Best City-Centre Hotels in Guilin
8 Stays by Central Square, Zhengyang St & the Two Rivers Four Lakes — Walk to the Lakes, the Night Cruise and Dinner

We open the city-centre list with the best location of the lot — Jolie Vue Boutique Hotel scores 9.5/10 from around 3,478 real guest reviews. This ~99-room light-luxury five-star boutique sits riverside on the Li River on Binjiang Road, Xiangshan district. The killer detail is that it's directly opposite Elephant Trunk Hill (象鼻山), the city's symbol — you step out and there it is, there are river-view rooms that see the hill from the room, plus a 7th-floor rooftop terrace with 270-degree views, and it's a ~5-minute walk to the Two Rivers Four Lakes cruise jetty, Central Square and Zhengyang Street. Guests praise the walk-to-everything location, the Elephant Trunk Hill view and the good-looking boutique design. The honest catch: the Li River / hill-view rooms cost more than the standard rooms (specify one when booking), it's a small boutique rather than a big international chain, and the riverside / Central Square area is busy in the evening · details compiled from real reviews on Trip.com.

Next is the big-brand five-star with the edge on a central riverside location — Sheraton Guilin Hotel scores 9.1/10 from around 4,876 real guest reviews. It sits on the Li River on Binjiang Road in Xiufeng district. What works if you want to stay central is that it's a ~5-minute walk to Elephant Trunk Hill, and a walk to the Two Rivers Four Lakes and Zhengyang Street — you can walk the lakes, take the cruise or find dinner in the evening without a taxi, plus there are river-view rooms and river-view dining, and reliable Sheraton-brand service. Guests praise the walk-everywhere location and the service. The honest catch: the building has been open a while, so the styling is classic rather than the newest in town, the city-view rooms don't get the river (specify a River-View when booking), and rates rise in high season and on holidays.

This is the peak score on the list — Atour Hotel (Elephant Trunk Hill · Sun & Moon Pagodas) scores 9.6/10 from around 2,176 real guest reviews. This Atour design four-star sits on Zhongshan Middle Road in Xiangshan district, in the city centre. What works if you want to stay central is that it's a ~750m walk to Elephant Trunk Hill, and a walk to the Two Rivers Four Lakes and the Sun & Moon Pagodas, plus warm-toned design rooms with a reading nook and Atour's signature scent that are comfortable to be in. Guests praise the clean, well-designed rooms and comfortable beds and the easy-walking location, which is why it peaks at 9.6. The honest catch: it's a four-star midscale with no pool or river view, Atour has several branches in Guilin (confirm the "Elephant Trunk Hill · Sun & Moon Pagodas" one), and it's in a busy central area.

This is the best-value pick on the list, with a central location to match — Universal Hotel scores 9.5/10 from around 5,293 real guest reviews, the most on the list. This value four-star is in the city centre by Liberation Bridge (解放桥) in Xiufeng district. What works if you want to stay central is that it's a walk to the Two Rivers Four Lakes and the Zhengyang pedestrian street — you can walk the lakes, take the night cruise or find dinner easily, plus there's a Li River sunrise-view room where you open the curtains in the morning to the bridge and the peaks, and a river-view suite, all at a very light price. Guests call the rooms clean and great value in a central spot starting at just around ¥130 (฿650). The honest catch: it's a four-star with no pool or resort facilities, the entry rooms are twin city views (the sunrise-view / river-view rooms need to be specified), and the Liberation Bridge area is busy in the evening.

Another Atour branch with a different kind of great location — Atour Hotel (Zhengyang · Two Rivers Four Lakes · Elephant Trunk Hill) scores 9.5/10 from around 2,330 real guest reviews. This design four-star sits right on the Zhengyang pedestrian street (正阳步行街). What works if you want to stay central is that you step out of the lobby onto the food-and-souvenir street that's busy all day, so you can walk straight out to dinner, then walk on to Elephant Trunk Hill and the Sun & Moon Pagodas, plus warm-toned design rooms with a reading nook and Atour's signature scent. Guests praise the clean, warm-toned rooms, the comfortable beds and the easy-to-walk location. The honest catch: it's a midscale with no pool or river view, standard rooms are compact, and it's on a pedestrian street that's busy in the evening (street-facing rooms may get noise).

This is the pick for a quiet city-centre stay with grounds to stroll, at a lighter price than the five-stars — Guilin Bravo Hotel scores 9.4/10 from around 2,245 real guest reviews. This four-star garden hotel (formerly the Holiday Inn Guilin) sits on Ronghu Lake (榕湖) in Xiangshan district. What works if you want to stay central is that it has quiet, leafy lakeside grounds to stroll and lake-view rooms, plus a ~10-minute walk to the city centre and the Sun & Moon Pagodas — you can head out to the lakes and Zhengyang Street. Guests praise the leafy grounds, the quiet feel in the centre and the value. The honest catch: it's one of the city's older hotels, so some buildings / rooms feel classic (the wings differ — pick a renovated room), main-building rooms don't get the lake (specify a lake-view Deluxe when booking), and it's a slightly longer walk to some highlights than the hotels right on Central Square.

This is the peak-score design three-star with the most on-theme location — JI Hotel (Two Rivers Four Lakes) scores 9.6/10 from around 999 real guest reviews. This JI (全季 / Huazhu) midscale design hotel sits on Zhongshan Middle Road, right by the Two Rivers Four Lakes ring (两江四湖). What works if you want to stay central is that you walk to the city lakes, the East-West Lanes old town and Zhengyang Street — you can walk the lakes, take the night cruise or find dinner easily — plus clean, simply designed JI rooms with comfortable beds. Guests praise the clean, well-designed rooms and the lakeside location, which is why it peaks at 9.6. The honest catch: it's a three-star midscale with no pool or direct Li River view, it has fewer reviews than the big chains (around 999), and standard rooms are compact.

We close the city-centre list with the best-value pick — Lavande Hotel (Central Square · Elephant Trunk Hill) scores 9.2/10 from around 6,528 real guest reviews, the most on the list. This 3-star midscale chain (丽枫 Lavande) sits right on the Zhengyang pedestrian street (正阳步行街). What works if you want to stay central is that you step out of the lobby onto the food-and-souvenir street, so you can walk straight out to dinner, then walk on to the Sun & Moon Pagodas and Central Square, plus it's a consistent chain with clean rooms and a lavender scent, at a price starting at just around ¥95 (฿475), the cheapest on the list. Guests call it great value, clean, and central enough to walk everywhere, which is why it has 6,528 reviews. The honest catch: it's a budget three-star chain with no pool or river view, the Superior rooms are small, and it's on a pedestrian street that's busy in the evening (street-facing rooms may get noise).