How do I say 'I want to go to...'

Chinese separates desire, intention, and action when it comes to going places:

• 想去 — desire. “I’d like to go.” The trip may or may not happen. Use this for travel dreams, vague plans, and polite suggestions.
• 要去 — intention. “I’m going / I need to go.” The trip is happening or the need is real. 我要去上班 = I need to go to work (not a wish, a requirement).
• 去 — action. The bare verb. 我去北京 = I’m going to Beijing (statement of fact).

The grammar of destinations: Chinese places go directly after 去 without a preposition. 去北京, not 去到北京 or 去在北京. This is simpler than English but requires internalizing — the verb connects directly to the place.

For suggesting an outing: 要不要去… is the casual proposal form. 要不要去看电影？(Want to go see a movie?). 吧 softens it: 去吃饭吧 (let’s go eat). The 吧 turns a statement into an invitation.

The 去 + verb pattern for “go do something”: 去吃饭 (go eat), 去买东西 (go shopping), 去散步 (go for a walk). This is one of the most productive patterns in everyday Chinese.