As a small county of Guilin, Yangshuo doesn't have its own airport or railway station. However, it can be reached from Guilin through various means because it is just 65 kilometers (40 miles) from the city. Guilin Liangjiang International Airport has about 44 airlines to most large cities in China. Guilin occupies a central location on the Hunan-Guangxi Railway which provides quite convenient ways from other cities to Guilin. Guilin highways can also extend to many other cities. No matter in which way you arrive in Guilin, you just need to go to the South Railway Station where you can take the regular buses directly to Yangshuo. Alternatively, you can buy a cruise ship ticket at Zhujiang Passenger Wharf to cruise to Yangshuo. In this way, you can enjoy the charming scenery along the Li River, although it costs a lot more than taking a bus.

Yangshuo has only one bus station, yet has long-distance buses to cities in Guangxi and other provinces. You can check the specific information about the accessible cities on the following pages. It also has regular buses and tourist buses to tourist spots in the towns around the county.

Yangshuo has over 50 battery-storage cars serving as its public buses. They are clean, comfortable, free of pollution but quite cheap. Motor tricycles are special vehicles shuttling along the streets, which serve like taxis in other large cities. However, the most popular and interesting way to explore Yangshuo is by bike. Riding a bike enables you to appreciate the natural beauty of the town more freely. Various bicycles can be rented from hotels or stalls along most streets in the county.

The county is so small that you needn't take a taxi. You can even travel around the whole county on foot in just about half an hour.



Getting There

By Bus from Guilin to Yangshuo

As Yangshuo has no railway stations or airports, most tourists have to stop in Guilin and then get on a bus to Yangshuo. There are several routes from Guilin to Yangshuo.

From Guilin Railway Station
Guilin has two railway stations, the North Station and the South Station. The buses to Yangshuo generally start from the South Station. If you arrive at the North Station, it's best to take the No. 18 city-bus to Weixiao Tang, and then No.11 to the South Station. Buses for Yangshuo depart every ten or fifteen minutes between 06:30 and 21:30. The fare is about CNY10 per person, the journey takes about 70 minutes.

From Guilin Main Long-distance Bus Station
Long distance buses from many cities run directly to Guilin. If you arrive at Guilin Main Long distance Bus Station (427 South Zhongshan Road), about ten minutes walk from the South Railway Station, then to get to Yangshuo you can take an air-conditioned non-stop bus for CNY13 per person. The buses run between 07:10 and 20:00, approximately ever 30 minutes. The journey takes about 50 minutes.

Tip: A long distance bus from Hong Kong to Guilin is also available.

From Liangjiang International Airport
There are no buses from the airport directly to Yangshuo. The choice is either to spend about CNY200 chartering a bus directly to Yangshuo or take an airport shuttle bus into Guilin and then change bus at the railway station. The price of the airport shuttle bus is CNY25, whereas the taxi fare for the same journey is around CNY80.

By Long-distance Bus

At present, the long distance buses from most cities in Guangdong Province to Guilin always stop at Yangshuo bus station. Therefore, if you use these buses, you can go directly to Yangshuo without needing to change in Guilin.

There are also daily nonstop sleeper coaches from many cities around the country to Yangshuo, such as Nanning, Beihai, Yulin, Qingzhou and Wuzhou in Guangxi Province as well as Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Dongguan in Guangdong Province. Traveling from cities of Guangxi Province to Yangshuo costs approximately CNY100 while journeys starting in the cities of Guangdong Province will cost more. For example, taking the luxurious nonstop sleeper coach from Guangzhou costs around CNY150 and from Shenzhen approximately CNY220. Tickets for ordinary coaches are much cheaper - about half the luxury price. However you need to look after all your things as these coaches are not as safe as the luxurious ones.

Tip: the address of Yangshuo Bus Station: Pantao Road, Yangshuo County

By Cruise Ship

If you want to enjoy the beautiful scenery along the Li River, you can take a cruise ship to Yangshuo from Guilin. As there are no city buses directly to Zhujiang Passenger Wharf which is about 30 kilometers (about 19 miles) from Guilin city proper, you need to take a taxi (about CNY60). The ships set sail between 9:00 and 10:00 in the morning. After five to six hours cruise, they arrive at Shuidongmen Wharf near West Street in Yangshuo County. The ticket is about CNY270, which you can buy with the help of many Guilin hotels and travel agencies. The cruise in Yangshuo will last about four hours.

In fact, the most beautiful scenery of Li River is along the cruise from Yangdi to Xingping. Taking cruise ship from Guilin is not economical not only for the ticket is expensive but also because of the aesthetic fatigue caused by long journey. It is better to get to Yangdi by bus at first and get on a fisherman's boat, then go boating to Xingping. It only cost about CNY80.

Ticket for Li River cruise needs advance booking. For packagers or individual travelers, they can book one through a travel agency and arrange you own schedule after arriving Yangshuo. For a group of visitors, it is better to take part in a travel group and the travel agency will help arrange the ticket and luxury cruise ship from Guilin to Yangshuo. After arriving at the wharf in Yangshuo, visitors can get off the ship and admire the famous crafts street, West Street. Do not afraid of raining, because Lijiang scenery in rain is the best interpretation of Chinese traditional landscape paintings.



Getting Around

By City-bus

City buses in Yangshuo are all electric powered and are not only comfortable but also environmentally friendly. They stop at every station and the ticket is CNY1 to CNY 2. Also, from Yangshuo Bus Station, scheduled buses and tourist buses to all the tourist spots around the county leave roughly every ten minutes. Less than CNY10 will get you to Xingping, Fuli, Moon Hill and other places.

By Motor Tricycle

Motor Tricycles are the commonest vehicles in Yangshuo. They shuttle around the county just like taxis. Generally, one tricycle can carry three guests at once and the charge is less than CNY20. Of course, if you like, you can hire one to travel for a total charge of about CNY80 per day.

The county is so small that you needn't take a taxi. You can even travel around the whole county on foot in just about half an hour.