Mount Tai is most conveniently reached via Tai'an, the city at its base. Tai'an is on the Beijing–Shanghai High-Speed Railway and is just 20 minutes from Jinan by high-speed train. From Beijing South station, Tai'an is about 2 hours on the high-speed line. Shanghai Hongqiao to Tai'an is about 3 hours.
From Tai'an railway station, bus routes serve both the main Red Gate trail entrance (Taishan Scenic Area north entrance) and the Tianzhufeng western route. The bus ride from station to Red Gate takes about 20 minutes. Taxis are also readily available. The admission area is a 10-minute walk from the Red Gate bus stop.
The total admission charge is ¥127 per adult (includes shuttle buses within the scenic area). Cable car tickets are additional (¥100–120 each way) and purchased separately at the cable car station.