Guilin 桂林
This post is less of a finished guide and more of a snapshot. It’s a list of the places I visited, what they cost, and how I felt about them at the time. I’ll keep updating this as I slow down and turn each destination into something more detailed.
Guilin is really just your jumping-off point. Most people spend a night, get their bearings, and head straight to Yangshuo or Longji where the real scenery begins. It’s a comfortable place to land, settle in, and ease into the trip before diving into the good stuff.
Accommodations
Versailles Hotel (Guilin Two Rivers and Four Lakes Railway Station Branch)
Overall Rating - 4/5
Click here: https://www.trip.com/t/GGDwnGhMqS2
Pros:
affordable: one night is about $30-50
absolutely stunning breakfast area
decent location, but drivers have to do a u-turn often - although the starbucks app listed the location as somewhere else so that could be an issue for other vendors too
Cons
you have to walk up stairs for the breakfast area on the 12th floor (you take the elevator to the 11th floor)
small bathroom area
Attractions
Below is an overview of the attractions I went to and how I’d rate them.
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Chinese name: 象鼻山
Address: Xiangshan District, Guilin
Cost: ¥0 (didn’t go up to it but saw the free view)
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️☆☆ (3/5) -
Chinese name: 芦笛岩
Address: Xiufeng District, Guilin
Cost: ¥90
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️☆☆ (3/5) -
Chinese name: 两江四湖
Address: Central Guilin
Cost: ¥0 (didn’t go on the boat tour, just walked around)
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️☆☆ (3/5) -
Chinese name: 日月双塔
Address: Shanhu Lake, Guilin
Cost: ¥0 (didn’t go on the tour, but took
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️☆ (4/5)
Budget Breakdown
These numbers are approximate. I don’t track every expense in real time, and sometimes I pay in USD instead of yuan.
Round-trip flight ( Shanghai to Guilin) - ¥1,550
Accommodation (2 night) - ¥
Food - ¥
Activities - ¥
Souvenirs (mainly just photos or videos) - ¥
Final Thoughts
When people say there’s not much to Guilin, I agree. It’s a great stop over place but I loved the other areas more. I did really enjoy the hot air balloon ride though and there’s a super long cable car ride that I think I would have enjoyed a ton. But truly, focus your attention on the other destinations in the trip like Yangshuo instead.
If you found this article helpful or interesting, you might want to check out these others that I did for the other cities.
