This is not a spreadsheet with scenery attached. Start with the feeling you want, meet the places, then open the practical details only when they help.
It is easier to choose when you can picture the days.
Every photograph opens into a gallery. Wander before you analyse.
01A proper summit, reached from Taipei02Stone towers dissolving into haze03Tainan, slowly reclaimed by trees04One vivid Chengdu evening05A megacity beneath the ridge06Forest that feels older than time07Sit down. Share one excellent thing.08Breathing room beside the palaces
The useful comparison
What actually changes?
Ignore tiny itinerary differences. These five trade-offs are the decision.
FactorRoute A · Taiwan + KoreaRoute B · China + Taiwan
Nature
More frequent big hikes
The single most surreal landscape
Food + culture
Taiwan depth, then Korean contrast
Beijing, Sichuan and Taiwan
Baby ease
Simpler transfers and familiar systems
More airports and app setup
Travel friction
One regional flight
Three regional flights
Budget
About €7,000
About €8,500
The shortest honest answer: Choose A if the trip should feel like a long mountain holiday with excellent food. Choose B if visiting China itself feels worth the additional €1,500 and airport days.
A 30-second gut check
Stop comparing logistics. Choose the feeling.
There is no objectively perfect route. Pick the sentence that sounds most like the trip you want to remember.
23 October–3 December 2026
You came a long way. You still do not have to do everything.