Travel Guide Taiwan

TAIWAN

Contents

Plan Your Trip

The Journey Begins Here

Taiwan

Our Picks

Regions & Cities

Itineraries

When to Go

Get Prepared

The Food Scene

The Outdoors

The Guide

Taipei

Find Your Way

Plan Your Days

Central Taipei

Political Taipei

Eastern Taipei

University District

Western Taipei

South of the Keelung River

North of the Keelung River

Taipei’s Suburbs

Northern Taiwan

Find Your Way

Plan Your Time

New Taipei City

Beyond New Taipei City

Keelung

Beyond Keelung

Hsinchu

Beyond Hsinchu

Eastern Taiwan

Find Your Way

Plan Your Time

Taroko National Park

Beyond Taroko

Hualien

Beyond Hualien

Taitung

Beyond Taitung

Western Taiwan

Find Your Way

Plan Your Time

Taichung

Beyond Taichung

Sun Moon Lake

Beyond Sun Moon Lake

Changhua

Beyond Changhua

Chiayi

Beyond Chiayi

Southern Taiwan

Find Your Way

Plan Your Time

Kaohsiung

Beyond Kaohsiung

Tainan

Beyond Tainan

Hengchun

Beyond Hengchun

Donggang

Beyond Donggang

Taiwan Strait Islands

Find Your Way

Plan Your Time

Penghu

Beyond Penghu

Kinmen

Beyond Kinmen

Matsu

Beyond Matsu

Toolkit

Arriving

Getting Around

Money

Accommodation

Family Travel

Health & Safe Travel

Food, Drink & Nightlife

Responsible Travel

LGBTIQ+ Travellers

Accessible Travel

How to Visit a Temple

Nuts & Bolts

Language

Storybook

A History of Taiwan in 15 Places

Meet the Taiwanese

Gone to the Dogs

Lost in Translation

Wild Country

This Book

TAIWAN

THE JOURNEY BEGINS HERE

XiaoYeliu Geopark | Nguyen Xuan Vu/Shutterstock ©

I was six when I visited Taiwan for the first time, with my parents. My relatives took us to see the sea-sculpted rocks at Yeliu from Taipei, six of us crammed into a small, slow car. I whined throughout what is now a 35-minute journey. My great-aunt plied me with wax apples, pork jerky and taro pastries. It’s only in hindsight that I realise how much of Taiwan was captured by my memory of that day – the warm and easy-going people, the agricultural diversity, and how within minutes the city melts away into the surreality of strange and wondrous nature.

The last few years have seen many people from all over relocate to Taiwan, some with close ties to the country like myself, many more without. For immigrants and sojourners, Taiwan is a place that lets them live well for little, and, as one of Asia’s most progressive and democratic societies, a place that lets them be.

Piera Chen

@PieraChen

My favourite experience is exploring Kaohsiung’s portside Yancheng District to see how artists and community-minded, third-generation owners are reimagining this former hangout of seafarers, smugglers and US marines. To read more about Kaohsiung, go to.

WHO GOES WHERE

Our second writer and expert chooses the place which, for them, defines Taiwan

Traditional canoe | YingHui Liu/Shutterstock ©

The sleepy seaside town of Taitung feels like a possibility of another Taiwan, one that is not caught up in geopolitics. Life here moves to a different rhythm; about a third of the population are indigenous people and many urbanites settle here to escape the rat race. Facing the Pacific Ocean, looking east, there is also a sense of new beginnings trapped in the tang of salt in the air.

To read more about Taitung, go to.

Dinah Gardner

@dropped_chopsticks

Dinah has lived, loved and worked in Hong Kong, Beijing, Tibet, India and now Taiwan, where she writes, translates and dreams about swimming lazily in an octopus’ garden.

TEMPLE TREASURES

There are over 12,000 official temples in Taiwan. The majority of these are Taoist, followed by Buddhist and Confucian, plus a plethora of unofficial shrines to lesser-known deities outside the main pantheons. Taiwan’s oldest temples go back to the 17th century; its youngest are Gen Alpha. Still very much the focus of local life, temples are often pillars of spirituality, as well as community centres and showcases of traditional religious art.

Bao’an Temple | WEISS JM/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

Taoist vs Buddhist

Taoist temples tend to be more exuberant than Buddhist and Confucian temples, from their decor to their noise level.

SEAN HSU/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

Who’s Mazu?

Many Taoist temples in Taiwan worship the protector of seafarers, Mazu, who’s also known by her title ’Tianhou’, meaning, ’Goddess of Heaven’.

OSCAR ESPINOSA/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

Caisson Ceilings

Look out for inverted ceilings built with exposed brackets that extend up and around in a mesmerising spiderweb pattern.

BEST TEMPLE EXPERIENCES

For graceful antiquity and weathered splendour, look no further than Buddhist 1 Longshan Temple in Lukang.

Crawl your way through the caverns of Keelung’s 2 Fairy Cave Temple to find free-form shrines, sculpted Buddhas and a plethora of cave and literary art.

Admire high swallowtail eaves and masterful carvings amid birdsong at the 3 Penghu Tianhou Temple, one of Taiwan’s oldest temples.

Look for the devil in the details at Taipei’s 4 Bao’an Temple, a showcase of traditional design and rites that won a Unesco heritage award.

Calculate your (mis)deeds and read the most famous words ever written on a temple plaque at Tainan’s formidable 5 City God Temple.

TO MARKET, TO MARKET

Taiwan’s markets are as numerous as they are varied, bringing happy crowds by combining varied dining and shopping with the thrill of a treasure hunt. Adding to this is that markets – be they traditional fruit markets, handicraft bazaars or organic farmers’ markets – are down-to-earth spaces operated by ordinary people and, as such, offer a fascinating glimpse into local life and habits. In many cases where these were fading, they’re being revived by creative and community-minded Taiwanese.

Miaokou Night Market | Yevgen Belich/Shutterstock ©

Night Market Days

Many night markets outside of Taipei are only open some nights of the week. Double-check before you go.

R.NAGY/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

Breakfast

Produce markets often have stalls where you can grab a cheap and tasty breakfast. Usually the busiest stalls are best.

ROMIX IMAGE/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

Bargaining

You can try to lower the price at a handicraft or flea market, but bargaining is definitely not common at night markets.

BEST MARKET EXPERIENCES

Rub elbows with locals and hunt for treasures real and figurative at Kaohsiung’s wonderful 1 Neiwei Flea Market.

Combine late-night feasting at Keelung’s 2 Miaokou Night Market with a wee-hour tuna auction and coffee cocktails at its neighbouring wholesale fish market.

Browse handicrafts and sip fusion cocktails as you learn how Kaohsiung’s young have transformed the historic 3 Yancheng First Public Market into a cultural and retail space.

Graze your way through 4 Chiayi East Market while dodging scooters and watching out for Japanese-era market architecture.

Binge on freshly plucked shrimp and dewy sashimi at absurdly affordable prices at Donggang’s sprawling 5 Huaqiao Fish Market.

HAPPY HIKING

Taiwan is 50% forests and the urban jungle gives way to the real thing surprisingly quickly. Two-thirds of the country is also mountainous with hundreds of peaks over 3000m and well-established trails everywhere. After hiking, shake off your boots to soak in crystal-clear streams or dive into deep blue pools. Then repeat all over the island.

Jiaming Lake | WENILIOU/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

Permits

You need permits to hike mountains over 3000m, but the online application process is tedious. You can avoid the bureaucracy by joining a guided tour.

Ribbons

Ribbons are placed on trails by hiking clubs to mark the correct path on a complicated trail. If you aren’t sure where to go, follow the ribbons.

BEST HIKING EXPERIENCES

Winds permitting, traverse three islets to the end of the 1 Mt Luobang Nature Trail on the Matsu Islands to fish or watch the waves.

Climb 3310m to see why 2 Jiaming Lake has been described as the ’moon’s mirror’ while watching out for yellow-throated martens and sambar deer.

After rambling in 3 Taroko Gorge, river-trace to the Golden Canyon where you can jump into pools and let waterfalls massage your back.

Bask in the company of bamboo and tea farms on a 4 Qing-dynasty trade route between Fenqihu and Rueili

Make the short, steep ascent to 5 Mt Keelung in Jiufen for great sunset views and even greater night views.

HOT SPRINGS WILD & TAMED

Sitting above a tectonic collision zone, Taiwan has an abundance of spring sources that is hard to match anywhere in the world. The waters boil and bubble but cause no trouble. Mineral-rich, they’re believed to be effective for everything from detoxing the skin and soothing muscles to conceiving offspring.

What to Wear

Clothed public pools, like swimming pools, require you to wear a swimsuit and a swimming cap. The latter can be bought on-site.

DAISY LIANG/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

Nude Pools

All nude public pools are sex segregated. If you have any qualms about appearing naked in public, private rooms charge by the hour or hour and a half.

NOWACZYK/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

Children

Some spas have rules against letting children in, though you can sometimes convince them to change their minds. Double-check before you go.

BEST HOT SPRING EXPERIENCES

After sightseeing in Taipei, hop over to 1 Beitou to soak in the country’s most accessible hot springs

Relax in the silken grey waters of mud springs in 2 Guanziling, one of three places with such springs worldwide, alongside Kagoshima and Sicily.

Slip into a 60–70°C seawater pool at Green Island’s 3 Zhaori as the Pacific roars on beyond.

Hike 3km down to a deep river valley in Taitung where mineral deposits have painted a Jackson Pollock on rocks in 4 Lisong.

Combine a foot soak or a full-body dip with some hiking and a food crawl in 5 Yilan’s hot springs at Jiaoxi.

GOURMET, STELLAR OR STARRED

Taiwan is steadily making a mark on Asia’s fine-dining scene. Since the inaugural Michelin Guide Taipei in 2018, three more cities, namely Taichung, Tainan and Kaohsiung have also come under evaluation. In 2022 a total of 38 restaurants earned stars and a wealth of others received a mention for good value, the latter spanning many budgets and cuisines. Also contributing to Taiwan’s gourmet landscape are a great number of stellar but as yet un-Michelined restaurants.

Noodle soup with beef | ALEKSANDRS MUIZNEIKS/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

Reservations

Reserve. Reserve. Reserve. Sometimes up to two months in advance. The hottest tables are gone the minute they’re up for grabs online.

TRAN CONG PHUC/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

Budget

While starred restaurants are usually gourmet and upmarket, you don’t need to break the bank to dine at all Michelin-mentioned eateries. Many are affordable.

ALEKSANDRS MUIZNIEKS/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

Dress Code

Some fine-dining establishments have a strict dress code, but most places simply expect you not to go in flip-flops or shorts.

BEST GOURMET EXPERIENCES

Make your way to Pingtung for a meal at 1 AKAME, where the Rukai chef brings a contemporary French touch to carefully sourced indigenous and Taiwanese ingredients.

See how the wonderfully whimsical dishes on the ’tastes of home’ menu really do taste like the chef’s home (Singapore) at contemporary 2 JL Studio in Taichung.

Enjoy Chef Eason’s edible organic vegan art at Taichung’s tastefully low-key 3 Tsai Chi Ya.

Savour salt-baked virgin crab, fried razorfish, and other exquisitely prepared seafood dishes at Kaohsiung’s 4 House of Crab.

Reserve your spot on a waitlist two months ahead for experimental Taiwanese haute cuisine at 5 RAW, or pray for cancellations.

VIBRANT FESTIVITIES

Taiwan is heir to all the Chinese religious traditions and a host of deities and spirits worshipped as folk faith. Over the centuries the people have blended their way into a unique and tolerant religious culture that’s often as ritual-heavy as Catholicism and as wild as Santería. Pick any month on the lunar calendar and some temple festival is likely happening or some god having a birthday party, and Taiwan is a country with many temples and many gods.

King of Qingshan festival | TOPIMAGES/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

Join In

Anyone, regardless of race, creed or religion, is welcome to participate in festivities as a spectator.

WISE LEE/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

Taboos

In a procession, do not walk in front of a troupe or cut through one that’s standing in formation.

WUZEFE/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

Spirit Mediums

Sometimes you may see Taoist spirit mediums writing in a trance-like state in the temple or engaging in self-flagellation at a parade.

BEST FESTIVE EXPERIENCES

Follow a statue of the goddess Mazu over 350km (or part of the way) across Taiwan at the 1 Mazu Pilgrimage, starting in Dajia.

Watch a celestial boat burn on the beach at the triennial 2 Burning of the Wang Yeh Boats Festival in Donggang.

Don a hazmat suit and throw yourself in the path of exploding bottle rockets at Tainan’s 3 Yanshui Beehive Fireworks Festival.

While lanterns float to the sky in Pingxi to celebrate the Lantern Festival, burn horse fodder instead for the God of the White Horse at Matsu’s 4 Baiming Festival.

Stay up to see the Qingshan King and his entourage of generals and godly visitors on a 5 Night Patrol in Taipei.

INDIGENOUS IMMERSIONS

The 21st century has seen a remarkable turnaround in the celebration of tribal culture in Taiwan. Begin your understanding of the country’s 16 officially recognised indigenous peoples at Taipei’s Shung Ye Museum or the Museum of Prehistory in Taitung. Then consider a visit to Lanyu or a high-mountain indigenous village in Pingtung. In the summer head to the east coast for exuberant festivals celebrating harvests, coming of age and a deep love of live music.

Amis Harvest Festival | JUAN HUNG-YEN/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

Who’s Where

Roughly speaking, you’ll find the Amis, Puyuma and Bunun on the east coast; Atayal in central and northern Taiwan; Paiwan (ceremony pictured) and Rukai in Pingtung; and the Tao in Lanyu.

WENILIOU/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

Local Affairs

A festival is sometimes celebrated separately by different tribes on dates picked by their respective elders. Some, not all, celebrations welcome outsiders.

CHEN LIANG-DAO/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

Tao Taboos

Lanyu villagers don’t take pictures of drying flying fish and women are not allowed to watch the Flying Fish Festival, but they sometimes make exceptions for visitors.

BEST INDIGENOUS EXPERIENCES

Spend a few days on 1 Lanyu, preferably during the Flying fish Festival, staying in a Tao underground house or at least having coffee in one.

Sign up for a Rukai cooking class and guided tour at the rustic 2 Shenshan Rukai Culinary School in Wutai, Pingtung.

Between July and September, attend a sacred 3 Amis Harvest Festival and see how the tribe celebrates with song, dance and rituals.

Learn about Atayal customs such as face tattooing at the 4 Wulai Atayal Museum in northern Taiwan and hike their old hunting trails.

See the works of Taiwan’s indigenous painters, sculptors and installation artists at the 5 Kaohsiung Museum of Fine Arts, a leading researcher in Austronesian art.

REGIONS & CITIES

Find the places that tick all your boxes.

ITINERARIES

Highlights of Taiwan

Allow: 11 Days Distance: 596km

This ambitious journey takes you from Taipei to Kaohsiung, and back. Along the way, you’ll hike a marble canyon, swim on a tropical island, and visit notable museums and stunning temples. You’ll also get to sample a range of cuisines, and lots and lots of seafood.

1 Taipei 2 DAYS

Richie Chan/Shutterstock ©

Start with two days in Taipei to catch the groove of this dynamic Asian city. Enjoy the monuments, the award-winning restaurants, the museums and the art villages. Between and after your visits, linger at the city’s many memorable cafes, nibble through a night market, or down a local brew or two.

2 Jiufen 1 DAY

Spend a full day grazing on your feet and wandering among the relics of former mining settlements in Jiufen and nearby Jinguashi. Learn about the gold-mining legacy in the museum or by chatting with your hosts. Hike up Mt Keelung to catch a million-dollar sunset followed by priceless night views on the way down.

ThePonAek/Shutterstock ©

3 Taroko National Park 2 DAYS

Head back to Taipei and make your way to Taroko Gorge via Hualien. Visit the marble-walled canyon, its howling waterfalls, grottos full of swallows and other natural and manmade wonders. Pick a trail to hike. If there’s time, explore Hualien as well.

Detour: Drive down coastal Hwy 11 to Taitung, contemplating the fine Pacific views from various vantage points along the way. 45–90 minutes

Chris Howey/Shutterstock ©

4 Kaohsiung 2 DAYS

Visit the museums and former military sites of southern Taiwan’s largest city, Kaohsiung. Stroll around the Lotus Pond populated by temples, then explore the cultural spaces near the harbour before embarking on a boat tour of the latter. Cycle and swim on Cijin Island; eat seafood. Hit up a jazz bar for the night.

Detour: Foguangshan Buddha Memorial Centre

Tom Wang/Shutterstock ©

5 Tainan 1 DAY

Stay at a charming old house and ask the owners about Tainan. Visit the Dutch forts and museums of Taiwan’s historical capital. Enjoy its vast collection of ancient temples. Eat your fill of famous local snacks. Shop for gifts at a historic Hayashi Department Store or have bespoke clogs or a suit made. End your day crawling the city’s cocktail bars.

YUYUFOTO/Shutterstock ©

6 Alishan National Scenic Area 2 DAYS

Ride the nostalgic narrow-gauge Alishan forest railway from Chiayi. Bathe in misty forests of millennia-old cedars and shapely fallen giants, the moss carpet absorbing visitors’ chatter. Wake up in half-light to see the sun rise over Jade Mountain. In spring, buy bento boxes from the country’s highest 7-Eleven store to picnic under cherry blossom trees.

WENILIOU/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

7 Sun Moon Lake 1 DAY

From Alishan, bus it to Sun Moon Lake. Tour the lake by boat, and explore the Taiwanese and indigenous villages: their temples, food markets, and natural scenery. Bus-hop or cycle around the lake. Have a ride on the cable-car. If you have time, visit a tea farm nearby to sniff the leaves, taste the brews and buy some to take home.

HTU/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

ITINERARIES

Best of the North

Allow: 5 Days

Distance: 100km

This tour takes in some of the highlights of northern Taiwan. You’ll discover the distinctive legacies of mountainous frontier towns, swim and hike on an attractive island, explore a cave temple, consider eroded rocks at a coastal geopark, and pig out at a famous night market.

Keelung | TOPIMAGES/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

1 Taipei 2 DAYS

Feast on treasures at the Palace Museum; admire the details of Unesco award-winner Bao’an Temple. Shop for gifts at an art village. Watch the sunset from Taipei 101 or ramble up Yangmingshan for the same. Explore the old shophouses of Dihua Street. Dine at a gourmet restaurant, a night market, or both.

Detour: Bus it to Wulai for hot springs and an Atayal meal. 5 hours

BEEBOYS/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

2 Keelung 1 DAY

Head to Yeliu Geopark to see eroded rocks in all shapes and forms. Then take the bus to Keelung. Saunter up to the forts on Heping Island and swim in its seawater pool. On your way to Zhengbin Village for a harbourside lunch, snap photos of a shipyard ruin. Explore the mysterious Fairy Cave Temple. Have dinner at Miaokou Night Market.

JACK HONG/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

3 Jiufen 1 DAY

The former mining towns of Jiufen and Jinguashi are just down the coast from Keelung. Learn about the legacy of the gold-mining industry, hike the hills to see cinematic ruins overlooking the sea. Sample local snacks as you shuffle along a narrow alleyway; climb steep steps to reach teahouses. Take many pictures of a town luminously draped on a lush hillside.

NAMBAMAN/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

4 Pingxi 1 DAY

Head to Pingxi and catch a nostalgic narrow-gauge train down an 18km wooded gorge to photograph old frontier villages and learn about their coal-mining past. Hike waterfall trails and drink good coffee. Next to the railroad tracks, watch visitors write wishes with calligraphy brushes on sky lanterns then release them into the sky. Selfie with vaccinated strays in a cat village.

SAKDAWUT TANGTONGSAP/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

ITINERARIES

Explore the South

Allow: 10 Days Distance: 261km

This curation of southern attractions brings you to Taiwan’s premier sun-and-beach location, a pretty coral island and a couple of urban cultural hubs from which you can make side trips to salt fields, mud hot springs, a rustic Hakka village and an old banana town.

Foguangshan Buddha Memorial Centre | Wirestock Creators/Shutterstock ©

1 Tainan 2 DAYS

Spend one day in Tainan, enjoying its cultural gems: the temples, the museums, the forts and food. The next day, hire a car to visit Guanziling Hot Springs, Madou 18 Levels of Hell, making sure you arrive at the Jingzaijiao Pottery Shard Salt Fields in time for sunset. If taking the bus, pick one of the three. Follow with dinner and cocktails back in Tainan.

LEUNGCHOPAN/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

2 Kaohsiung 2 DAYS

Visit the picturesque pond and pagodas of Kaohsiung and its military and industrial legacy. Go on a boat tour of the harbour or a walking tour of the revitalised harbourside area. Hunt for treasures at the Neiwei Flea Market if it’s the weekend. Spend an afternoon at Foguangshan Buddha Memorial Centre pondering Buddhist art; or on Cijin Island, cycling, swimming and enjoying a sunset beer.

JUAN HUNG-YEN/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

3 Meinong 2 DAYS

Head to the Hakka village of Meinong. Discover Qing-era shrines and courtyard residences built by Hakka immigrants from China, sample their cuisine, cycle among – depending on the season – the rice paddies, or fields of flowers or cherry tomatoes, and all the way to Cishan Old Street nearby to see the bustling marketplace and crumbling mansions of the old banana trade.

SEAN HSU/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

4 Kenting 2 DAYS

Back in Kaohsiung, make a beeline for the beach town of Kenting, where you’ll find yourself swimming, surfing, hiking, and food-truck hopping for the next two days. Join an eye-opening tour to the protect zones. If there’s time, book a taxi to Hengchun to see Taiwan’s most beautifully restored city walls and explore its new crop of hipster cafes.

JEMMY999/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

5 Little Liuchiu Island 2 DAYS

From Donggang, take the ferry to this pretty coral island where you’ll spend a long, long day contemplating whimsical rocks, eating ceviche, scootering from coral-reef lagoon to white sandy beach, and snorkelling in fish-filled shallows. (Don’t touch the turtles.) Before or after your trip, stop for absurdly affordable sashimi and seafood at Donggang’s Huaqiao Fish Market.

CHRISLIAOTW/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

ITINERARIES

Go West

Allow: 6 Days Distance: 378km

This tour forgoes the mountain retreats of the west for three great cities and a windswept island. You’ll see legendary Lukang, named after deer, urban cool in all its forms, wetlands teeming with critters and rare birds, and a gorgeous archipelago offering history, scenery and watersport opportunities.

Glass Mazu Temple | Richie Chan/Shutterstock ©

1 Taichung 1 DAYS

Breakfast at a food market. Do the museums, the Japanese-era Miyahara Eye Clinic now famously sellingice cream, and kick back beside an urban stream (or hit up a cool urbex site). Down an espresso at a Qing imperial exam hall, then head to Gaomei Wetlands for mudskippers, migratory birds and the sunset. Have dinner at a Michelin restaurant, followed by cocktails, or a rave party if that’s on.

SANGA PARK/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

2 Lukang 1 DAY

Head to the historic town of Lukang via Changhua. Pore over relics in the rooms of grand old mansions and imagine how the rich once lived; take in the smoke-aged splendour of ancient temples or the psychedelic lights of Glass Mazu Temple. Shop for lanterns and folk art. Say ’yes’ to proffered samples of pork jerky and almond pastries as you navigate cobbled streets.

ELWYNN/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

3 Chiayi 1 DAY

In Chiayi, visit a couple of museums, taking care not to miss the architecture award-winning Chiayi Art Museum. Lunch at the East Market; while there have a peek at the historical timber buildings and the imposing City God Temple. Check out cultural spaces in reimagined factories and railway dormitories, then hang out at Chiayi Park with its Japanese-era monuments. Hit up a dive for drinks.

TANG YAN SONG/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

4 Penghu Islands 3 DAYS

Explore historic Magong. Have a long stroll by the seaside, passing windsurfers and joggers, before your big seafood dinner. Spend the next day exploring the outer islands by boat. On the third day, join a fisherman-run workshop, then hire a car to take you around the main island to basalt-walled villages, former military forts and an assortment of natural wonders..

JEMMY999/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

ITINERARIES

East Coast Loop

Allow: 7 Days

Distance: 360km

This trip takes you down the East Rift Valley from Hualien, passing some very charming scenery of flower-patched mountains and rice fields backed by surging slopes, before looping back to the coast in Taitung for a trip to lovely Lanyu Island. The return journey cruises up the coast, making stops at surf towns.

Bento, Chishang | PEACEFOO/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

1 Hualien 2 DAYS

Hire a car in low-key and pretty Hualien. Spend a day hiking along the walls of a peak-studded gorge at Taroko National Park. Recuperate at Hualien’s postcard-perfect cafes, oceanside parks and top-notch restaurants. Consider its fine collection of Buddhist, Japanese-Buddhist, and Taoist temples. Browse handicraft and enjoy desserts at art villages repurposed from factories. Pick a moody bar for relaxing after-dinner drinks.

PRITSANA/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

2 Chishang 1-2 DAYS

Head to Chishang for lunch. Munch on nutritious pan-fried tofu skin at Dachi as you watch the magic of protein coagulation in a bright, steamy factory. Then rent a bike or quadricycle to glide around a web of cycleways through mountain-hemmed rice paddies.

Detour: In summer (late July to late September), zigzag up Sixty Stone Mountain to survey undulating hillocks covered with orange-coloured day lilies. Visit a farm for day lily ice cream. 4 hours

3 Lanyu 2 DAY

From Taitung, fly or take the ferry to Lanyu Island. For the next two days, immerse yourself in nature and Tao culture (0187). Stay in an underground house, traditional or modernised. Scooter around the island stopping at the caves and coastal rock formations for selfies. Explore the new crop of cafes and bars operated by community-minded young people. Try sea moss and Madeira vine.

RICHIE CHAN/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

4 Dulan 2 DAYS

Head back up the coast to the funky little town of Dulan. Meet fellow travellers, sample Amis cuisine, and hang out at Dulan sugar factory to watch artists at work, drink home-brewed honey beer, or catch a weekend gig by indigenous musicians. Surf when the waves are up.

Detour: Go further up the coast to Chenggong for surfing and sightseeing. 1 day

GARY YIM/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

WHEN TO GO

It may sound clichéd but there really isn’t a bad time to visit Taiwan.

With tame winters, warm springs and sultry summers, not to mention an exuberant natural and cultural landscape year-round, when to visit this welcoming country all depends on you and whether you prefer Mazu, maples or music. But as a general rule, summer is best for beaches and water-sports; spring, autumn and winter for hiking, cycling and sunset walks.

Tropical cyclone season is June to October, but climate change has shifted things a bit – in the last few years, typhoons have been rare and winters, rainy. Sure, have a backup for your Penghu island-hop, but relax in the knowledge that Plan B may turn out to be just as enjoyable.

Bargain Sleeps

From April to June, and in September and October, room rates drop midweek. At key attractions, the best rates are midweek from November to March. Exceptions are peak times for domestic travel: Lunar New Year, Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day holiday.

Pingtung | WENILIOU/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

I LIVE HERE

Hiking & Seafood

Weihsiu Chang is a Taipei-based architect, and a board member of the Taiwan Association for Truth & Reconciliation and Greenpeace East Asia.

As we enter autumn in September, hiking season starts. Magnificent views await along the northern coast of New Taipei, Keelung and Yilan. On mountains closest to the sea, I can feel the northeasterlies and see meadows and the sea melting into the sky. After a hike, I go down to the harbour for seafood. Autumn is when crabs are the fattest and most delicious.

PLUM RAIN

’Plum rain’ (meiyu) is the name given to mid-spring downpours in East Asia. Allegedly, it was rain that coincided with plums turning yellow in ancient China. In Taiwan, plum rain falls between May and June.

THE BLACK CURRENT

The warm Kuroshio Current, known locally as the ’Black Current’ (黑潮) because it is shades darker than the sea, flows up Taiwan’s east coast, bringing warm and moist air, but also whales, dolphins and other migratory marine life.

Festivals

The mind-blowing Mazu Pilgrimage sees hundreds of thousands escorting a palanquin containing a statue of Goddess Mazu through 50 towns in south-western Taiwan. Third lunar month

Kaohsiung’s awesome Megaport Music Festival features Taiwan’s top indie bands (plus foreign acts, pre-COVID-19) performing by Kaohsiung Harbour. March

During the Lantern Festival glowing paper lanterns float into the night sky in Pingxi and Shifen. If you miss it, the official festival featuring mechanical lanterns and pop concerts takes place in a different city every year. First lunar month

The month-long Ghost Festival is a blend of rituals, bookended by the symbolic opening and closing of the Gates of Hell. It is celebrated in multiple cities, but most spectacularly in Keelung (North), followed by Toucheng (East) and Hengchun (South). Seventh lunar month

I LIVE HERE

Golden Paddy Waves

Yitung Yu is a Taichung native currently working in Taipei’s financial sector.

In June