The Longji terraces are cut into the hillsides above Longsheng, about two and a half hours north of Guilin. They have been farmed for something like seven centuries, they are still worked, and they change completely four times a year — flooded and mirror-like in spring, green through summer, gold in autumn, bare in winter.

Whether they work as a day trip depends entirely on where you are starting, and the answer is different for the two places you are most likely to be.

The ticket, which changes with the season

April to November
CNY 100
December to March
CNY 80
Covers
The scenic area, both main villages
Cable car
Extra, at Dazhai

Checked 14 Aug 2026 Seasonal pricing per current Longji ticketing listings, which give CNY 100 in the April–November peak and CNY 80 from December to March. Some sources quote a flat CNY 80 without the seasonal split — if you are travelling in summer, budget for 100.

Getting there, and why the starting point decides everything

Longji by public bus
From Time each way Fare Departures
Guilin — Qintan coach station, Guilin North or West 2 h 30 – 3 h CNY 50 – 60 Direct shuttles in peak season
Yangshuo coach station to Dazhai About 4 h CNY 90 08:00 · 10:30 · 13:30
Between Dazhai and Ping’an About 50 min, one change CNY 10 + CNY 10 Via Erlong Bridge

Checked 14 Aug 2026 Routes, durations and fares per ChinaDiscovery. Direct shuttles from Guilin are described as a peak-season service — outside those months you may be changing at Longsheng. The three Yangshuo departures are the whole day’s service, so a missed bus is a missed trip.

Do the arithmetic on the Yangshuo bus

Four hours out, four hours back, and the last useful departure leaves at 13:30. From Yangshuo this is not a day trip — it is eight hours of bus around two hours of terraces, and you will see them in flat midday light. If you are based in Yangshuo and want Longji, go on the way in or out, not there and back.

Ping’an or Dazhai

Two villages, two different days, and most people pick by accident rather than on purpose.

  1. 1

    Ping’an — the easier one

    Closer, smaller, more developed, and the terraces reach the village itself. The classic viewpoints here are Nine Dragons and Five Tigers, and Seven Stars with Moon. If you have one afternoon and no intention of walking far, Ping’an is the right choice.

    Suits
    A short visit, less climbing
    Crowds
    Heavier
  2. 2

    Dazhai — the bigger landscape

    Further in, in the Jinkeng area, with the largest sweep of terraces and a cable car if you do not want to climb to the upper viewpoints. This is the Yao village side, and it is where the photographs that made Longji famous were mostly taken.

    The Yangshuo bus goes here directly, which is the one argument in that route’s favour.

    Suits
    A full day or an overnight
    Cable car
    Available, charged separately
Contoured green rice terraces stacked down a hillside at Longji, Longsheng
Licensed photograph. The desk has not visited Longji.

Why an overnight is the better answer

Terraces are a light subject. Flooded in spring they only mirror the sky when the sun is low; in autumn the gold reads properly at either end of the day and washes out at noon. Mist sits in the valleys early and burns off by mid-morning.

A day trip from Guilin puts you there between roughly 11:00 and 15:00 — the four hours when the terraces look least like the photographs that made you want to come.

Guesthouses in both villages are simple and cheap. One night converts a long bus day into an evening, a sunrise, and a leisurely return. If you are choosing between adding Longji as a day trip or adding it as an overnight, add the night.

When to go

What the terraces look like when
Season What you get
Mid-April to June Flooding and planting — the mirror season
July to August Solid green, heaviest rain, most domestic visitors
Late September to early November Gold before the harvest — the best window
December to March Bare terraces, cheapest ticket, occasional snow

The autumn window is short and it moves with the harvest, which is not on a fixed date. If you are travelling specifically for the gold, check locally in the week before rather than booking on a guess. Our month-by-month guide to the region covers how this fits with the Li River.

Mistakes

  • Treating it as a half day. It is five to six hours of travel from Guilin before you have looked at anything.
  • Going from Yangshuo and back in a day. The bus timetable does not support it.
  • Arriving at midday in summer and wondering why it looks flat.
  • Assuming the ticket is CNY 80. That is the winter price.
What travellers report

Public traveller reports through 2026 consistently rate the overnight above the day trip and Dazhai above Ping’an for the landscape, while noting Ping’an is the easier introduction. The most common regret recorded is arriving in the middle of the day.

Summarised from public traveller discussion, not from a visit. We have not travelled this route ourselves — see how we check.