Taiwan

In October 2025 we spent 22 days travelling clockwise round Taiwan, starting and finishing in Taipei. From the capital we went to Jiufen, down the east coast to Hualien, Green Island and Taitung, round the south to Kenting, then up through Tainan, Sun Moon Lake, Alishan and Taichung before taking the high-speed train back to Taipei. We did it all on public transport, and people were welcoming everywhere we went.

Taipei

We spent the first three days and the last few days of the trip in Taipei. Highlights were Longshan Temple, the Changing of the Guard at Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall, coffee on the 88th floor of Taipei 101 and the street food stalls of Ximending. On our last days we climbed Elephant Mountain in the rain for a misty view of Taipei 101 and saw the Jadeite Cabbage at the National Palace Museum.

Temples and history

Tainan, Taiwan's oldest city, was the place for history: Chihkan Tower, plenty of ornate temples and our favourite, the Anping Tree House, an old warehouse that banyan roots have taken over. At Sun Moon Lake we passed the Ci'en Pagoda and Wenwu Temple on our bike ride.

Getting around

We used the MRT Airport Express into Taipei, the Puyuma Express down to Hualien, the ferry to Green Island, a bus up to Alishan, the old forest railway back down, and the high-speed rail (HSR) from Taichung to Taipei. An EasyCard works on the MRT, most buses and in convenience stores.

Mountains and lakes

We cycled the 30 km loop round Sun Moon Lake, with wild monkeys sharing the path. In Alishan we were up at 5am for the forest railway to the Zhushan sunrise. The sea of clouds didn't appear, but the giant old trees and the Sister Ponds made up for it.

Taroko Gorge: what happened

We'd planned to see Taroko Gorge from Hualien, but the weather stopped us. The gorge was badly damaged in the April 2024 earthquake. By March 2026 some areas had reopened, including the Taroko Terrace trail and Tiansiang, but the Shakadang, Swallow Grotto and Baiyang trails aren't expected to reopen until around 2031. Check the Taroko National Park site before you plan around it.

Night markets

We ate our way round Dongdamen in Hualien, the Kenting Night Market and Yizhong Street in Taichung, as well as the stalls in Ximending. A night market is the easiest way to try oyster omelettes, grilled squid and bubble tea, and most stalls only take cash.

The coast and Green Island

From Fugang Harbour we took the ferry to Green Island, a small volcanic island off the east coast, and stayed at the quirky Tube 18 Resort. Further south, we split two days in Kenting between the national park beaches and the night market.