A relaxed road trip: Guilin city, the Li River, Yangshuo countryside, Longji terraces, and Xingping.
Bottom line: Seven days suits travelers who want a relaxed pace: it adds an overnight at Longji Rice Terraces (sunrise on the fields) and a deeper Yangshuo day to the 5-day core. Budget about $700-1100 per person mid-range, self-drive or with transfers.
This is a road-trip rhythm: unpack less, wake early for light and low crowds, and let the karst landscape set the pace. Distances are short (Guilin-Yangshuo 65 km, Guilin-Longji 95 km), so most driving days are under 2.5 hours. It suits travelers who dislike packing and unpacking, slow explorers who want a second Yangshuo day and a Longji sunrise, and self-drivers who hold a Chinese license. If seven days feels long, the 5-day version keeps the core loop.
| Day | Plan | Transport | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Elephant Trunk Hill + Two Rivers Four Lakes night | DiDi | ¥55 + ¥185 |
| 2 | Reed Flute Cave or Daxu ancient town day trip | Car / bus | ¥90 or free |
Use day 2 for a nearby excursion. Daxu is a quiet riverside old town 23 km south; Reed Flute Cave is a lit limestone cave close to the city. Both are easy and light on walking.
| Time | Activity | Transport | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| 09:30 | Li River cruise to Yangshuo | Cruise | ¥300-500 |
| 15:00 | West Street + riverside walk | Walk | Free |
Cruise south, then settle into Yangshuo for two nights so day 4 can be a full countryside day.
| Time | Activity | Transport | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| 08:00 | Yulong River bamboo raft + e-bike loop | E-bike | ¥160-320 |
| 13:00 | Village lunch (Yulong or Jiuxian) | E-bike | ¥50-90 |
| 16:00 | Ten Mile Gallery / Moon Hill | E-bike | Free-¥30 |
A second Yangshuo day lets you go slower - raft in the morning, lose an afternoon in a riverside village, and catch the golden light on the peaks. The Yulong River guide has raft and route detail.
| Time | Activity | Transport | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| 08:00 | Yangshuo to Longji (95 km, 2.5 hrs) | Car | Fuel ~¥80 |
| 11:30 | Jinkeng or Ping'an terraces | Cable car / walk | ¥80 |
| 17:00 | Sunset viewpoint walk | On foot | Free |
| Overnight | Terrace guesthouse | Car | ¥200-500 |
Sleeping at Longji means you can catch sunrise from a viewpoint without a pre-dawn drive. September-October is gold; May-June is the mirror-flooded planting season. See the Longji guide.
| Time | Activity | Transport | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| 08:00 | Longji sunrise, then drive to Xingping | Car | Fuel ~¥60 |
| 13:00 | Xingping ancient town | Walk | Free |
| 16:00 | 20-yuan viewpoint (by e-bike or boat) | E-bike | Free-¥100 |
Xingping is the relaxed finale - an old town on the Li River with the most-photographed bend in the river. Our Xingping guide covers the viewpoint and boat trips.
Take a slow morning in Xingping, then transfer to Guilin Liangjiang Airport (about 1.5 hours) or Guilin train station. If your flight is late, add a final Yangshuo lunch stop on the way north.
April-May and September-October are ideal: mild weather and full rivers, with the terraces mirror-flooded in May-June or golden at harvest in September-October. July-August is hot and the domestic peak; December-February is cold and quiet. Avoid National Day (early October) and Spring Festival, when prices roughly double.
This 7-day route is built for a car: Guilin to Yangshuo (65 km), Yangshuo to Longji (95 km), and Longji to Xingping (about 2 hours). With a Chinese license, a rental gives you total freedom to stop at viewpoints and villages. Without one, use private transfers or shuttles and let a driver handle the Longji leg. See the self-drive guide for license and rental rules.
Guilin Liangjiang Airport (KWL) is 40-50 minutes from the city by DiDi or airport bus. High-speed trains from Guangzhou (2.5 hrs) and Shenzhen (3.5 hrs) are comfortable alternatives. Most travelers pick up a car at the airport or in the city.
Guilin rice noodles start most days; Yangshuo beer fish (pijiu yu) is the headline dinner; Longji's terrace villages serve simple bamboo-tube rice and local vegetables. Expect ¥15-30 for noodles and ¥60-120 for a sit-down meal. Side-street restaurants beat West Street for value.
Seven days removes the rush, but only if you protect the slack. A few habits keep it relaxing:
A relaxed 7-day trip lets you sleep in Longji and catch sunrise over the terraces instead of rushing it as a day trip — that single change is what makes the longer itinerary worth it.
| Item | Budget | Mid-range |
|---|---|---|
| Hotels (6 nights) | ¥600-1080 | ¥1500-2700 |
| Food (7 days) | ¥420-700 | ¥1000-1700 |
| Li River cruise | ¥300 | ¥500 |
| Longji entry + transfers | ¥230 | ¥500 |
| Car rental (if self-drive) | ¥1200-3900 | 7 days total |
| Total (no car) | ¥1550-2310 | ¥3180-5400 (– $450-770) |
Source & verification: Distances: Guilin-Yangshuo 65 km, Guilin-Longji 95 km (about 2.5 hrs). Prices are August 2026 estimates and vary by season and operator.
Not if you like a slow pace. Seven days lets you deeply enjoy Longji (with a night there) and Xingping without rushing, plus extra Yangshuo countryside time.
An overnight at Longji to catch sunrise on the terraces, a full Yangshuo deep-day (Yulong River plus a village), and a relaxed Xingping finale.
Yes, if you hold a Chinese license. The loop - Guilin, Yangshuo, Longji, Xingping - is exactly what a car makes easy. Without a license, use private transfers or shuttles.
Night 1 Guilin, night 2 Yangshuo, night 3 Yangshuo, night 4 Longji, night 5 Xingping, night 6 Yangshuo or Guilin, night 7 depart. Adjust to your flight.
Easily. Day 6 is flexible for places like Putao vineyards, the Lingqu Canal, or a quiet Yulong village. See our off-the-beaten-path guide.
About $700-1100 per person mid-range, mainly from two extra hotel nights and more food and transfers.
Three and five-day versions of this loop are ready when you are.
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