2025 Self-Guided Trip to Taizhou Xinghua

Before going, I did some online research to learn about the scenic spots' reviews and ticket prices. Tastes differ, and everyone has their own views and feelings about things, so reviews are varied. Therefore, it's important to have a calm mindset when traveling; the more you expect, the greater the disappointment. That's my feeling. After preparing the itinerary these days, I booked round-trip tickets from Beijing to Taizhou online, as well as accommodation in Taizhou. The trip was set for April 8th (3 days, 2 nights). I boarded the train at Beijing Fengtai Station at 9:41 PM and arrived at Taizhou Station at 8:37 AM the next day (10 hours 56 minutes). Since I planned to visit the area around Old Street, I booked a hotel nearby—Hanting Hotel (Taizhou Old Street Fengcheng River Scenic Area location, clean, good service) and Ji Hotel (Taizhou Pedestrian Street Daohe Scenic Area location), which are adjacent to each other and also a good choice. They are less than 600 meters from Old Street. The people of Taizhou are very welcoming. After getting off the train and exiting the station, the bus stop is right at the entrance, very convenient (you can take buses to the city center or to Xinghua for long-distance travel to see the rapeseed flowers). If you have trouble, ask the police. We asked a police officer where to go, and he told us to ask the bus driver. Later, we found the driver of Bus 116, who was very helpful and told us to get off at the Second Middle School stop, across from which is Hanting Hotel. It was about a dozen stops to the Second Middle School stop (less than 20 minutes, about 10 kilometers). After checking into the hotel and resting for a while, we walked to Old Street and tasted local snacks (crab roe buns, dried three shreds, Huangqiao sesame cakes, sliced meat, fish soup noodles, stinky tofu, lotus root starch balls, fried yogurt, Qinhu Eight Immortals, etc.). We visited Peach Garden, Plum Garden, and Wanghai Tower (these spots are very close to each other). At 7 PM, we took a boat night cruise on Fengcheng River (ticket 60 yuan, 40 minutes; board the Fengcheng River painted boat; the boarding point is about 300 meters straight out from the south gate of Old Street; departure times are 7, 8, and 9 PM, best to take the 7 PM one). After the boat ride and night views, we went back to Old Street to see the night scenery and have some more snacks, then returned to the hotel to rest. The next day, we got up at 6 AM, took Bus 116 to the train station, then took the Taizhou to Xinghua bus (first bus departs at 7:30 AM, about 1 hour) to arrive. From the Xinghua bus station, we took Bus You 1 or You 2 to the Qian Duo Duo Tian rapeseed flower scenic area (about 30 minutes; visiting time 2-3 hours). If you want to go to Lizhong Water Forest, you can take a bus from the Qian Duo scenic area for about 20 minutes. We didn't go to Lizhong Water Forest due to time constraints. After visiting, we took Bus You 1 or You 2 back to Xinghua bus station, then took a bus from Xinghua to Taizhou Train Station or Taizhou South Bus Station to return to Taizhou (the last bus from Xinghua to Taizhou is at 6:30 PM; the last bus from Taizhou Train Station to the city center is also at 6:30 PM; if you miss it, you have to take a taxi back to the city for 20 yuan). We rested in the hotel in the afternoon and didn't go out. On the third morning (the 11th), we checked out, went to Old Street for breakfast, bought some local specialties, and had two cups of coffee at a coffee shop at the entrance of Old Street to rest (Zebra Independent Coffee Shop has good coffee). At around 2:30 PM, we took Bus 116 from the bus stop at the entrance of Old Street to Taizhou Train Station, and boarded the train at 5:08 PM to return to Beijing. Notes: The main scenic spots in Taizhou are around Old Street; other spots are not interesting, so we didn't go. If you want to see everything, you can stay a few more days. If you are staying in the city and want to go to Xinghua, you can take a bus from the South Bus Station. It's best to stay one night in Xinghua to make the trip more relaxing.

1. Taizhou Old Street: Crab roe buns, fish soup noodles (a bit fishy but tasty, probably not for everyone), dried three shreds, Huangqiao sesame cakes (good, various flavors), sliced meat (women love it), stinky tofu (delicious), lotus root starch balls (delicious), fried yogurt (delicious), Qinhu Eight Immortals (too sweet for my taste). For breakfast at Old Street (Juzhezhe?), snacks at any shop are tasty, prices vary, choose for yourself.

2. Scenic spots: Peach Garden (free), Plum Garden (free), Wanghai Tower (40 yuan admission), night cruise on Fengcheng River (ticket 60 yuan, 40 minutes; board the Fengcheng River painted boat; boarding point about 300 meters straight out from the south gate of Old Street; departure times 7, 8, 9 PM, best to take the 7 PM one).

3. Xinghua: It's best to stay one night in Xinghua to make the trip more relaxing. Attractions: Qian Duo Duo Tian rapeseed flowers, Lizhong Water Forest. Local snacks include goose, etc.

Self-guided trip to Taizhou Xinghua