桂林

Guilin is famous for its beautiful mountain scenery, often seen painted on Chinese scrolls. But Guilin has grown into a city of 1.34 million. There are other places around Guilin, such as the rapidly growing village of Yangshuo that may be a better choice for visitors.

Often travelers will stay in Guilin for one night so they can take the riverboat ride to Yangshuo, which only leaves in the morning. Then they will spend 1 or 2 nights in Yangshuo. We recommend skipping Guilin entirely if possible as you can also see the same scenery from Yangshuo via bamboo river raft rides. But this might not be ideal for some travelers so adding Guilin to your itinerary is still a good option for many people.

Nightlife

Guilin’s Zhengyang Pedestrian Street offers the hungry or thirsty traveler a number of good options. There are numerous restaurants and bars in addition to the shops and markets in the area. English menus are normal so its easy to get your own dinner or enjoy and beer, wine or drink alfresco.

The Two Rivers Four Lakes parkland is lit up with colored lights at night. You can walk through part of it or if you prefer your agent can organize a boat cruise after dinner.

Every evening at dark, stalls of Chinese merchants set up along about four blocks of Zhong San road for the Guilin night market. Located in the center of Zhong San road, hundreds of small shops in the red tents sell all types of clothing, consumer goods, leather products, artist products, luggage and bags, jewelery and much more. There are also food stands spread throughout the market selling Guilin specialities. The Guilin night market is a bargain shoppers paradise. Just bargain hard!

Near Guilin

Outside of Guilin is the village of Yangshuo, about a 1 hour drive or 4 to 5 hours on the Li river by passenger boat. Many find Yangshuo a nice place to unwind during their China tour, because it is much smaller than Guilin and offers rural scenery such as rice terraces and water buffalo. Activities in Yangshuo include biking, caving, hiking, rock climbing and rafting.