Ten-Mile Gallery: Cycling Route & Best Stops
Ten Mile Gallery Yangshuo rewards the rider who plans one hour ahead. I have ridden it four times — 38°C July, a shoulder-flooding downpour, twice on a tandem — and every bad day came from the same three misses: wrong bike, wrong order of stops, wrong hour. You do not need more willpower; you need a plan that costs less than a bowl of noodles.
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The Yangshuo Ten-Mile Gallery cycling route, minus the brochure talk
It is five kilometres of old highway south of Yangshuo town, karst towers on both sides. The name is literal: ten li, about 5 km, ending where the road meets the Yulong River at Gongnong Bridge. Flat asphalt almost end to end — which is why it became the first ride for people who have not cycled in five years. Maps say Shili Hualang; every shop knows Ten Mile Gallery Yangshuo.
The route in numbers
- Gallery section: 5 km, about 30 m of climbing.
- West Street → Moon Hill → back: 16 km, the ride most people actually do.
- Traffic spike: 09:30–11:00, when tour coaches unload.
How to cycle Ten-Mile Gallery Yangshuo without a guide
Head south on Kangzhan Road, keep the peaks on your right, follow the green signs — every junction is signed in English. Skip the hotel cartoon map: the Ten-Mile Gallery cycling route map that helps you offline on your phone, because signal dies behind Moon Hill.
How long to cycle Ten-Mile Gallery?
Rider | Distance | Moving time | Realistic total | Start |
First-timer, two stops | 8 km | 35–45 min | 1.5–2 h | 08:00 |
Confident rider, Yulong loop | 14 km | 60–75 min | 3–3.5 h | 07:30 |
Couple, photo every 500 m | 12 km | 80 min | 4 h | 07:00 |
Guided day with climbing | 20–25 km | 5–6 h | 6 h | 08:00 |
Distance is not the variable; stops are. So how long to cycle Ten Mile Gallery? Yangshuo is about patience, not legs: two hours moving, four hours looking. Choose four stops, and you will not be the rider sprinting home at dusk on a dying battery.
If the gallery is only one morning of a short trip, let the Guilin–Yangshuo day tour with optional attractions carry the transfers so three days do not vanish into ticket queues.
Ten-Mile Gallery best stops, in the order you reach them.
Every Ten Mile Gallery Yangshuo list names the same five attractions; here is the order that works, and which ticket I would pay twice.
1. Totem Ancient Trail and Butterfly Spring — skip unless you have kids
Both sit at the northern end, both charge over ¥100, both are staged shows plus a cave. Came for karst scenery? That money belongs on Moon Hill. With children who need a toilet and a forty-minute performance? They earn their place.
2. Big Banyan Tree — the 1,400-year-old stop
Twenty yuan at the gate, twenty minutes inside, one enormous tree photographed since the Ming dynasty. Go before 09:00, or you’ll queue behind selfie sticks. For the Big Banyan Tree Yangshuo cycling route detour, this is the one ticket I would pay twice.
3. Gongnong Bridge Yangshuo — the best free stop on the road
Here the gallery road meets the Yulong River, and the rafts launch. Light is best 07:00–09:00; a family tea stall sits on the north side, and it costs nothing. One hour in Yangshuo? Ride here, take the photo, turn around.
4. Moon Hill from Ten-Mile Gallery — the climb that decides your day
Eight hundred steps: forty minutes up if you are fit, an hour if you are honest. Entry runs ¥20–30 and vendors at the top charge triple for water. What people miss is that the view of Moon Hill from Ten-Mile Gallery at sunset beats the view from inside the arch — you finally see the peak.
Yangshuo bike rental and the Ten-Mile Gallery bike rental price
What I paid, or was quoted, in 2026 — low and peak season:
Bike type | Fair price / day | Where | What to check |
City bike | ¥20–30 | Hotel front desk | Heavy; fine for the gallery only |
Mountain bike | ¥30–50 | Shops on Diecui Road | Gears matter on the Moon Hill road |
E-bike | Â¥80–120 | Shops near the bus station | Ask for 60 km range, not “enough” |
Tandem | ¥60–80 | Two shops near West Street | Brake test before you pay |
Kids bike / trailer | ¥25–40 | Same shops | Helmets often ¥10 extra |
Three things push the Ten-Mile Gallery bike rental price up: hotel delivery (¥20), a helmet (¥10), and a card deposit instead of your passport. Above ¥150 for a mountain bike, you are quoted the tourist rate. I once paid ¥120 in July rather than walk 200 metres; the next shop wanted ¥85.
Two e-bikes plus Moon Hill and Big Banyan tickets already reach ¥250–300 for a couple before lunch. That maths is why some riders stop comparing brake pads: book the Yangshuo Yulong River cycling and rock climbing day, and the bike, guide, river section and climbing session arrive as one price.
Ride it yourself or join a guided day? Your two real options
Factor | DIY rental | Guided day tour |
Cost for two | ¥60–240 bikes + ¥50–70 tickets | One all-in price: bike, guide, entry, lunch |
Flexibility | Total — stop an hour if you like | Fixed route, small detours |
Best for | Confident riders, couples, photographers | First-timers, families, anyone climbing |
Language | Signposts only | English-speaking guide all day |
If something breaks | You walk, or you fix it | Backup vehicle, spare bike |
Time needed | 1.5–4 h | About 6 h door to door |
I have done both in the same week on the same road, and neither wins outright. DIY only wins if your time is free and your confidence is real. Ride with a partner who has not cycled in years, or want ropes and a limestone wall the same afternoon, and a guided day becomes the cheaper option per hour of riding.
For the Li River and the countryside in one booking instead of four tickets, compare the Guilin–Yangshuo day tour with optional attractions — pick the add-ons that matter, skip the gates that do not.
A Ten-Mile Gallery half-day itinerary that works in real heat
- 06:45 — collect bikes, test both brakes, photograph the battery gauge.
- 07:00 — ride south: empty road, soft light.
- 07:25 — Gongnong Bridge, Yangshuo, for the raft-and-karst shot, no queue.
- 08:00 — Big Banyan Tree (¥20) before the groups arrive.
- 08:45 — Moon Hill climb, 40–60 minutes round trip.
- 10:15 — return along the Yulong River west bank.
- 12:00 — lunch in town; bikes back by 12:30.
That is a Ten-Mile Gallery half-day itinerary with both paid stops, the best free stop and zero bus traffic: four hours, one queue, beer fish by noon. If you would rather hand the climbing to someone with ropes and a spare bike, reserve the Yulong River and Moon Hill day tour and keep the morning for looking.
Ten-Mile Gallery cycling safety tips I learned the hard way
The shoulder is not a lane.
On Ten Mile Gallery in Yangshuo, e-bikes overtake with 30 cm to spare and never slow for a photograph. Ride single file, keep right, never stop in shade at the road edge — that is where scooters cut the corner. Nobody mentions this at the rental shop.
Heat, rain, and battery maths
July afternoons hit 38°C. On one ride my e-bike lost 40% of its charge between town and Moon Hill with two riders aboard, and we pedalled the last two kilometres motor-off. In the rainy season, the shoulder floods and water hides potholes, so go slow rather than swerve. Carry 1.5 litres each and start before 08:00.
Ten-Mile Gallery cycling for couples: tandem or two bikes?
Tandems photograph beautifully and climb badly. Two bikes let you split at stops and swap the water. Ten Mile Gallery Yangshuo is flat enough for a tandem; the moment Moon Hill is on the plan, take two bikes. Budget ¥60–80 and expect to be overtaken by every grandmother on an e-bike.
A guide earns the fee on the busy stretch and disappears when you want silence. If you would rather both of you look at the peaks than at a map, book the guided cycling day for two and let the planning be someone else’s problem for one morning.
FAQ
How long to cycle Ten-Mile Gallery with stops?
Plan 1.5–2 hours for the 5 km Ten-Mile Gallery cycling route, or 3–4 hours with Moon Hill. A guided day runs about 6 hours.
Is the Ten-Mile Gallery bike rental price negotiable?
Yangshuo bike rental runs ¥30–50 for a mountain bike, ¥80–120 for an e-bike. Above ¥150 is the tourist rate, not the local price.
Is the route safe for beginners and families?
Yes — flat, low traffic, signed junctions. Wear a helmet and ride single file; those two Ten-Mile Gallery cycling safety tips cover most real risk.
Can you ride to Moon Hill and back in half a day?
Yes. West Street to Moon Hill is 8 km each way, so a Ten-Mile Gallery half-day itinerary with Gongnong Bridge fits in four hours.
Best time of year for Ten-Mile Gallery cycling for couples?
October–November and April: 20–28°C, dry roads. Skip July–August afternoons at 36°C+; start at 07:00. Check rain the night before.
Where to book the rest of the trip
The Ten-Mile Gallery cycling stops are the easy part. The hard part is everything around them: whether the Yulong rafting slot fits before the climb, which transfer earns its price, how a wet forecast reshuffles three days. I keep the shortlist I book from on one page — start with Travel Resources and work outward.
Two bookings cover most of a short trip. Take the cycling and rock climbing day if you want one active morning with bike, river and wall handled; add the Yulong River and Moon Hill day tour if the arch and the rafts are why you came. Both remove the taxi negotiations and the ticket queues.
And if you keep one thing from four rides on Ten Mile Gallery Yangshuo: go early, ride slow, let the buses have midday. The gallery rewards standing at 07:20 on an empty road with the rafts still on the water.
