Three days lets you slow down. Instead of arriving in Yangshuo and leaving the next morning, you can spend a night in Xingping, see the twenty-yuan view at dawn, and cycle the Yulong River. This is the route most travellers wish they had booked after doing the two-day version.
In short
Day one Guilin, day two cruise to Yangshuo, day three Xingping and the Yulong. Stay in Yangshuo or Xingping on the middle night.
Before you book
Prices and schedules change
Reserve the fixed-time items first, then build the rest around the weather. If you are deciding between two versions of the trip, send both.
Day one: Guilin
Use the 1-day layover plan for the city: Elephant Trunk Hill, rice noodles, one indoor sight, and the lakes at dusk. Book the cruise and confirm the pickup. If you arrive early enough, add Daxu in the afternoon.
Sleep in the city centre or near the river. The city centre area guide explains the options.
Day two: the river to Yangshuo
Take the morning cruise and arrive in Yangshuo around 13:30. Check in, then spend the afternoon on the Yulong River: a bamboo raft from one of the upper wharves, or a bike loop through the villages. Dinner is beer fish away from West Street.
If you want the quietest base, continue to Xingping in the late afternoon instead of sleeping in Yangshuo. The transfer takes about 45 minutes by car.
Day three: Xingping and the view
Start early at the twenty-yuan view, then climb Xianggong Hill for the panorama. If you have time, take the bamboo raft from Yangdi to Xingping, which covers the best scenery on the river. Return to Guilin in the late afternoon or evening.
If the weather is bad, swap the climb for a walk through Xingping and a long lunch. The rainy day plan has more ideas.
Where to sleep
Two nights: one in Guilin, one in Yangshuo or Xingping. If you sleep in Xingping, you can see the view at dawn without a transfer. If you sleep in Yangshuo, you have more restaurants and bars. The where to stay question compares them.
Book the cruise and the Xingping guesthouse ahead in peak season. The cruise ticket briefing explains the booking.
The route
- 01
Day 1
Guilin city
Elephant Trunk Hill, noodles, one indoor sight, lakes at dusk.
- 02
Day 2 / 07:15
Cruise to Yangshuo
Four hours on the river, arrive early afternoon.
- 03
Day 2 / 15:00
Yulong River
Raft or bike through the villages.
- 04
Day 3 / 06:30
Twenty-yuan view
Dawn at Xingping, then Xianggong Hill.
- 05
Day 3 / 11:00
Yangdi raft
Optional bamboo raft back to Xingping.
- 06
Day 3 / 16:00
Return to Guilin
Bus or car, or stay another night.
Verdict
The best value-for-days trip. Three days is the sweet spot for a first visit.
Next in the manual
04 linksField desk / direct line
Not sure this fits your trip?
Send the dates, the group, and what you are deciding between. The field desk will tell you what to cut and what to keep.
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