Guilin travel guide

Basic information Telephone area code: 0773 Travel complaint: 0773-2800315 Medical treatment Affiliated Hospital of Guilin Medical College Address: No. 15 Lequn Road, Guilin City, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region Tel: 0773-2861220 Emergency department telephone: 0773-2888120 Tel: 0773-2823244 Guilin People’s Hospital Address: […]

Basic information

Telephone area code: 0773
Travel complaint: 0773-2800315

Medical treatment

Affiliated Hospital of Guilin Medical College
Address: No. 15 Lequn Road, Guilin City, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region
Tel: 0773-2861220
Emergency department telephone: 0773-2888120
Tel: 0773-2823244

Guilin People’s Hospital
Address: No. 12, Wenming Road, Guilin, Guangxi
Outpatient appointment telephone: 0773-2827626
Emergency telephone: 0773-2825116
Complaint call: 0773-2881416

Guilin Second People Hospital
Address: No. 2, Diecai Road, Diecai District, Guilin City
Tel: 0773-2821525, 2823439

Destination overview

Destination sketch

Guilin and the surrounding region are among the most scenic areas in China and the most popular tourist destinations both for Chinese travellers and the international backpacker set. The main attraction is the karst terrain, limestone mountains eroded into fantastic shapes. Apart from its sheer visual beauty , karst terrain also provides many cliffs suitable for rock climbing and many caves.

There are many scenic places within short traveling distance of Guilin. These include Longsheng with its famous Longji rice terraces; the Lijiang River, a scene of which is printed on the back of ¥20 bank notes; and Yangshuo, a small county downstream from Guilin This makes Guilin an excellent base for exploring the northern end of Guangxi Province.

Local festival

Zhuang People’s Song Festival

Zhuang People is the largest minority among Chinese minorities. The thrid day of the third month of Chinese lunar calendar is Zhuang People’s traditional folk song festival. With a long history, this festival was originated from the Sui and Tang Dynasties. It has been celebrated in Nanning, the provincial capital of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region since 1983.

Zhuang People will eat five-colored sticky rice, sing songs, hold bull fighting and throw embroidered balls. As Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region has the largest number of Zhuang People in China, it is not only famous for its marvelous karst landscape, but also widely known for its rich minorities’ culture, especially Zhuang People’s culture. Visitors can take part in singing songs with Zhuang People during the Song Festival and it is an official holiday.

Language help

Most of local people can not speak English.

Best travel season

Guilin weather is generally mild with four seasons – sunny and vigorous spring, rainy and foggy summer, cool and pleasant autumn, breezy and drizzling winter. In Guilin, the climate in January is the coolest with an average temperature of 8 C (46 F), while July is the hottest with an average temperature of 28 C (82 F). Summer is the rainy season, especially in May and June.

Consumption level

The consumption level of Guilin is lower than that of Dalian, Sanya and other tourist cities. The average standard room is about 150 yuan. The tourism budget in Guilin is also mainly spent on hotels and scenic spots. The overall budget of a five-day tour of Guilin is between 1000-1500 yuan.

Practical information

Guilin Tourism Bureau
Address: No. 14 Wuhu North Road, Guilin City
Guilin City Tourism Complaint Hotline: 0773-2800315
Guilin Tourism Advisory Service Hotline: 0773-2800318

Yushan Lake Tourist Information Service Station
Address: 1st Floor, Tourism Bureau, No. 14 Wuhu North Road, Xiufeng District
Tel: 0773-2800318, 2827491

Seven Star Park Tourist Information Service Station
Address: Huaqiao Gate, Qixing Park, Qixing Park, Qixing District
Phone: 0773-5834422

Fuboshan Park Tourist Information Service Station
Address: Beside the gate of Fubo Mountain Park, Binjiang Road, Xiufeng District
Tel: 0773-2858820

Central Square Tourist Information Service Pavilion
Address: Center Square, Zhongshan Road, Xiufeng District
Tel: 0773-2854318

Nanmen Bridge Tourist Information Service Pavilion
Address: Front of Bank of China, South Gate Bridge, Zhongshan Road, Xiangshan District
Phone: 0773-2827318

Bus station travel advisory kiosk
Address: Front of Zhongshan Road Bus Terminal in Xiangshan District
Tel: 0773-3811808

Intercity traffic

Aircraft

Guilin Liangjiang International Airport, KWL
Address: Liangjiang Town, Lingui District, Guilin City
Tel: 0773-2845359

Arriving and leaving the airport
Guilin Liangjiang International Airport has convenient transportation and can easily travel to and from the city by airport bus, bus and taxi.
Airport bus
In the Anxin Community, you can take the airport bus, every half an hour, half an hour to the airport.
Departure time: 6:00-21:30 every half hour, one fare: 20 yuan / person
Tel: 0773-2845355
Airport taxi
Guilin is nearly 30 kilometers from the airport and about 150 yuan by taxi.

Train

Guilin Railway Station
Address: Intersection of Zhongshan South Road and Shanghai Road, Guilin City
Arrival method: Bus 3, 4, 20, 21 can be reached
Tel: 0773-2164842

Guilin North Railway Station
Guilin North Station is mainly a train and high-speed rail stop.
Address: Beichen Road, Diecai District, Guilin City
Arrival method: Bus 1, 18, 102, 100, etc.
Tel: 0773-2162222, 2662032

Long distance bus

Guilin Bus Terminal
Address: No. 65, Zhongshan South Road, Xiangshan District, Guilin City
Arrival method: Bus 3, 5, 9, 10 can be reached
Tel: 0773-3862358

Qintan Bus Terminal
Address: No. 31, Cuizhu Road, Xiangshan District, Guilin City
Arrival method: Bus 1, 2, 12, 23 can be reached
Tel: 0773-3832703

Traffic in the city

Bus

The buses in Guilin are quite beautiful. There are 8 free bus routes, namely 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58 roads, which are basically up to the major attractions in the city.

Taxi

The taxi starts at 9 yuan during the day and starts at 11 yuan at night (23 pm to 6 pm). After more than two kilometers, the daytime is 1.9 yuan/km, and at night 2 yuan/km, an additional fuel surcharge of 1 yuan is added.

Attractions

Elephant Trunk Hill

This resembles the trunk of an elephant dipping into the river. This scene is frequently used as a symbol of the city and so has developed some fame. There is a fun and cheaper alternative to get into the park, you can go all the way to the river on the street just at the right side of the west gate, you will find some people asking if you want a boat that they drop you in the park for half-price of the official ticket. It is pretty much impossible to get a good view of the natural arch without going on a boat tour as trees have been planted to prevent people from freeloading the view.
Address: Confluence of Taohua River and Minjiang River in Guilin City
Arrival method: Bus 2, 23, 57, 58 can be reached
Opening hours: 7:00-21:30
Tickets: 75 yuan
Tel: 0773-2235151

Seven Stars Park

The Seven Stars Park is endowed with elegant mountains, clear water, miraculous stone forest, deep and serene valleys, plentiful animals and plants and valued cultural relics. It has been popular since the Sui (581-618) and Tang (618-907) Dynasties. The main sights contain Flower Bridge, Putuo Mountain, Seven Stars Cave, Guilin Zoo, Camel Hill, Crescent Mountain, Guihai Stele Forest and Light of China Square.
Address: No. 1 Qixing Road, Guilin City
Arrival method: Bus 10, 11, 14, 18 can be reached
Opening hours: 8:00-17:30
Tickets: 75 yuan
Tel: 0773-5814343

Fubo Hill

The beautiful Fubo Hill, in the northeast of the Guilin city, is well known as the “Wonderland on Wave” with its exquisite peak rising high and its foot half in water and half on land. The east of the cave curbs the river stream, causing the formation of a deep pool, so the hill is named Fubo Hill (Wave-Curbing Hill).

At the southern foot of the hill is a garden full of bamboos, palm trees and flowers, a quite and interesting place.

There is a stone path on the southern side of the hill. Half way up the hill is a Sight-Seeing Terrace from which you can see the Old Man Hill northwest to it, resembling an old man in the hood looking up to the south. It is so life-like that you can even distinguish his brow and beard. The way from the Sight-Seeing Terrace to the summit of the hill can be compared with the way to the West Peak in the Hua Mountain. It is narrow and steep. Only the brave ones dare to scale the heights and find the climbing interesting.
Address: No. 2, Longzhu Road, Guilin City
Arrival mode: 2, 30, 58 direct access to the scenic spot
Opening hours: 7:00-18:00
Tickets: 30 yuan

Diecai Mountain

A park built around several peaks, which are climbed using stone staircases. There is also a small aviary and butterfly museum with examples of pinned and mounted butterflies and moths in the park.
Address: No. 2, Longzhu Road, Guilin City
Arrival method: 2, 30, 58 (free) direct access to the scenic spot
Opening hours: 7:00-18:00
Tickets: 35 yuan
Tel: 0773-2800318

Reed Flute Cave

This limestone cave with impressive stalactite and stalagmite formations is worth a visit if you have not seen such caves before. An English-speaking guide will take you around the various artificially lit formations supposedly resembling lions, monkeys, old men, the skyline of Guilin, etc. There is also a brief laser/light/music show inside the cave. You may have to wait a while for a large enough group to accumulate. Avoid the hawkers by taking the elevated path on the side of the hill, rather than the tarmac road.
Address: Northwest suburb of Guilin City, 6 kilometers from the city center Arrival: Bus 3, 58 can be reached
Opening hours: 8:00-17:30
Tickets: 90 yuan

Guilin Museum

The museum’s collection includes over 30,000 pieces of culture relics including 22 pieces of national first-class relics, 687 pieces of national second-class relics and 2592 national third-class relics. For foreigners, passports may be required to get free admission tickets. The Guilin Library and the Guilin Grand Theatre can be found in the same building complex.
Address: No. 4, Xishan Road, Xiufeng District, Guilin City
Arrival method: Take bus No.14, No.25, B, 89 and get off at Xishan Park Station.
Phone: 0773-2898690
Opening hours: 8:30-17:30
Tickets: 20 yuan www.guilinmuseum.org.cn

Solitary Beauty Peak

Rises dramatically above the center of Guilin and offers spectacular views of the city and surrounding countryside. As with so many peaks and rocky upthrusts in and around Guilin, centuries of visits have led to the creation of a carved stairway leading to the summit. The pathway starts at Wang Cheng, the Ming Dynasty palace in the center of town, now home to the campus of Guangxi Normal University and also the site of nightly performances by local ethnic minorities. Only the city walls and some of the foundation of the original buildings are left, the buildings themselves are all recent.
Arrival method: take a taxi or bus 1 or 2 from the Guilin Railway Station, both buses drop passengers off at the western entrance of the peak area

Jingjiang Prince City

The Prince Jingjiang was the master of the present prince city. He was given the title by his grandfather Zhu Yuanzhang, the creator of Ming Dynasty. It took over 20 years to build his mansion and the history is longer than the Forbidden City in Beijing. In the 257 years from the construction to destruction, all together 14 regional princes in 12 generations have lived in the mansion. In Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), it was served as the imperial examination hall. It was Sun Yat-sen’s base camp during his north expedition. At present, it is a part of the campus of Guangxi Normal University.
Address: No. 1 Wangcheng Road, Xiufeng District, Guilin City
Arrival method: Take bus No. 1, 22, 99, 100 to Zhongshan Road Luqun intersection, then go 50 meters to the east; or take bus 10, 11, 30, 98 to Jiefang East Road Jiefangqiao Station, then 100 meters north
Opening hours: 7:30-18:00
Tickets: Pass 130 yuan (including Jingjiang Wangcheng, Jingjia

Peach Blossom River

This is a river going through the western parts of town. Beautiful and relaxing area. As the name indicates, here you can see the peach blossoms in spring and the red leaves in autumn.

Yaoshan Hill Park

This is a large country park which encompasses the highest peak in the area. Foot paths run to the summit, however the chair lift provides an effortless way to attain the top and enjoy the scenery. There are extensive views of the surrounding area from the summit. There is a wheeled toboggan run down part of the mountain. To access this, dismount the chairlift at the station half way down the mountain. A taxi to and from the park will cost about ¥25 each way. If you plan to do this, alert the staff at the ground station so personnel at the midway station can help you get off. There is a Ming Dynasty Mausoleum nearby as well. The park is not listed on any of the tourist maps so you may get some looks on asking where it is.

Crown Cave

5 minute by long distance bus, then take the monorail or visitor jeep (¥35) to the entrance of the cave. A 3-km section of the cave is open to tourists. At the entrance of the cave, take the elevator and venture 30-m deep into the cave. After looking at the various stalactite and stalagmite formations, you can also visit the waterfall (¥5) inside the cave. After that, take the monorail to admire the largest and most beautiful section of the cave. To exit the cave, you can either travel back to the entrance point, or take a boat that will travel from the cave to the banks of the Li River.

Daxu Old Town

23 km southeast of Guilin, 0.5 hours by bus (close to Crown Cave). Ancient town at the east bank of the Li River dating back more than 1,000 years. The town is beautifully located close to the Millstone Hill and the Snail Hill. The heart of town is the 2 km long Bluestone St with many well preserved buildings. The town has lots of attractions dating back hundreds of years including the Gauzu Temple, The Hanhuang Temple, the assembly halls, the Longevity Bridge and the Seven Stars Tombs. Take the local bus from the City Bus Terminal (close to the city Railway station). The entrance is on the backside of the Bus Terminal. Pay on the bus.

Activity

Authentic show

Li River Folk Customs Center is located where Li River meets the Xiaodong River. Travelers will appreciate the ethnic customs, arts, cuisines and architecture. Enjoying the singing, dancing performance and ethnic costume show as well, travelers are sure to find tasting the ethnic delicacies a memorable experience.
Entrance Fee: for the Li River Folk Customs Center is approximately CNY45 during the day and CNY60 at night.
Visiting Hours from 08:30 to 21:30
Transport: Use Public Bus No. 58 to go to the Center free of charge.
Guides at the Center speak Chinese, Cantonese, English and Japanese.

Li river cruise

The boats operate on a daily basis and reservations can be booked in advance or at any hotels in Guilin. Most tourists will go from Guilin to Yangshuo (a very picturesque smaller town downstream of Guilin). The river winds through some truly spectacular limestone formations and a slow boat trip there and back (with a stop in Yangshuo) will take a whole day. The cruise from Guilin to Yangshuo takes 3½-4 hours whilst the cruise from Guilin to Xingping takes approximately 3 hours. The 3-star boats travel from Guilin (Zhujiang Pier) to the pier at West Street (Longtoushan Pier), a few 4-star boats travel from Guilin (Zhujiang Pier) to the pier at West Street (Shuidongmen Pier) and the majority of 4-star boats to Xingping (as of 1 April 2018). Xingping is about 35 minutes away from Yangshuo.

Food

Rice noodle
Stewed duck with gingko
Lipu taro pork
Stewed clams and chicken
Lo Han boiled chicken

Accommodation

Accommodation in Guilin is very convenient, from ordinary guest houses to five-star hotels, you can choose freely.

Shopping

Fermented bean curd
Corsvenor Momordica Fruit

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