Guilin Family Trip: 3,000 Yuan Budget, Economical and Affordable

As a family travel expert, I have tailored a 3-day, 2-night light travel guide in Guilin specifically designed for a family of three (two adults and one child), with a budget controlled within 3,000 yuan. The pace is relaxed and the experience rich, combining mountain and water scenery, bamboo raft drifting, folk interaction, and childlike fun, ensuring the child has a great time, parents enjoy taking photos, and the whole family shares a poetic journey of "boating on emerald waves, traveling in a painting." --- 📍 Trip Highlights - Suitable for: Families with children aged 3-12 - Travel period: April to October (pleasant climate, sufficient Li River water flow) - Total budget: 3,000 yuan (for two adults and one child) - Transportation: High-speed train arrival + city taxis + scenic area shuttles - Accommodation areas: Guilin city center (convenient travel) + Yangshuo (one night to experience countryside) - Daily rhythm: Morning activities + afternoon rest + relaxed afternoon projects to avoid child fatigue --- 📊 Budget Allocation (Total for a family of three) | Item | Cost (yuan) | |------------|-----------| | Transportation | 1200 | (including round-trip high-speed train + city taxis) | Accommodation | 800 | (2 nights, 400 yuan/night) | Meals | 600 | (200 yuan per day) | Tickets + Experiences | 400 | | Total | 3000 yuan | --- 📅 Day 1: Arrive in Guilin + Elephant Trunk Hill Park + Two Rivers and Four Lakes Night Cruise - 🚄 Arrive at Guilin Station or Guilin North Station (recommended high-speed train, direct routes from many cities nationwide such as Changsha, Guiyang, Nanning) - Example: Changsha → Guilin by high-speed train about 2.5 hours, second-class seat ticket about 150 yuan/person × 2 adults = 300 yuan, children under 1.2m free - Actual transportation budget calculated as 1,200 yuan round-trip (including return) - 🚖 Taxi to city hotel (about 30 yuan) - 🏨 Recommended accommodation: - Budget family-friendly: Home Inn Business/All Seasons Hotel (Elephant Hill Park branch), family rooms about 400 yuan/night - Unique guesthouse: Guilin Lijiang Waterfall Hotel (indoor waterfall, kids love it) - 🐘 Afternoon: Elephant Trunk Hill Park (ticket 55 yuan/person, children under 1.2m free) - Symbol of Guilin city, shaped like an elephant drinking water - Family highlights: - Leisurely walk along the riverside path - Take the classic "elephant trunk" photo - Optional boat ride close to the elephant trunk (boat ticket extra, not recommended) - 🌃 Evening: Walk to Binjiang Road to watch the sunset and feed pigeons (bring your own small bread) - 🌌 Night: Two Rivers and Four Lakes Night Cruise (boat ticket about 80 yuan/person, children half price) - Recommended to choose a small painted boat (quieter, suitable for children) - Light show + mountain and water reflections, like a fairy tale world - Prepare a small jacket for the child before boarding, as it can be cool on the lake > 💰 Day 1 expenses: Transportation (allocated 600) + Accommodation 400 + Tickets 55×2=110 + Boat tickets 80×2+40=200 + Meals 80 = 1,390 yuan --- 📅 Day 2: Guilin → Yangshuo (30-minute high-speed train) + Yulong River Bamboo Rafting + Ten-Mile Gallery Cycling - 🚄 Morning: Guilin Station → Yangshuo Station (30-minute high-speed train, ticket about 18 yuan/person × 2 = 36 yuan) - 🚖 Taxi to Yulong River Pier (about 50 yuan, or arrange pickup from guesthouse) - 🎋 Before noon: Yulong River artificial bamboo raft drifting (recommended Jinlong Bridge → Jiuxian section, about 1.5 hours) - Ticket: 160 yuan/raft (fits 2 adults + 1 child), very cost-effective! - Family advantages: - Gentle water flow, safe and comfortable - Boatman poles the raft, children can ask questions - Rice fields, peaks, water buffalo on both sides, like a landscape painting - Tips: bring sun hat, small towel, water bottle; no sunshade on the boat - 🍽 Lunch: Jiuxian Village farmhouse restaurant - Recommended dishes: stuffed snails, beer fish, stir-fried chicken, corn cakes - About 40 yuan per person, around 120 yuan for three - 🏡 Afternoon rest: Stay at a countryside guesthouse in Yangshuo (recommended near Jiuxian Village or Ten-Mile Gallery) - Examples: Yangshuo Huashan Yun She, Molan Shanshe, with courtyard and small toys for children, about 400 yuan/night - 🚴 Afternoon: Ten-Mile Gallery cycling (rent a three-person bike, about 50 yuan/day) - Route: guesthouse → Ten-Mile Gallery → Moon Hill → Big Banyan Tree - Family highlights: - Karst peaks along the way, children can count "Camel Mountain" and "Orangutan Mountain" - Moon Hill can be viewed from afar (climbing not recommended, quite tiring) - Big Banyan Tree scenic area (ticket 30 yuan/person, optional) - 🌆 Evening return to guesthouse, children can play in the yard, parents enjoy tea and watch the sunset > 💰 Day 2 expenses: Transportation (train 36 + taxi 50 + bike rental 50) + Accommodation 400 + Bamboo raft 160 + Meals 120 = 816 yuan --- 📅 Day 3: Silver Cave Exploration + Return to Guilin + Departure - 🌅 Morning: Silver Cave (ticket 65 yuan/person, children half price about 30 yuan) - About 30 minutes from Yangshuo by car, taxi about 80 yuan round-trip - "Visit Silver Cave, never lack money in life" — a karst cave wonder with diverse stalactites - Family highlights: - Constant 18℃ temperature inside, perfect summer cool spot - Brilliant light and shadow effects, children feel like entering an "underground crystal palace" - Flat path, stroller accessible (some areas require carrying) - 🍜 Lunch: In Yangshuo town, have a bowl of Guilin rice noodles (recommended "Lao Dongjiang Rice Noodles") - About 10 yuan per person, 30 yuan for three - 🚄 Afternoon: Yangshuo Station → Guilin Station (30-minute high-speed train, ticket 18 yuan × 2 = 36 yuan) - 🚖 Head to airport/train station, end of trip > 💰 Day 3 expenses: Transportation (taxi 80 + train 36) + Tickets 65×2+30=160 + Meals 30 = 306 yuan --- ✅ Total Expenses Summary (for a family of three) | Item | Cost (yuan) | |------------|-----------| | Transportation | 1200 | | Accommodation | 800 | | Meals | 600 | | Tickets + Experiences | 400 | | Total | 3000 yuan | > 💡 Money-saving tips: > - Children under 1.2m ride high-speed trains free, 1.2-1.5m half price, plan height accordingly > - Choose bamboo rafting from Jinlong Bridge to Jiuxian section for best cost performance and scenery > - Skip the "Impression Liu Sanjie" show (expensive tickets, children may get tired), opt for family interaction instead --- 📸 Must-take Family Photo Spots 1. Family photo in front of Elephant Trunk Hill (classic pose) 2. Child waving and smiling on Yulong River bamboo raft 3. Family cycling silhouette in Ten-Mile Gallery 4. Light and shadow moment at Silver Cave’s "Musical Stone Screen" 5. Warm moments on the boat during Two Rivers and Four Lakes night cruise --- 📌 Family Travel Tips 1. Sun and mosquito protection: Guilin is humid and hot, bring children’s sunscreen, mosquito repellent, and sun hats. 2. Light diet: Guilin cuisine is slightly sour and spicy, request "less spicy for children" when ordering. 3. Afternoon rest: Return to hotel or guesthouse for a 1-hour rest daily to avoid child fussiness. 4. Travel light: Bring only essentials, lots of walking in scenic areas, can rent a stroller for children. 5. Cultural guidance: Tell children stories like "Elephant Trunk Hill legend" and "Liu Sanjie singing" on the way to increase interest. --- During these three days, you will drift on bamboo rafts through ink-wash paintings, chase the wind on bicycles, and hold your child’s hand walking into the underground galaxy. Guilin is not just scenery; it is gentle time shared by the whole family.