Li River Cruise 2026: Getting to Guilin and Around by Air, Rail and Boat

Short answer: fly into Guilin Liangjiang (KWL), take the CNY 20 airport shuttle or a CNY 100-130 taxi the 30 km into town, then cruise at 09:00-11:00 from Mopanshan Wharf for CNY 215 on a 3-star boat, about 4.5 hours to Yangshuo, plus a CNY 30-50 wharf shuttle. Guangzhou South to Guilin North by rail takes about 2.5 hours.

Air first. Guilin Liangjiang International Airport (KWL) sits about 30 km southwest of downtown with one terminal and one arrival road. The shuttle bus to the Minhang Building in the city center costs CNY 20 and takes about 50 minutes, every 30 minutes from first to last flight; a second line serves Guilin North Railway Station for the same fare. A metered taxi or DiDi into the center runs CNY 100-130 in 40-50 minutes, or CNY 110-140 to Guilin North. KWL is also a designated port under China's 240-hour (10-day) visa-free transit, in force since December 17, 2024, for eligible passports with a confirmed onward ticket to a third country; US passports otherwise need an L visa at about US$185, issued in roughly four business days.

Rail is how most people arrive, and Guilin runs three easily confused stations. Guilin Station sits downtown, a 10-minute walk from the Li River promenade and the two-lakes park. Guilin North Railway Station is the high-speed hub, about 7 km north of the center, or CNY 25-35 by taxi. Guilin West Railway Station handles through trains and sits farthest out, about 10 km northwest. From Guangzhou South the fastest trains take about 2 hours 30 minutes to Guilin North, second class from roughly CNY 190; from Changsha South, 2 hours 50 minutes to 3 hours 30 minutes, from about CNY 180; from Nanning East, about 2 hours 20 minutes and CNY 130; and from Hong Kong West Kowloon, around 3 hours 30 minutes. Tickets open on 12306 about 15 days ahead, and your passport is your ticket at the gate.

The Li River cruise itself leaves from two wharves outside the city: Mopanshan Wharf for the 3-star boats and Zhujiang Wharf for the 4-star fleet, both about 30 km and 45-50 minutes by road from downtown Guilin. Boats depart between 09:00 and 11:00 only, cover the 83 km to Yangshuo in about 4.5 hours, and cost CNY 215-245 for a 3-star seat or CNY 270-450 for a 4-star deck. No public bus reaches either wharf, so most travelers add a wharf shuttle at CNY 30-50 per person, booked with the ticket and usually leaving from a downtown pickup point around 07:30-08:00. Bring your passport: the passenger manifest is built from it. The cruise ends at Yangshuo's Longtoushan Wharf, a 10-15 minute walk from West Street.

If you would rather cover the same ground by land, the high-speed train from Guilin Station or Guilin North to Yangshuo Station takes 25-30 minutes for CNY 25-30. Note the catch: Yangshuo Station sits in Xingping township, about 25 km from Yangshuo town, with a CNY 20 shuttle adding roughly 40 minutes. Long-distance buses from Guilin's Qintan Bus Station run to Yangshuo town every 15-20 minutes and take 1 hour 30 minutes for CNY 28-35, the cheapest door-to-door option. A taxi or DiDi for the whole run costs CNY 250-350 in about 1 hour 30 minutes. Plenty of travelers take the cruise downstream one morning and the train or bus back that evening.

Guilin has no metro, so getting around locally means buses, ride-hailing and your feet. City buses cost CNY 1-2 and run roughly 06:30-22:30; DiDi and taxis cover most downtown hops for CNY 10-20, with a flag fall of about CNY 9, and shared e-bikes are the fastest way to cover the last kilometer. The center is genuinely walkable: the Binjiang Road promenade, Elephant Trunk Hill's riverside viewpoint and the Shanhu and Ronghu lakes sit within about 30 minutes of each other on foot. For a water version of the same loop, the Two Rivers and Four Lakes night cruise runs about CNY 185-235 and 1.5 hours.

For walkers, Guilin is a trailhead rather than just a transfer point. Buses from Qintan Bus Station climb to the Longji Rice Terraces in Longsheng in about 2 hours for CNY 30-50, and the terraced-valley entry pass is about CNY 80, with a stone-path walk of roughly 3 hours linking Ping'an village to the Dazhai terraces. Closer in, the flat riverbank path from Xingping to the viewpoint printed on the CNY 20 note takes about 15 minutes and costs nothing, and the stairway up Xianggong Hill is a 15-20 minute climb. Our Li River photography spots guide maps those viewpoints by hour, including the pre-dawn mist window.

Budget the whole chain rather than one leg: about CNY 100-140 from the airport, CNY 2-3 of local buses or CNY 15 of DiDi per day, CNY 215-450 for the boat and CNY 30-50 for the wharf shuttle. Book in shoulder season: April to June brings about 1,900 mm of rain a year to Guilin, and the river turns brown after heavy storms, while October to December is the clear-water window. Next step: fix your date, then reserve the 09:00-11:00 Mopanshan 3-star Li River cruise with the wharf shuttle added, and open the Li River photography spots guide to choose which bank you sleep on.