Guilin Nightlife: Night Markets, Shows, Bars & Tips

Exploring the famed Guilin Night Markets is an interesting pastime at night during your Guilin tour. Strolling among these bustling bazaars leisurely and making stops at some shops for great souvenirs and tasty foods, you may never notice that time is slipping away. There are two main night markets in Guilin, one is Zhengyang Pedestrian Street near the Sun and Moon Pagodas Scenic Area, and the other is Xicheng Night Market on Zhongshanzhong Road.

Zhengyang Pedestrian Street

It is the main pedestrian street in Guilin, starting just north of Sun and Moon Pagodas Scenic Area and stretching north for about 660 meters towards to the Solitary Beauty Peak Park, with two-story stores and restaurants in every nook and cranny, tightly pressed against one another.

Xicheng Night Market

Another famous night market in the Guilin city center, this place is also a treasure trove of shopping items and great local cuisine. When the night falls, two dizzying arrays of stalls will be placed in front of the two-story buildings too, selling glittering trinkets, delicious and cheap snacks, local handcrafts, ethnic minority music instruments and any other items you are looking for.

>> 3 Days Classic Guilin & Li River Cruise

Two Rivers and Four Lakes are the river system and also the veins of the Guilin city, which includes Li River (the part within the city), Taohua (Peach Blossom) River, Mulong Lake, Guihu Lake, Ronghu Lake and Shanhu Lake. This scenic area can be divided into three areas in accordance with diverse themes. Travelers love the China Fir Lake and Banyan Lake scenic area mostly, where stands the most popular Sun and Moon Pagodas. The other two scenic areas are appealing too. After savoring pleasing local dishes and snacks at dinner time, you can take a leisurely walking around the Two Rivers and Four Lakes. Besides, you can try a 1.5-hour night cruising journey too, which enables you to appreciate the beautiful night view of Guilin with your friends or family in the most comfortable way!

Lijiang Waterfall Hotel is next to the Sun and Moon Pagodas and the starting point area of Zhengyang Pedestrian Street. It is a 5-star hotel in Guilin city, featuring the huge man-made Guinness record-making waterfall tumbling down over its building's north face. If you are interested about this giant “waterfall”, you can take a side trip to this place at about 20:00.

Impression Sanjie Liu is the largest and also the most outstanding performance in Guilin, blending of music, dance, illumination and the real Karst landscape of Yangshuo as the background. It is directed by the famous Chinese director, Zhang Yimo and its stage is the largest natural theater in the world. The whole show is performed by more than 600 singers and dancers and lasts for about 70 minutes. The ticket price of the show ranges according to different types of seats, which usually charges from 198RMB - 828RMB per person. Check more about Impression Sanjie Liu >>

West Street, which enjoys the reputation of “foreigner’s street”, is a heaven for restaurants, souvenir shops and also bars. Bars can be found at main road and every side alley on West Street. For a classic Yangshuo night, visit the bars on West Street, which will drop you into another kind of world. Some of the bars on this busy street are opened by foreigners, and others are local managed. If you are looking for an atmosphere similar to your own country, choose a foreigner owned one, and head to a Chinese-style bar with gentle Folk music if you want a local one. No matter which kind of bar you choose, you will never get disappointed.

Longji Rice Terraces in Longsheng County of Guilin is about 80km from downtown area. This wonderland is famous for its spectacular rice terraces and unique sunset and sunrise scenery. It is all located in the mountainous area, so there is not that many places you can visit at night compared with Guilin city center area and Yangshuo County. However, there are still several night bars and restaurants opened in the villages on the mountain. All the bars and restaurants are opened inside the local wooden stilted buildings, presenting a unique atmosphere that you may never have at any other places.

Warm tip: Longji Rice Terraces can be divided into three separate parts - Ping An Terraced Filed, Jinkeng Terraced Filed and Ancient Zhuang Terraced Filed, each of which can't get to other parts easily, so you are mostly suggested to book your hotel at the Ping An Village, which has the largest group of restaurants and bars.