Four-day trip to Shanxi with good friends, starting from Chongqing. Get off at Taiyuan. Must-visit attractions include Hanging Temple, Pingyao, Hukou Waterfall, and Mount Heng.

Taiyuan is basically in the middle of Shanxi. Starting from Taiyuan, there are two classic routes, the north and the south. To the north is basically Wutai Mountain -> Yingxian Wooden Pagoda -> Hengshan Hanging Temple -> Datong Yungang Grottoes, and to the south is Qixian County Qiao Family Courtyard -> Pingyao -> Lingshi Wang Family Courtyard -> Jiexiu Mianshan. Hukou Waterfall is relatively far away from Taiyuan. It is at the junction of Shanxi and Shaanxi. Generally speaking, the road from Shaanxi is better. At present, the Linji Expressway from Shanxi has not yet been opened. This is the simple base case.

Therefore, if your route starts from Taiyuan, one is to the north (Hengshan Hanging Temple) and the other is to the south (Pingyao/Hukou), which is very inappropriate. It is recommended to look at the map first and re-plan. If you go in winter, I recommend going to Pingyao and Wang Family Courtyard. It seems that you prefer cultural monuments. In this case, the Jinci Temple in Taiyuan is also very good. I don’t know if your four days include the journey from Chongqing to Shanxi, which would be very tight. Otherwise, if you don’t have time, you can decide by yourself based on the situation in Hukou (it takes at least one day to go back and forth from Linfen).

As for accommodation, if you want cheap accommodation in Taiyuan, stay in a chain hotel. As long as it is not the Spring Festival, you can also find inns in Pingyao and other places.

Hope this helps