---
title: "The Water Sets the Clock"
description: "10 days from the Shanghai skyline to a bamboo raft with the river to yourselves"
type: "tour"
route_id: "shanghai-yangshuo-couples-10-days"
total_days: 10
price: 2880
highlights: ["Shanghai", "Guilin", "Yangshuo"]
url: "https://www.lyriktrip.com/tours/shanghai-yangshuo-couples-10-days"
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---

# The Water Sets the Clock

10 days from the Shanghai skyline to a bamboo raft with the river to yourselves

Three cities, one river. Yu Garden, the Huangpu ferry, a cruise downriver and the karst hills of Yangshuo, with English-speaking guides city by city.

- Two climbs to viewpoints, one before sunrise and one before sunset, both on stone steps. The rest is town walking, riverbank walking and sitting on water. No altitude, and apart from the sunrise nothing on this route starts before 8:00.

## Overview

A wedding is ten months of organizing other people. This plan is built to hand the organizing over to something else, in this case a river. Shanghai gets the first three days, because the two of you have just flown a long way and a city is easy to be tired in. A garden, plane-tree streets and the waterfront after dark. Then the same water from a tower next morning, and again from the commuter ferry at dusk. Then the schedule lets go. You fly to Guilin, sleep once, and the next afternoon a boat carries you out of one city and into another with no road in between. Four nights follow in the same room in Yangshuo: a raft, a sunrise, a cave and a riverbank at last light. One of those afternoons is only tea. On day nine you fly back to Shanghai for one last night, because Yangshuo has no airport and we would rather that night be a proper ending than a scramble. Somewhere in the middle of the river afternoon you'll notice neither of you has said anything for twenty minutes, and that it was fine.

— LyrikTrip travel designers

Every LyrikTrip journey begins with a conversation. Tell us your dates and what you want these ten days to feel like. First reply within four hours; a clear price for your dates within one business day. On this route we will also tell you plainly where the suite, the photographer and the ceremony setup stand before you are asked for anything, because right now the honest answer is that they are not bought yet.

## Summary

- Route ID: shanghai-yangshuo-couples-10-days
- Duration: 10 days / 9 nights
- Starting price: $2,880
- Status: active
- Highlights: Shanghai, Guilin, Yangshuo
- Cover image: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/2bdcdff9629b.jpg

## Hero tags

- private
- From 1 guest
- Max: no fixed limit

## Highlight notes

- Three cities, one river. Yu Garden, the Huangpu ferry, a cruise downriver and the karst hills of Yangshuo, with English-speaking guides city by city.
- 10 days from the Shanghai skyline to a bamboo raft. Ride the river down to just the two of you.

## Selling points

- Change cities by water: the Li River sailing carries the two of you from Guilin down to Yangshuo in a single afternoon, and it is the only water link between them, so the afternoon is the journey rather than a detour from it.
- Unpack once for four nights in Yangshuo: no bags in the middle of the trip and no early check-outs. The raft, the sunrise, the cave and the sunset are all reached from the same front door.
- Climb the steps at Xianggong Hill before light and watch the peak forest turn silver, then gold, over the big bend of the Li River: the one morning of the ten that starts in the dark, and the one you will keep photographs of.
- Sit an afternoon by the river in Yangshuo with tea in front of you and hills on three sides, with nothing scheduled after it.
- Stand on the Bund after dark with your guide beside you, then look straight down on the same stretch of water from the Shanghai Tower observation deck the next morning: one city, two heights, twelve hours apart.
- Cross the Huangpu at dusk on the ferry Shanghai takes to work, not on a sightseeing boat, for the twenty minutes when the lights come on along both banks.
- Give day four entirely to the flight: nothing is scheduled around it, the hotel morning is yours, and the afternoon is one flight and nothing else.

## City highlights

- Shanghai (3 days): Land, and stop
  - Image: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/13x1KtnS.webp
- Shanghai (2 days): Back to the water you started from
  - Image: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/13x1KtnS.webp
- Guilin (1 days): Shanghai to Guilin
  - Image: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/4UilJCmH.webp
- Yangshuo (4 days): Downriver
  - Image: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/hMzVdhkD.webp

## Experiences

Three cities, one river. Yu Garden, the Huangpu ferry, a cruise downriver and the karst hills of Yangshuo, with English-speaking guides city by city.

- Yu Garden & the Old City (Shanghai): pavilions, ponds, rockeries and covered corridors, laid out in the Ming dynasty as a private family garden: "Yu" means peace, chosen by the official who built it for his aging father. A Chinese garden works like a scroll painting: you walk it one framed scene at a time. The lanes around it keep an earlier Shanghai of small shops and food stalls.
  - Subtitle: pavilions, ponds, rockeries and covered corridors, laid out in the Ming dynasty
  - Tags: Heritage
  - Host: Shanghai, Shanghai Lens — Skyline and riverfront culture
  - Access: The lanes around it keep an earlier Shanghai of small shops and food stalls.
  - Images: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/58b0b1f762b9.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/3640847367f4.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/aa7e4b7f18cb.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/c3f4af921585.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/7bc088a35094.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/b4ff42f10f39.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/8ab6fa3c88e9.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/23b0b99117fe.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/4c38a3352564.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/793d4d9ec24d.jpg
- Wukang Road: A Loose Walk (Shanghai): plane-tree streets, walled houses from the concession decades, and the independent shops that have taken over their ground floors. You walk it at street speed, and it is the loosest hour of the route — the low, relaxed counterweight to the skyline you looked at the night before: no ticket, no queue, no gate. About two hours on flat pavement. In the base price.
  - Subtitle: plane-tree streets, walled houses from the concession decades, and the independent shops in their ground floors — the loose, low-rise counterweight to the skyline. About two hours, no ticket, no queue, no gate.
  - Tags: City
  - Host: Shanghai, Shanghai Lens — Skyline and riverfront culture
  - Access: plane-tree streets, walled houses from the concession decades, and the independent shops that have taken over their ground floors. You walk it at street speed, and it is the loosest hour of the route: no ticket, no queue, no gate. About two hours.
  - Images: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/a469e3c35b36.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/ff2e7b6f2ffc.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/769ee0838cac.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/664544b5b738.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/be6f02f8c66f.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/b1c8a477961a.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/738425c31d43.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/b5ee2850407d.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/dc30a72b34d4.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/7e7256ca585e.jpg
- The Bund (Shanghai): The Bund frames Shanghai's historic banks and modern Pudong skyline in one clear view.
  - Subtitle: Shanghai's iconic riverfront skyline
  - Tags: Riverfront
  - Host: Shanghai, Shanghai Lens — Skyline and riverfront culture
  - Access: A signature Shanghai orientation stop for architecture and city contrast.
  - Images: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/59b1d2774a93.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/819f854bed70.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/494cee6c7aae.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/45251ad66040.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/eed1a59d8207.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/334c0bdef4be.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/a2a8d5aca0bf.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/2e92d8293a47.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/eb8770c3dfbd.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/5d861058a1f8.jpg
- Shanghai Tower (Shanghai): Shanghai Tower gives travelers a vertical perspective on the city's scale and skyline.
  - Subtitle: A high-rise view over modern Shanghai
  - Tags: Skyline
  - Host: Shanghai, Shanghai Lens — Skyline and riverfront culture
  - Access: Observation-deck style city view from one of Shanghai's tallest landmarks.
  - Images: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/5dde4280b724.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/3926dbb2d526.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/0ec29e0c5aab.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/a9aeb2725a09.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/370459f57860.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/d4a7737c435e.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/2caf6535e050.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/231735fc8416.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/3ad3642b1302.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/4523e1c1916a.jpg
- Shanghai Art Centers (Shanghai): Shanghai Art Centers introduce the city's creative side through contemporary cultural spaces.
  - Subtitle: A look at Shanghai's art scene
  - Tags: Art
  - Host: Shanghai, Shanghai Lens — Skyline and riverfront culture
  - Access: A flexible art-focused moment within modern Shanghai.
  - Images: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/0f0179a4b047.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/7ade1c1e4666.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/e764da513ffd.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/4343cb096c8c.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/a7c5cb28dd68.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/5e5585f79582.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/a3934c960bb4.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/51d7a53a4ca3.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/1c6a0e2a66d2.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/0090ef50c5b4.jpg
- The Bund & the Huangpu Ferry (Shanghai): Shanghai's riverfront row of early-twentieth-century banking halls faces Pudong's towers across the water; the public ferry crosses between them, the same boats locals commute on, and mid-river is the one spot that holds both skylines at once. Walked at dusk on day two, and on arrival evening when time allows.
  - Subtitle: Shanghai's riverfront row of early-twentieth-century banking halls faces Pudong's towers across
  - Tags: City
  - Host: Shanghai, Shanghai Lens — Skyline and riverfront culture
  - Access: Walked at dusk on day two, and on arrival evening when time allows.
  - Images: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/e342e5515e52.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/94ac919c3f33.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/b3b5bb6e77be.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/c6c85a3776e5.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/32d19f0a4d35.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/a2a8d5aca0bf.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/2bed2bf82423.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/8b2b6a2b8939.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/b74ea5dc32d6.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/2b6fbcc1c8fa.jpg
- Guilin old town on foot (guilin): pedestrian streets and the riverside snack lanes, walked rather than driven, about two hours and easily shorter or longer. The city is named for its trees: gui is the osmanthus, lin is a stand of them, and in autumn the smell reaches the street. No ticket item on this walk, and anything you eat along the way is on your own account.
  - Subtitle: pedestrian streets and the riverside snack lanes, walked rather than driven, about two hours and easily shorter or longer.
  - Tags: city
  - Host: Guilin, Guilin Lens — Karst rivers and terraces
  - Access: No ticket item on this walk, and anything you eat along the way is on your own account.
  - Images: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/158c3b050cdd.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/8e856571b518.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/560e0922cde7.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/304bde915a63.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/e6c14890c764.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/1e79af85aa18.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/e6f1223f89bb.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/ada6d43d126f.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/c3b843de2b9a.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/58e86ecdf18f.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/b671942606cb.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/da7afed4efe3.jpg
- Elephant Trunk Hill (Guilin): Elephant Trunk Hill is one of Guilin's most recognizable natural landmarks by the water.
  - Subtitle: Guilin's classic riverside symbol
  - Tags: Landmark
  - Host: Guilin, Guilin Lens — Karst rivers and terraces
  - Access: A quick iconic photo stop tied closely to Guilin's city identity.
  - Images: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/b68583a026e2.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/91a7cb736ce2.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/8f531d6f24eb.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/24e7dcebfde2.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/323afe3eb6ba.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/9c353593e012.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/9bc46b6e5e90.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/621c6986b15e.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/633a73ab33c6.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/b6b549bed65b.jpg
- Li River Afloat (Yangshuo): the Xingping stretch of the river, taken by bamboo raft or cruise boat; which one depends on the season and water level, and either way the same scenery does the work: peaks, riverside villages, the working river between them. Xingping Ancient Town's stone streets, grown on river trade, come first.
  - Subtitle: the Xingping stretch of the river, taken by bamboo raft or cruise
  - Tags: Nature
  - Host: Yangshuo, Yangshuo Lens — Countryside and karst calm
  - Access: Xingping Ancient Town's stone streets, grown on river trade, come first.
  - Images: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/78dd69d4ec0c.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/bfc408c4bfc4.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/36707e4edf21.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/d487482a71ef.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/6c5367f53386.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/876ec4ec8b81.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/111916249320.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/b6b549bed65b.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/7eea69cfad11.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/3fe4bfb22c5b.jpg
- Yulong River bamboo raft (yangshuo): about ninety minutes on a bamboo raft along a chosen stretch of the Yulong River, a smaller and quieter river than the Li, with the raft sitting low enough that your hand reaches the water from the seat. Water level and the operator's safety rules decide whether rafts run on a given day; when they do not run, the riverside tea and the rest of the day stand as planned and nothing is charged for the raft. In the base price.
  - Subtitle: about ninety minutes on a bamboo raft along a chosen stretch of the Yulong River, a smaller and quieter river than the Li, with the raft sitting low enough that your hand reaches the water from the seat.
  - Tags: slow
  - Host: Yangshuo, Yangshuo Lens — Countryside and karst calm
  - Access: In the base price.
  - Images: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/36707e4edf21.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/d7cf27ae1b77.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/71b347933c91.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/bfc408c4bfc4.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/60d1bfc0b970.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/08531a77dfac.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/47c365ccd596.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/d129588d0b34.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/e972b823ffca.jpg
- Riverside Afternoon Tea (Yangshuo): a table set beside the Li River in mid-afternoon, mountains and water on every side, included in the day. It sits deliberately between the morning's raft and the evening's soft light: the pause that turns a sightseeing day into a river day.
  - Subtitle: a table set beside the Li River in mid-afternoon, mountains and water
  - Tags: Slow
  - Host: Yangshuo, Yangshuo Lens — Countryside and karst calm
  - Access: It sits deliberately between the morning's raft and the evening's soft light: the pause that turns a sightseeing day into a river day.
  - Images: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/484bdca99f74.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/6163ecd43212.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/6c5367f53386.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/c01fb0411dbf.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/876ec4ec8b81.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/ffdbab928ef1.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/636bbab57542.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/7eea69cfad11.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/3fe4bfb22c5b.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/f00b6b8a0bcd.jpg
- Xianggong Hill at Sunrise (Yangshuo): A pre-dawn start and a short climb of stone steps to the platform photographers rank among the Li River's finest: the great bend below, layered peaks turning silver, then gold, as the light comes up. Mist changes the picture by the minute, which is the point.
  - Subtitle: Sunrise over the Li River bend
  - Tags: Photo
  - Host: Yangshuo, Yangshuo Lens — Countryside and karst calm
  - Access: Mist changes the picture by the minute.
  - Images: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/08e757afb5b7.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/16653fa18065.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/4ede174ee009.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/7760be33afee.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/7d28774a7484.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/f728d8c37b0a.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/2d6fd62c3ee4.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/2ee126c13fe9.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/7159e7fa6afd.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/56823258cae1.jpg
- Xingping Ancient Town (yangshuo): an old river town of stone streets and shophouses, walked after sunrise while the town is still waking up, about ninety minutes. The stretch of the Li River printed on the back of China's 20-yuan banknote is the water beside this town, which is why the scene feels familiar to anyone who has spent a week paying for things in China. In the base price.
  - Subtitle: an old river town of stone streets and shophouses, walked after sunrise while the town is still waking up, about ninety minutes.
  - Tags: heritage
  - Host: Yangshuo, Yangshuo Lens — Countryside and karst calm
  - Access: In the base price.
  - Images: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/54824bed386e.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/0b4cfdbd6b6c.jpg
- A karst cave near Yangshuo (yangshuo): about ninety minutes underground, in the inside version of everything you have been standing on all week: the same limestone, dissolved from within by water instead of weathered from outside. The site is confirmed against operating conditions on the day, so it is not named before sale. One cave visit is in the base price either way.
  - Subtitle: about ninety minutes underground, in the inside version of everything you have been standing on all week: the same limestone, dissolved from within by water instead of weathered from outside.
  - Tags: nature
  - Host: Yangshuo, Yangshuo Lens — Countryside and karst calm
  - Access: One cave visit is in the base price either way.
  - Images: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/e7611934c686.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/770848dbf30f.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/352ad3486973.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/6183245ac139.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/fb67961a6c68.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/8ffa2276f88c.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/5d8a23614bcb.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/33ec72ba8bc1.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/a8820cbb03f0.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/5dbd4d69ae30.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/38de138ed00e.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/6f37518c090e.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/876247bee5ea.jpg
- The Li River at sunset with the fishing boats (yangshuo): a short climb to a viewpoint over the Li River where it curves between layers of karst peaks, about ninety minutes timed to last light, with fishing boats working the water below. You watch it and photograph it yourselves; no photographer is arranged on this route, see Special Notes. In the base price.
  - Subtitle: a short climb to a viewpoint over the Li River where it curves between layers of karst peaks, about ninety minutes timed to last light, with fishing boats working the water below.
  - Tags: photo
  - Host: Yangshuo, Yangshuo Lens — Countryside and karst calm
  - Access: In the base price.
  - Images: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/36707e4edf21.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/851ee4224979.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/8cc7f309eb2a.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/859a8a38d0d2.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/c45bca1e4452.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/f1e55b7401a9.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/bbafbb3058c7.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/350587e5940c.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/2fc392dad8b0.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/324df4c2a0aa.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/7aa8ab1f1a60.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/5053e5db15ac.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/d798846c2a5f.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/6ae99890c484.jpg
- West Street (yangshuo): about ninety minutes on the street Yangshuo's evening life runs on, walked in the morning instead, when it is shutters going up, breakfast and deliveries. Local food and small shops the whole way, all of it on your own account. In the base price.
  - Subtitle: about ninety minutes on the street Yangshuo's evening life runs on, walked in the morning instead, when it is shutters going up, breakfast and deliveries.
  - Tags: city
  - Host: Yangshuo, Yangshuo Lens — Countryside and karst calm
  - Access: In the base price.
  - Images: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/bde2489c8826.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/6c5367f53386.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/c01fb0411dbf.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/ea983ad5c994.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/2ee126c13fe9.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/554cf8701afc.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/e51e8e13a5a1.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/7eea69cfad11.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/3fe4bfb22c5b.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/739f891473fe.jpg
- Wukang Road breakfast walk (shanghai): a last hour on the plane-tree streets before the airport on day ten, breakfast on the way, at no extra charge. It runs when your departure flight time allows it and is dropped when the flight is too early. In the base price.
  - Subtitle: a last hour on the plane-tree streets before the airport on day ten, breakfast on the way, at no extra charge.
  - Tags: city
  - Host: Shanghai, Shanghai Lens — Skyline and riverfront culture
  - Access: In the base price.
  - Images: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/f2e2e5a6a46e.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/7cbfb082fcd7.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/2919c44e7b63.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/4d15190b6a5e.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/0b79a914deea.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/5618cf155514.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/a409711f836f.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/4265282e86ed.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/7c4027ba829f.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/78263f269e82.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/bb8709fedd4c.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/e86bef00ee62.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/3f5513ac4b8d.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/76faa39caa93.jpg, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/a29c37b5dacc.jpg
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## Itinerary

### The Water Sets the Clock - 8 days

Journey

#### Shanghai (3 days)

- Subtitle: Land, and stop
- Recommendation: Your driver meets the flight, whatever hour it lands. The first day asks nothing of either of you.
- Transport: Flight
- Transport mode: airplane

Airport pickup · Shanghai through the window · Evening

- Images: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/13x1KtnS.webp, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/1Q9afrZn.webp, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/1Riqjj0n.webp, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/1VrlDwIi.webp, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/1vYpI6NZ.webp, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/3PEjxTGx.webp, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/4EbDdFHb.webp, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/525J26xE.webp
##### Day 1: Land, and stop

- (transport) — your driver and vehicle are waiting for the flight number on your confirmation, and the run into the city is yours to sleep through.
- (sight) — elevated roads, then a street of plane trees and lit shopfronts. The country you flew to shows up before you have unpacked anything.
- (note) — nothing is scheduled and the Bund is deliberately not tonight, it is tomorrow with your guide. Dinner near the hotel is recommended and booked for you if you want it, on your account.
- (accommodation) Bellagio by MGM Shanghai on the Bund — Hotel stay in Shanghai.

##### Day 2: Three Shanghais in one day

- (sight) — pavilions, rockery, ponds and a path that never runs straight, dropped inside the oldest quarter of the city. Send each other ahead around the rockery: the path is a loop and it always brings you back to the same bridge.
- (sight) — plane-tree streets, old residences and small shops, at walking speed. This is the afternoon to buy nothing in particular and sit down twice.
- (sight) — the historic waterfront on one bank, the Pudong towers on the other, a hundred years apart across the water. Stand at the parapet with the towers behind you and the old buildings lit at your back: that is the fifteen seconds worth filming. Your guide is with you the whole evening.

##### Day 3: Up, then across

- (sight) — the elevator does the climbing. From up there the Huangpu makes its curve and the waterfront you walked last night is a thin pale line on the far bank, with the whole city arranged around it.
- (sight) — two hours in one of the city's art venues, chosen for your dates and named in your confirmation. Today is the slow day of the three in Shanghai, and it is placed here so the flight tomorrow lands on a rested pair of people.
- (transport) — the boat the city takes to work, half an hour, at dusk. Stand at the rail on the open deck as the far bank lights up: on a sightseeing cruise you are cargo, on this one you are just two more people crossing the river.

#### Guilin (1 days)

- Subtitle: Shanghai to Guilin
- Recommendation: A whole day for one flight. Nothing else is scheduled, and that is the plan.
- Transport: Li River cruise
- Transport mode: car

A slow morning · Transfer and flight · Arrival into Guilin

- Images: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/4UilJCmH.webp, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/3uGHEW2j.webp, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/4VtYWWkT.webp, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/4Yfatbqd.webp, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/5ElOR2GL.webp, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/5Mke9ayW.webp, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/6451wQWE.webp, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/6AbLuJhv.webp
##### Day 4: Shanghai to Guilin

- (sight) — the morning stays at the hotel. We ask your Shanghai hotel for a late check-out, and we tell you plainly that the request is a request rather than a promise; either way your driver works around your check-out time, not the other way round.
- (transport) — hotel to airport, the flight, then airport to hotel in Guilin. The flight number, time and cabin class for your order are written into your quote.
- (sight) — the drive in runs between limestone hills standing up on their own out of flat ground, one behind another. In the last of the light they read as shapes rather than mountains, and tomorrow you spend an afternoon inside them.
- (accommodation) Shangri-La Hotel Guilin — Hotel stay in Guilin.

#### Yangshuo (4 days)

- Subtitle: Downriver
- Recommendation: A short morning in Guilin, then the afternoon belongs to the river. You change cities without touching a road.
- Transport: Flight
- Transport mode: airplane

Guilin old town on foot · Elephant Trunk Hill · Li River cruise to Yangshuo

- Images: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/hMzVdhkD.webp, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/3RSDiQUA.webp, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/43ER0eM0.webp, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/4iXf7Jvh.webp, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/4LasL8DS.webp, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/51gauczC.webp, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/5Pv2GT5l.webp, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/5zFw5FSH.webp
##### Day 5: Downriver

- (sight) — two hours through pedestrian streets and riverside snack stalls. Guilin means osmanthus forest, and the trees the city is named after still line it. The morning is kept light on purpose, because the boat is a long sit.
- (sight) — an hour at the limestone hill on the riverbank whose arch reads as an elephant with its trunk in the water. It is a short stop and the last thing you do on land today.
- (sight) — roughly four and a half hours downstream, the boat carrying you out of one city and into another. Most plans put a car on this leg and save three hours; those three hours are the reason day five exists. The stretch you pass is the one China prints on its 20-yuan banknote.
- (accommodation) Yangshuo Ancient Garden Boutique Hotel — Hotel stay in Yangshuo.

##### Day 6: A raft and a table

- (sight) — ninety minutes on a smaller, quieter river than the Li, on a raft low enough that your hand reaches the water from the seat. Water level and the operator's safety rules decide whether rafts run that day; when they do not, the tea and the rest of the day stand and the raft is not charged.
- (sight) — a table by the water, hills on three sides, ninety minutes with nothing scheduled after it. Halfway through the pot you'll notice you have stopped checking what time it is.
- (sight) — today finishes by nine so tomorrow can start in the dark. Dinner is recommended and booked by your guide near the hotel, on your account.

##### Day 7: Before light

- (sight) — the drive goes out in the dark and the climb is up stone steps to the viewpoint, about two and a half hours end to end. Below you the river makes a wide bend, and as the sun comes up the peak forest turns silver first and then gold. Stand at the rail and film fifteen seconds without moving the phone: the light does all the work. You will both stop talking for a while up there, and neither of you will mind.
- (sight) — this start can be declined on your order. Day seven then begins late and runs to Xingping Ancient Town, at no change in price.
- (sight) — stone streets and low shopfronts by the water, ninety minutes on foot, taken straight after the sunrise while the town is opening up: shutters, breakfast steam, a boat or two going out.
- (sight) — nothing further is scheduled. The four nights in one hotel exist so that a morning like this can be followed by an afternoon of nothing.

##### Day 8: Underground, then last light

- (sight) — ninety minutes underground, walkways and lighting throughout, in one of the limestone caves around the town. Which cave runs on your dates is confirmed with the operator and named in your written confirmation, so we do not name it here. Anything sold inside, photography services included, is on your own account.
- (sight) — a short climb to a viewpoint where the river curves between layers of karst peaks, timed to last light, with fishing boats working the water below. The hills go blue in layers, nearest to farthest, and then the water keeps the light a few minutes longer than the sky does.
- (sight) — this route arranges no photographer, and the sunset is sold as what it is, a place and an hour that the two of you reach with your own guide and vehicle. See Special Notes.

### The Water Sets the Clock - 2 days

Journey

#### Shanghai (2 days)

- Subtitle: Back to the water you started from
- Recommendation: The town in the morning, Shanghai by evening. The last night goes back to where the trip began.
- Transport: Flight
- Transport mode: airplane

West Street · Road to Guilin airport · Flight to Shanghai

- Images: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/13x1KtnS.webp, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/1Q9afrZn.webp, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/1Riqjj0n.webp, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/1VrlDwIi.webp, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/1vYpI6NZ.webp, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/3PEjxTGx.webp, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/4EbDdFHb.webp, https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/525J26xE.webp
##### Day 9: Back to the water you started from

- (sight) — ninety minutes on the street the town's evening life runs on, walked in the morning instead: shutters going up, breakfast, deliveries. Buy the thing you noticed on the first evening; it is the last morning you can.
- (transport) — about ninety minutes by private vehicle. Yangshuo has no airport and no port of entry, so both the way in and the way out run through Guilin. The way in was the boat; the way out is this road, and we time it with room to spare rather than trimmed to the minute.
- (transport) — airport to hotel at the other end. The flight number, time and cabin class for your order are written into your quote. Nothing is scheduled tonight: the city is outside the window and it keeps until morning.

##### Day 10: Breakfast, then home

- (sight) — an hour back on the plane-tree streets from day two, breakfast on the way, at no extra charge. It runs when your flight time allows and is dropped when the flight is too early, and your driver builds the morning around your check-out rather than around a schedule.
- (transport) — your driver takes you to the airport with room to spare.

## Daily plan

### Day 1 — Land, and stop

Your driver meets the flight, whatever hour it lands. The first day asks nothing of either of you.

- Airport pickup: your driver and vehicle are waiting for the flight number on your confirmation, and the run into the city is yours to sleep through.
- Shanghai through the window: elevated roads, then a street of plane trees and lit shopfronts. The country you flew to shows up before you have unpacked anything.
- Evening: nothing is scheduled and the Bund is deliberately not tonight, it is tomorrow with your guide. Dinner near the hotel is recommended and booked for you if you want it, on your account.
- Stay: Shanghai
- Meals: None included today

### Day 2 — Three Shanghais in one day

A garden in the morning, plane trees in the afternoon, the river after dark. You finish the day standing between two versions of the same city.

- Yu Garden and the old city: pavilions, rockery, ponds and a path that never runs straight, dropped inside the oldest quarter of the city. Send each other ahead around the rockery: the path is a loop and it always brings you back to the same bridge.
- Former French Concession and Wukang Road: plane-tree streets, old residences and small shops, at walking speed. This is the afternoon to buy nothing in particular and sit down twice.
- The Bund and the Pudong skyline after dark: the historic waterfront on one bank, the Pudong towers on the other, a hundred years apart across the water. Stand at the parapet with the towers behind you and the old buildings lit at your back: that is the fifteen seconds worth filming. Your guide is with you the whole evening.
- Stay: Shanghai
- Meals: Breakfast at the hotel

### Day 3 — Up, then across

Up to the observation deck in the morning, across the water at dusk. Today you look down on the place you stood last night.

- Shanghai Tower observation deck: the elevator does the climbing. From up there the Huangpu makes its curve and the waterfront you walked last night is a thin pale line on the far bank, with the whole city arranged around it.
- A Shanghai art space: two hours in one of the city's art venues, chosen for your dates and named in your confirmation. Today is the slow day of the three in Shanghai, and it is placed here so the flight tomorrow lands on a rested pair of people.
- Huangpu River ferry: the boat the city takes to work, half an hour, at dusk. Stand at the rail on the open deck as the far bank lights up: on a sightseeing cruise you are cargo, on this one you are just two more people crossing the river.
- Stay: Shanghai
- Meals: Breakfast at the hotel

### Day 4 — Shanghai to Guilin

A whole day for one flight. Nothing else is scheduled, and that is the plan.

- A slow morning: the morning stays at the hotel. We ask your Shanghai hotel for a late check-out, and we tell you plainly that the request is a request rather than a promise; either way your driver works around your check-out time, not the other way round.
- Transfer and flight: hotel to airport, the flight, then airport to hotel in Guilin. The flight number, time and cabin class for your order are written into your quote.
- Arrival into Guilin: the drive in runs between limestone hills standing up on their own out of flat ground, one behind another. In the last of the light they read as shapes rather than mountains, and tomorrow you spend an afternoon inside them.
- Stay: Guilin
- Meals: Breakfast at the hotel

### Day 5 — Downriver

A short morning in Guilin, then the afternoon belongs to the river. You change cities without touching a road.

- Guilin old town on foot: two hours through pedestrian streets and riverside snack stalls. Guilin means osmanthus forest, and the trees the city is named after still line it. The morning is kept light on purpose, because the boat is a long sit.
- Elephant Trunk Hill: an hour at the limestone hill on the riverbank whose arch reads as an elephant with its trunk in the water. It is a short stop and the last thing you do on land today.
- Li River cruise to Yangshuo: roughly four and a half hours downstream, the boat carrying you out of one city and into another. Most plans put a car on this leg and save three hours; those three hours are the reason day five exists. The stretch you pass is the one China prints on its 20-yuan banknote.
- Stay: Yangshuo
- Meals: Breakfast at the hotel

### Day 6 — A raft and a table

A raft in the morning, tea by the water in the afternoon. Today the two of you have nothing to organize.

- Yulong River bamboo raft: ninety minutes on a smaller, quieter river than the Li, on a raft low enough that your hand reaches the water from the seat. Water level and the operator's safety rules decide whether rafts run that day; when they do not, the tea and the rest of the day stand and the raft is not charged.
- Riverside afternoon tea: a table by the water, hills on three sides, ninety minutes with nothing scheduled after it. Halfway through the pot you'll notice you have stopped checking what time it is.
- An early night: today finishes by nine so tomorrow can start in the dark. Dinner is recommended and booked by your guide near the hotel, on your account.
- Stay: Yangshuo
- Meals: Breakfast at the hotel, plus the riverside afternoon tea

### Day 7 — Before light

The one early start on this route, and the reason it is here. You watch the peaks change color before the town is awake.

- Xianggong Hill sunrise: the drive goes out in the dark and the climb is up stone steps to the viewpoint, about two and a half hours end to end. Below you the river makes a wide bend, and as the sun comes up the peak forest turns silver first and then gold. Stand at the rail and film fifteen seconds without moving the phone: the light does all the work. You will both stop talking for a while up there, and neither of you will mind.
- Not a morning person?: this start can be declined on your order. Day seven then begins late and runs to Xingping Ancient Town, at no change in price.
- Xingping Ancient Town: stone streets and low shopfronts by the water, ninety minutes on foot, taken straight after the sunrise while the town is opening up: shutters, breakfast steam, a boat or two going out.
- The rest of the day: nothing further is scheduled. The four nights in one hotel exist so that a morning like this can be followed by an afternoon of nothing.
- Stay: Yangshuo
- Meals: Breakfast at the hotel

### Day 8 — Underground, then last light

A cave in the daytime, the river at sunset. The day ends with the two of you sitting still on a hillside.

- A karst cave near Yangshuo: ninety minutes underground, walkways and lighting throughout, in one of the limestone caves around the town. Which cave runs on your dates is confirmed with the operator and named in your written confirmation, so we do not name it here. Anything sold inside, photography services included, is on your own account.
- The Li River at sunset with the fishing boats: a short climb to a viewpoint where the river curves between layers of karst peaks, timed to last light, with fishing boats working the water below. The hills go blue in layers, nearest to farthest, and then the water keeps the light a few minutes longer than the sky does.
- Your own photographs: this route arranges no photographer, and the sunset is sold as what it is, a place and an hour that the two of you reach with your own guide and vehicle. See Special Notes.
- Stay: Yangshuo
- Meals: Breakfast at the hotel

### Day 9 — Back to the water you started from

The town in the morning, Shanghai by evening. The last night goes back to where the trip began.

- West Street: ninety minutes on the street the town's evening life runs on, walked in the morning instead: shutters going up, breakfast, deliveries. Buy the thing you noticed on the first evening; it is the last morning you can.
- Road to Guilin airport: about ninety minutes by private vehicle. Yangshuo has no airport and no port of entry, so both the way in and the way out run through Guilin. The way in was the boat; the way out is this road, and we time it with room to spare rather than trimmed to the minute.
- Flight to Shanghai: airport to hotel at the other end. The flight number, time and cabin class for your order are written into your quote. Nothing is scheduled tonight: the city is outside the window and it keeps until morning.
- Stay: Shanghai
- Meals: Breakfast at the hotel

### Day 10 — Breakfast, then home

A last hour on a plane-tree street, then the airport. The plan ends the way it began, on foot and without hurry.

- Wukang Road breakfast walk: an hour back on the plane-tree streets from day two, breakfast on the way, at no extra charge. It runs when your flight time allows and is dropped when the flight is too early, and your driver builds the morning around your check-out rather than around a schedule.
- Airport drop-off: your driver takes you to the airport with room to spare.
- Stay: Trip ends
- Meals: Breakfast at the hotel

## Hotels

### Shanghai Royal Garden Hotel (Shanghai International Resort)

- City: Shanghai
- Description: Shanghai Royal Garden Hotel: a luxury garden hotel near Pudong Airport and Disneyland, with free shuttle service to both.
- Image: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/a07e8f886100.jpg

### Rezen Meili Hotel (Shanghai City Centre, The Bund)

- City: Shanghai
- Description: Rezen Meili Hotel: classic European style in central Shanghai, steps from People's Square, the Bund and Nanjing Road.
- Image: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/842LWuH4.webp

### CitiGO Huan Ge Hotel, Jing'an Temple, West Nanjing Road, Shanghai

- City: Shanghai
- Description: CitiGO Huan Ge Hotel: a vibrant stay in Shanghai's Jing'an Temple district, three minutes from Metro Line 14.
- Image: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/lyfOP6lc.webp

### Pullman Shanghai Zhongganghui Hotel

- City: Shanghai
- Description: Pullman Shanghai Zhongganghui Hotel, in Dapuqiao near Tianzifang, steps from Metro Line 9 and the Expo site.
- Image: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/5xOD9FRB.webp

### Sheraton Guilin Hotel

- City: Guilin
- Description: Sheraton Guilin Hotel is located by the Li River, offering comfortable rooms and easy access to Guilin’s attractions.
- Image: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/kjMQHeJN.webp

### Yangshuo Mountain Retreat

- City: yangshuo
- Description: A peaceful riverside retreat for travellers who want Yangshuo's karst scenery to feel close, quiet and unhurried.
- Image: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/2R0KYRQ9.webp

### Atour S Hotel Shanghai Hongqiao Centre Aegean

- City: Shanghai
- Description: Atour S Hotel in Hongqiao: steps from Aegean Place and Metro Line 10, six km from the National Exhibition and Convention Center.
- Image: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/ciHY2Qvs.webp

## Included / Excluded

### What's Included

- Private vehicle: Air-conditioned private vehicle for all listed touring in all three places; airport pickup on day one and drop-off on day ten; hotel and airport transfers for both internal flights; the pre-dawn drive to Xianggong Hill on day seven; the road transfer from Yangshuo to Guilin airport on day nine
- Guide: Licensed English-speaking guide on all touring days, including the first evening at the Bund end to end
- Internal flights: Two internal flights: Shanghai to Guilin on day four, Guilin to Shanghai on day nine. Cabin class is being finalized, so the cabin class for your order is stated in writing in your quote
- Li River cruise: The full Guilin to Yangshuo run on day five, both the day's main experience and the only water link between the two cities. Boat class and deck are being finalized, so they are stated in writing in your quote
- Hotels: 9 nights at your chosen level, five-star or quality boutique, breakfast included: Shanghai 3 · Guilin 1 · Yangshuo 4 · Shanghai 1. Hotels named in your written confirmation. Room type is not promised on this version, see Special Notes
- Tickets & experiences, Shanghai: Yu Garden and the old city · the former French Concession and Wukang Road · the Bund and the Pudong skyline after dark · Shanghai Tower observation deck · a Shanghai art space, named in your written confirmation · the Huangpu River ferry crossing
- Tickets & experiences, Guilin: Guilin old town on foot · Elephant Trunk Hill
- Tickets & experiences, Yangshuo: Yulong River bamboo raft · Xianggong Hill sunrise · Xingping Ancient Town · a karst cave near Yangshuo, named in your written confirmation once operating conditions are settled · the Li River at sunset with the fishing boats, watched and photographed by you · West Street
- Meals: 9 hotel breakfasts, days two through ten, plus one arranged item: the riverside afternoon tea in Yangshuo on day six
- Departure-morning walk: The Wukang Road breakfast walk on day ten when your flight time allows it, at no extra charge
- Insurance: Travel accident insurance

### Not Included

- International flights: Flights into and out of Shanghai
- Visas: Visa fees and processing for guests who need a Chinese visa
- Meals: Beyond the 9 breakfasts and the one afternoon tea: lunches and dinners are recommended and booked by your guide, on your account. Food and drink bought along West Street and in the old towns are on your account
- On-site spending: Anything bought inside the listed venues: cave photography services, boat-side vendor purchases, tea-house retail, museum shops. None of it is bundled
- Honeymoon service layer: Professional photography · ceremony-moment styling and setup · a guaranteed river-view suite category. None of the three is in the base price on this version, and none is sold as an add-on either, because no supplier is contracted and no price exists. See Special Notes
- Personal: Gratuities, single or extra-room difference, personal spending. This route is quoted on two guests sharing one room

### Special Notes

A few things on this route follow the calendar, the season, a supplier's confirmation, or a decision we have not finished making. Here they are, told straight.

- Bookings are not open yet: three things a honeymoon on this route should have are not contracted with any supplier: a river-view suite held for four consecutive nights in Yangshuo, a professional photographer, and the styling of the ceremony moments. Until they are real and named here we take no orders and no deposits. Tell us your dates and we will write to you on the day it opens.
- What we sell instead: the sunrise, the raft and the sunset fishing boats are sold as what they are, places and hours that the two of you reach with your own guide and vehicle. They are not sold as photographed or styled occasions, because we cannot yet buy that.
- October departures only on this version: the Li River enters its low-water season in November and December, and that stretch of river is both the main experience of day five and the only water link from Guilin into Yangshuo; the raft day and the sunset fishing boats read off the same water level. The winter arrangement, a road link of about ninety minutes in place of the boat plus the day's re-plan, is being finalized. November and December departures open only once it is settled and written here.
- The one early start: day seven leaves before dawn for the Xianggong Hill sunrise, and you are told this in writing before you place an order. You can decline that start on the order: day seven then runs as Xingping Ancient Town on a late-morning start, at no change in price. Nothing else on this route starts before 8:00.
- Sunrise weather: a sunrise is weather, and no one sells weather. Rain or heavy mist means no color from the viewpoint, and we do not pretend otherwise. Four nights in one place is the cushion: on a lost morning the guide and vehicle are yours to try again on the following day, with the cave and the sunset moved back half a day. What holds either way: the climb, the view of the bend, and a morning nobody else in the town is having.
- Departure calendar: departures in the national holiday week, October 1 to 7, are confirmed order by order against boat and hotel capacity before a date is held.
- The cave is not named before you book: which cave runs on your dates is settled with the operator against operating conditions, then named in your written confirmation.
- Two flights and a boat: this route holds two internal flights and one river cruise seat block, so a date change touches flight inventory, boat inventory and four consecutive Yangshuo hotel nights at once. The flight numbers, times and cabin class are written into your quote, as are the boat class and deck. The autumn schedule on both legs is confirmed for your dates before anything is charged.
- The Bund on your first evening: your guide is with you end to end. People approach visitors on that waterfront with an invitation to practice English or see a tea ceremony, and it is a known scam that ends in a bill. It is a standing rule on this route, not an option you choose.
- Visa window: the 30-day visa-free policy currently runs through December 31, 2026. This version sells October departures, which finish well inside that window; later departure dates are quoted only after the official renewal is announced.
- US passports: this route is not offered to guests traveling on US passports at present. Shanghai in and Shanghai out on a US round trip does not form the onward third-country leg that the ten-day visa-free transit policy requires, and ten days sits flush against that policy's stay ceiling with no margin. Until the entry route for US passport holders is settled we do not quote it. Guests who entered China under that transit policy cannot take this trip either, for the same two reasons, and we say so before payment rather than after.
- Confirmation and changes: the confirmation-time commitment and the change and refund terms are being finalized with our ground partners. Until they are settled, each quote states in writing its own confirmation deadline and its change and refund conditions.

## Is Ten Days Your Length?

Fewer than ten days?

### Fewer than ten days?

The two halves come apart cleanly: Shanghai stands on its own, and the Guilin and Yangshuo stretch stands on its own. What we cut is days rather than the pace, and the first thing we protect is the four consecutive nights in Yangshuo. Tell us your dates and we will show you both versions.

## Good to Know

- Group: Private, just your party. From 1 guest. No fixed maximum party size.
- Pace: Three places in 10 days: Shanghai 3 nights, Guilin 1, Yangshuo 4, plus one final night back in Shanghai. One whole day given to a flight, one afternoon given to a boat
- Effort: Two climbs on stone steps to viewpoints, one before sunrise and one before sunset. Otherwise town walking, riverbank walking and time on the water. No altitude
- Ports: Shanghai in, Shanghai out; airport pickup on day one and drop-off on day ten. Yangshuo has no airport, so both the way in and the way out run through Guilin, by boat on day five and by road on day nine
- Visas: UK, most European and Canadian passports enter visa-free for stays days, and so do Australian and New Zealand passports. Checked order by order against your dates. This route is not offered on US passports at present
- Language: Licensed English-speaking guides throughout, city by city
- Payment: When this route opens for booking: From 1 guest. A 10% deposit (minimum $399) locks your dates. The balance is due 14 days before departure. "Or similar" never means a quiet downgrade
- Season: October 2026 departures on this version. November and December wait on the low-water arrangement for the Li River. Departures in the October 1 to 7 holiday week are confirmed order by order

## Your Private Concierge

- Name: Jason Hu
- Title: Private China Route Concierge
- Tagline: A bilingual planning desk for tailor-made China journeys.
- Bio: Our China team tunes pacing, hotels and local hosts around each route style.
- Avatar image: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/c0TBypRh.png

### Stats

- 20+ Years
- 300+ Trips designed
- 24/7 On-trip care

### The Conversation

Every LyrikTrip journey begins with a conversation. Tell us your dates and who's coming — and if this length isn't right for you, we'll say so and shape a shorter arc. First reply within four hours; a clear price for your dates within one business day.

- CTA: Start the conversation

### Step 01: Tell us what excites you

Not your dates and budget — your curiosity. Where have you always wanted to go? What do you want to feel? We start there.

- 24h: First concept delivered

### Step 02: We design it around you

Your specialist builds the itinerary from scratch — routes, hosts, hotels, and experiences you won't find anywhere else.

- 100%: Bespoke, never off-the-shelf

### Step 03: Lock it in with 10%

When the plan feels right, a 10% deposit holds your entire trip. Balance due 30 days before departure.

- 10%: Deposit to secure everything

### Step 04: Travel. We handle the rest.

Your Trip Pack arrives before you fly. On the road, your concierge is one message away — for the expected and everything you didn't plan for.

- 24/7: Support throughout your journey

- Free cancellation up to 30 days
- English-speaking concierge
- Secure payment via Stripe

- CTA: Talk to Us

## Guest Reviews

- Overall rating: 4.9
- Total reviews: 523
- Count label: from 523 verified reviews

4.9 / 5

### Platforms

- google: 4.9 (312 reviews)
- tripadvisor: 5.0 (211 reviews)

- Filter tabs: All, Google, TripAdvisor
- Emily Carter (🇺🇸 Seattle, USA · 5★ · May 2026 · google): Perfect for couples - My partner and I had an amazing time in China. Everything was arranged for us — transfers, hotels, guides. No stress at all.
- Claire Brooks (🇬🇧 London, UK · 5★ · Apr 2026 · tripadvisor): Great for families - Traveled with my two kids and had zero issues. The team made sure the pace wasn't too rushed and included things the kids would enjoy. Communication was easy throughout. Will definitely use them again for our next Asia trip.
- Laura Bennett (🇨🇦 Toronto, Canada · 5★ · Mar 2026 · google): Alisa made the whole experience easy - Alisa was our point of contact throughout and she was brilliant — patient, knowledgeable, and always quick to reply. The trip itself was wonderful. Beijing and Guilin were highlights.
- Mark Henderson (🇺🇸 Denver, USA · 4★ · Feb 2026 · tripadvisor): Good service, minor hiccup but sorted quickly - Really good service. There was a small mix-up with one of our restaurant bookings but it got sorted quickly. The rest of the trip was seamless.
- Rebecca Miller (🇺🇸 Boston, USA · 5★ · Jan 2026 · google): Really listened to what we wanted - Really helpful team. They listened to what we wanted and delivered. Beijing and Xi'an were incredible.

## China Ready

We've solved the hard parts. Here's everything a first-time Western traveler needs to know before arriving.

### VPN & Internet Access

- Badge: Do this before you fly
- What's blocked: Google, Gmail, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, WhatsApp, and most Western news sites are inaccessible in China without a VPN.
- Download before you leave: It's nearly impossible to download a VPN once inside China. Install and test at home. Recommended: Astrill (most reliable), Mullvad, ExpressVPN — subscribe to at least two in case one stops working.
- Hotel Wi-Fi tip: Some hotels block VPN connections on their Wi-Fi. Use your phone's mobile data as a hotspot if the VPN drops.
- Good news: WhatsApp works perfectly through a VPN, so your messaging stays unchanged. Apple iMessage and Signal also work.

### Paying in China

- Badge: Your concierge sets this up on Day 1
- China is cashless: Alipay and WeChat Pay are used for almost everything — restaurants, taxis, markets, tickets. Cash is rarely accepted in cities.
- International cards now work: Foreign Visa/Mastercard can now link directly to Alipay (set up in minutes, $5,000 single transaction limit). Your concierge walks you through the setup on your first morning.
- Carry some cash: We recommend ¥500–800 RMB in cash for the rare vendor that won't accept digital payment, and for small towns.
- Booking this trip: Your deposit and balance are charged via Stripe — the same trusted platform used by Airbnb and Booking.com. USD billing, no surprise conversion fees.

### Visa & Entry

- Badge: We handle the paperwork
- Do you need a visa?: Most US, UK, EU, Australian, Canadian, and New Zealand passport holders need a tourist (L) visa for stays over 10 days. We provide a visa invitation letter with every booking — it significantly speeds up approval.
- 240-hour visa-free transit: Citizens of 55+ countries (including USA, UK, most of EU, AUS, NZ, Canada) can enter China visa-free for up to 10 days if transiting through eligible ports. This covers our 12-day itinerary only if you have a confirmed onward flight.
- Processing time: Apply 4–6 weeks before departure. Standard processing: 4–7 business days. Express (3 days) and same-day options available at most Chinese consulates.
- What we provide: Visa invitation letter, hotel confirmation for all nights, suggested itinerary document — everything the consulate needs, formatted correctly.

### Safety & Practical Tips

- Badge: Our responsibility, always
- Is China safe?: China consistently ranks among the safest countries for foreign tourists. Violent crime against visitors is extremely rare. Cities have extensive CCTV coverage and a visible police presence.
- Emergency numbers: Police: 110. Ambulance: 120. Your concierge is your first call for any non-emergency situation — she has local contacts for every city on the itinerary.
- Health & medications: Bring a full supply of any prescription medication. International pharmacies exist in major cities but may not carry your brand. Travel insurance is required — we can recommend policies that cover China specifically.
- Language: English fluency outside hotels and tourist sites is limited. Your guides all speak English. We provide a printed pocket card with essential Chinese phrases and emergency contacts for every traveler.

## Before You Book

Everything worth knowing before you book.

### Can you arrange a photographer and set up the ceremony moments?

Not on this version, and we will not pretend otherwise. A professional photographer, ceremony-moment styling and a guaranteed river-view suite are the three things a honeymoon on this route should have, and none of them is contracted with a supplier yet, so none is in the price and none is sold as an add-on. That is also why bookings are not open. What you do get in the meantime is the raw material those things would have been built around: the sunrise from Xianggong Hill, the raft on the Yulong River, the fishing boats at last light, and a guide and vehicle that are yours alone at every one of them. Tell us your dates and we will write to you the day the three are real.

### Four and a half hours on a boat. Isn't that a long time?

It is long, and that is the point of day five. There is no other water link between Guilin and Yangshuo, so the choice is this boat or a car on a road, and the car saves you three hours you have nowhere else to spend. On board you sit, you eat something, you stop naming the peaks after the first hour. It is also the only leg of the trip where neither of you has anything to do. The boat class and deck for your order are written into your quote, and the sailing time for your dates is confirmed before you pay.

### Do we have to get up in the dark?

Once, on day seven, and only if you want to. The Xianggong Hill sunrise leaves before first light, it is the one start earlier than 8:00 on the whole route, and you are told so in writing before you order. You can decline it on the order: day seven then starts late and runs to Xingping Ancient Town instead, at the same price. If you keep it and the morning comes in wet or misty, there is no color from the viewpoint and we will not claim otherwise; four nights in one hotel means the guide and vehicle are still yours to try the next morning, with the cave and the sunset moved back half a day.

### Why fly back to Shanghai for one night instead of going home from Guilin?

Because Yangshuo has no airport and no port of entry, so every version of this trip goes back through Guilin anyway. From there you either connect through another airport on the day you fly home, or you sleep one night in the city you started in and leave from a port you already know. We chose the second: day nine is a boat town in the morning and a hotel bed in Shanghai by evening, and day ten is a breakfast walk on the plane-tree street from day two, then the airport. Both internal flights and the road transfer to Guilin airport are in the base price.

### Do we need a visa?

Most guests on this route do not. UK, most European and Canadian passports enter visa-free for stays days, and so do Australian and New Zealand passports. Before you pay we check your 10 days plus any extra days in China against that window. The current policy runs through December 31, 2026, and this version sells October departures, which finish well inside it. US passports are the exception: this route is not offered on a US passport at present, because Shanghai in and Shanghai out on a US round trip does not form the onward third-country leg the ten-day visa-free transit policy requires, and ten days leaves that policy no margin. We would rather tell you that than sell you a trip you cannot legally take.