what to eat

Stewed duck with gingko
It is a traditional dish thought to be a remedy for lung problems. Gingko, cubes of duck meat, ham slices, and other ingredients are steamed in braising cups. The result is light but savory soup in which the tender duck meat contrasts pleasantly with the smooth, slightly slimy texture of the gingko.
 

Guilin Rice noodle,
which can be either round or flat, are the most popular snack in Guilin. The thing that sets one dish apart from another is the soup, which is made of pork, steak, Lo Han Kuo, and various seasonings. Depending on the ingredients used in the soup, rice noodles can be divided into vegetable, three-fresh, original soup, spicy and sour, beef, and horse meat rice noodles. The horse meat rice noodles of Huixian Lou are the most famous.

Sour fried dried fish.
Dried fish is smoked with fruit peels and then dried in the sun. The dried fish is stir-fried with preserved pepper and bamboo shoots and then boiled in Sanhua wine and water. The resulting re-hydrated fish is served with spicy condiments such as garlic sprouts. This dish is a mouthwatering combination of spicy and sour.

what to buy

Guilin Sanhua alcohol

With a profound history that can be traced back to the Southern Song Dynasty, Guilin Sanhua alcohol is famed for its amazing aroma, soft tastes and pleasant aftertaste. It is the major representative of rice aromatic Chinese white spirit, being crowned as the "king". Its tasty owes not only to the utilization of the pure water from Li River, high-quality rice as well as selected distiller's yeast as its main materials, but also to the favorable storage conditions caused by caves which are cool in summer and warm in winter. Moderate drinking of it can refresh oneself and promote healthy blood circulation, doing great to people's health.

Guilin fermented bean curd

Bean curd is usually available in two varieties: the white and the red, and Guilin farmented bean curd is on behalf of the former one, enjoying great fame as early as in the Song Dynasty. It is made in a quite simple process with fresh bean curd being cut into cubes and mixed with nodule mould, then left to ferment for 2-3 days until a mouldy coating appears on the surface. Fermented bean curd is often served as a part of Chinese breakfast, well-known for its softness and savoury taste. Used as either condiment or side dish, it will arouse your appetite a lot.

Guilin chili sauce

Guilin chili sauce wins an outstanding status by its unique flavor, not only salable to the natives but also marketable in Southeast Asian regions. The main materials include excellent red pepper, fragrant garlic, lobster sauce, aromatic Sanhua alcohol, fine salt etc., making the chili sauce yummy, tasteful and savoury. The types of Guilin chili sauce vary due to the different seasoning namely garlic chilli sauce made of garlic. You are assured to love it.

what to see in the evening

Night Cruise over the Li River
It is fabulous to take a night cruise over the Li River, which will bring you another kind of appreciation on the Li River. While taking a boat from Guilin to Yangshuo at night, you can enjoy the beautiful scenery on both riversides and watch the fishing boat lights and the light from the river banks, the feeling is quite poetic.

Watching Artificial Lijiang Waterfall on the Central Square
Located on the southeast corner of downtown Guilin's Central Square, Guilin Lijiang Waterfall Hotel, a five-star hotel in Guilin, displays magnificent artificial waterfall every night during about 8:30PM. Having a width of 73.5 meters and a height of 40 meters, the artificial waterfall runs down from the top the hotel's building onto the ground floor. When the waterfall is dropping, fantastic lights and music is displayed at the same time.

Night cruise on the Two Rivers and Four Lakes
Two Rivers and Four Lakes, a park-like scenic area，is Guilin's central round-the-city water system, located in the downtown area of Guilin.

The night cruise is amazing and spectacular since the water system has been transformed by the innovative use of lighting in the gardens and buildings along the lakes. The environment is quite relaxing and romantic there.

The most wonderful parts are located around the four lakes, namely Banyan Lake, Wooden Dragon Lake, Gui Lake, Shahu Lake. They are just located within the downtown area, and only a short distance from the railway station and bus station.

weather:

Guilin has a sub-tropical monsoon climate with four mild and distinctive seasons. Guilin weather in January is the coolest with an average temperature of 7.9 C (46 F). July is the hottest with an average temperature of 28.3 C (82.9 F). Warm clothes are recommended for winter-wear, while in spring and autumn something lighter with a woolen sweater will be comfortable. T-shirts with skirts, shorts or slacks are the best choice for summer when the temperature can be rather high. Summer is the rainy season, especially in May and June. Always remember to bring an umbrella with you. Comfortable footwear suitable for walking is a must all year round. It would be wise to bring sun block with you, some medicine to prevent heatstroke and insect repellant Local herbal tea also helps travelers to become accustomed to the local weather and water.
The optimum time to travel in Guilin is from April to October. However, try to avoid the two golden weeks, namely May Day (1  May to 7  May) and National Day (1  October to 7  October), when all the people in China seem to move around. Also Spring Festival in January or February should also be avoided since more and more families take a trip rather than staying at home as before. At these times you can expect difficulties with hotel reservations, ticket booking and traffic conditions and prices are frequently much higher.