Where to Stay in Guilin — Best Areas & Hotels
Curated by Our Guild Explorers · Updated September 2026
A Guilin trip has two homes: Guilin city, with its lakes, pagodas and Elephant Trunk Hill, and the karst-fringed village of Yangshuo downriver, all rice fields, bamboo rafts and sugarloaf peaks. Many travellers split their nights between the two. We’ve grouped the region’s most enduring, well-run hotels by style and character, each with an honest note and a Book Me link that opens that exact property on Trip.com so you can just choose your dates.
Luxury
Guilin city’s finest hotels sit by the lakes and the Li River, pairing five-star comfort with karst views. One thing to know before you book on location: the Li River cruise does not leave from the city — the Zhujiang and Mopanshan docks are a forty to fifty minute drive out, and every hotel here will arrange the transfer. Book here when you want polish and a landmark setting in the heart of town.
Shangri-La Guilin
A gracious riverside hotel on the banks of the Li in Guilin city, with lush gardens, large rooms, an outdoor pool and a fine spa, plus river-view rooms that make the most of the setting. Service is polished, and the desk will book the coach out to the cruise dock for you. The definitive luxury base in Guilin city for travellers who want comfort and a riverfront address.
Book Me on Trip.com ›Sheraton Guilin Hotel
A comfortable, well-run international hotel on the riverfront in the heart of Guilin, within walking distance of the famous Elephant Trunk Hill and the central lakes and night market. Rooms are spacious, with an outdoor pool and reliable service. A dependable, central choice for travellers who want a walkable base and a river view in the city.
Book Me on Trip.com ›Boutique
The region’s boutique hotels are mostly out in the Yangshuo countryside, where design-led retreats frame the karst peaks and rice fields from your window. Ideal for travellers who want scenery, character and calm over a city tower.
Yangshuo Mountain Retreat
A long-loved riverside retreat on the quiet Yulong River outside Yangshuo, framed by karst peaks and rice paddies, with simple, tasteful rooms, a lovely terrace restaurant and a genuinely peaceful setting. It’s a favourite for cycling, walking and just soaking up the scenery. Best for travellers who want the countryside idyll rather than the town’s bar street.
Book Me on Trip.com ›voco Guilin Yangshuo
A stylish, contemporary resort from the IHG voco brand set among the karst scenery near Yangshuo, with bright design-led rooms, a good pool and river and mountain views. It brings polished international comfort to the countryside without losing the setting. Ideal for travellers who want modern design and dependable service amid the peaks.
Book Me on Trip.com ›Budget & Value
Guilin is very affordable: a comfortable central room by the lakes or a reliable chain near the station costs little, leaving more for the Li River cruise and the rice terraces. Trade frills for a handy location and honest comfort.
Guilin Bravo Hotel
A long-established, comfortable hotel by the central Banyan and Fir lakes, within a short walk of the night market and Elephant Trunk Hill, offering roomy accommodation and reliable service at a fair price. It’s a practical, central base with the city’s best evening strolls on the doorstep. A solid value pick for first-timers who want to be in the middle of town.
Book Me on Trip.com ›GreenTree Inn Guilin Lingui Jinshan Square
A dependable budget option from the nationwide GreenTree chain, with tidy, simple rooms, comfortable beds and a price to match. Be clear about the location before you book: this branch is at Jinshan Square in Lingui, a satellite district roughly fifteen to twenty kilometres south-west of the centre, out towards the airport — not in Guilin city itself. That suits an early flight or a driving trip and does not suit a walking one. GreenTree runs several Guilin branches, so check the address on the booking page rather than the chain name.
Book Me on Trip.com ›Family-Friendly
With children along, space, pools and central locations matter most. These larger hotels pair roomy accommodation and pools with easy access to Elephant Trunk Hill, the city’s lakeside parks and the morning coach out to the Li River cruise.
Lijiang Waterfall Hotel Guilin
A large landmark hotel by the central lakes, famous for the man-made waterfall that cascades down its facade each evening — a hit with children — plus spacious family rooms and a big pool. The central position makes the night market and the lakes an easy walk, and the cruise coaches leave from the door. A fun, roomy family base right in the heart of Guilin city.
Book Me on Trip.com ›Guilin Osmanthus Hotel
A large, comfortable riverside hotel on the Peach Blossom River in central Guilin, a little west of the Li, with roomy family accommodation, dependable service and good value for its size and location. There’s space to spread out, and the city sights are close at hand. A practical, well-priced family choice for travellers who want room and a central spot. One honest note: the button below opens the Guilin list rather than this hotel’s own page — search it there by name, or book direct.
Browse Guilin hotels on Trip.com ›Adults-Only & Romantic Retreats
The Yangshuo countryside is made for a romantic escape, and two design resorts stand out for couples — long on scenery, spa time and calm. Not formally child-free, but adult and serene in mood; confirm any specifics when you book.
Alila Yangshuo
A stunning design resort built around a converted 1960s sugar mill on the Li River, all raw concrete, art and a dramatic pool framed by karst peaks, with a serene spa and superb food. It is one of China’s most celebrated architectural hotels. The ultimate romantic splurge for couples who want striking design and jaw-dropping scenery. One honest note: our booking partner does not carry this hotel as a bookable property, so the button below opens the Yangshuo list rather than the Alila — book it direct.
Browse Yangshuo hotels on Trip.com ›Banyan Tree Yangshuo
An elegant resort of Lingnan-style villas and rooms strung along the Li River amid the karst peaks, with a beautiful spa, riverside dining and deep tranquillity. Many rooms open straight onto the water and the mountains beyond. A romantic, restful hideaway for couples who want space, spa time and the region’s finest scenery from their terrace.
Book Me on Trip.com ›Pet-Friendly Stays
Pet-friendly hotels are less consistently signposted in Guilin and Yangshuo than in the big cities, so rather than name a single property we’d steer you to search live listings and filter for pet-friendly, then confirm the policy directly.
A number of Guilin and Yangshuo hotels do accept pets, but policies vary widely and change often. Use the live Trip.com search below to see current pet-friendly options with real-time availability, and always confirm the pet policy, size limits and any cleaning fee directly on the booking page before you travel with an animal.
Browse pet-friendly hotels in Guilin ›Don’t see your perfect fit?
Browse every Guilin and Yangshuo hotel with live prices and availability on Trip.com. Booking through our links supports Destinations Guild at no extra cost to you.
Guilin & Yangshuo Hotel FAQ
The questions travellers ask most before booking a room in Guilin or Yangshuo.
Should I stay in Guilin or Yangshuo?
Most travellers do both, and the usual shape is one night in Guilin and two or more in Yangshuo. Guilin city is the transport hub, with the lakes, the pagodas and Elephant Trunk Hill. Yangshuo is where the scenery lives. Within Yangshuo, West Street is the lively centre, the Yulong River countryside ten to twenty minutes out is the calmer and prettier choice for families and anyone who came for the view, and Xingping, further along the river, suits walkers and photographers.
How do I get in from Guilin airport?
The airport is about 30 km from the city. The airport shuttle bus runs into Guilin for around 20 yuan and takes somewhere between forty minutes and an hour, and a taxi is roughly 100 yuan. If you are heading straight for the karst country, there is a direct airport bus to Yangshuo for about 50 yuan, which takes an hour and a half to two hours. From Guilin city itself, buses to Yangshuo leave every fifteen or twenty minutes from early morning until about nine at night, cost around 25 yuan and take an hour to an hour and a half.
What should I know about the Li River cruise before I book?
Four things, and they change the shape of your trip. It runs one way only, downstream from Guilin to Yangshuo, so it is a way of moving between the two rather than a day trip — plan to sleep in Yangshuo that night. It sails in the morning only, and takes four to five hours. The piers are different for different classes of boat and several kilometres apart, so confirm which one your ticket means; going to the wrong pier misses the only sailing of the day. And booking is in your own name: bring the physical passport you booked with, because a photograph of it is not accepted at the boarding check. In the low-water months of January to March the lower stretch is often done by bamboo raft with a bus transfer instead.
Is there a metro, and how do I get about?
There is no metro in Guilin — it is buses, taxis and ride-hailing. DiDi works across the city and out to Yangshuo, and is worth installing before you arrive; taxis are metered, and after the buses stop around ten at night they are the only option, so insist on the meter. In Yangshuo the town itself is walkable and the countryside is usually explored by electric bike, hired by the day.
Is the Yangshuo high-speed station in Yangshuo?
No — and this one costs people an hour they had not budgeted for. The station called Yangshuo sits out near Xingping, not in the town. From the platform into Yangshuo proper is about an hour by bus for roughly 20 yuan, or around fifty minutes and 100 yuan in a taxi. Build that into your arrival plans, and do not book a tight connection on the strength of the station's name.