hill seen from Diecai Hill. Photo from Wikimedia Commons, by 三猎, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Diecai Hill is also called Wind-Cave Hill or Gui Hill — the former because of a cave that "breathes wind in all four seasons," the latter because the hill once held many osmanthus trees. Diecai Hill is made up of Siwang Hill, Yuyue Hill, Xianhe Hill, and Bright-Moon Peak, and has been known since ancient times as the "meeting place of river and mountain vistas." The Tang writer Yuan Hui wrote in his "Record of Diecai Hill" that the hill's stone strata lie crosswise, layering emerald and color like folded brocade — hence "Diecai" (folded brocade).

Bright-Moon Peak is the main peak; from its summit the whole of Guilin lies below — the Li River flowing past the city, with Fubo Hill and Duxiu Peak both in view. On the hill are Diecai Pavilion, Yuyue Pavilion, Yangzhi Hall, and other buildings, and at its foot lies the famous Mulong Ancient Ferry. Diecai Hill is not far from Elephant Trunk Hill and can share a day with it: climb the hill in the morning, view the river in the afternoon.

Reed Flute Cave (Ludi Yan)

Reed Flute Cave, Guilin
Reed Flute Cave. Photo from Wikimedia Commons, by Gisling, CC BY-SA.

Reed Flute Cave lies on Guangming Hill inside Ludi Park, in the northwest outskirts of Guilin, named for the reed grass at its entrance from which flutes can be made. It is often paired with Seven-Star Cave as "Ludi and Qixing," and praised as "the art palace of nature." Geologists have determined that some 700,000 years ago Reed Flute Cave was an ancient underground lake; later the mountain rose, the water table fell, and the groundwater dissolved and redeposited the rock into the present sack-shaped cave.

The cave is 240 meters long, 93 meters at its widest, with a maximum height of 18 meters; the tourist circuit is about 500 meters, taking roughly 40 minutes. Inside are abundant stalactites, stalagmites, columns, draperies, and "stone flowers," forming sights like "Lion Ridge at Dawn," "Coiled-Dragon Pagoda," and "Crystal Palace." The cave also preserves 77 ink-and-brush inscriptions left by visitors from the Tang Zhenyuan era (8th year) onward — some over a thousand years old, with the ink still legible.

Duxiu Peak and Prince Jing Manor (Wangcheng)

Duxiu Peak, Guilin
Duxiu Peak inside Prince Jing Manor. Photo from Wikimedia Commons, by Zhangzhugang, CC BY-SA.

Duxiu Peak stands inside the Prince Jing Manor in Xiufeng District, Guilin — a solitary peak, steep and lofty. The Liang-dynasty writer Yan Yanzhi wrote the line "nothing compares to Duxiu" ("the lonely beauty"), and the peak took its name from it. Because the lone peak looks draped in a purple robe and golden garments, it is also called Zijin (Purple-Gold) Mountain. At its summit stands Duxiu Pavilion; at its eastern foot lies Reading Rock, said to be where Yan Yanzhi read — the oldest named historic relic in Guilin. The cliff face holds a large number of carved inscriptions from ancient times through the Republic, and the line "Guilin's scenery is the finest under heaven" first appears above and to the right of Reading Rock's entrance.

The Prince Jing Manor that surrounds Duxiu Peak is the Ming-era princely residence, completed in the 15th year of Hongwu. Built to the specifications of a prince's capital, it far exceeded other Ming commandery princely residences in scale; its main buildings are the Chengyun Gate, Chengyun Hall, residential palace, and imperial garden, with Duxiu Peak enclosed in the middle. In 1954 Guangxi Teachers College moved into the manor, and it is now the Wangcheng campus of Guangxi Normal University, also a Major Historical and Cultural Site Protected at the National Level.

Sights in Yangshuo worth a visit

Li River

Huangbu Shoal on the Li River
Huangbu Shoal on the Li River — the scene on the back of the 20-yuan note. Photo from Wikimedia Commons, by Gerd Eichmann, CC BY-SA 4.0.

The Li River is in northeastern Guangxi, in Guilin, part of the Pearl River basin's West River system. It is the general name for the upper reaches of the Gui River, 164 km long, rising at the Lingqu mouth at Rongjiang Town in Xing'an County and ending at Sanjiangkou in Pingle County. The Li's bed is mostly pebbles, with little silt, and the water is clear; both banks are classic karst peak-forest terrain. The back of the fifth-series 20-yuan note prints the Li's Huangbu Shoal reflection and Yuanbao Hill, and the Li's peak clusters form part of the "South China Karst" World Natural Heritage.

The classic way to see the Li is to take a cruise boat downstream from Guilin to Yangshuo — a few hours on the water with peaks on both banks the whole way. In the dry season the boats adjust their route; ask clearly which reach is running that day before buying a ticket.

Yangshuo West Street

Yangshuo West Street
Yangshuo West Street. Photo from Wikimedia Commons, by Gisling, GFDL.

Yangshuo West Street sits in the middle of the Yangshuo county seat, roughly east-west in orientation, running east to Binjiang Road and west to Pantao Road. The street is only a few hundred meters long, paved with large flagstones; the buildings on both sides are mostly old houses of several decades' vintage. Because foreign tourists gather here, West Street is also called "Foreigners' Street," and nearly a hundred bars, Western restaurants, and eateries cluster along it — Yangshuo's most famous commercial street. By day you can browse the shops at a stroll; by night the lights come up and it becomes the liveliest nightlife spot in Yangshuo. The street is close to the Li; after the cruise docks at Yangshuo pier, you're a few steps away.

Yulong River

The Yulong River, Yangshuo
Yulong River. Photo from Wikimedia Commons, by Zhangzhugang, CC BY-SA.

The Yulong River is a right-bank tributary of the Li, rising in the south of Lingui District, Guilin, 45.90 km long, joining the Li at Yangshuo County. Its middle and lower reaches are scenic — a classic Yangshuo cycling route, and a place for bamboo-raft drifting. Unlike the Li's big cruise boats, the Yulong rafts are pole-punted, one raft carrying one or two people, gliding over the water past rice paddies and peaks — far quieter.

Rafting the Yulong is split into several reaches; the most common is the stretch near the Yangshuo county seat, a one-to-two-hour run. Best to leave half a day: raft in the morning, return to West Street to browse in the afternoon. Families with kids can ride too, but the raft sits a certain height above the water — keep a close eye on the little ones.

Eating in Guilin

Guilin's most famous food is Guilin rice noodles. The noodles come in two kinds: lucai (meat-topping) dry-mixed and soup noodles. For lucai, the crisp-fried pork (guoshao) and the brine are the soul, and adding broth is a local habit. Guilin's "three treasures" are Sanhua liquor, fermented bean curd, and chili sauce — worth taking with you. Across Guilin's twelve counties there are local specialties too; Gongcheng oil tea is representative — beaten from tea leaves, ginger, and peanuts, served with puffed rice and fried dough. In Yangshuo, West Street has both Western and local food; river fish is the local signature, and you can also pick from Guilin's regional produce.

How to arrange the route

Guilin plus Yangshuo: three days is comfortable.

Day one, in Guilin city: Elephant Trunk Hill in the morning; climb Diecai Hill in the afternoon; at night take the Two-Rivers-and-Four-Lakes cruise — the lit-up Guilin landscape has its own flavor.

Day two: the Li River cruise to Yangshuo — a few hours' run; reach Yangshuo in the afternoon and browse West Street; spend the night near West Street.

Day three: bamboo-raft on the Yulong River in the morning; back from Yangshuo to Guilin in the afternoon, stopping at Duxiu Peak and Prince Jing Manor to see the "finest under heaven" inscription. If time is ample, a fourth day can go to Reed Flute Cave and Seven-Star Cave — the two karst caves.

Things to confirm before you go

Frequently asked questions

How many days for Guilin?

City plus Yangshuo in three days is comfortable; add a day if you want to tour the caves.

How to tour the Li River?

The classic is the cruise from Guilin downstream to Yangshuo, a few hours on the water. If time is tight, you can do only the essential reach, or cycle along the river after reaching Yangshuo.

Reed Flute Cave or Seven-Star Cave?

Both are karst caves. Reed Flute has concentrated lighting and a shorter tour — good for a first visit to Guilin. Seven-Star is larger and recorded earlier in history; with enough time you can do both.

When is the best time to come to Guilin?

April to October, when water is plentiful and cruise boats and rafts run normally. Spring and autumn are most comfortable; summer is rainy but the mists are beautiful.

Sources

The facts in this article were checked against the following Chinese Wikipedia entries, retrieved August 11, 2026.

  1. Guilin (city) https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/桂林市
  2. Li River https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/漓江
  3. Elephant Trunk Hill https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/象鼻山
  4. Diecai Hill https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/叠彩山
  5. Reed Flute Cave https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/芦笛岩
  6. Duxiu Peak https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/独秀峰
  7. Prince Jing Manor https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/靖江王城
  8. Yangshuo West Street https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/阳朔西街
  9. Yulong River https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/遇龙河

All photos are from Wikimedia Commons, used under CC licenses; re-use requires attribution.