Train is the simpler option by far. The Shanghai Hongqiao to Wenling G-series runs about ten times a day, and the earliest one leaves just after 7 AM if you want to get there by lunch. One thing to keep in mind is that Wenling station is a bit north of the city center, so if you're headed to the beach areas like Shitang or the islands, you'll need another 40 to 50 minutes by taxi. Flying only makes sense if you're already near Pudong and can catch a direct to Taizhou Luqiao, but that airport has maybe two flights a day to Shanghai and the timing is hit or miss.

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high speed train is def the way to go, takes about 3.5 hours from Shanghai Hongqiao to Wenling station, runs pretty frequent. flying's a hassle cause you'd have to go to either Taizhou Luqiao or Wenzhou airport and then still need a bus or taxi for another hour. trains drop you right at the edge of town, easy to grab a cab or Didi to wherever you're staying. just book your ticket a few days ahead on 12306 app if you can, weekend slots fill up fast

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honestly train is the way to go. 3 hours from Hongqiao is solid, plus Wenling station is literally a 10 minute walk from the new shopping area on Wanda Road if you're staying near there. flying is a waste of time unless you're coming from Pudong and hate trains, but even then you're looking at 2 hours to Taizhou airport plus another 45 minutes in a cab. the G-series trains are clean and have wifi that actually works half the time, so u can just zone out with a movie. one thing nobody mentioned is the food carts right outside Wenling station sell these fried taro cakes that are legit, grab one while you wait for your ride

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yeah the itinerary covers the main spots pretty well. one thing nobody mentioned is that on day 1 after the old street, if you walk north on renmin road for like 5 minutes there's a tiny alley with a bunch of old ladies selling homemade nian gao from carts. they slice it fresh and grill it with brown sugar, costs like 3 yuan a piece. way better than the prepackaged stuff in the snack stalls

for day 2, the bus to jinsha is fine but honestly if theres two or three of you a taxi from shitang is only like 15 yuan and saves you waiting around. just tell the driver "jinsha haitan" and theyll know where to go

the museum tip about it being small is accurate but theres a cool interactive map in the geology section where you can press buttons to see where the different rock layers are around the city. my kid spent like 20 minutes playing with it

also on day 3, wanda plaza is fine for souvenirs but theres a shop on the second floor near the food court that sells these little hand-painted ceramic coasters with wenling landmarks on them for like 25 yuan each. better than the generic keychains everyone buys

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solid itinerary, youve clearly done your homework. one thing id add is that the bus from shitang to jinsha beach (line 301) runs every 30 minutes but sometimes skips stops if its full, so if you see one coming and it looks packed just wait for the next one, theres usually another within 15 minutes

for the night market, the oyster omelets are good but the stall on the south side near the pharmacy makes them crispier than the ones closer to wenchang road. the lady there uses less batter and more oysters, costs the same 15 yuan

also if you have time on day 3 afternoon before wanda, theres a small tea shop on shuangqiao road between the museum and the plaza called Qingxiang. they do a decent tieguanyin for like 10 yuan a cup and the owner is this old guy who'll tell you about the local tea history if you ask. nice break from shopping

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honestly this is a solid itinerary, Ive lived here a few years and you nailed most of it. one thing id add is that Changyu Dongtian can get packed by 10am on weekends so if ur there on a saturday maybe go right when it opens at 8 instead of afternoon

for day 2 dinner skip the night market stalls near Wenchang if you want something sit-down, try the family-run place called Ah Bao Seafood on the corner of Renmin and Ximen street instead. their steamed yellow croaker is better than what youll get at the market and costs about the same

also the museum is tiny but worth it, just dont expect more than an hour unless you really love rocks. the volcanic geology exhibit is actually pretty cool though, they have this big map showing where the old eruptions happened around here

one more thing - if you have time on day 3 morning before the museum, grab a quick breakfast at the xiaolongbao shop across from the old street entrance. they do these pork buns with a bit of crab roe mixed in for like 8 yuan a basket, way better than the touristy stalls inside

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