Guilin is nice, but Yangshou is on another level! (Sights & Attractions in Guilin)

Member Name: powsucks

Product:	Sights & Attractions in Guilin
Date:	20/08/09 (19 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Some nice sights an brilliant food!

Disadvantages: A busy city, often raining!

Guilin is located in Southern China, in the province of Guangxi. The famous images of the stunning limestone peaks lure expectant travelers to visit the region by the thousands and for good reason. There are many sights to behold in and around Guilin, many of which are well worth a visit.
Firstly i have to make one thing clear, Guilin is not a small, quaint town, it is in fact one of the largest cities in China. With a total population of 4.76 million, 740,000 of which make up the urban population. Visitors are regularly taken aback by the sheer magnitude and atmosphere of which surrounds the city. There are two methods of arrival, the airport is located a 30 km bus journey away from the center of the city, flights are available from many locations, both domestic and international. I personally arrived from Beijing, after a 3 hour flight with Air China. The airport is fairly small and busses leave every half hour from the main exit and cost around 20 yuan. The train station is located in central Guilin and is easy to find, i would advise taking advantage of the cheep taxis however as it saves walking in the humidity! I found the train station to be nice, but extremely busy! It is advisable to book tickets in advanced, especially if you want Hard Sleeper's! I would also advise you to buy any food before you enter the station as is it much cheeper, just a 5 minute walk away will be half price!
The Bus station can be found north of the train station, there are regular busses to locations such as Yangshou and Longsheng. The bus rides can be fairly uncomfortable, i tend to choose trains instead because of the luxury of being able to stand up!
There is a huge variety of accommodation to choose from, ranging from budget hostels to luxury hotels. I had no experience of the latter, though can offer advice on hostels. I stayed in the Backstreet Youth Hostel and found the staff to be extremely accommodating, the rooms were by far the nicest i experienced throughout the whole of China. There are western toilets in all rooms as well as a powerful shower. It is a good place to meet fellow travelers, which was of great help to me as i was traveling alone! The downsides of this hostel include the price of the trips they offer, for example a boat trip for 4 of us to Yangshou would have cost over 1000 yuan, we later managed to find a tourist office where we paid under 700, which is a saving of over £30. I can understand an administration fee, but this was ridiculous.
The food in Guilin is brilliant, the area is famed for it's Rice Noodles, which can be found everywhere. I particularly enjoyed one canteen-style restaurant in particular, unfortunately i can't remember the name, but it is located 3 minutes walk away from Backstreet hostel, directly to the left of KFC. It is a traditional establishment with no english menu, which is always a good sign as it usualy means you are getting traditional local food! The area is also well known for it's fish dishes, the main ingredient coming directly from the Li river which winds majestically through the city. Beer Fish is a local dish made with tomato and egg, it's a dish to your meant to share, although this may be difficult!
The main sights in Guilin include the Solitary Beauty peak, located in the city centre, it rises 152 meters above the hustle and bustle below. The cost for admission is 15 yuan which includes admission to Wang Cheng, a 14th century princes mansion, during the Ming Dynasty. The climb is extremely steep, but well worth it once you reach the top, the views are stunning!
The Reed Flute Cave is an impressive cave housing multicoloured lighting and impressive stalagmites and stalactites. Admission costs 60 yuan which in my opinion is fairly expensive, it is however well worth a visit.
One activity i would advise anyone not to partake in is the Cormorant fishing show, it is a nice image, especially with the lights creating an almost magical scene. It is however a fake show, the method of fishing is mainly used for the tourists pleasure, i decided to leave the main viewing area on the boat and ventured to the opposite side where i witnessed the 'fishermen' feeding the Cormorants by hand, before floating around to the other side of the boat. This gave a somewhat soured tint to my experience and i left feeling cheated. I suppose it is worth a visit to take some good pictures in anything!
To conclude, I have to say Guilin is not the magical location many believe it to be, it is an urban metropolis stuffed in between the beautiful limestone peaks the area is blessed to behold. This destination of serene beauty and tranquility can be found however, just a 3 hour boat ride away in Yangshou. The scenery is simply on another level! A bus is available, although i would recommend the boat journey along the Li river, it provides the spectacular views plastered in guidebooks, such as the example shown above. Yangshou is a much quieter and far smaller when compared to Guilin. It is extremely touristy as you would expect, but a short bicycle ride in any direction can take you away from the masses, you then suddenly find yourself immersed in the stunning beauty the area has to offer!
I would certainly recommend visiting the area, 2 days are a sufficient amount of time to spend exploring Guilin itself, whilst at least 4 days will be required in Yangshou, but watch out you may just end up spending weeks there as you won't want to leave!

Summary: I would recommend a visit to Guilin but you must head to Yangshou for the beautiful scenery!