YouChina
KWL · arrival routes

Guilin — Airport to city

Guilin Liangjiang International Airport (KWL) has only one working terminal — everything below is Terminal 2; see the note below on why T1 is closed. There's no metro or direct airport rail link here, so the shuttle bus, a taxi, or a ride-hailing app are your only ways into downtown, to Guilin North Railway Station, or to Yangshuo. Most international visitors connect via a larger hub rather than flying into KWL directly. If you're arriving visa-free, note that the 240-hour transit policy and the narrower 144-hour ASEAN group-tour policy are two different rules — confirm which one applies to you before relying on either.

No metro — the shuttle bus or taxi are your only options

There's no metro or airport rail link in Guilin — the shuttle bus or taxi are your only options from Gate 5/6 at Terminal 2.

Plan before you land

Which way into Guilin?

Pick by your destination — downtown, Guilin North, or straight to Yangshuo.

Not sure yet? Narrow it down — you can skip this.

Airport shuttle bus — three routes from Gate 5

The cheapest way to downtown, Guilin North Railway Station, or straight to Yangshuo without a taxi

Fare
¥20 (民航大厦) / ¥25 (桂林北站) / ¥70 (阳朔)
Runs
07:30–18:30 (桂林北站)
机场大巴 · Airport Bus5号门 · Gate 56号门 · Gate 6 (ticket counter)
Curbside shuttle bus at Guilin airport
A shuttle bus at Guilin Liangjiang Airport, photographed in 2014. · Photo: Sunnya343, CC BY-SA 4.0

Fare & cautions

  • To downtown (民航大厦): ¥20/person, about 50-60 minutes.
  • To Guilin North Railway Station (桂林北站): ¥25/person, departing every 2 hours from 07:30 to 18:30.
  • To Yangshuo Bus Station (阳朔汽车站): ¥70/person, about 90 minutes, nonstop. This is the current fare — some older guides still list a stale ¥50 figure.
Sources
Route fares to downtown and Guilin North: airport/operator listings, reviewed Jul 2026. The ¥70 Yangshuo fare is a reported figure — the airport's own fare page could not be reached to confirm it directly, so verify at the airport ticket counter or WeChat mini-program before travel; some older guides still list a stale ¥50 figure.

Show this on your phone

请问机场大巴在哪里买票?Where do I buy a ticket for the airport bus?
请问去阳朔的车在哪个窗口买票?Which counter is for the Yangshuo bus?

Official taxi

Late arrival, heavy luggage, or heading straight to a hotel without transferring at Gate 5

Fare
≈¥80–150
出租车 · Taxi6号门 · Gate 6
Forecourt of the terminal at Guilin Liangjiang International Airport at night
The terminal forecourt at night, photographed in 2014, before the current Terminal 2 opened. · Photo: Sunnya343, CC BY-SA 4.0

Fare & cautions

  • Daytime meter: ¥9 flagfall for the first 2 km, then ¥1.9/km.
  • Night meter: ¥11 flagfall for the first 2 km, then ¥2/km.
  • Travel guides estimate ¥80-150 to downtown — treat this as a wide, unofficial range rather than a fixed tariff; the meter is the real number.
Sources
Meter rates: official day/night tariff. The ¥80-150 downtown estimate: a travel-guide range, not an official fare.

Show this on your phone

请带我去市中心,麻烦打表,谢谢。Please take me downtown and use the meter.
请问出租车在6号门哪里上车?Where is the taxi rank at Gate 6?

Ride-hailing (DiDi / Amap)

A saved Chinese address and working data — cost similar to a taxi

网约车 · Ride-hailingA13区 · Zone A13

Fare & cautions

  • No fixed airport fare has been published — check the in-app quote before you confirm.
  • Payment is in-app; the driver and plate appear after you land.
Sources
Pickup Zone A13: single source, moderate confidence — confirm with on-site signage on arrival.

Show this on your phone

我在A13区,请告诉我具体上车点。I am at Zone A13 — please tell me the exact pickup point.

Navigate to your hotel

Open the airport in your map app, then set your hotel as the destination. Amap and Baidu are the reliable maps inside China; Google Maps is limited on the mainland.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Take the airport shuttle bus from Gate 5 (5号门) to 民航大厦 (Civil Aviation Building) — ¥20/person, about 50-60 minutes. A taxi from the Gate 6 rank runs ¥9 flagfall/2km + ¥1.9/km by day (travel guides estimate ¥80-150 total), or use DiDi from the reported Zone A13 pickup point. There is no metro in Guilin.

A dedicated nonstop shuttle bus runs from Gate 5 to Yangshuo Bus Station (阳朔汽车站) — ¥70/person, about 90 minutes. This ¥70 fare is current; some older guides still show a stale ¥50 figure, so don't be surprised if the price has gone up.

The airport shuttle bus: ¥20/person to downtown (民航大厦), ¥25 to Guilin North Railway Station, or ¥70 nonstop to Yangshuo — all far cheaper than a ¥80-150 taxi. Buy tickets at the counter by Gate 6 (6号门) and board at Gate 5 (5号门).

Only Terminal 2 is currently in use. Terminal 1 has been closed since September 2018; a future renovation/expansion (and a longer-term Terminal 3) is planned but has no confirmed reopening date, so plan around T2 only.

How we verify airport routes

  • We prefer airport, metro, rail, and government operator pages for route, ticketing, terminal, and schedule claims.
  • If an exact fare, pickup bay, or last-train time is not confirmed on an operator page, we tell travelers to check it instead of publishing a number.
  • Last-updated dates mark when source links and page claims were reviewed.

Airport and transport sources

Last updated:

Continue your China prep