16 Best Things to Do and See in Guilin
Exploring Guilin on foot is one of the best ways to feel the city’s atmosphere, connect its landmark places and discover its neighbourhoods at a more natural pace.
In this guide, you will find the attractions not to miss when planning a walking route in Guilin, with simple reference points.
To go further, you can also enjoy a private guided tour in Guilin. It is a smoother way to connect places, understand details you might miss on your own and enjoy a more human, personal discovery adapted to your trip.
1. Yangshuo Park
Yangshuo Park is an urban park in Yangshuo, Guilin County, China, near Diecui Road. It is part of everyday city life while also being a recognized tourist attraction. Visitors discover a public space set in a landscape shaped by Guangxi karst peaks and the activity of a busy county center. The park reflects Yangshuo’s characteristic mix of natural scenery, urban movement and local life.
2. Guilin Rongshanhu Scenic Area
The picturesque Guilin Rongshanhu Scenic Area offers a peaceful walk in the heart of Guilin, around Rong Lake and its landscaped shores. Visitors can enjoy a classic southern China urban landscape, with calm waters, bridges, gardens, and pleasant viewpoints for relaxing or strolling. The area is appreciated for its tranquil atmosphere, green spaces, and views over the city, making it an ideal stop for a nature break during a visit to Guilin.
3. Elephant Trunk Hill
Elephant Trunk Hill in Guilin is one of the city's most iconic sights, famous for its rock formation that looks like an elephant drinking from the river. This natural landmark draws visitors for its river views, walking paths and peaceful setting in a classic karst landscape of southern China. It also features caves, erosion-shaped rock formations and especially photogenic panoramas at sunrise and sunset.
4. Reed Flute Cave
Reed Flute Cave in Guilin is a spectacular cave known for its vast underground chambers and astonishing limestone formations. As you explore its galleries, you’ll see stalactites, stalagmites, and natural columns brought to life by colorful lighting that enhances every detail and creates an almost magical atmosphere. The site also features water-sculpted walls and mineral landscapes with evocative names, making the visit a striking journey into a unique underground world.
5. Jingjiang Princes’ Palace
The Jingjiang Princes’ Palace in Guilin is a vast historic complex set in the heart of a remarkable landscaped site, now popular as a tourist attraction. Visitors can discover ramparts, monumental gates, inner courtyards and pavilions that evoke the traditional architecture of southern China. The site also offers beautiful views of Guilin’s karst landscape and pleasant walking areas. With its heritage, gardens and peaceful atmosphere, it is an interesting visit for understanding the city’s cultural identity while enjoying a very typical natural setting.
6. Riyue Shuangta Cultural Park
Located in Guilin, Riyue Shuangta Cultural Park is a pleasant park to explore and discover one of the city’s most iconic sights. Visitors can admire the famous Sun and Moon Pagodas, reflected on the lake and especially photogenic at sunset. The site offers peaceful paths, water views, and an atmosphere ideal for walking, relaxing, and taking photos. It is a popular stop for enjoying a setting that blends nature, traditional architecture, and cultural charm.
7. Guilin Central Square
Guilin Central Square is a large public square in the heart of Guilin, China, where visitors come to stroll and watch local life. Surrounded by urban buildings, it offers an open space for meeting up, taking a quiet break, and walking through the city center. At different times of day, you may see residents, visitors, and neighborhood activity. It is a great starting point for exploring the atmosphere of Guilin and reaching nearby sights easily.
8. Guilin Two Rivers and Four Lakes Glass Bridge
The Guilin Two Rivers and Four Lakes Glass Bridge offers a spectacular experience in the heart of one of the city’s most beautiful urban landscapes. Suspended above the water, it provides close views of the canals, peaceful lakes, and Guilin’s iconic karst scenery. Walking across this attraction, visitors enjoy open views of landscaped riverbanks, city lights, and the highly photogenic atmosphere of the site. It is a favorite stop for seeing the natural and urban setting from a unique angle.
9. Biliandong Scenic Area
Biliandong Scenic Area is a Guilin site where the karst landscape is especially clear, with limestone rocks, striking natural shapes, and a park-like atmosphere shaped by the local terrain. Located in Yangshuo, it sits in an environment where relief, vegetation, and mineral formations create the iconic scenery of Guangxi. The area stands out above all for its rocky silhouette and the way it highlights the region’s geology.
10. Gunanmen
Gunanmen is a historic gate in Guilin, set on the city’s old fortifications in a pleasant area to explore on foot. This site lets visitors discover an architectural remnant linked to Guilin’s defensive past, with its walls, openings, and traditional atmosphere. From the surroundings, you can also enjoy lovely views of the city and the typical urban landscape of Guangxi. It is a worthwhile stop for travelers who want to combine a walk, local heritage, and a visit to the old center.
11. Seven Star Park
Seven Star Park in Guilin is one of the city's largest urban parks, known for its karst scenery and shaded walking paths. Visitors can explore dramatic hills, caves, bridges, streams and wide green spaces perfect for a leisurely stroll. The park also features viewpoints, a zoo and relaxing areas, making it a pleasant escape to enjoy the local nature without leaving the city. It is an ideal spot for a peaceful walk among rocky landscapes and lush vegetation.
12. Crown Cave Scenic Spot
Crown Cave Scenic Spot offers a karst landscape centered on a natural cave in the Guilin area of Guangxi. The site is appealing for the balance between the underground space and the surrounding limestone hills. Visitors can observe an environment shaped by erosion, typical of this part of China, where the terrain forms steep and fragmented shapes. The visit is interesting both for the visible geology and the natural atmosphere of the site, set within the wider Yanshan District landscape.
13. Guihai Tablets Forest
Guihai Tablets Forest in Guilin is a site dedicated to stone tablets, steles, and engraved inscriptions. Discover Chinese epigraphy, calligraphy, and the historic value of stone as a medium of memory. In Qixing District, it adds a more intimate cultural layer to Guilin’s heritage.
14. Xiangshan Scenic Area
Xiangshan Scenic Area is one of Guilin’s best-known sites, famous for the distinctive shape of its limestone relief and its elephant-like silhouette, now a symbol of the local landscape. The area combines karst hills, vegetation, and open views over the city and the river, in a setting where nature remains very present despite its urban location. It offers a typical Guangxi landscape that is both geological and scenic, capturing much of Guilin’s visual identity.
15. Solitary Beauty Peak Prince City Scenic Area
Solitary Beauty Peak Prince City Scenic Area combines one of Guilin’s best-known landscapes with the legacy of an old princely city. Visitors discover an isolated limestone peak that defines the local skyline, along with remains linked to the former Jingjiang Prince City. The site offers an interesting look at the relationship between karst scenery, historical memory and urban development. Along its paths, viewpoints and traces of the past, it gives a glimpse of the heritage that makes Guilin unique.
16. Lijiang River Scenic Area
Lijiang River Scenic Area offers one of southern China’s most iconic landscapes from Guilin. The Li River winds past karst hills, green banks and ever-changing views.
Antony M
During my travels, I looked for guides who spoke my language. This search turned out to be long and tedious. That is why I created MYTOGU (My Tourist Guide): a matching site between tourists and professional tourist guides.
