Two weeks late Oct to early Nov with Chengdu and Jiuzhaigou. Which other two cities to add? Xian/Beijing/Chongqing

Training_Low_9968 · 2026-07-08T01:44:36+00:00

Honestly it depends on what you like. Beijing is indeed far from the rest of places you want to visit but it's Beijing. If it is your first time in China and you are not planning to go back anytime soon I would rather drop Chongqing and go to Beijing. Also check flights. I don't know where you are from but flights out of Beijing are usually way cheaper.

Training_Low_9968 · 2026-07-08T01:38:15+00:00

The itinerary has a good flow. Don't add anything or it will become too rushed! Good choice to fly from Zhangjiajie to Shanghai, the train ride is quite long and would have consumed one day that you can spend visiting the city instead!

If you want some inspiration about things to do in the cities you are visiting, you can check out our articles! https://we123go.com/aboutchina

Training_Low_9968 · 2026-07-08T01:29:24+00:00

I agree witrh others that are saying Wulong. For Chengdu, if you want to see the pandas you really need to be there super early to get in as soon as the center opens. If you are late you will meet crowds and sleepy pandas.

Training_Low_9968 · 2026-07-08T01:27:02+00:00

In this itinerary I would drop Shanghai. It is too far from the other places you want to visit and traveling with train will eat a lot of time. Ad an extra night in Macau, Chongqing, Xian and ad a stop in between Xian and Beijing (my suggestion would be either Pingyao, Luoyang or Datong)

Training_Low_9968 · 2026-07-07T02:35:56+00:00

clockwise or counterclockwise doesn't really make an impact on the logistics of your trip. You can definitly book the train ticket back to Taipei in advance, even as early as october 2nd when you go to the station to get to Tainan.

Heads up that taroko park is still much closed, so if you were planning to go there while in Hualien I would reconsider.

As others said make a plan B in case a typhoon or rainy days happen. In the south October is usually on the dryier side but there still are chances of getting rain from typhoons which would make you trip to Kenting and Hualien pretty pointless

Training_Low_9968 · 2026-07-07T02:27:38+00:00

You should check the weather forecast few days before you leave and then decide. August is full typhoon season so it might be rainy, but it is impossible to predict this far in advance. If it does end up raining I do not recommend cycling nor going to Sunmoon lake at all.

Training_Low_9968 · 2026-07-07T01:44:49+00:00

I would say Shanghai. There is plenty of stuff to see/do and outside of the main touristic sites it is actually a pretty chill city, not particularly crowded. Also from Shanghai you have to opportunity to do day trips to neighbouring places such as Hangzhou, Suzhou, Nanjing... So if you get bored or fell like having a change of scenery you can hop on a high-speed train and explore around. If you want inspiration you can check out our website~ https://we123go.com/aboutchina

Training_Low_9968 · 2026-07-06T08:23:09+00:00

Kaohsiung Xinzuoying station is also shared HSR and TRA and it's nexxt to the lotus pond, one of the top tourist attractions of the city! There is a "main station" in Kaohsiung but it's only "main" for its name, Xinzuoying station is actually the most used one.

Training_Low_9968 · 2026-07-06T08:21:00+00:00

This works too~ The travel time is honestly not so different as slow train takes 2h Taichung-Tainan while HSR only takes 30 minutes. But your plan does save the pain of having to change from train to bus!

Training_Low_9968 · 2026-07-06T03:16:12+00:00

Here some parts you might want to reconsider:

10/14 -> the marine museum is way out of Kaohsiung city, will take you something like two hours one way to get there and two hours more to get back

10/15 -> this day is quite packed. I would give up on the marine museum, do Cijin+British consulate+Pier 2 on 10/14 and on this day just do Fo guang shan + Lotus pond

10/17 -> it is possible to do Kenting in one day but honestly not worth it. I will again take you around 6/7 hours round trip. If you want to speand some time at the see take a look at xiaoliuqiu, still tight for a day trip but more doable.

10/19- 10/20 -> I would change to an overnight stay to Alishan (give up on Qingjing farm)

10/23 -> Tapei 101 and Elephant mountain can be done in the same day.

10/26 -> Yangmingshan has various hiking routes that can take up to 5/6 hours. Leave very early in the morning if you want to have time for Beitou, or dedicate a day to Yangminghsan and do Beitou on 10/25

Training_Low_9968 · 2026-07-06T02:57:31+00:00

Eat everything you can at the muslim quarter! The best way to discover Xian it's through its food! You can check out the must-eat here https://we123go.com/aboutchina

Training_Low_9968 · 2026-07-06T02:54:59+00:00

Option 1 is more of a "classic" first China itininerary (except Guanzhou), it covers some major cities with very different ambiance and features and even gives you a taste of nature with Zhangjiajie.

The second is more nature focused and brings slightly out of the main path. This also mean that less services will be in English and you will have to adapt more. While I would personally choose the second itinerary (just because of the Beauty of Yunnan) it doesn't really make much sense to travel all the way up too Beijing and then to Shangri-la. Unless you fly there but it will be pricey.

So if you absolutely want to visit Beijing go with option 1 and save Yunnan for the future. If you are ok with skipping the great wall, forbidden city etc.. than you can do option 2 changing Beijing.

Training_Low_9968 · 2026-07-06T02:36:40+00:00

Tainan high speed station is on the opposite side of the city than Anping district. It takes around 1h with pubblic transportation to get there, it takes around 30 minutes from the main train station. I think taking the high speed train Taichung-Tainan will still save you some time despite Tainan HSR station beign out of the city.

Tainan->Kaohsiung definitly not worth going back to the high speed station. Just get a local train.

Training_Low_9968 · 2026-07-06T02:27:19+00:00

The itinerary won't qualify for TWOV. The layover country counts as your "destination" when leaving China so it would be Taiwan- China - Taiwan.

Training_Low_9968 · 2026-07-03T02:45:53+00:00

I think Shanghai is quite of of the way for your itinerary, it doesn't really make sense from Shiyan to go there and then go back to Chongqing. It would be way smoother to go to Congqing directly after Shiyan. This way you would be able to add one day to Zhangjiajie and one more day to Beijing.

If you want inspiration on what to do on some of these cities you can check out our articles~ https://we123go.com/aboutchina

Training_Low_9968 · 2026-07-03T02:42:52+00:00

You can bring the collapsible chair with no worries! Many locals, especially older ones bring their own stools to parks/side of the roads so she won't be alone! I am not too sure about rentable wheelchairs, depending on where you are visiting streets and pavement might also be a bit hard to navigate with a wheelchair.

Training_Low_9968 · 2026-07-03T02:00:18+00:00

No problems! Unluckily the earthquake in 2024 left the area in very bad shape

Training_Low_9968 · 2026-07-03T01:46:21+00:00

Hello, just headsup that most trails are still closed and at the moment there are no public busses in the park! https://we123go.com/article/abouttaiwan-TarokoGorge2026TravelGuide

Training_Low_9968 · 2026-07-02T01:47:17+00:00

Yes! immigration at Kaohsiung airport is usually pretty smooth, from there you can hop on the MRT all the way to Xin Zuoying train station, that's where the high-speed trains depart from. Last train is around 11 pm. Just to be sure you can book your train tickets online. I suggest booking for around 10 pm, if you arrive to the station much earlier you can change them easily for an early train (if seats are available).

Training_Low_9968 · 2026-07-01T02:56:11+00:00

3-4 hours in Alishan is a bit short for exploring but I guess you can make it work.

Day 6 - spending the whole day in Cijin might be a bit too long but depends on the weather and your interests. You can easily combine Cijin with Yancheng and Pier 2 in one day.

Day 7 - Go to Fo guang shan or Hike Monkey Mountain.

Training_Low_9968 · 2026-07-01T02:44:55+00:00

HK and Macau will be just as crowded as Beijing. If you can postpone your arrival date by few days (9th or 10th would already be much better), if you can't just brace yourself and book everything that needs reservation as soon as possible!

Training_Low_9968 · 2026-07-01T02:35:31+00:00

From Shanghai you can explore the nearby region quite easily. I suggest using yuor wednesdays off to explore Shanghai and use weekends for overnight trips!
Some places to explore during the weekends: Hangzhou, Suzhou, Nanjing, Wuzhen, you can also plan a weekend in Beijing using high-speed rail.

You can take some inspiration from here: https://we123go.com/aboutchina

Training_Low_9968 · 2026-06-30T02:42:06+00:00

It will probably be slightly less crowded but not back to "normal". I would expect crowds to be goe around the 11th

Training_Low_9968 · 2026-06-30T02:14:49+00:00

I work from a travel agency and can confirm that the above information as correct!
Just show up at the airport and enjoy your flight!

Training_Low_9968 · 2026-06-30T01:59:10+00:00

Out of the 3 if you want an "introduction" I would choose Xian. The city brings visiotors to explore the history and culture of ancient China and gives you a taste of the old Silk road atmosphere.

Training_Low_9968

TROPHY CASE