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A city in China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region where karst peaks, rivers and lakes sit right in the city center. The downtown 'Two Rivers and Four Lakes · Elephant Hill' scenic area describes itself as an important part of the 'South China Karst' World Natural Heritage, and it includes Elephant Trunk Hill, the city's emblem. Ideal for night boat rides, caves and hills covered in old inscriptions, and Guilin rice noodles, a national intangible cultural heritage item.
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Check prices →The Two Rivers and Four Lakes night cruise runs 18:00-23:00 in peak season and 19:00-21:30 off-season, so peak season means late-evening views. Elephant Trunk Hill was voted one of 'China's most beautiful moon-viewing spots' by CCTV in 2013 and 2014. Seats sell out on holidays such as National Day, so book 1-2 days ahead.
From Guilin Liangjiang International Airport (KWL), take the airport bus to the Civil Aviation Building (民航大厦) stop, walk 51 m, then take bus 16 or 23 to Xiangshan Park stop; the Two Rivers and Four Lakes · Elephant Hill visitor center is 150 m away. Check the airport's official information for airport bus routes, timetables and fares.
It's about 30 km from the airport to the Elephant Hill visitor center in the city. Handy with heavy luggage or late arrivals; have your hotel address in Chinese.
The airport's official site could not be reached, so other options (such as rail) and airport bus details could not be verified this time. Check the official Guilin Liangjiang International Airport information before you arrive.
Bus 16 from Guilin South railway station reaches Xiangshan Park stop in about 25 minutes. Buses 2 and 203 serve Fubo Hill and Diecai Hill, and buses 99, 10 and 100 stop at Central Square, about a 10-minute walk from Riyuewan Pier.
From Central Square, walk to the south end of Zhengyang Pedestrian Street, then 200 m east to Elephant Trunk Hill. Lakeside paths link Rong Lake and Shan Lake, so they're easy to explore on foot.
Guilin South station to the Elephant Hill visitor center is about 2.5 km, around 10 minutes by car. Showing your destination in Chinese helps.
Good for: First visit, lakeside walks, night cruises
The heart of the city: Elephant Trunk Hill where the Li and Taohua rivers meet, Shan Lake with the Sun and Moon Pagodas, and Rong Lake with the Old South Gate. The night cruise piers (Riyuewan and Yuren) are nearby.
Good for: City views, cliff inscriptions, Song-dynasty walls
Along the Li River: Diecai Hill with the city's highest peak, Fubo Hill half-submerged in the river, and Mulong Lake with a Song-dynasty gate and wall remains.
Good for: Caves, old stone bridge, stele forest
A large scenic area on the east bank of the Li River, 1.5 km from the city center, home to Seven Star Cave, Flower Bridge (Huaqiao), the Guihai Forest of Steles and Camel Hill.
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Standing where the Taohua River meets the Li River, it was named Guilin's city emblem in 1995. Water-Moon Cave holds 22 Tang and Song inscriptions totaling 3,065 characters, and Puxian Pagoda and Yunfeng Temple are also here. Free since January 31, 2022, but a real-name booking is required (one ticket per ID). Enter by Gate 1 or 3 and leave by Gate 2. Check official info for opening hours.
The city-center waterway linking the Li and Taohua rivers with Rong, Shan, Gui and Mulong lakes. The signature night cruise takes about 80-90 minutes past illuminated Elephant Trunk, Fubo and Diecai hills: adults CNY 210, children 1.2-1.49 m CNY 105. The daytime Four Lakes cruise takes about 60 minutes, adults CNY 80.
Two lakes that began as the Tang and Song city's southern moat, both free to visit. In Shan Lake stand the Sun and Moon Pagodas, rebuilt in 2001 on a Tang pagoda site; the Sun Pagoda is made entirely of copper and the two are linked by an underwater passage. Rong Lake has the Old South Gate, built in 621 by the Tang general Li Jing, and the spot where Song poet Huang Tingjian moored his boat.
A hill of layered, many-colored rock; Mingyue Peak, one of its four peaks, is the highest point in the city at 73 m relative height. The Wind Cave halfway up holds 178 inscriptions and 98 Buddhist statues in 24 niches, and the summit gives a 360-degree view of Guilin. Check official info for fees and hours.
Half on land and half in the river, it is called the 'guardian of the Li River'. It keeps 112 cliff inscriptions; the most prized are the self-portrait and signature of Song painter-calligrapher Mi Fu in Returned Pearl Cave. A great iron bell and a 'thousand-person pot' are also on show. Check official info for fees and hours.
The only man-made lake of the four, dug where Song-dynasty barracks of Jingjiang Prefecture once stood. Dongzhen Gate and Song city wall remains make it a rare intact Song fortification in Guilin, alongside a Song-style street and Mulong Pagoda. The core area is ticketed: adults (1.5 m and over) CNY 55, children 1.2 m and under free.
A 137.4-hectare scenic area named for seven peaks arranged like the Big Dipper, among China's first national 4A scenic areas. Highlights are Seven Star Cave, the 'first cave under heaven' favored by Xu Xiake, Flower Bridge (Guilin's oldest multi-arch stone bridge), the Guihai Forest of Steles and Camel Hill. Entry CNY 55; combo ticket with Seven Star Cave CNY 100. Check official info for opening hours.
Guilin rice noodle-making was added to China's national intangible cultural heritage list in 2021. While other parts of Guangxi mainly use dried noodles, northern Guangxi, where Guilin is, uses freshly pressed rice noodles that are smooth and tender. Styles include lucai (braised), sour soup, sanxian and dry-fried.
Guilin rice noodles in the lucai (braised) style, topped with melt-in-the-mouth 'guoshao'. Local rice-noodle lore names it as a favorite of famous figures.
A horse-meat version of Guilin rice noodles that features often in local rice-noodle lore, including a comic tale of a couple who ate thirty-six bowls in one sitting.
The Yao people's oil-tea custom in Guangxi was added to the national intangible cultural heritage list in 2021. Try it as part of the region's traditional food culture.
Amounts are rough figures in local currency. Check exchange rates before you go.
Elephant Trunk Hill (booked ahead) in the morning, a walk around Rong and Shan lakes and the Sun and Moon Pagodas, Guilin rice noodles for lunch, Seven Star Scenic Area (cave and Flower Bridge) in the afternoon, then the Two Rivers and Four Lakes night cruise.
Fubo Hill in the morning, climb Diecai Hill for the city view, see the Song-dynasty walls at Mulong Lake, then the daytime Four Lakes cruise (about 60 minutes) from Riyuewan Pier in the afternoon.
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