Yangshou during golden week

Question

Hi, I messed up and booked my flight to Shanghai during golden week, however I have not booked any hotels or trains or anything yet.

I’m wondering if I should just fly to Vietnam from Shanghai instead.

I was looking at Mingshi/guangxi area and yangshou for the first week of October.

Spend the 29th and 1st in Shanghai and the rest I was going to go to waungxia valley/yangshou/mingshi for 9 days .

I’ve seen videos of insane crowds at train stations and sites and I’ve heard so many mixed opinions, some saying they would never go and some saying they have and it was just fine.

Has anybody ever actually been to these places in the past few years at that time?

Answer

Visiting Yangshuo and the surrounding Guangxi region during China’s Golden Week (1st week of October) can be challenging due to the massive domestic tourist crowds. The first week of October is one of the busiest travel periods in China, with most popular destinations, train stations, airports, and scenic spots experiencing extremely high traffic.

Here’s what you should know about traveling to Yangshuo/Mingshi during this period:

Yangshuo and the Li River area attract huge crowds during Golden Week. Popular activities such as the Li River cruise, cycling around the karst hills, and visiting Moon Hill or Yangshuo West Street can be very busy.
Train and bus tickets sell out fast, sometimes weeks in advance. Without prior booking, it can be very difficult to secure seats for trains or long-distance buses, especially from Shanghai or Guilin to Yangshuo.
Hotels and guesthouses in Yangshuo and nearby Mingshi are often fully booked, or prices are significantly inflated. Walk-in accommodation is limited and may be very crowded.

Practical tips if you still want to visit:

Book trains, buses, and hotels as early as possible—even now, some options may already be unavailable.
Consider flying to Guilin directly, then transferring to Yangshuo, to reduce long train journeys during crowded periods.
Be prepared for longer waiting times at tourist sites and possibly crowded local transport.

Alternative options:

If flexibility is important and you want a more relaxed experience, consider skipping Yangshuo during Golden Week. Flying directly to Vietnam from Shanghai could be a less stressful option, avoiding extreme crowds and high prices.
If your travel dates are fixed, consider visiting less popular areas in Guangxi or nearby provinces where the crowd levels will be lower, or adjust your itinerary to spend Golden Week in Shanghai or other urban areas with easier access to transport and accommodation.

Summary:

While visiting Yangshuo and Mingshi during Golden Week is possible, it will be crowded, expensive, and logistically challenging. If you prefer a relaxed experience, either booking everything very early or changing your plan to another destination (like Vietnam) is advisable.

Yangshou during golden week

More Yangshuo County Travel Questions

The attractions mentioned in this question

Popular Destinations

Popular Travel Questions