Two Rivers and Four Lakes, Guilin

Guilin sits inside a ring of water, and after dark the ring lights up. The Two Rivers and Four Lakes (Liangjiang Sihu) loop connects the Li River and the Peach Blossom (Taohua) River with four linked lakes, Shan, Rong, Gui and Mulong, and a night cruise around it is the closest thing the city has to a signature evening out.

A Song-dynasty water city, rebuilt

Guilin was ringed by moats and canals as far back as the Song dynasty, but the network silted up and split apart over the centuries. A restoration project completed around 2002 re-dug the old channels, reconnected the lakes and added a set of locks and a small boat lift on Mulong Lake to handle the differing water levels between sections, so a single boat can loop through all four lakes and both rivers without passengers ever getting out. Mulong Lake itself is landscaped as a Song-dynasty theme garden, its bridges and waterside buildings echoing the scroll painting Along the River During the Qingming Festival.

What the cruise shows you

The Sun and Moon Pagodas (Riyue Shuang Ta) on Shan Lake are the reason most people book. The 41-metre, nine-storey Sun Pagoda is clad in bronze and glows gold after dark; the slightly shorter Moon Pagoda is faced in glass and glows silver, and an underwater tunnel links the two towers beneath the lake. Past them, the route runs by themed bridges copied from famous spans elsewhere in the world, a lakeside glass bridge on Gui Lake, cormorant fishermen working the water near Gui Lake, and a folk singing performance staged on Mulong Lake. You also pass Diecai Hill and Baoji Hill lit up on the skyline, and a restored stretch of the old city wall near the Mulong Pagoda.

When boats run

The lakeside parks and walking paths are open around the clock and free to stroll. The night cruise itself runs later in the warmer months, roughly 6pm to 11pm from around April to October, and pulls its hours in during the cooler season to about 7pm to 9:30pm; boats leave every 10 to 30 minutes either way. A full loop takes somewhere between 60 and 90 minutes depending on which route and boat class you book. Daytime cruises exist too, but the lighting is the whole point, so most visitors go after dark.

Tickets

Walking the banks and photographing the pagodas from shore costs nothing. The cruise itself is ticketed, and prices differ by boat class, departure dock and season, with children and combo packages priced separately, so treat any figure you see online as a starting point and check the current fare when you book. Trip.com lists current cruise fares and lets you book ahead, which is worth doing for peak evenings and public holidays when the popular departures sell out.

Getting there

The waterway runs through the middle of Guilin, so most travellers reach it on foot. Cruises typically board at the Wenchang Bridge or Zhishan Wharf docks beside Shan Lake, a short walk from Central Square (Zhongxin Guangchang) and most downtown hotels. City buses stop near the lakes, a taxi or ride-hail from the train station takes roughly 10 to 15 minutes, and the airport run is closer to 45 minutes by car.

Best time to go

The draw here is the lighting rather than the scenery, so the cruise works year-round. Spring (March to May) and autumn (September to November) bring the most comfortable evening temperatures and the clearest skies for photos. Summer is warm and humid but the boats run later, giving you more departure options; winter evenings are cold on an open deck, so bring a layer. Public holidays are prettiest but busiest, book ahead if your dates overlap one.

Practical tips

• Go for the first sailing after dusk if you want the lights at their best with the smallest crowds.
• Sit on the open upper deck for a clear view of the pagodas and their reflections, and bring a light jacket since it gets breezy over the water even in summer.
• You do not need to cruise to enjoy the site: walking the lit banks around Shan and Rong Lakes at night is free and arguably just as photogenic.
• Reserve a day ahead on holidays and weekends, when the evening departures sell out first.
• Schedules and prices shift with the season and the operator, so confirm both on site or with whoever you booked through.