Most people come to Guilin for its beautiful scenery, featuring misty karst mountains and emerald-green rivers. But for a family tour in Guilin, you’ll quickly realize it’s not just about standing at viewpoints and taking photos.
Traveling in Guilin, kids can climb hills, explore caves, cycle through rice fields, and float down calm stretches of river on bamboo rafts. Here are the 15 best things to do in Guilin with kids that make your Guilin tour fun and memorable.
Top Attractions in Guilin for Kids
1. Climb Up Elephant Trunk Hill
Best for: school-age kids and teenagers (younger children may need help on the steps)
Elephant Trunk Hill is Guilin’s best-known landmark and one of the best places in Guilin for families. The rock really does look like a giant elephant drinking from the river, and kids usually have fun pointing it out. There’s a small cave inside the hill where kids can step inside, look at the rock formations up close, and actually see how nature shaped the landscape.
It’s about a 15-minute walk to the top from the back trail, and the view over the Li River and the old town makes the short climb worth it.
2. Wander Through Seven Star Park and Visit the Zoo Inside
Best for: toddlers, young kids, and school-age kids
Wondering what to do in Guilin with kids? Seven Star Park is an easy place to start. Named after seven peaks that line up like the Big Dipper, this attraction in Guilin is a big green backyard — with hills, quiet paths, and plenty of space to run around. Don’t miss Qixia Cave near Camel Hill. It stays cool inside, and the rock shapes quickly turn into a guessing game for kids.
The Guilin Zoo inside Seven Star Park is a fun stop for kids, with animals like giraffes, zebras, pandas, and monkeys. There are also a few simple areas where they can feed deer or rabbits and watch peacocks or parrots up close.
>> Recommended 6-day Guilin, Yangshuo & Longji discovery
3. Explore Reed Flute Cave
Best for: school-age kids and teenagers (very youngIn a few spots where the water is only ankle-deep, kids can step in, splash around, and pick up smooth stones.
Reed Flute Cave, a must-stop for a Guilin family vacation, is famous for its dramatic limestone formations and is often called a natural art gallery. Inside, kids can walk through colorful chambers filled with stalactites and stalagmites that look like animals, waterfalls, or scenes from a fantasy story.
There’s usually a guide explaining how the cave was formed, which adds a bit of learning to the visit without making it feel too serious.
4. Relax at Guihai Qinglan
Best for: all ages, including babies and toddlers
Visiting Guihai Qinglan is also one of the most relaxing things to do in Guilin with kids. There’s a big central lawn where kids can run around, set up a picnic, or even pitch a small tent, and the lakeside paths are nice for an easy walk past reeds and water birds. You’ll also find simple playground equipment like slides and swings, which makes it an easy, low-effort stop with younger children.
Outdoor Activities for Kids in Guilin
5. Take a Li River Cruise with Kids
Best for: all ages, including babies and toddlers
Taking a Li River cruise is also one of the popular family-friendly things to do in Guilin. It is a pretty relaxed way to see the scenery without dragging kids up another hill. You just sit back, head up to the open deck, and the karst peaks roll by one after another — including the stretch that shows up on the 20 RMB note.
You might see white egrets flying alongside the boat, and kids love watching them swoop close.
>> Recommended 4-day classic Guilin & Yangshuo tour with Li River cruise
6. Go Bamboo Rafting on the Yulong River
Best for: school-age kids and teenagers (age restrictions may apply for very young children)
The Yulong River is calm and shallow in many sections, which makes bamboo rafting one of the easier Guilin family activities to include in your trip. A local boatman guides the raft downstream while the mountains reflect in the water, and children often trail their hands in the river or watch small fish below.
In a few spots where the water is only ankle-deep, kids can step in, splash around, and pick up smooth stones.
7. Cycle through the Yangshuo Countryside
Best for: school-age kids and teenagers
Cycling through the countryside in Yangshuo is one of the top things to do in Guilin with kids, especially if your family enjoys being outdoors. The route is mostly flat and runs past rice fields, small villages, and karst hills, with easy stops at places like Moon Hill and the Big Banyan Tree.
You can choose to pause along the narrow paths to rest by the fields, where kids watch insects in the grass or feel the breeze coming off the paddies.
>> Recommended 2-day active Yangshuo countryside tour
8. Explore the Longji Rice Terraces
Best for: school-age kids and teenagers (not ideal for toddlers)
Longji Rice Terraces is one of those must-see attractions on your China family tours to Guilin, especially if you want more than just a quick viewpoint. The terraces change with the seasons — flooded and reflective in spring, bright green in summer, golden at harvest, and sometimes dusted with snow in winter.
Families can walk between villages, visit viewpoints like Nine Dragons and Five Tigers or Seven Stars with the Moon, and see how rice farming actually works, from planting to harvesting.
>> Recommended 5-day Guilin tour with Longji Rice Terraces exploration
9. Go on an Easy Hike in Guilin
Best for: School-age kids and teenagers
Guilin has one of the best hiking trails in China, as well as easy routes that work well for families with kids. You can walk the Four Lakes scenic loop right in the city, which is flat, open, and easy to manage. Just outside town, Tianxin Village has gentle orchard paths where kids can wander without much climbing.
For a bit more movement, short climbs like Fubo Hill or Diecai Hill are doable in under an hour and give you nice views without turning into a full mountain trek.
>>Recommended 6-day Guilin hiking getaway
Cultural & Hands-on Experiences for Kids in Guilin
10. Join a Chinese Cooking Class in Guilin
Best for: school-age kids and teenagers
Joining a cooking class in Yangshuo is one of the more hands-on things to do in Guilin with kids. The class usually begins with a short walk through the local market, where children can see live fish, fresh vegetables, and unfamiliar ingredients up close.
Back in the kitchen, each person gets a wok, and kids can help chop simple ingredients, stir-fry, or wrap stuffed vegetables with guidance from the chef. When it’s time to eat, they’re usually pretty proud of what they’ve made — and that’s half the fun.
>> Recommended 15-day China cooking & foodie tour with Guilin & Yangshuo
11. Try a Calligraphy or Traditional Painting Workshop
Best for: school-age kids and teenagers
A Chinese calligraphy or painting class in Guilin slows things down in a good way for your Guilin tours. It’s simple to follow, even for beginners. The teacher shows you how to hold the brush, dip the ink, and try a few basic strokes or paint a small scene inspired by Guilin’s mountains.
Kids can take their time, and there’s no pressure to get it perfect. In the end, they get to bring home their own artwork, which tends to mean more than anything picked up in a shop.
>> Recommended 13-day highlights of China tour for families with kids
12. Experience Guilin’s Ethnic Minority Culture
Best for: school-age kids and teenagers
Guilin’s rich culture is shaped by several ethnic groups living side by side, including the Zhuang, Yao, Miao, Dong, and Hui communities. Taking time to experience Guilin’s ethnic minority culture is one of the more meaningful things to do in Guilin with kids.
On a China eco & ethnic tour in Guilin, families can experience traditional festivals with lantern floating, singing, colorful clothing, and even large wedding-style celebrations that kids usually find fascinating to watch.
13. Visit a Traditional Village Near Guilin
Best for: all ages, though school-age kids gain the most from it
Around Guilin, there are several old villages with long histories that show what traditional rural life looks like. Daxu Ancient Town has stone streets and riverside houses that are still part of daily life. Fuli is known for its fan painting workshops, while Xingping offers quiet lanes near the Li River, and Jiuxian Village keeps its old Ming and Qing-style homes surrounded by farmland.
In these places, kids can see fields, old houses, and even ancient wells, which offer a closer look at everyday local life than typical tourist attractions.
>> See the top 8 beautiful ancient towns/villages around Guilin
14. Take Part in a Farming Experience in Yangshuo
Best for: school-age kids and teenagers
If you’re thinking about what to do in Guilin with kids beyond the usual sightseeing, a farming day in Yangshuo is worth considering. It usually means getting your hands dirty in the best way. In spring, kids can step into the fields and try planting rice; in autumn, they might help cut it down or even catch little fish in the shallow paddies.
Also, they can help with simple things like pulling sweet potatoes out of the ground, picking vegetables, or tossing feed to chickens and ducks.
>> Recommended 3-day Yangshuo family adventure with farm work
15. Learn About Tea Culture and Try Tea Picking
Best for: school-age kids and teenagers
When you travel to China with teens, it’s worth adding something that connects them to everyday local life. Head a bit outside Guilin toward Longsheng or Yangshuo, and small tea farms welcome visitors during the picking season. In spring, kids can walk between the tea rows, learn how to pick the young leaves, and even try simple steps like pan-frying and shaping them with guidance.
It’s an easy, hands-on tea culture experience where they see how tea goes from plant to cup.
>> Recommended 5-day K-12 school tour in Guilin
Take a Guilin Family Tour with ETC
Planning all these things to do in Guilin with kids can feel like a lot, especially if you’re traveling as a family. But you don’t have to figure it out alone. At ETC, we help families customize Guilin trips that actually match their kids’ ages and energy levels. Below are our popular China tours including Guilin.