Most visitors spend 4 days on their visit to Guilin and its renowned nearby areas (the Longsheng Rice Terraces and Yangshuo). If you plan to spend 5 days, congratulations, as you would enjoy a more relaxed trip and even get the chance to enjoy quietly daydreaming while being surrounded by mountains and rice fields.
You're in good hands with us, as China Highlights is based in Guilin and has been working to provide unique and personalized trips in Guilin for more than 25 years. We inspect the attractions/experiences nearly every month in order to be up to speed with the most suitable way to discover them and also find yet more activities that are unique to Guilin but have still not been promoted to most travelers.
Among our numerous itineraries, we have handpicked the following four to meet a varied range of interests. See which one most suits you.
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- Itinerary 1: Classic Itinerary
- Itinerary 2: For a Family with Kids
- Itinerary 3: For Summer Fun
- Itinerary 4: Guilin Moderate-Hiking
- How Much Does 5 Days in Guilin Cost
Discover real reviews of Highlights Travel Family's best-rated service across trusted platforms.
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I highly recommend Lele to anyone visiting Guilin !
Our trip to Guilin would not have been the same without Lele as our guide! He was absolutely amazing in every way. His English was excellent, making communication smooth and easy. Lele was always punctual, professional, and went above and beyond to ensure we had the best experience. His explanations were insightful and engaging, bringing the history and culture of Guilin to life. Lele even helped us take photos, making sure we captured every special moment. Thanks to Lele , our visit to Guilin was a perfect 10/10—from the incredible tourist sites and friendly people to the delicious food. I highly recommend him to anyone visiting Guilin ! more
Apr 2025, Pong J
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Recommended to anybody
We had a great experince staying in the mountain hotel when viewing the incredible rice terrasses. A visit to the hotsprings was invigurating and very relaxing. We would highly recommend this for a change of normal tourist routines. Guilin was vibrant and even more so as it was a local festival. Food galore, people got dressed up in traditional dresses to take photoes with spectecular colourful backgrounds of the lake with the two pagodas. The highlight was a visit to the caves. Huge chambers expertly lit to bring out the many different features. Travelling by boat from Guilin to Yangshuo for four hours showed us the beautiful scenery, part of which is even depicted on the rmb 20 bill issued in China. Yangshuo is surrounded by the fascinating Peaks which mark the country in thousands. Punters on the rivers provide a romantic foreground for pictures to be treasured long after our visit. A cable car ride transported us over great heights towards a wooden suspension bridge followed by challenging steps to the top. The view was worth the effort but we quit going down to the famous glass bridge as the subsequent walk up the hill to the cable car station was too daunting for me being slightly aged. A great lunch of beer fish in a boutique hotel in one of the old villages was followed by a visit to a famous old stone bridge which inspired a number of local artist to play their craft. A perfect finish to our six night holiday Our tour guide was Chais who displayed a remarkable patience to our wims and showed us how to appreciate his home country. All the places we visited by car driven by Shi whom I would recommend to anybody as a very safe driver taken care of us. Thank you to all who made this trip worthwhile Rosita and Folker Krueger from Perth West Australia more
Apr 2025, Folker
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We had an excellent time in Guilin. Our guide Sarah was very helpful and packed our days full of amazing sites. When our boat cruise was cancelled due to weather she quickly rearranged our itinerary and we were still able to do everything we had hoped to. The extra driving that it took to make this happen was at no cost to us.
I spent two short days in Guilin my travel guide Sarah was a wonderful host, making sure we got to see and taste the best of Guilin. Our driver Zeng was also excellent, she made sure we arrived at each destination safely. I would definitely recommend travelling to Guilin however two days is not enough to see all the beautiful sites it has to offer. I will be sure to come back again and book a tour with Sarah as she is very welcoming and funny so we had many laughs during our stay together. more
Apr 2025, Stay32724810674
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1. 5-Day Classic Guilin Itinerary (Most Chosen)
This itinerary is perfect for a first trip to Guilin if you are seeking to admire the karst mountains, the rivers, and the village scenery in a comfortable way. Besides covering nearly all of the popular sights you might have heard about (a Li River cruise, the Longji Terraced Fields, bamboo rafting in Yangshuo...), it also includes some exclusive experiences seldom seen in the guidebooks.
Looking at a map, you would see that Guilin is in the middle of Longsheng and Yangshuo. We suggest you take a day trip to Longsheng and return on the same day instead of staying overnight there to save the trouble of packing and changing hotels. Staying overnight in Guilin is also convenient for the pier transfer in order to board a Li River cruise before 9am.
Taking a 4-hour cruise (usually from 9am to 1pm excluding the pier transfer time, shared by 100+ tourists) is the most popular way to enjoy the Li River scenery as it is the most comfortable and the least affected by the weather. Your native tour guide would board the cruise with you. You could listen to your guide sharing stories of local people's old and new lifestyles in that region. Your guide may even bring a tea set and invite you to chat with locals while drinking.
If you don't want to go on a cruise, we recommend that you consider hiking along the river (3–4 hours) or taking a trip on a bamboo raft (not suitable when rainy). If you want to see the celebrated river scenery, bird-watching by the Li River is another way. We have many special viewpoints to recommend to you, such as Langshi Village, Xianggong Hill, Dashiwan Bay, etc. There are many different options depending on the season and weather.
A handpicked boutique hotel beside the river or the rice fields is a marvelous way to immerse yourself in the beauty of Guilin.
There are many choices. This classic itinerary could be tailor-made to meet your personal interests. Share your interests with us and we would offer you the solutions.
Looking for an off-the-beaten-path trip? Check out our 5-Day Guilin Off-the-Beaten-Path Tour.
2. 5-Day Guilin Itinerary for a Family with Kids
If you're traveling with energetic children, this itinerary may be just the one for you. Differing from the common ways to discover nature and village life in Guilin, this itinerary includes moderate hiking, comfortable camping, and safe caving that can be enjoyed together. It allows your children to go beyond their normal lives and challenge themselves in a safe way.
Visiting caves is essential to getting close to — even inside — the karst landscape. Instead of well-developed Reed Flute Cave or Silver Cave, we recommend exploring a wild cave that has never been touched by ordinary tourists to engage your children's sense of adventure. We have spent more than 1 month inspecting each cave with our professional caving guides and have chosen Swallow Cave as the main site. Besides being comparatively more convenient to reach and having more amazing stalactites and stalagmites, this cave's facilities and difficulty level are more suitable for children.
If your child is under 6 years old or you want to explore caves with seniors who are over 70 years old, we recommend visiting Reed Flute Cave instead of a wild one.
See more on this family Guilin tour.
3. 5-Day Guilin Itinerary for Summer Fun
This itinerary is a great choice if you visit Guilin during the hot period from June to October. It allows you to indulge in river fun in the karst landscape.
Challenge yourself to SUP on the scenic hill-lined part of the Li River, but also go to the Li's source to swim or dive in its clear and fresh water. You would probably be the only foreign visitors in these natural pools. More than 8 million people do a Li River cruise every year, but most of them never travel to its source and don't know how beautiful it is when it rushes down the mountainside.
See more on a Guilin summer tour.
4. 5-Day Guilin Moderate-Hiking Itinerary
This itinerary is specially designed for those who would like to experience picturesque and idyllic Guilin on a less-traveled path. The most popular hiking areas are in Longsheng Rice Terraces and alongside the Li River.
In Longsheng's Rice Terraces, there are two main routes: Ping'an Village to Longji Ancient Zhuang Village (1½ hours) and Ping'an Village to Dazhai Village (5–6 hours). The path conditions are similar. The only differences are the walking time and the latter route would pass by more villages.
To enjoy the scenery of the Li River, we usually suggest our clients not only hike alongside the river but also climb 20 minutes to reach the top of Xianggong Hill and see the river from a different angle (a bird's-eye view). We have also found an ancient path leading to a small nunnery hidden in a cave in a mountain beside the Li River. With this 1-hour walk, you would gain a deeper understanding of how ancient Guilin people made their lives alongside the river and how they're related to Buddhism. For more, see 5-Day Guilin Tour with Moderate Hiking.
There are always things for us to discover. Just drop us an email/inquiry to tell us what style of travel you're dreaming about. We will provide you with the best solution based on our 20+ years of experience within 24 hours.
How Much Does 5 Days in Guilin Cost?
US$150–180 per person per day is the typical cost for a private tour with 4-star hotels, based on two to four people. This includes a private guide, private car, full-day itinerary, tickets for attractions, and handpicked 4-star hotels. Therefore, the total cost for 5 days in Guilin is about US$750–900 per person.