Getting to Guilin: Flights, Trains and Fares | Chinese Language Institute (CLI)

Planes, trains, and automobiles

Where are you flying from?

US and Canada UK and Europe Australia and New Zealand East and Southeast Asia China Russia and Central Asia Africa Latin America Somewhere else

From the US or Canada, we’d start with Guangzhou, since it’s usually the cheapest and trains run all day. A ticket all the way to Guilin can come close in winter, but in summer it has cost far more.

Routes to Guilin from the US and Canada, cheapest first
Route	Round trip	Ease	Landing to Guilin	The upside	Keep in mind
Guangzhou, then train	$1,000 to $1,600	Fairly easy	About 6 to 7 hours	About 70 trains a day when we checked, with great karst scenery on the way in. Stay a night for dim sum.	The airport transfer is the hard part, so land by about 5 PM or plan a night in Guangzhou.
Hong Kong, then train	$1,200 to $1,600	Takes planning	About 7 to 8 hours	You can spend a night in Hong Kong, then ride the bullet train through great scenery on the way in.	The border crossing can take longer than you expect, so get to the station early. When we checked, there were three direct trains a day, all before noon.
Shanghai, then flight	$1,200 to $1,800	Fairly easy	About 3 hours in the air, plus your layover	Shanghai makes a good stopover.	You’ll have two separate tickets, so leave plenty of time to connect.
Hong Kong, then flight	$1,300 to $1,700	Fairly easy	About 1 hour 35 minutes in the air, plus your wait	Time in Hong Kong, then a quick flight to Guilin.	We found one evening nonstop, and it doesn’t fly every day.
One ticket to Guilin	$1,100 to $3,400	Easiest	Your layover, then the flight	It’s all one booking, so your airline handles it if a connection goes wrong.	You may need to collect your bags at your first airport in China and check them in again.

Lowest fares we found from New York, San Francisco and Toronto for sample departures in the next few months and in early summer, with the train or connecting flight added.

From the UK or Europe, a ticket to Guilin often costs about the same as Guangzhou plus the train, so we’d compare the two and take the simpler trip.

Routes to Guilin from the UK and Europe, cheapest first
Route	Round trip	Ease	Landing to Guilin	The upside	Keep in mind
Guangzhou, then train	$900 to $1,000	Fairly easy	About 6 to 7 hours	About 70 trains a day when we checked, with great karst scenery on the way in. Stay a night for dim sum.	The airport transfer is the hard part, so land by about 5 PM or plan a night in Guangzhou.
One ticket to Guilin	$900 to $1,000	Easiest	Your layover, then the flight	It’s all one booking, so your airline handles it if a connection goes wrong.	You may need to collect your bags at your first airport in China and check them in again.
Hong Kong, then train	about $1,100	Takes planning	About 7 to 8 hours	You can spend a night in Hong Kong, then ride the bullet train through great scenery on the way in.	The border crossing can take longer than you expect, so get to the station early. When we checked, there were three direct trains a day, all before noon.

Lowest fares we found from London and Frankfurt for sample departures in early summer, with the train or connecting flight added.

From Australia or New Zealand, the three routes usually cost about the same, so pick the one with the best times.

Routes to Guilin from Australia and New Zealand, cheapest first
Route	Round trip	Ease	Landing to Guilin	The upside	Keep in mind
Guangzhou, then train	about $800	Fairly easy	About 6 to 7 hours	About 70 trains a day when we checked, with great karst scenery on the way in. Stay a night for dim sum.	The airport transfer is the hard part, so land by about 5 PM or plan a night in Guangzhou.
One ticket to Guilin	$700 to $1,000	Easiest	Your layover, then the flight	It’s all one booking, so your airline handles it if a connection goes wrong.	You may need to collect your bags at your first airport in China and check them in again.
Hong Kong, then train	$800 to $1,000	Takes planning	About 7 to 8 hours	You can spend a night in Hong Kong, then ride the bullet train through great scenery on the way in.	The border crossing can take longer than you expect, so get to the station early. When we checked, there were three direct trains a day, all before noon.

Lowest fares we found from Sydney and Auckland for sample departures in early summer, with the train or connecting flight added.

From elsewhere in Asia, flights are short. Guangzhou plus the train has been the cheapest, but a ticket to Guilin can come close, so compare the two.

Routes to Guilin from East and Southeast Asia, cheapest first
Route	Round trip	Ease	Landing to Guilin	The upside	Keep in mind
Guangzhou, then train	$300 to $400	Fairly easy	About 6 to 7 hours	About 70 trains a day when we checked, with great karst scenery on the way in. Stay a night for dim sum.	The airport transfer is the hard part, so land by about 5 PM or plan a night in Guangzhou.
Hong Kong, then train	about $400	Takes planning	About 7 to 8 hours	You can spend a night in Hong Kong, then ride the bullet train through great scenery on the way in.	The border crossing can take longer than you expect, so get to the station early. When we checked, there were three direct trains a day, all before noon.
One ticket to Guilin	$300 to $600	Easiest	Your layover, then the flight	It’s all one booking, so your airline handles it if a connection goes wrong.	You may need to collect your bags at your first airport in China and check them in again.

Lowest fares we found from Seoul and Bangkok for sample departures in early summer, with the train or connecting flight added.

Already in China? From Guangzhou, the high-speed train is the easy choice. From farther away, compare the train with a nonstop flight. Train tickets go on sale on Trip.com 15 days ahead.

High-speed trains to Guilin from cities in China
From	Second class, one way	High-speed train	Good to know
Guangzhou	¥140 to ¥250	2 to 3 hours	About 70 trains a day from Guangzhou South when we checked.
Chengdu	¥420 to ¥540	5 to 8 hours	A nonstop flight takes about 2 hours.
Shanghai	¥720 to ¥760	7.5 to 9.5 hours	Two direct high-speed trains a day when we checked.
Beijing	about ¥950	About 8 hours	Two direct high-speed trains a day when we checked.

Direct trains only. ¥7 is about $1. Guilin also has nonstop flights from most big cities in China, so compare those on Trip.com too.

From Russia or Central Asia, Guangzhou plus the train and a ticket to Guilin usually cost about the same.

Routes to Guilin from Russia and Central Asia, cheapest first
Route	Round trip	Ease	Landing to Guilin	The upside	Keep in mind
Guangzhou, then train	about $600	Fairly easy	About 6 to 7 hours	About 70 trains a day when we checked, with great karst scenery on the way in. Stay a night for dim sum.	The airport transfer is the hard part, so land by about 5 PM or plan a night in Guangzhou.
One ticket to Guilin	$600 to $700	Easiest	Your layover, then the flight	It’s all one booking, so your airline handles it if a connection goes wrong.	You may need to collect your bags at your first airport in China and check them in again.
Hong Kong, then train	about $800	Takes planning	About 7 to 8 hours	You can spend a night in Hong Kong, then ride the bullet train through great scenery on the way in.	The border crossing can take longer than you expect, so get to the station early. When we checked, there were three direct trains a day, all before noon.

Lowest fares we found from Moscow and Almaty for sample departures in early summer, with the train or connecting flight added.

From Africa, Guangzhou plus the train has been the cheapest way in, with Hong Kong close behind. A ticket all the way to Guilin has cost far more.

Routes to Guilin from Africa, cheapest first
Route	Round trip	Ease	Landing to Guilin	The upside	Keep in mind
Guangzhou, then train	$1,000 to $1,100	Fairly easy	About 6 to 7 hours	About 70 trains a day when we checked, with great karst scenery on the way in. Stay a night for dim sum.	The airport transfer is the hard part, so land by about 5 PM or plan a night in Guangzhou.
Hong Kong, then train	$1,100 to $1,300	Takes planning	About 7 to 8 hours	You can spend a night in Hong Kong, then ride the bullet train through great scenery on the way in.	The border crossing can take longer than you expect, so get to the station early. When we checked, there were three direct trains a day, all before noon.
One ticket to Guilin	about $1,700	Easiest	Your layover, then the flight	It’s all one booking, so your airline handles it if a connection goes wrong.	You may need to collect your bags at your first airport in China and check them in again.

Lowest fares we found from Johannesburg and Nairobi for sample departures in early summer, with the train or connecting flight added.

From Latin America, Guangzhou plus the train has been the cheapest way in, and a ticket all the way to Guilin has cost far more.

Routes to Guilin from Latin America, cheapest first
Route	Round trip	Ease	Landing to Guilin	The upside	Keep in mind
Guangzhou, then train	about $1,800	Fairly easy	About 6 to 7 hours	About 70 trains a day when we checked, with great karst scenery on the way in. Stay a night for dim sum.	The airport transfer is the hard part, so land by about 5 PM or plan a night in Guangzhou.
Hong Kong, then train	$1,900 to $2,000	Takes planning	About 7 to 8 hours	You can spend a night in Hong Kong, then ride the bullet train through great scenery on the way in.	The border crossing can take longer than you expect, so get to the station early. When we checked, there were three direct trains a day, all before noon.
One ticket to Guilin	$2,400 to $2,600	Easiest	Your layover, then the flight	It’s all one booking, so your airline handles it if a connection goes wrong.	You may need to collect your bags at your first airport in China and check them in again.

Lowest fares we found from São Paulo and Mexico City for sample departures in early summer, with the train or connecting flight added.

Flying from somewhere else? Compare three searches: to Guilin (KWL), to Guangzhou (CAN) and to Hong Kong (HKG), then add the train from Guangzhou or Hong Kong.

Send us your city and dates at info@studycli.org and we’ll help you pick a route.

Checked November 2026. Fares change often, and airport transfers and hotels are extra.

Find your best fare. Search your dates on Google Flights to Guilin (KWL), Guangzhou (CAN) and Hong Kong (HKG). Then add the train: about $60 round trip from Guangzhou, or $130 from Hong Kong.

高铁 gāotiě high-speed train

Through Guangzhou

Fly into Guangzhou Baiyun Airport (CAN), where you’ll clear immigration and collect your bags.
Get to Guangzhou South Railway Station (广州南站). Check your terminal: the airport bus stops at Terminals 2 and 3 until about 8 PM, and from Terminal 2 you can take Metro Line 3, then Line 2, in about 75 minutes.
High-speed trains to Guilin run from about 6:30 AM to 9 PM and take 2 to 3 hours.

A white high-speed train crossing a tall arched viaduct between green hills

A red-sailed junk boat crossing Victoria Harbour in front of the Hong Kong skyline

西九龙 Xī Jiǔlóng West Kowloon

Through Hong Kong

Fly into Hong Kong (HKG). It has its own entry rules, so check them for your passport.
Take the Airport Express to Kowloon Station and follow the walkways to West Kowloon Station.
Get there 90 minutes before your train so you’re not rushed. You leave Hong Kong and enter mainland China inside the station, and the border crossing can take longer than you expect.
Three direct trains a day go to Guilin West, at 10:02, 11:14 and 11:52 AM, and they take a little over 3 hours.

To make the 11:52 train, land by about 8 AM. If you land later, you can always spend the night in Hong Kong, change trains at Guangzhou South, or look at the evening nonstop, which left around 6:20 PM when we checked.

车票 chēpiào train ticket

Before you book

If you need a visa, your To-Do List (Immersion Program or Study Abroad) explains when to apply. We’d wait until you have it before buying a flight you can’t change or refund.
Immersion Program students arrive on the Saturday or Sunday before their first Monday of classes. Study Abroad students can check their To-Do List.
Train tickets go on sale 15 days before departure, so it’s normal to buy your flight first. Trip.com is the easiest place to buy, and your name and passport number need to match your passport exactly.
Leave at least four hours between flight and train, since on separate tickets nobody will rebook your train if your flight is late.
Going home, direct trains to Hong Kong leave around 12:40, 1:45 and 3:45 PM, so an evening flight can work, but a morning flight means a night in Hong Kong. We’ll drive you to the airport or station too, included in tuition.

接机 jiējī airport pickup

When you reach Guilin

You’ll see a CLI team member holding a sign with CLI’s logo on it as you come out of baggage claim or the station’s main arrival area.

Once you’ve booked, fill in the Guilin Arrival Form so we know when and where to meet you. If your train isn’t on sale yet, no problem: send us your flight and plan now, and your train details later. Tell us which of Guilin’s three main train stations is on your ticket.

Your arrival emails include Esther’s WeChat and phone number, so if anything is late or canceled, just message her and she’ll change your pickup.

Guilin Arrival Form Ask us about your route