4-Day Tour of Jinan, Qufu, and Mount Tai in Shandong #ThisCityIsAMustVisit

Lao She described Jinan's winters as very pleasant, so I came. I visited three places in four days, and here's my itinerary: 👉Day 1: Jinan - Baotu Spring - Five Dragon Pool - Black Tiger Spring - Daming Lake → Qufu I arrived the night before and stayed near Baotu Spring. I entered Baotu Spring at 7:55 AM, avoiding the peak hours, and had a wonderful experience. After walking around, I exited from the North Gate, and a short walk led to Five Dragon Pool. After lunch, I cycled to Black Tiger Spring. After exploring, you can take a boat or cycle to Daming Lake, where I happened to catch the sunset. 👉Day 2: Qufu - Confucius Temple - Confucius Mansion - Nishan Sacred Land I caught the 8 AM opening ceremony. Teachers with valid certificates can enter the Three Confucius Sites (Confucius Temple, Confucius Mansion, and Confucius Cemetery) for free. I hired an official guide, who gave an excellent explanation, making the experience incredibly rewarding. I also happened to catch the 11 AM worship ceremony at the Confucius Temple. After a satisfying lunch, we took a Didi (ride-hailing service) to Nishan Sacred Land to pay homage to the Confucius statue and watch the "Golden Sound and Jade Resonance" performance. The hotels in Qufu were great value; a room for just over 100 yuan even offered a perfect sunrise view. 👉D3: Mount Tai ➡️ Jinan We departed from Qufu at 7:30 AM and took a chartered car to Mount Tai. We experienced the mountain's ascent – ​​shuttle bus, cable car, and hiking – a very easy and comfortable climb, taking about 5 hours in total. We saw the sea of ​​clouds and experienced the feeling of being on top of the world. After descending, we returned to Jinan. 👉D4: Jinan Old East Gate Morning Market - Qushuiting Street ✈️ Return Trip The Old East Gate Morning Market is open from 6:00 AM to 8:00 AM, offering fresh and inexpensive goods. Before heading back, we cycled to Qushuiting Street to explore some more of the must-see spots. 🚗Regarding Transportation: Jinan ➡️ Qufu: High-speed rail ¥59 Qufu ➡️ Taishan ➡️ Jinan: Chartered car ¥1000 🏠Regarding Accommodation: Night 1: Home Inn Select (Baotuquan Branch) Nights 2 & 3: Magnolia Hotel (Gulou Flagship Branch) Night 4: Zhefei Hotel (Daming Lake Branch) 🍜Regarding Food: Personally, I found Shandong cuisine quite salty; perhaps my palate is too bland. I ate mostly sesame flatbread with mutton soup, which was delicious. I also tried a local specialty, sweet millet porridge, near the morning market, which was also very tasty.