We are a family (3 kids) travelling around the world for 14 month. We plan to come with a train from Beijing, climb the mountain with a cable or a bus (do you know the prices? What is better) and then continue with a night train to Nanjing.

1. Do you think one day on the mountain is enough?

2. We have tons of luggage. We can:
a. Take a day train (for example D31), sleep in the city, climb next day and then catch the night train K101/K104 to Nanjing.
b. Take a night train from Beijing (for example K101/K104), get rid of the luggage, climb, (Sleep one night on the mountain?), get down and catch train K101/K104 to Nanjing.
What do you think is better?

3. Anything else to see or do in Tai'an? You wrote in another place that there is nothing to see there, but it is a big city..

4. Anything else nearby before we continue to Nanajing (we already visited Jinan).
Thanks,
David