Guilin in 7 Days on a Budget (Daily Costs)

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A 7-Day Guilin Itinerary on a Budget

Seven days takes the 6-day itinerary in full and adds a last free-to-cheap day: Daxu ancient town, a 1,000-year-old bluestone street that costs nothing to walk. Running total roughly RMB 1,600-2,600 per person, and that extra day barely moves the number. Want less terrace time? The 5-day keeps Xingping as a day trip instead of an overnight.

Book these before you go:

Day 1: Guilin to Dazhai/Jinkeng

Morning. Land at Guilin Liangjiang Airport (KWL), check the official airport site for the shuttle schedule, and head for Dazhai/Jinkeng (about 2.5 hours). Combined RMB 80 ticket covers Dazhai/Jinkeng, Ping’an, and Huangluo Yao Village.

Afternoon. Cable car up (RMB 60 one-way/RMB 110 return) for sunset at Golden Buddha Peak.

Evening. Guesthouse dinner, cooked to order.

Day 1 running cost (RMB, per person): transfer up 55 + combined entrance 80 + cable car 60 + guesthouse 40 + meals 40 = ~275

Day 2: Terrace Sunrise, Back to Guilin

Morning. West Hill Music platform (about 1,180m, roughly 2 hours) for sunrise.

Midday. Transfer back to Guilin (2.5 hours).

Afternoon. Elephant Trunk Hill (RMB 55) and Reed Flute Cave (RMB 90 adult/RMB 45 child).

Evening. Mifen dinner (RMB 3-10).

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. One-way downstream, 83km, 3.5-5 hours. 3-star (RMB 215) from Mopanshan Pier; 4-star with lunch (RMB 360-480) from Zhujiang Pier. One “i游漓江” order for the whole group. Yangdi to Xingping is the essential stretch.

Afternoon. Check into Yangshuo, walk West Street after dark.

Evening. Impression Sanjie Liu (RMB 200-680 by tier) if this is your splurge night; confirm the current showtime.

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

Day 4: Yangshuo Countryside

Morning. Bike rental (a few RMB a day, e-bike RMB 30-50 for two), Ten-Mile Gallery toward Moon Hill.

Midday. Moon Hill’s arch climb (price unconfirmed, check on arrival) or Yulong River bamboo rafting (RMB 200-320 per raft).

Afternoon. Whichever you skipped, or a slower wander through the countryside lanes.

Evening. Beer fish (RMB 80-230 per catty, confirm the price before it’s cooked).

Day 4 running cost (RMB, per person): bike 30 + Moon Hill (est.) 20 + raft 150 (split) + meals 70 + guesthouse 80 = ~350

Day 5: Xingping, Overnight

Morning. Bus from Yangshuo to Xingping (RMB 15, about 30 minutes). Check into an old-town guesthouse.

Afternoon. Walk the riverbank; the old town dates to 1506. Climb Laozhai Hill (free) or the quieter Damian Hill (RMB 3).

Evening. Sunset near Yellow Cloth Shoal, dinner in the old town.

Day 5 running cost (RMB, per person): bus 15 + guesthouse 40 + meals 50 = ~105

Day 6: Sunrise at Yellow Cloth Shoal, Back to Guilin

Morning. Yellow Cloth Shoal sunrise (free roadside, RMB 5-10 for the platform), the RMB 20-note view, best May to October.

Afternoon. Bus back to Guilin (about 1.5 hours, RMB 40), or the train if it fits your schedule better. Check into your last Guilin hotel.

Evening. A relaxed dinner; this is a good night to try Guilin’s other named noodle houses if mifen hasn’t gotten old yet.

Day 6 running cost (RMB, per person): platform 8 + bus to Guilin 40 + meals 60 + hotel 100 = ~208

Day 7: Daxu Ancient Town, Departure

Morning. Bus to Daxu ancient town (RMB 10, about 30 minutes from Guilin South Bus Station), a 1,000-year-old bluestone street with Ming and Qing buildings and a Qing-era single-arch bridge, covered alongside Guilin’s other low-cost day trips . Free entry, no gate ticket anywhere on the walk.

Midday. Lunch in Daxu at whatever’s open; the market here is busiest on dates ending in 2, 5, or 8, worth timing if your date lines up.

Afternoon. Bus back to Guilin (RMB 10) and depart from Guilin Liangjiang Airport.

Day 7 running cost (RMB, per person): bus there and back 20 + lunch 20 = ~40

Seven-day total: roughly RMB 1,650-1,750 per person on the budget version above (the extra Daxu day barely adds RMB 40), more with the 4-star cruise and Impression Sanjie Liu’s top tier.

The last day costs almost nothing and gives you a genuinely different kind of Guilin scenery, a river trade town instead of karst hills, which is a better way to close out a week than a rushed morning at the airport.