Longji rice terraces: tickets, hours and how to visit
Two hours north, terraces cut into 800-metre slopes; best in May and September.
Longji rice terraces at a glance
Two hours north, terraces cut into 800-metre slopes; best in May and September. Plan on full day from guilin here, plus half an hour either side for entry, security and parking.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Tickets | CNY 95 for the scenic area, valid for multiple days. Ping'an and Dazhai are separate valleys with separate car parks. |
| Opening hours | 08:00–18:00. Sunrise viewpoints open earlier for guests staying in the villages. |
| Time needed | Full day from Guilin; better as an overnight. |
| City | Guilin, China |
What to see
Three things carry this sight. If you are short on time, do them in this order.
- Ping'anthe classic terraces, "Seven Stars with Moon" and "Nine Dragons"
- Dazhai (Jinkeng)bigger, steeper, with a cable car and fewer tour groups
- A village homestaythe only way to see the terraces at sunrise without a 05:00 drive
Tickets and booking
How the ticket works, and what foreigners usually get wrong.
Before you buy
- Price. CNY 95 for the scenic area, valid for multiple days. Ping'an and Dazhai are separate valleys with separate car parks.
- Booking. The terraces are planted in May and harvested in September, so outside those months you get bare earth or stubble. June is green, September is gold, and winter is brown — check which one you are booking before committing to the two-hour drive.
- Payment. Most Chinese sights take WeChat Pay or Alipay only. Cash works at staffed windows but not at self-service machines; a licensed guide can pay on your behalf and settle with you at the end of the day.
Getting there and when to go
Two hours north of Guilin by car, on mountain roads that get slow in the last 30 minutes. Buses go from Guilin Qintan station but take 3 hours and stop at the gate.
08:00–18:00. Sunrise viewpoints open earlier for guests staying in the villages.. The first hour after opening is the quietest — tour groups arrive around 09:30. Late afternoon gives better light but the main viewpoints start clearing people out, so shoot early if that is your priority.
Public transport reaches Longji rice terraces, but connections and waiting times add up. With luggage, older travellers, or two sights in one day, a car and driver removes the guesswork.
The one thing that goes wrong
Guilin local note
- The terraces are planted in May and harvested in September, so outside those months you get bare earth or stubble. June is green, September is gold, and winter is brown — check which one you are booking before committing to the two-hour drive.
Pairing Longji rice terraces with
These are usually on the same day or the same trip.
Longji rice terraces: questions travellers ask
Ping'an or Dazhai?
Can I do it as a day trip?
How booking works — three steps, itinerary before price
No deposit to get a plan, and nothing is locked in before you agree.
Send the brief
Dates, party size, how you arrive and what you want to see around Longji rice terraces.
Get a route and a price
We order the stops by location and traffic, then quote per car per day with fuel, tolls and the driver included.
Confirm and travel
Only after you accept the route and the price do we assign the car and guide.
