阳朔
Yangshuo
Yangshuo is the countryside south of Guilin where the karst peaks stand in rice fields and every road is worth cycling. The town is noisy; the villages along the Yulong River, ten minutes away, are the slowest days in China.
At a glance
- Stay
- 3–4 days
- Best seasons
- Apr–May, Sep–Nov
- Airports
- Rail or road access
- Region
- South China
China Unhurried editorial team · Owner-authored
Places to begin
Make the city tangible.
印象·刘三姐
Impression Sanjie Liu
Zhang Yimou's light show on the river with peaks as the backdrop and 600 performers on the water.
月亮山
Moon Hill
A peak with a crescent hole through it, and 800 steps to stand in the arch.
攀岩
Rock climbing
Hundreds of bolted limestone routes and a friendly scene. Beginners welcome.
西街
West Street
The old backpacker street, now a bar strip. Have one drink and go home to the village.
兴坪·二十元人民币背景
Xingping and the twenty-yuan view
The bend of the Li River on the banknote, a short walk from an old fishing town.
遇龙河漂流
Yulong River rafting
A bamboo raft punted by hand down the quiet river, past bridges and buffalo.
遇龙河
Yulong River Scenic Corridor
The Yulong is a quieter tributary landscape of limestone towers, rice fields, bamboo, villages and historic stone bridges. Its long corridor can be experienced by walking, cycling or licensed non-motorised raft sections, but these are different routes rather than interchangeable tickets. The value lies in the relationship between cultivated valley land, water and karst, not only in a single bridge reflection.
兴坪古镇
Xingping Ancient Town
Xingping is a long-established Li River settlement where lanes, market life and ferry history occupy a narrow strip between karst peaks and water. Its popularity comes partly from nearby views associated with the 20-yuan banknote, yet the town is more useful as a base for understanding river transport and village geography. Commercial storefronts and resident spaces coexist, so not every alley is a visitor attraction.
漓江兴坪段
Li River at Xingping
The Xingping reach of the Li River passes through the Guilin karst landscape, where forested tower and cone formations rise directly from an alluvial valley. Boats, villages and cultivated plots give scale to landforms produced by long limestone dissolution and river erosion. The celebrated compositions are real landscapes rather than fixed photo stages, and their appearance changes substantially with water, light, mist and season.
相公山
Xianggong Mountain Viewpoint
Xianggong Mountain is a steep karst viewpoint above a broad bend of the Li River, revealing how river channels, alluvial flats and clustered limestone peaks interlock. The view depends on weather rather than a guaranteed sunrise: cloud can erase distant layers, while mist can also expose the depth of the terrain. It is a short climb with high visual reward but limited space at the top.
十里画廊
Ten-Mile Gallery
Ten-Mile Gallery is a tourism corridor rather than one enclosed park, running through farms and villages beneath named karst peaks. Cycling can reveal changing relationships between road, field and limestone, while individual caves and attractions operate independently. Understanding the corridor this way prevents the common mistake of buying every roadside ticket or expecting a single entrance to contain the whole landscape.
Local snacks
Taste the city, one dish at a time.
These cards describe dishes, not restaurants. Images are added only after their license and attribution are verified.
Savoury, tangy, aromatic and optionally spicy
Yangshuo Beer Fish
阳朔啤酒鱼
Freshwater fish is pan-fried and braised with beer, tomato, peppers, garlic and aromatics, producing a shared dish closely associated with Yangshuo's tourism-era food identity.
Confirm fish species, live weight or fixed price before ordering and watch for bones. Cooking alcohol may remain in small amounts; portions are designed for sharing.
Herbal, savoury, chewy and juicy
Stuffed River Snails
田螺酿
Chopped snail meat is mixed with minced pork and herbs, packed back into cleaned shells and braised in a fragrant sauce.
Eat only thoroughly cooked snails from a reputable kitchen. It contains shellfish-like mollusc and pork; use a pick carefully and do not swallow shell fragments.
Rich, earthy, savoury and softly sweet
Lipu Taro with Pork Belly
荔浦芋扣肉
Alternating slices of pork belly and dense local taro are steamed until the taro absorbs the fermented-bean and meat juices and both become tender.
A rich shared dish rather than a light snack. It contains pork and fermented soy; taro should always be fully cooked.
Floral, soft and gently sweet
Osmanthus Rice Cake
桂花糕
Rice or glutinous-rice flour is steamed into a soft cake scented with osmanthus, sometimes layered with bean paste or sweet syrup.
Check whether wheat flour, nuts or bean paste are added. Fresh versions dry quickly, so buy a small portion and eat the same day.
City essentials
The practical details, when you need them.
Places and local food come first. Open these notes for context, arrival and neighbourhood advice.
Overview+
HUNANHAINANGUIZHOUHONG KONGMACAUYangshuo
The peaks here are the ones on the twenty-yuan note and the ones in every ink painting, and they are close enough to touch. Rent a bike or an electric scooter and ride: to Moon Hill, along the Yulong River, through villages of mud-brick and stone where water buffalo block the road.
Yangshuo town has West Street, a bar strip that has been backpacker central since the 1980s, and a lot of tour buses. The point is to sleep outside it. Guesthouses in Jiuxian, Chaolong and the Yulong valley have peaks outside the window and nothing to do after dark.
It is also the rock-climbing capital of the country, with hundreds of bolted routes and schools for beginners. Summer is hot and green; winter is grey and quiet; spring and autumn are best.
Getting there+
**Yangshuo** station is in Xingping, 40 minutes north-east of town by bus; trains from Guilin take 25 minutes and from Guangzhou about two and a half hours. Buses from Guilin's stations to Yangshuo take about 90 minutes. Most people fly to **Guilin (KWL)** , an hour and a half away by shuttle or car.
**Rail tip.** Your passport is your ticket. Book on 12306 or [Trip.com](/go/trip?to=trains&from=city-rail), then go straight to the gate. See [Getting around](/guides/getting-around). The Trip.com link earns us a small commission at no cost to you ([how that works](/about#affiliate)).
**Stay online.** Google, WhatsApp and Instagram are blocked on Chinese networks; a travel eSIM that roams gets around it. Install one before you fly — [Saily](/go/saily?from=city-esim) takes US$5 off a first plan with the code **CHINA**. See [Staying online](/guides/staying-online). The code earns us the same amount in Saily credits, at no cost to you ([how that works](/about#affiliate)).
Where to stay+
Yulong River villages
遇龙河
Guesthouses among the peaks along the river. Cycle everywhere. The reason to come.
Jiuxian, Chaolong, Jima and the guesthouses along the river road. Ten to twenty minutes from town by scooter or a rented bike; ask your guesthouse to fetch you from the bus.
first visitscenerycyclingquiet
Xingping
兴坪
An old river town on the finest stretch of the Li, with the train station close by.
Small guesthouses in the old street. Quiet after the last raft; a good first or last night since the station is here.
river viewsraftingtransit
Yangshuo town
阳朔县城
West Street, bars, buses. Convenient and loud.
Hotels of every kind. Stay north of West Street if you want to sleep.
nightlifeconvenience
**Booking.** Compare hotels in Yangshuo on [Trip.com](/go/trip?to=hotels&city=yangshuo&from=city-stay), filtered to its China travel essentials list: English-speaking staff, foreign cards, guest rating 8 or higher. See [Where to stay](/guides/where-to-stay). Booking through this link earns us a small commission at no cost to you ([how that works](/about#affiliate)).