Getting There

By Air
Guilin Liangjiang International Airport (KWL) is 26 km (16.2 miles) to the west from the city center. Over 50 airlines connect Guilin with domestic cities as well as foreign counties such as Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, etc. In particular, airlines schedule several flights daily to and from major cities like Beijing, Chongqing, Guangzhou, Guiyang, Haikou, Hangzhou, Hong Kong, Kunming, Macau, Nanjing, Nanning, Qingdao, Sanya, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Taiyuan, Wuhan, Xian, Zhengzhou, Dalian, Shantou, Chengdu, Lanzhou, Tianjin, Jinan, Wenzhou, Changsha, Fuzhou, and Zhuhai.
The airport shuttle bus runs between the airport and the Aviation Building located at No.18 Shanghai Road at a cost of CNY 20. The airport shuttle bus leaves for the center following flight arrivals. It leaves for the airport every 30 minutes from 6:30 to 20:00. It costs about CNY 80 for taxi.

By Train
Guilin Railway Station (South Station) is to the south of the city center but is more conveniently situated than the North Station. The two stations have some thirty trains each arriving and leaving daily, as the city is the hub of the Nanling Mountain and central China. The North Station is situated in the suburbs of the city and has less convenient links with the center. Guilin's major trunk routes link it with Anhui, Beijing, Chongqing, Fujian, Guangdong, Guizhou, Hebei, Henan, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangsu, Jiangxi, Shaanxi, and Shanghai, Sichuan and Zhejiang. International trains from Beijing to Hanoi, Vietnam, pass Guilin twice a week, so do the trains from Hanoi to Beijing.

Tips: It is 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 is best to make reservations 5 days in advance or even 10 days earlier during the golden weeks. The booking service fee is between CNY 20 to 50 per ticket.

By Long Distance Bus
Coaches link Guilin to surrounding cities like Yangshuo, Quanzhou, Lipu, Longsheng, etc. There is an express high way from Guilin to Liuzhou. Long-distance sleeper coaches run between provincial cities like Beihai, Nanning, Wuzhou, Yulin, etc, and cities in the Pearl River Delta such as Dongguan, Guangzhou, Jiangmen, Panyu, Shunde, Zhongshan and Zhuhai, Puning, Shantou and Zhanjiang in Guangdong Province, Changsha in Hunan Province, Wuhan in Hubei Province, Fuzhou in Fujian Province and Sanya in Hainan Province and more.
There are three bus stations: the Chief Bus Station, Chengnan Bus Station and Beimen Bus Station. The Chief Bus Station is at No.427 Zhongshan Nan Road, 10 minutes' walk from the railway station in the north. You can take No.1, 2, 3, 10, 11 Buses. Most buses set off from this station to surrounding cities in Guangxi, Guangdong and Hunan provinces.

Getting Around

Public City Bus
As a well developed tourism city, Guilin boasts convenient transportation. And what's more, you will be delighted to know that there are 8 tourism buses serving 110 routes free of charge for both locals and tourists alike. Just be prepared for these buses to be very crowded between 9 am and 5 pm daily. The terminals and attractions are as follows:
No.51 from Donghuan Parking Lot to Guilin Station
No.52 from Donghuan Parking Lot to Seven-Star Park
No.53 from Gongjiao Company to Beiji Square
No.54 from Guilin Southern Company via Chuanshan Park to Hi-tech Zone
No.55 from Pingshan to Cheguansuo
No.56 from Pingshan via Nanxi Park back to Pingshan
No.57 from Xifeng Road via Elephant Trunk Hill Park back to Xifeng Road
No.58 from Nanxi Park, Elephant Trunk Hill Park, Seven Star Park, Folk Customs Center, Fubo Hill Park, Diecai Hill Park, Yu Hill Park to Reed Flute Park
Most buses charge CNY 1,2 but without air conditioning. No.99 Bus from North to South of the city is air conditioned, charging CNY2. The buses run begin from 6 to 7 in the morning to 18 to 21.30 in the evening.

Taxi
Taxies are mostly painted into the color of red, and some of them are green. There is an illuminated banner at the top with the sign of "Taxi". Taxi fare for daytime (6.30 to 23) starts from CNY6-7 for the first 2 kilometers (1.24miles), CNY1.4-1.6 per kilometer over 2 km to less than 4 km (2.48miles) and CNY2 for each additional kilometer (0.62 mile) thereafter. For nighttime (23 to 6.30 the next morning), the flag fair is CNY7.8, CNY1.8 per kilometer for 2 km to less than 4 km and CNY2.4 per kilometer from 4 km. The price difference depends on the type of the taxi. The charge of Jetta and Santana is slightly higher than Xiali and Lada. Most taxies are air-conditioned and provide service 24 hours a day.

Bicycle

Guilin is a compact city so using a bicycle is an option. Do in Rome as Rome does, as the saying goes, to ride a bicycle will let you experience how ordinary Chinese live as China is dubbed "Kingdom of bicycles". Bicycles can be rented at most hotels and traffic trunks. The charge is either by the hour or the day depending how long you wish to have the bicycle. The daily rate is approximately CNY15.

Boat
As it is situated on the world-renowned Li River; Guilin thus has a special means of transport-cruise boats from south suburb of the city to Yangshuo. The boats usually set off from the Zhujiang Wharf (Bamboo River Wharf) at 9:00 or 9:30 am and will take about 4 hours to complete the journey. A gentle breeze will caress your face; picture postcard riverside scenery will please your eyes as life become so beautiful here. However, note that in winter since the water level at that time is rather low, the cruise is limited to just 10 km (6.2miles) instead of the normal 82km (50.95miles).