Guilin in 4 Days on a Budget (Daily Costs)

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A 4-Day Guilin Itinerary on a Budget

Four days is enough to add the one thing our 3-day Guilin itinerary has to skip: a Longji rice terrace overnight. This version goes Longji first, then Guilin city, then the Li River cruise to Yangshuo, then a countryside day, running RMB 1,300-1,900 per person on a mid-tier budget. Not ready for the terrace overnight yet? See the 5-day , 6-day , or 7-day versions for how the extra time gets used.

Book these before you go:

Day 1: Guilin to Longji

Morning. Land at Guilin Liangjiang Airport (KWL), check the official airport site for the current shuttle schedule, and head straight for the Longji (Longsheng) rice terraces rather than into the city first. If you’re not certain your nationality qualifies for visa-free entry, check the current policy with the National Immigration Administration before you book flights. Ping’an (Zhuang villages, about 2 hours away) is the easier, faster option; Dazhai/Jinkeng (Yao villages, about 2.5 hours) is wilder and has a cable car (RMB 60/110 one-way/return) plus three viewpoints. A combined RMB 80 ticket covers both areas plus Huangluo Yao Village. A private transfer or the Qintan Coach Station shuttle (RMB 50-60, 2.5-3 hours) are the realistic ways up; taxis won’t do the full round trip.

Afternoon. Settle into your guesthouse (RMB 35-60 in Ping’an, similar in Dazhai) and walk one of the marked viewpoint trails while the light is good.

Evening. Guesthouses cook to order here; dinner is whatever’s on that night, usually simple and cheap.

Day 1 running cost (RMB, per person): transfer up 55 + combined entrance 80 + guesthouse 45 + meals 40 = ~220

Day 2: Longji Sunrise, Back to Guilin

Morning. Catch sunrise from your viewpoint (Dazhai’s West Hill Music platform if you’re there, about a 2-hour hike; Ping’an’s loop trail takes roughly the same). Mirror-water season runs mid-April to June, golden harvest late September to mid-October, so the view varies a lot by month.

Midday. Transfer back down to Guilin (2-2.5 hours).

Afternoon. With half a day left in the city, hit Elephant Trunk Hill (RMB 55) and Reed Flute Cave (RMB 90 adult/RMB 45 child), the two sights that reward even a rushed visit.

Evening. Mifen dinner (RMB 3-10) at a shop with a queue, then an early night before the cruise.

Day 2 running cost (RMB, per person): transfer down 55 + Elephant Trunk Hill 55 + Reed Flute Cave 90 + meals 50 + hotel 100 = ~350

Day 3: Li River Cruise to Yangshuo

Morning. The classic cruise, Guilin to Yangshuo, one-way downstream, 83km over 3.5-5 hours. The 3-star boat (RMB 215) departs Mopanshan Pier; the 4-star boat with lunch included (RMB 360-480) departs Zhujiang Pier. Book the whole group on one “i游漓江” order. The Yangdi-to-Xingping stretch is the reason to do it: Nine Horse Fresco Hill, Crown Cave, and Yellow Cloth Shoal, the RMB 20-note view.

Afternoon. Arrive Yangshuo, check in, and walk West Street once the light drops.

Evening. Beer fish for dinner if the budget allows (RMB 80-230 per catty, confirm the price before the fish is cooked) or another mifen night if it doesn’t.

Day 3 running cost (RMB, per person): cruise 215 + meals 60 + guesthouse 80 = ~355

Day 4: Yangshuo Countryside and Departure

Morning. Rent a bike (a few RMB a day, e-bike RMB 30-50 for two) and ride toward Moon Hill through rice paddies and karst peaks.

Midday. Yulong River bamboo raft (RMB 200-320 per raft, split two ways) if there’s time, or a slower wander back through the countryside guesthouse lanes if there isn’t.

Afternoon. Bus back to Guilin (RMB 22-50, South Bus Station) in time for your flight, or take the faster high-speed train if the schedule lines up better than the bus.

Day 4 running cost (RMB, per person): bike 30 + raft 150 (split) + meals 50 + bus to Guilin 40 = ~270

Four-day total: roughly RMB 1,200-1,300 per person on the budget version above, more with a 4-star cruise and Dazhai over Ping’an.

Doing Longji first instead of last means you’re not backtracking north after already heading south to Yangshuo, and it puts the best light of the trip, terrace sunrise, on a day when your legs are still fresh. For more on what else the terraces and the city sights cost, see our day trips guide and Guilin place guide .