9 Great Places to Visit in Taiwan
One of my favourite countries to visit in Asia is Taiwan as it was one of those surprise destinations I never planned to go in my life and I ended up spending a couple of months exploring it as there are so many places to visit in Taiwan you cannot get bored of it!
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I only went there as it was the cheapest destination to go after I spent a couple of months backpacking in Japan and little did I know about all the things to do in Taiwan I was about to experience that made me fall in love with the country.
Among the many things that I loved about Taiwan is that it’s a mixture of developed cities with traditional villages, a bustling artistic scene, a night food market culture that is hard to find anywhere else on earth and stunning nature that will conquer both mountain and beach lovers.
Here are my 9 great places to visit in Taiwan for a perfect trip combining adventures and culture.
Taipei
Chances are that you will be landing in Taiwan and as your first stop this will be already an immersive experience into the Taiwanese life.
In Taipei you can visit the Taipei 101 Tower which until 2010 was the highest building in the world. The Elephant Mountain Trail offers nice views of the city and The National Palace Museum was a place where I learnt lots of things I had no idea about.
An unmissable place to visit in Taiwan is the Shilin Night Market where I had my first taste of the exciting food scene in Taiwan.
If you’re like me and like to try new things you must try the stinky tofu! Trust me, it smells horrible but I loved the taste! My newly-found Taiwanese friends were very surprised with a foreigner loving it so much.
From Taipei you can also take a break from the city a go hiking in Yangmishan National Park which is accessible by bus and as a day trip you can go to Jiufen Old Street.
Kaohsiung
This is another Taiwanese metropolis but don’t be fooled by its size as it’s one of the most fascinating cities I’ve visited on my travels from an artistic perspective.
I really loved visiting the Pier-2 Art Center which is like an open air museum full with street art, from incredibly realistic paintings or graffitis to odd and thoughtful sculptures, you can spend a full day wandering around this part of town.
The Dragon and Tiger Pagoda is an icon of the city and one of my favourite things to do in Kaohsiung was to take a pretty short ferry to Ci Jin island which is also full of public art and you can surf over there as well, which I recommend if you’re beginner as the waves are perfect for learning.
I stayed at the Single Inn in Kaohsiung which was the cheapest hostel in town but it included a decent breakfast and free use of the public baths but don’t get your expectations too high as it’s fairly run down.
Fun fact about Taiwan: did you know that Taiwan is not recognised by the UN but it was one of its five founding members?
The official name for Taiwan is Republic of China (ROC), which is different from the People’s Republic of China. After WWII, the ROC took control of the island following the loss of the Chinese mainland on the civil war to the communist party, the ROC government moved to Taiwan in 1949 from where they continued to claim to be the legitimate representative of China.
Enough of politics. Let’s continue with the round up of best places to visit in Taiwan!
Taroko National Park
Located near the town of Hualien, I spent a few days camping in Taroko National Park and absolutely loved it.
The Taroko Gorge offers multiple hiking trails, some challenging and some incredibly scenic. Be warned that as one of Taiwan’s Nine Natural Wonders you can expect to find quite a lot of people, but if you go camping you will find quiet camping zones.
The most scenic hiking spot is the Zhuilu Old Road but I also enjoyed a lot hiking the Lushui-Wenshan Trail.
The Baiyang Trail which includes the Water Curtain Trail is one of the most crowded, but being pretty short in distance I still recommend you to go and have a look at this unusual feature.
If you’re driving you could do a couple of trails on the same day, and you could even do this travelling by bus from Hualien but if you can, try to spend more than one day in Taroko as it has plenty to show.
Hualien
Before and after I went camping in Taroko I spent a few days wandering around Hualien.
This is one of those places that are great for relaxing as it feels small enough to not be overwhelmed. Whilst many may consider Hualien as a stopover for going towards Taroko Gorge, or the beaches in the region, there are lots of cute streets to walk.
The Jade Valley is a beautiful place to visit from Hualien, there were quite a few people when I went but I loved having a refreshing dip in the river. Make sure to take a waterproof bag with you and shoes you’re happy to get wet.
I stayed at the Cave Hostel which had a great location and was a perfect choice to continue my low cost backpacking adventures.
Kenting National Park
Some of the best beaches I enjoyed in Taiwan were in Kenting National Park. I spent a couple of nights camping and walking from beach to beach and it was great, but we bewared, some areas can be quite touristy and feel too crowded for my liking but thankfully is not everywhere like that.
Fun film fact: An unmissable spot when you visit Kenting is to go to Baishawan (White Sand Bay) which is the location of the final scene in the movie Life of Pi, the jungly environment and beautiful white sand beach recreated the coast of Mexico during the film.
As I was camping I cannot recommend a place to stay but fear not, you will find lots of hostels and hotels in Kenting.
Tainan
Considered by many Taiwanese friends I met as the place to get the best food in the country, Tainan has quite a few attractions to visit such as the Chihkan Tower, The Chimei Museum and obviously the Tainan Garden Night Market.
An unusual place that I absolutely loved was the Anping Tree House which is an old warehouse from the 19th century that has been absorbed by nature. This is a photographers dream but also a place to wander and wonder!
I stayed at the Slow Tainan Hostel which was nice and cosy and had a friendly atmosphere to meet other travellers.
Eating in Taiwan
If there’s something certain when you travel in Taiwan is that no matter where you go you will find a night market filled with a variety of street food stalls that will make you want to try them all. From savoury meals to sweet treats, the explosion of flavours you will find in Taiwan is one of the best memories I have from my time there and that’s why I consider it a foodies paradise.
Another incredible perk of this night food market culture is that eating out is many times cheaper than cooking at home so you will not be doing something touristy but you will be joining all the locals and experience a glimpse of their lives without realising it.
My top tip is to simply try as many different stalls as you can instead of trying to order many things from the same as the variety of flavours is incredible.
Taichung
Yet another bustling city with many randomly wonderful things to do! In Taichung you will find theatres, museums, temples and the ubiquitous night food markets present all over Taiwan.
But two sights that I highly recommend you to visit are the Rainbow Village and the Dakeng Hiking Trails.
The story of the Rainbow Village is of a lovely man born in 1924. Rainbow Grandpa fought in the Chinese Civil War against the communist in the mid 20th century. The “legend” says he started painting out of boredom and because he didn’t want to leave what has been his house for over 30 years now when there were news that the entire village was going to be demolished.
He initially wanted to paint 16 houses but managed to do 11 (from ground to ceiling!) The rest of the village was indeed demolished, but his colourful Rainbow Village is now an art park!
The Dakeng Hiking Trails are also an iconic place to visit in Taichung. I describe them as Taiwan’s alternative to Hawaii’s Stairway to Heaven hike as the scenic mountains are covered with a set of nine wooden trails that offer some incredible views.
I stayed at the Mini West Hotel which is really centric, very clean and modern.
Dulan
I spent a few weeks doing a workaway in the small village of Dulan and had the best time ever as it was a beautiful place to have a base, meet fantastic people and do short trips around the country.
Dulan is famous for surfing so don’t miss the chance of going there if you’re into catching some waves. The town is small enough so if you’re on a short holiday you can spend a couple of days surfing, chilling and going for a hike to the Dulan Mountain Trail which is not too difficult and you get some nice views on the way up.
I was volunteering at Wagaligong Surf Hostel which was a great place to stay and meet other fellow backpackers.
Another place you must visit from Dulan is Sanxiantai which offers this spectacular view.
Jiaming Lake
Last but definitely not least is the two or three day hike to Jiaming Lake, which was my favourite place to go hiking in Taiwan.
Although short in distance, it’s recommended to do it in 3D2N to acclimatise for the altitude as it goes up to 3500m of elevation. I camped two nights on my way up and whilst I think it’s easy enough to do with only one night of camping, the landscape is so beautiful that you should not rush it.
Also known as Angel’s Tear, Jiaming Lake is at 3310m of elevation the second highest lake in Taiwan. Until not long ago, the lake was thought to have been created by a meteor strike some 3000 years ago. Now it turns out, is actually a lot older and was formed by glacial movement during the last ice age some 6000 – 7000 years ago.
I wrote all the details you need to know on how to go hiking to Jiaming Lake. If you love hiking as much as I do, you will love this place!
Are you ready to visit Taiwan?
This is a gem of a country and many people get surprised when I say it’s one of my favourite places to visit in the world.
Unfortunately the big neighbour next door adds a bit of uncertainty when you travel in Taiwan but I can only hope peace prevails and all my Taiwanese friends maintain their country as they want it, whatever that means.
Happy adventures!
