Orientation: Two Very Different "Taishans"
Before you plan a single journey, make sure you know which Taishan you are visiting. The name refers to two unrelated destinations in China. Mount Tai (Taishan) is a sacred mountain in Tai'an, in western Shandong Province. Taishan is also a county-level city in Guangdong Province, administered under Jiangmen Prefecture, and it is not to be confused with Mount Tai in Shandong. The two are hundreds of kilometres apart and have completely separate transport networks, so the guidance below is split accordingly.
Getting Around Taishan City (Guangdong)
Taishan City is divided into many townships, with Taicheng as the administrative capital and the township holding most of the amenities. Distances between townships are real, but the towns themselves are relatively small and flat, which shapes how you move around.
Local buses
Local buses go everywhere between Taishan's towns, making them the backbone of public transport for visitors heading to outlying sights. Taicheng has two main bus stations: Taishan Central and "Top Saan". Several routes are useful for specific attractions: bus nos. 805 and 806 serve Taishan Museum, while nos. 803 and 806 serve the Taishan City Museum of Overseas Chinese Culture.
Taxis, motorcycle taxis and van taxis
Within towns you can take taxis, which come as four-wheel cars, motorcycles and three-wheelers. In smaller towns, motorcycle and three-wheel taxis are the only option. Van taxis can be hired for travel both within and between towns, which is worth knowing if you are heading to a hot spring resort or a beach outside Taicheng.
Biking and walking
Because the towns are relatively small and flat, biking is a good option. A one-speed commuter bicycle costs around ¥200 to purchase, and buying and reselling at a loss may work out cheaper than renting. For a scenic ride, the Stone Flower Mountain Park path around Stone Flower Reservoir is smooth enough for biking, skating or running, and bike rental vendors there offer two-person or four-person surreys by the hour. That path also connects to the GD Greenway toward Kaiping. Note that most mountains in the area are not hikeable except during Tomb Sweeping Month, when trails are cleared.
Language and practicalities
The local language is Taishanese, a Yue Chinese language with low mutual intelligibility with Cantonese. Cantonese is the lingua franca of Guangdong and Mandarin is the national official language; most non-elderly locals speak Cantonese and Mandarin at least decently. English is effectively non-existent, so have place names written down in Chinese.
Getting into Taishan City (Guangdong)
By high-speed rail
Taishan Railway Station is served by high-speed trains from Guangzhou and other Guangdong cities, with connections from Hong Kong and elsewhere. From Guangzhou, take the metro to Guangzhou South Railway Station and then a Guangzhou–Maoming or Guangzhou–Zhanjiang train to Taishan Station, which sits north of downtown Taicheng. From Macau, cross the border to Zhuhai and take a train from Zhuhai Station; this may require a transfer in Guangzhou or Xinhui. If the last Taishan train has left, take a train to Xinhui instead, which has more service including "intercity" C trains; from Xinhui station it is a short walk (or a quick motorcycle taxi ride) to the adjacent bus station, then a local bus onward to Taicheng.
By bus
Direct buses run to Taicheng from most major cities in Guangdong. From Hong Kong there is a cross-border bus direct to Taicheng; passengers must disembark to cross into Shenzhen and reboard, and buses are available at the airport and in Mongkok. An alternative from Hong Kong or Macau is to take a ferry to Zhuhai, a taxi to Gongbei bus station, and then a bus to Taicheng that stops in Duhu Town. From Guangzhou, direct buses leave from stations outside Kengkou metro station and Tianhe Coach Terminal metro station; the Kengkou buses are the faster option and the Tianhe buses make more stops.
From the airport
From Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport there is a direct bus to Taicheng. This is the simplest airport-to-city option for Taishan in Guangdong.
Getting Around Mount Tai (Shandong)
Mount Tai sits in Tai'an, western Shandong Province, and has no airport of its own; the nearest is Jinan Yaoqiang Airport. Access is by high-speed train, normal train or bus, and the mountain has four scenic-area entrances from west to east: Taohuayu (Peach Blossom Valley), Tianwaicun (Tianwai Village), Hongmen Gate (Red Gate) and Tianzhufeng (Heavenly Candle Peak). Hongmen and Tianwaicun are the most popular starting points.
Which rail station to use
Two stations serve the mountain, and your choice affects how you reach the entrances. Tai'an Railway Station handles high-speed trains and lies in Daiyue District; it is a longer ride to the Hongmen and Tianwaicun entrances. Taishan Railway Station handles normal K/T/Z trains and sits downtown in Taishan District, much closer to Hongmen Gate and Tianwaicun, but farther from Taohuayu and Tianzhufeng. The high-speed station is on the Beijing–Shanghai high-speed line, with direct services from Beijing and Shanghai.
Local buses to the entrances
City and tourist buses connect the stations and downtown to each gate. Hongmen Gate is served by buses 2, 3, 45, 49, 67 and tourist buses 游1, 游3 and 游5. Tianwaicun is served by buses 3, 19, 37, 39, 68 and tourist bus 游7, and it also functions as a tourist bus centre with services up to Zhongtianmen. Taohuayu is served by buses 16, 49 and 游3, and Tianzhufeng by bus 19. From Tai'an Railway Station, bus 17 and tourist bus 1 run to Hongmen, while tourist buses 1 and 2 and city bus 68 run to Tianwaicun. From Taishan Railway Station, buses 2 and 3 run to Hongmen, and bus 39 north, bus 68 and bus 3 run to Tianwaicun Square.
Bus stations in Tai'an
Tai'an has four bus stations: Tai'an Bus Station (the oldest and most used), Taishan Bus Station, Tai'an Transportation Hotel Bus Station and Tai'an New Bus Station. Tai'an Bus Station has a south station for arrivals and a north station at the west end of Dongyue Street. Provincial routes connect to Jinan, Zibo, Yantai, Rizhao, Penglai, Weihai and Qingdao, and long-distance routes run to Beijing, Tianjin, Shijiazhuang, Zhengzhou, Baoding, Xuzhou and Kaifeng. Jinan has frequent buses throughout the day, while Beijing and Qingdao each have limited daily departures.
Within the scenic area
Inside the mountain, tourist buses run from Tianwaicun to Zhongtianmen and from Taohuayu to Taohuayuan, each taking about half an hour. Cable cars link Zhongtianmen to Nantianmen, Taohuayu to Tianjie (Heaven Street), and Shihe to Beitianmen. The classic hiking route follows Hongmen to Zhongtianmen to Nantianmen and on to the summit, known as the "Imperial Road".
Getting into Tai'an from the Airport
Mount Tai has no airport; the nearest is Jinan Yaoqiang Airport (TNA). From there, reach Tai'an by high-speed train, normal train or bus. Jinan is the most convenient rail gateway, with frequent high-speed services to Tai'an taking roughly twenty minutes, plus slower normal trains. Buses from Jinan to Tai'an also run frequently throughout the day.
Quick Practical Summary
- Confirm which Taishan you mean: Mount Tai in Shandong, or Taishan City in Guangdong.
- In Taishan City, buses link the townships, taxis and motorcycle taxis cover the towns, and biking suits the flat terrain.
- Reach Taishan City by high-speed rail via Guangzhou South or Zhuhai, by direct long-distance bus, or by direct bus from Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport.
- For Mount Tai, choose your rail station by which gate you want: Taishan Railway Station for Hongmen and Tianwaicun, Tai'an Railway Station for the high-speed network.
- Fly into Jinan Yaoqiang Airport for Mount Tai, then continue by train or bus.
- Expect little to no English in Taishan City; carry destination names in Chinese.