r/taiwantravel

I really wanna use the ubike some more but don’t have a taiwanese phone number 😭 i’m only gonna be here for a few more days so I really don’t wanna get an actual sim. i did try the single rental option but it logged me out and it’s still holding my 3000NTD

Hello everyone! I will be visiting Taiwan in October, I'd love some feedback on my itinerary!

Day 0: Arrival Taipei from Vietnam afternoon. TaipeiEye

Days 1-2: TAIPEI - The Lin Family Mansion and Garden, Taiwan Democracy Memorial Park, Evergreen Maritime Museum, Taipei Astronomical Museum, Shung Ye Museum of Formosan Aborigines, National Palace Museum. Ice skating, immersive XP, evening bar hopping

Day 3: Taipei to Lion Head Mountain. Hike to waterfall and back – Sleep Taichung

Day 4: TAICHUNG: Earthquake Museum, Chinese house, Democracy museum, archery. Go to Tainan evening

Day 5: TAINAN

Day 6: Sicao Wetlands + Tainan

Day 7: KAOHSIUNG: Aviation Centre, Formosa Boulevard station, National Science Museum, Monkey park, VR experience, night market. -- Double Ten Day, any events in Kaohsiung or Taitung for this?

Day 8: Rinari town. Sleep Luye, Taitung

Day 9: TAITUNG: Pasibutbut and Luye. National Museum of Prehistory + Peinan Site. Maybe night market

Day 11: Chishang bike ride + Hualien City (Taiwan Aboriginal Culture Museum). Sleep Hualien

Day 12: Hualien dolphin/whale watching. Qingshui Cliff. Jiufen sleep, town night views

Day 13: Jiufen gold mine. Teapot mountain hike. Bus to Keelung. Market + visits

Day 14: Keelung. Evening departure to Osaka

Thank you! Any feedback is appreciated :)

I have 7/8 days in Taiwan starting next week.

What would you guys recommend? It's going to pe stupid hot and humid, so I am planning to keep the activities outside lite.

What are the big must visit, must see, must do?

I'm arriving (24/05/26) and departing (01/06/26) from Taipei international in the afternoon.

My interests are the culture/history, mainly food, tea. But open for anything

Thanks in advance

Going to Taiwan for the first time...to Taipei. My husband will be working for 2 weeks so I will be solo during the day. Anything in particular I should check out on my own? I will be walking everywhere. I like photographing scenery if that helps with any suggestions. In the evening we want to check out the night markets. Week 3 we will travel around together probably by MRT or bikes. Any info is appreciated. Thank you.

Hello, I have heard that the train to Alishan is incredible. Is the return trip also worth it? Or best to just take the direct bus? Thank you!

I’ll be going to Taipei for the second time soon! Any underrated places in Taipei or nearby that you’d recommend?

During my first trip, I mostly visited the touristy and overrated spots. I still had fun, but this time I want to try something different — maybe hidden gems, chill cafés, local food spots, nature places, or nice day trips outside the city.

Would love to hear your recommendations!

Hi everyone,

I’m planning a sudden 10-day trip to Taiwan in late June because my leave just got approved. I’m thinking of spending around 5 days in Kaohsiung and 5 days in Taipei.

Do you have any recommendations for the best areas to stay in both cities? Ideally, I’m looking for somewhere convenient and close to public transport/MRT, since I’ll be relying on public transportation.

Also, if you have any hotel, accommodation, or Airbnb recommendations, I’d really appreciate it.

Thank you!

Planning a solo Taiwan trip from May 30 – June 3 (4 nights / 5 days) and trying to decide the best itinerary split considering weather too.
I land in Taipei at 6:30 AM on May 30 and fly out from Taipei at 6 PM on June 3, so I’m thinking it makes sense to end the trip in Taipei.
Would you recommend:
Option 1:
1 night outside Taipei + 3 nights Taipei
OR
Option 2:
2 nights outside Taipei + 2 nights Taipei
For the outside-Taipei portion, I’m considering:
Hualien

Kaohsiung

Taichung

Jiufen area

Main interests:
nature/scenery
cafés
food/night markets
relaxed exploration
not rushing too much

I was originally leaning toward Hualien, but with Taroko still partially restricted, I’m not sure if it’s still worth 2 nights. Also wondering how bad the rain/weather usually is around early June.
Would love recommendations based on weather, pacing, and what feels most worth it for a first Taiwan trip.

Ive been reading that some of the “cycle paths” around sun moon lake are actually just the main roads. Does anybody know what the section between Ita Thao Pier and WenWu Temple is like? Is it just cycling along the main road or is there a lake side cycle path? Also is it very hilly? (Wondering bike vs e-bike) TIA

Hi everyone,

I’m planning my first trip to Taiwan and would love some advice on which itinerary makes more sense.

I’ll be arriving in Taipei on Friday 29 May and leaving Taiwan on Sunday 7 June, before flying via Hong Kong back to Melbourne. So I’ll have roughly 9 full days / 10 days including arrival and departure.

For context: I’ve done a mostly solo trip to Japan before (Tokyo, Aomori, Hakodate, Sapporo, Fukuoka, Hiroshima, Osaka, Kyoto, Takayama, Kanazawa) and loved it. For Taiwan, I may be travelling partly with friends and partly solo. I’m interested in a mix of food, night markets, shopping/streetwear/local shops, cafés, some nightlife, temples/old streets, scenic day trips, and a bit of nature, but I don’t want the trip to feel too rushed or logistically stressful.

I’m currently deciding between two itinerary options:

Option 1 — Taipei + Southern Taiwan

Day 1 — Fri 29 May: Taipei
Arrive, Ximending, Raohe Night Market, easy first night.

Day 2 — Sat 30 May: Taipei core
Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall, Longshan Temple, Yongkang/Da’an, Taipei 101/Xinyi, maybe Elephant Mountain sunset, drinks/night out.

Day 3 — Sun 31 May: Day trip from Taipei
Jiufen + Shifen, or Yehliu + Jiufen.

Day 4 — Mon 1 June: Taipei flexible day
Beitou/Tamsui, Dihua Street, Huashan/Songyan, shopping, card/toy shops, night market.

Day 5 — Tue 2 June: Taipei → Tainan
HSR south, West Central District, Chihkan Tower area, food crawl.

Day 6 — Wed 3 June: Tainan
Anping Old Fort, Anping Old Street, temples, local food, night market.

Day 7 — Thu 4 June: Tainan → Kaohsiung
Pier-2 Art Center, harbour area, Love River, casual dinner/drinks.

Day 8 — Fri 5 June: Kaohsiung
Cijin Island, seafood, sunset, relaxed night out.

Day 9 — Sat 6 June: Kaohsiung → Taipei
HSR back to Taipei, final shopping, final Taipei night.

Day 10 — Sun 7 June: Depart Taiwan
Fly Taipei → Hong Kong.

Option 2 — Taipei + Hualien/Taroko + Taichung/Sun Moon Lake

Day 1 — Fri 29 May: Taipei
Arrive, Ximending, food/night market.

Day 2 — Sat 30 May: Taipei core + shopping
Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall, Longshan Temple, Taipei 101, Songyan/Eslite, Raohe Night Market.

Day 3 — Sun 31 May: Yehliu + Jiufen
Guided tour or public transport day trip.

Day 4 — Mon 1 June: Taipei → Hualien
Train to Hualien, pick up rental car, Dongdamen Night Market.

Day 5 — Tue 2 June: Taroko Gorge / Hualien area
Originally thinking Shakadang Trail, Eternal Spring Shrine, Swallow Grotto, etc., but I understand some Taroko areas may still be closed or affected after the 2024 earthquake, so I’m unsure how worthwhile this is in 2026.

Day 6 — Wed 3 June: Hualien → Taichung
Long train/transit day, stay near Fengjia Night Market.

Day 7 — Thu 4 June: Taichung → Sun Moon Lake
Rent car, drive to Sun Moon Lake, bike ride/lakeside walk, stay overnight.

Day 8 — Fri 5 June: Sun Moon Lake → Taipei
Return car in Taichung, HSR back to Taipei, final shopping.

Day 9 — Sat 6 June: Taipei
Final Taipei day/night.

Day 10 — Sun 7 June: Depart Taiwan
Fly Taipei → Hong Kong.

My questions:

1. For a first-time visitor to Taiwan, which itinerary would you recommend and why?
2. Is Taroko/Hualien worth including in June 2026, considering the earthquake damage and possible closures?
3. Would I regret skipping Tainan and Kaohsiung on a first trip?
4. Are there any changes you’d make to either route?
5. Any must-visit food spots, night markets, shopping areas, local brands, cafés, or cool neighbourhoods you’d recommend?

Thanks in advance! 😁

First time Taiwan visitor here, I don’t want to offend the driver by saying wrong thing.. is shuai ge 帅哥 or Xian shen 先生** **the correct common way to say? Thanks !
For example: ni hao shuai ge, wo yao dao zheli? Xiexie

I'm flying through Taipei Taoyuan in August, and I have about 6-8 hour layover (5 AM to 3 PM). What are some possible things I could do? I'm assuming it may not be worth it to go back to Taipei, but I'd be happy to walk around the beaches near the airport. Would those be possible/interesting? Or is it better to have fun in Taipei for an hour or two?

I'd really like to visit Taiwan with my 81 year old mother as a stop during our South Korea visit. Jioufen looks like a top site to visit but also looks steep with a lot of stairs? Is this a no-go for seniors? She's able-bodied and plays golf still but a ton of stairs would be off limits for her.

Is Taipei/Taiwan even worth visiting with an older traveler?

Hello everyone, I have booked a trip to Taiwan on a whim using my United frequent flyer miles in September… Specifically the last week of September. I noticed that my flight is from SFO to Taipei and the entire plane is pretty much empty. To be fair (and yes, ignorance on my part), I have not done much research on Taiwan beyond cursory reading. I just read on the state department website for the United States that September is still typhoon season in Taiwan. Could this be why there are so few seats booked? The plane - in economy class - is practically empty. Considering I booked with miles, my reservation is fully cancelable and refundable so I am willing to drop my itinerary at any moment and rebook it for another time.

Any insight appreciated!

Side note: this would also be my first Asia trip.

Thank you.

Hey, maybe a little bit of a stupid question, but should I pack long pants for hikes? I’m coming at the beginning of June, and my first thought was no, it’s going to be very hot and humid. But is there a need to cover my legs from bugs, etc., or sunburn? I’ll do only half-day-ish hikes.

context: i was lucky enough to have a night out length layover in taipei on my first trip to europe, and have been thinking about going back ever since

on my night out i was only equipped with 謝謝！& 我要這個。knowing some (3-400? maybe?) kanji, & i could get the jist of some menus/signs, but i would be grateful to hear what people think are the biggest language points to get across to make it a bit easier for staff communication

ive self studied japanese enough to be comfortable at a convenience store/tattoo appointment/slow conversation level so id love to know where i should be starting to get the basics on just the convenience store/restaurant level ((knowing that it's grossly more difficult w.r.t tones ofc haha))