Guilin vs Hangzhou
 

Planning our first trip to China and only have 2 weeks. Planning to visit Beijing, Xian, Shanghai and Hong Kong for sure. Also have Guilin and Hangzhou in the itinerary but feel it may be too ambitious to hit all 6 places in 2 weeks.

Any opinons on whether we need to visit BOTH Guilin and Hangzhou for a few nights? or can choose 1 over the other? Would prefer the less touristy option...

THANKS!!

Both are touristy and depends on what sights you prefer, don't forget the travel time between the cities already on your schedule. Does the 2 weeks include travel time between countries? My friends have done a similar schedule in 2 weeks sans Xian (just weren't interested in terra cotta warriors/horses) and did Suzhou (liked gardens) instead of Hangzhou.

Hangzhou is 2 hours train/bus from Shanghai, can be done as a daytrip tho a bit rushed. Guilin is 1 hour flight from HK, overnight is strongly recommended.

The two places are very different.

When you visit Guilin, you mainly go to see the landscape and natural beauty along the river between Guilin and Yangshuo.

Hangzhou is a very large city, but has a pretty West Lake with lots of sightseeing spots. Those are temples, pagodas, etc - man made over the last hundreds of years.

Your itinerary is mostly large cities, so if you have to choose, go to Guilin and skip Hangzhou this time.

We enjoyed both but I would definitely choose Guilin over Hangzhou.

Can't comment on Hangzhou but we did a 4-city tour of China last September (Beijing, Xian, Guilin & Shanghai) and my favourite BY FAR was Guilin. So I vote for Guilin and agree an overnight is probably good.

Guilin, Yangshuo have the best landscape under heaven and it is must visit, You will feast your eyes with the inverted image of fantastic peaks with various shapes, crystal clear water, green hills, bamboo groves, the river passes an endless procession of distinct peaks and bamboo groves and the stunning landscape.

Yangshuo is a must-see, but you need to go through Guilin to get there. Definitely take the river cruise down to Yangshuo. It's touristy but less so than Guilin, and there are some nice places to stay out in the country like farmer's inns and other B&Bs. We had a fantastic time there.
BK

I would definitely recommend the Guilin area, but stay in Yangshuo instead. Guilin is not the nicest city and kind of a tourist trap. Yangshuo is smaller and right in the middle of the beauty you traveled so far to see.

Hangzhou, while nice, is definitely overrated.

Guilin is a destination almost entirely for the river cruise to Yangshou. But I regret the implication that somehow Guilin is "Not nice." It is a very nice city in chinese terms. It has beautiful parks full of sculpture and water and places to sit. People are so nice, nothing at all is threatening or worrisome. It is a perfectly pleasant city, but Yangsh is more fun.

Dear LSS,
I recently returned from an extended trip to China and visited both places. If you had to chose, I would recommend Guilin. A Li river cruise is a must but equally so is a day trip to Longsheng minority area and LONGJI ( Dragon backbone) That site rivals the Great Wall of China ( almost) in how spectacular the terraced rice fields are - most unique. Instead of Hangzhou I would recommend a day trip from Shanghai to Suzhou ( if time allows). If you decide to go to Guilin I could recommend local tour company that could make those arrangments. We were VERY HAPPY with them.

Don't mean to hijack your thread, LSS.

Paulchili: You are back! Please check Fodorites SF GTG 5/23 on the California forum.

Dear Paulchili
we are plannig our summer trip to China and we will stay two and a half day in Guilin.
Our plan is
- visit the city during the arrival day.
- Li river cruise the second day
- travel to the Longsheng rice terraces the third day.

We would like to travel on our own
Now our questions :
did you rent a taxi to te rice terraces ?
Can you suggest any itinerary ?
Do you appointed the Li river cruise in advance ?
Do you remenber the company ?

Any additional suggestion will be wellcome
Thanks in advance and Regards
Josep Maria

I'll be going to Guilin/Yangshuo in October, including a day to visit Longsheng minority area and Longji(Dragon backbone). Paulchili, I would apppreciate contact info for the company you used.
Thanks,
Les

Guilin Yangshuo where has the reputation of having the most beautiful landscape under heaven. It is a dream place for many tourists who want to see the real natural landscape and touch the countryside life.

Hilltops pop up from nowhere like trees in the forest and they are shaped like buns, camels, fishes, saw-teeth, horses, etc. It is a city you must visit or you will miss those beautiful landscape there. Rivers flow around like green silk ribbons while the hills reveal themselves as jade hair-pins. Guilin embraces great landscapes like green hills, clear waters, pretty rocks and fantastic caves. I am local of this area.

If you want to tour China but fail to pay a visit to Guilin Yangshuo, it is equal to having not toured China!

I could not agree more with Jadeleo - no one should miss Guilin & Lonji.
Josepmaria & iamles - I think it would be very difficult to go to Longsheng on your own ( with a taxi). It is a 2 hour drive each way & language would be a problem. The Li river cruise could be done on your own if you want.
For the Gulin 3 day trip I used China Odyssey Tours ( I wish I had used them for rest of China as well)
http://www.chinaodysseytours.com/ and my contact there was Agnes Wu ( lovely young lady who took the time and trouble to meet us personally in the hotel, even though she was not the guide - only our office contact). I can highly recommend her and if you decide to use the company,and cannot reach Agnes, I can give you her e mail so you can contact her. Our guide in Guilin was another young lady by the name of Fei - if you use this agency I would recommend you ask for her if she is available. Her English is flawless and she is a pleasure to be around. Guilin & surrounding area was among our favorites in China and our contact & guide there were THE BEST in China.

Addendum for Les & Josep Maria - if you are traveling to other places in China as well, you may want to check my post in
Asia: "My trip to SE Asia, China, etc"

Paulchili, thank you so much for your info.

Les

Anytime, Les. If you need more info, just let me know.

Loved Yangshou! do a bike ride in the countryside. the town is very disneyland but the countryside is beautiful!

Hi Paulchili,

I have contacted China Odyssey and their customer service when I didn't get a reply. I received an automated response that they were off for the May holiday week and would reply on Monday. I emailed agiain, but still no reply. If you have Agnes's email, I would appreciate it. My address is

[email protected]

Thanks again!