Guilin airport to the city centre: shuttle bus, taxi or DiDi

The airport shuttle bus is the default: ¥20 to the Civil Aviation Building on Shanghai Road, 50–60 minutes, leaving from outside the Terminal 2 arrivals hall. Guilin has no metro and no airport rail link, so the bus, a metered taxi or a ride-hailing app are the only three ways in.

Shuttle bus line 1 — the city centre and the main sights

Line 1 runs from the airport through 机场路西二环路口, 榕山路口, 金水路口, 万象城 (黑山路口), 琴潭汽车客运站, 锦江都城酒店 (150 m from Guilin Railway Station) and 桂林民航大厦, then continues to Elephant Trunk Hill and the Two Rivers and Four Lakes area, 中心广场 and 东西巷, and Qixing Park.

Departures from the airport run every 30 minutes from 09:00 to 15:30. After 15:30 buses follow the arrivals board, roughly every 40 minutes until the last flight of the day. The fare is ¥20 to the Civil Aviation Building; the scenic-area stops are ¥25, after a ¥20 promotional fare that ran until 8 August 2026.

Tickets are sold at the counter by Gate 6. Travellers report paying cash there, so keep a ¥20 note as backup even if you have WeChat Pay or Alipay set up.

Line 2 — if you are heading north or catching a train

Line 2 goes airport → Guilin West Railway Station → Guilin North Railway Station → Guilin North bus station for ¥30. Coming back, buses leave Guilin North hourly from 09:30 to 19:30 at ¥25. Take this one if your hotel is in the north of the city or you are connecting to a high-speed train; for Yangshuo, the airport also has direct departures, but confirm the fare and times at the counter rather than trusting older guides.

Trains out of Guilin North and West are worth booking before you land, especially in holiday weeks. You can compare the main booking sites first if you want to see prices side by side.

Taxi and ride-hailing

The airport is 28 km southwest of downtown, 40–50 minutes by road. The meter is ¥9 for the first 2 km then ¥1.9/km between 06:00 and 23:00, and ¥11 then ¥2/km from 23:00 to 06:00. Travel guides put the downtown run at ¥80–100; the meter is the real number, so refuse a flat rate. The official rank is outside Gate 6.

DiDi works at KWL and costs about the same as a taxi, but you need the app working and a Chinese address saved before you land. The bus is still the better first move for most arrivals: it drops you at the Civil Aviation Building, a short walk or cheap taxi from the hotels around the Two Rivers and Four Lakes.

Last checked: 2026-10-19