Guilin Transportation

Guilin, is a prefecture-level city in the northeast of China’s Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. It is situated on the west bank of the Li River and connected to Hunan and Guizhou in the north, Liuzhou in the southwest, and Hezhou in the east. Guilin is considered to be the pearl of China’s thriving tourist industry on account of the natural beauty and historic treasures. The city has long been renowned for its scenery of karst topography and is one of China’s most popular tourist destinations. It is very convenient to get to Guilin or get around Guilin. Here, China Tours will introduce the main transportation method for people who plan to travel to Guilin.

How to Get to Guilin

By Air

Guilin Liangjiang International Airport (KWL) is about 28 kilometers (about 17.4 miles) from the downtown of Guilin and has opened more than 60 domestic and international routes. It has access to more than 30 large and medium-sized cities in China and Hong Kong and Macau Special Administrative Regions. For the international routes, it can have access to Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, etc. In particular, there are flights to and from  major cities in China, such as Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Guiyang, Kunming, Qingdao, Hangzhou, Nanjing, Nanning, Zhengzhou, Jinan, Changsha, Fuzhou, Chengdu, Lanzhou, Sanya, etc. As long as there is a flight to Guilin, there will be an airport bus to the downtown. There are airport buses in Minhang Building every 30 minutes. Of course, taking taxi is also a good choice to the airport, which is not expensive.

By Train

There are four railway stations in Guilin, namely, Guilin Railway Station, Guilin North Railway Station, Guilin West Railway Station, Yangshuo Railway Station. The main railway passing through Guilin is the Xianggui Railway. The Xianggui Railway runs through Guilin from the northeast to the southwest. It passes through Quanzhou, Xing'an, Lingchuan, Guilin, Yongfu and other places. It is the main artery of traffic in Guilin. The now-built Guiguang G-series high-speed train connects Guilin with the Pearl River Delta and greatly drives the economic development of Guilin. There are also a number of railways under planning, and Guilin will become an integrated transportation hub.

Please Note: It's not easy to buy sleeper tickets at the Guilin sales office, as the city is a mid-route stop rather than a terminus. Therefore, it's better to buy tickets departing from the city in advance.

By Long-distance Bus

The long-distance buse is the primary choice for the people from the surrounding cities in Guangxi and other places, such as Guangdong, Hunan, Guizhou, Yunnan. There are four long-distance bus stations, namely, General Bus Station, Chengnan Bus Station, Guilin Xiangqin Passenger Station and Guilin North Passenger Station. Bus service from Nanning, Kunming, Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Zhuhai, as well as further outlying cities, all run to Guilin.

By Water

The water transport in Guilin is mainly through the Xiangjiang River and Li River. It can go to the Pearl River along Li River through Wuzhou, or directly to the coastal ports, such as Hong Kong, Guangzhou, and Macau. There are two main docks for passenger transport service in the city. One is Mopanshan Passenger Transport Dock which is near Mopanshan Mountain, 28 kilometers (about 17 miles) from downtown area. The other dock is Zhujiang Dock which is 32 kilometers (about 20 miles) southeast of the city center and two-kilometers (about 1.2 miles) by waterway from Mopanshan Dock. 

How to Get Around Guilin

By Bus

When you want to get around Guilin, buses are your primary choice. Most of the buses in the city start around 6:00 am and end at 10:30 pm. It is very convenient to take a bus to get around the downtown of Guilin.

By Subway

Guilin Rail Transit is an urban rail transit system serving Guilin City, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. Its first line is scheduled to open for trial operation in 2022, making Guilin become the third city in Guangxi to open rail transit.

By Self-driving

Attractions of Guilin are mainly concentrated in the urban area of ​​Guilin and surrounding counties, and there is a certain distance between each attraction, so self-driving is the best choice for visiting Guilin scenery. 

By Taxi

Taxi travel has greatly facilitated our daily life. The image of a taxi also represents the external image of a city. For tourists, it is very convenient to take a taxi to get around Guilin City.

By Sharing Bike

It is the best choice to ride a bike around the city to appreciate the scenery. There are many dockless bikes on the streets of Guilin. To download bike sharing apps and finish the ID verification procedure, you can use these bikes. Usually CNY 0.5 - 1 for every 30 minutes.