Last Updated on 9 January, 2024
This is where you’ll find all my Taiwan guides, articles about Taiwan and basically everything I know about visiting Taiwan solo. Taiwan is one of my all-time favourite destinations and a place I keep coming back to.
I’ve mostly travelled all around Taiwan solo and independently but occasionally with friends. It was where I went for my grad trip, solo career break and I explored Taipei and its surroundings throughly for an epic content project with Scoot finding hidden gems. (New collaboration with Income Insurance coming soon!)
There’s a lot that I’ve experienced in Taiwan that hasn’t made it to blog form, so feel free to drop me a question and I’ll help you if I can!
Taiwan
NORTH
Taipei
台北
Capital of Taiwan, Taipei is the main transport hub and starting point for most people visiting Taiwan for the first time. There’s lots to see in the city which is easy to navigate by public transport, and nature is not very far away either. It’s the best base to explore Northern Taiwan.
My recommendation for first time visitors to Taiwan is to spend 2-3 nights here, which should be enough to see Taipei’s main attractions. You could easily spend a longer time here if you want a more relaxing pace or plan to do several day trips around Taipei.
Taipei has a very well connected public transport network. Get an EasyCard and use it take public transport around the city.
Taipei Metro/MRT and buses are clean, efficient and have good signage. Google maps is fairly accurate in terms of bus stop locations and timings. Shared bicycle service YouBike is also easy to use.
Uber and taxis are easy to hail or call if you are in a group.
I like to stay in the Datong and Ximen districts which are quite central and close to Dadaocheng, Zhongshan and Ximending.
Anywhere close to an MRT Station is usually best for getting around, and I like staying near Taipei Main Station which is best for commuting from Taoyuan Airport and day trips around Taipei by bus/train.
Things to do in Taipei
48 Hours in Taipei for first-time visitors
Itinerary
What I’d recommend for people who have never visited Taiwan before is a short trip to Taipei that covers what I consider are the main sights to see in 2 days.
Weekend in Taipei for the design lover
Itinerary
For people looking to explore a bit more of what Taipei has to offer, this 2-day itinerary has a bit more of a hipster design lover angle.
How to experience Taipei like the locals do
Recs
I tried out a bunch of experiences with Taipei’s locals and got their recommendations on fun ways to experience the city.
Underrated local Taipei Night markets
Recs
Night markets are a quintessential Taiwanese experience and while stalwarts Shilin, Raohe and Ningxia are good for first timers, I enjoyed lesser known local favourites like Nanjichang and Gongguan as well.
Taipei’s National Palace Museum
Attractions
Gugong aka the National Palace Museum is home of the Jadeite cabbage and one-stop shop for Taiwan’s history and artefacts. It’s impossible to take in with just one visit. It may be crowded but is worth stopping in just for a bit.
Cycling Taipei’s Riverside Parks
Recs
Cycling is actually a pretty fun way to explore Taipei. Head to its bicycle-friendly riverside parks with your Youbike and explore the city along its green waterways!
NORTH
New Taipei City
新北
Great day trip options for those visiting Taipei and wanting to explore outside the city
Most of these places are fairly near to Taipei City and can be done as a day trip. Of course if you want a more immersive experience, an overnight’s stay is better. These districts tend to be less crowded and can be cheaper compared to Taipei. Ultimately it depends on how much time you have to spare.
Intercity buses are your best way to get to places around New Taipei City. Most leave from Taipei Main Station or Taipei City Hall.
Taiwan Tourist Shuttles (Haoxing buses) by the tourism bureau to special tourist attractions are also good options.
TRA trains are only convenient if you are going to Keelung or along the Pingxi Line (Shifen, Sandiaoling)
Driving will give you the most flexibility especially if you are planning to visit some more remote locations within the area. Booking private car transfers with a driver/guide for a day is common and not too expensive if you have a group to cater to.
Give yourself more time if you are planning to rely on the local bus network to get around.
Taiwan North Coast 台灣北海岸
Take a day trip along Taiwan’s North Coast with a 1-day bus pass, or spend a night of two exploring some of its more popular coastal towns.
Keelung 基隆
Port town Keelung has a nice sea town vibe with scenic coastal parks for some hiking, delicious seafood and a great night market. One of my favourite Taipei day trips.
Wanli 萬里
Home to the famous Yehliu geopark and its unusual coastal rock formations, come here to eat Wanli crabs, go paragliding and even explore a UFO village.
Jinshan 金山
This quiet town on the North Coast has a nice old street with lots of food options, lovely coastal scenery and the Juming Museum with its beautiful sculptures.
Shimen 石門
The northernmost of Taiwan’s mainland can be found here at Fugui Cape, along with a beautiful stretch of mossy green coastal rocks called Laomei Green Reef.
Pingxi 平溪 / Ruifang 瑞芳
Buy a 1-day pass for the Pingxi Railway Line to explore the smaller stations in between Ruifang and Jingtong. Shifen is by far the most popular stop along this line.
Sandiaoling Waterfalls 三貂嶺瀑布
Relatively unknown compared to the famous train street with sky lanterns and large waterfall at Shifen, Sandiaoling is a little further along the same Pingxi train line where you get not 1, not 2, but 3 waterfalls when hiking this trail!
Shiding 石碇 / Pinglin 坪林
Do a day trip south of Taipei City and visit both Shiding and Pingling along with a hike at Thousand Island Lake.
Thousand Island Lake 千島湖
An artificial reservoir created in the mountains south of Taipei, this is a nice quiet place to hike. Stop by the quaint old streets in the towns of Shiding 石碇 (famous for houses hanging over the water) and Pinglin 坪林 (famous for tea)
NORTH
Yilan
The northeastern coast of Taiwan is a quick day trip from Taipei and has a nice relaxing vibe
Yilan is about an hour away from Taipei by bus or train so you can easily do a day trip from Taipei, but it’s actually a fairly large area and I recommend spending a night (or more!) if you can to better explore Yilan.
Intercity buses from Taipei are the cheapest option and will bring you to either Yilan City (North Yilan) or Luodong (South Yilan) and take 50 minutes.
TRA trains take around 60-75 minutes from Taipei and stop at towns like Jiaoxi and Toucheng.
Driving takes about the same time as the bus, but taking a taxi can be expensive if you go long distances. Consider hiring a driver for the day.
Driving will give you the most flexibility especially if you are planning to visit some more remote locations within the area. Booking private car transfers with a driver/guide for a day is common and not too expensive if you have a group to cater to.
Give yourself more time if you are planning to rely on the local bus network to get around.
Yilan North: Yilan City, Toucheng, Jiaoxi, Yuanshan
Covering the Yilan region north of the Lanyang River with Yilan City as the main hub, check out all things Jimmy Liao, Jiaoxi hot spring town, Taiwan’s best whisky distillery in Yuanshan head to an island shaped like a turtle from Toucheng.
Yilan South: Luodong, Wujie, Dongshan, Su’ao
This guide covers areas south of the Lanyang River with the main hub Luodong and its famous night market, a cool traditional arts centre in Wujie, picturesque lakes and roads in Dongshan, the cute fishing village of Nanfang’ao and some nifty cold springs in Su’ao.
EAST
Hualien
The start of the mountainous scenic east coast of Taiwan and home to Taroko Gorge
East Coast 東海岸 (Highway 11)
Hualien East Coast Shuttle bus 花蓮台灣好行304
Fengbin
I took this Taiwan Tourism Shuttle also known as the Huilan East Coast Bus 304 to explore 9 of Hualien’s coastal sights in the Fengbin Township in a day tour.
Taroko Gorge 太魯閣
Xiulin
Of course I had to check out the magnificent Taroko Gorge. Here are some of my favourite sights that we saw in a day trip that brought us to Tianxiang and back.
East Rift Valley 花東縱谷 (Highway 9)
Liyu Lake 鯉魚潭
Shoufeng
Chilling out at this picturesque lake and eating live jumping prawns, oh my.
Fenglin 鳳林
Fenglin
A whirlwind tour through this small town known for Hakka culture and doing a little wood crafting and trying out indigenous tribal cuisine!
Guangfu 光復
Stay in an old sugar factory or spend some time cycling around its forest parks, lots of greenery here!
Ruisui 瑞穗
Soak in its iron and mineral rich hot springs and indulge in its fresh dairy products.
Yuli 玉里
Paddy fields surrounded by mountains and a bridge that crosses over 2 tectonic plates.
EAST
Taitung
The rural eastern region of Taiwan has lots of greenery, mountains and sea views for real relaxation
Luye 鹿野
Anecdotes
I visited Luye completely by chance on my grad trip but I’ve never forgotten the hospitality and natural beauty this rural village has to offer.
Chishang 池上
Guide
This town famous for its high quality rice and fanbao is perfect for a little cycling amid its picturesque paddy fields surrounded by the mountains of the East Rift Valley.
Taitung Islands
Green Island / Lyudao 綠島
Offshore island
My favourite tiny island off the coast of Taitung that you can navigate on electric scooter. Lots of interesting coastal rock formations and one of my favourite hot springs – saltwater pools by the sea!
Orchid Island / Lanyu 蘭嶼
Offshore island
This island is further and larger than Lyudao and fiercely proud of their tribal Yami culture. I stayed with a lovely older couple by chance and had a really interesting experience exploring this rural island.
CENTRAL (WEST)
Taichung
Taiwan’s next busiest city after Taipei is a short HSR ride down the west coast
Taichung City
Travel Guide
Taichung’s 2nd biggest city is more spread out but there’s lots of cool sights in and around Taichung worth checking out.
Divecube Hotel
Attraction
A hotel that you can scuba dive in without even being close to the coast? Check out the DiveCube Hotel where I explored their in-house caves and even learned a bit of free diving.
CENTRAL (WEST)
Tainan
A favourite for those who love Taiwanese Xiaochi, there’s a lot to see in this sprawling district
Vanaheim Glamping
Beimen
Glamping in a mangrove swamp along the coast, it’s the perfect retreat from the bustle of city life.
Guanziling Mud Hot Springs 關子嶺溫泉
Guanziling
Taiwan’s only mud hot springs is in a little town on the northern edge of Tainan.
Ten-Drum Cultural Village 十鼓仁糖文創園區
Rende
A former industrial space repurposed into a cultural arts area and practice space for a drumming troupe.
SOUTH
Kaohsiung
The main hub of Southern Taiwan and conveniently connects to Taipei in less than 2 hours by high speed rail
Weiwuying Street Art Village 衛武營
Lingya
A district close to the new National Kaohsiung Centre for the Arts that has been transformed by street art and murals on all the buildings.
Pier 2 Art Centre 駁二藝術特區
Yancheng
Former dock area converted into an arts and culture area and one of my favourite places to stroll around in Kaohsiung.
OFFSHORE
Taiwan Offshore Islands
You can take a ferry or fly to some of Taiwan’s offshore islands to escape the mainland for a bit
Matsu Islands 马祖
Once the frontline of China-Taiwan conflicts, this remote island cluster has remnants of its military history littered throughout its islands along with some cool natural phenomena like the glowing Blue Tears bioluminesence 蓝眼泪. I visited its two main islands Beigan 北竿 and Nangan 南竿 solo.
Penghu Islands 澎湖
Taiwan’s largest island cluster west of Chiayi is home to many cool natural sights that are worth checking out like volcanic rock formations and ancient fishing techniques. I visited its main island Magong solo during the famous annual fireworks festival and took a day trip to southern islands Wang’an and Qimei.
PINGTUNG
Xiaoliuqiu 小琉球
This tiny coral island off Taiwan’s southern coast is the perfect weekend getaway spot to discover abundant sea turtles, splendid sunsets and relaxing tropical island life.
YILAN
Turtle Island / Guishandao 龜山島
A short ferry ride away from Toucheng in Yilan, this turtle shaped volcanic island is now uninhabited and requires special permits to visit. I took a boat tour over solo to explore the remains of its old village and climbed its 401 peak.
Kinmen 金門
Closer to Xiamen than mainland Taiwan, Kinmen has plenty of military remains and history worth exploring courtesy of its long-drawn battles with China. I explored this enigmatic island solo.
TAITUNG
Green Island / Lyudao 綠島
My first Taiwan offshore island encounter, the lovely Green Island off the east coast has plenty of beautiful coastal views and rock formations, including a rare saltwater hot spring by the sea. I visited with friends and solo on a separate trip.
TAITUNG
Orchid Island / Lanyu 蘭嶼
Take the time to get to Taiwan’s wildest island and be rewarded with pristine nature, amazingly blue coasts and get to know about the unique Yami aboriginal culture. I spent a few memorable days here solo.
Taiwan Travel Tips
How to travel in and around Taiwan
The ultimate guide to adventures in Taiwan
For Skyscanner
Thinking about Taiwan as a holiday destination? Here’s a quick overview that I wrote for Skyscanner to give you an idea about what a trip to Taiwan can be like.
When is the best time to visit Taiwan?
For Skyscanner
Taiwan is great anytime of the year, and the short answer is: it depends on where you go. Mountain, coast, city… many of these factors affect the weather. My personal suggestion would be visiting in Spring from March to May – while it’s still relatively cooler and before school holidays.
Best hot springs in Taiwan
I love Taiwan’s hot springs and have tried all different sorts around the country. Mud hot springs, saltwater hot springs and even cold springs – here’s a collection of all my Taiwan hot spring experiences to date.
Best Taiwan hostels for a stylish stay
As a solo traveller who’s getting older, I’ve tried to find nice accommodation options that still have a nice communal vibe or great design. Here are some of my personal recommendations.
Other Taiwan Resources
- Taiwan Tourism Bureau – The official Taiwan Tourism website
- Taiwan Tourist Shuttle Service – useful if you’re looking for shuttle bus services to popular tourist sights
- Why Wendy Writes – Wendy is a fellow blogger and lover of Taiwan that I met through TTBSG activities. She’s got some great guides to northeast and eastern Taiwan and more.
- Luomujie Travel The World – the layout of his site drives me a bit batty but he studied and lived in Taiwan and has been to some pretty interesting and out of the way places in Taiwan worth checking out.
- Nick Kembel – Nick has lived in Taiwan for a long time and is married to a local and has lots of great Taiwan guides on his site.