Hey everyone,
I'm a current Canadian student and I'll be heading to East Asia for the summer. I am thinking of stopping by Taiwan for 7-9 days and this is my current itinerary so far:
Taipei (3D)
- Pinglin
- Wulai
- Hot springs
Hualien (2D)
- Tarako Gorge
Tainan (2D)
- Temples
- Meinong?
Some friends have told me that people mainly go to Taiwan for a few days just for food and that there isn't that much to see, but some people say differently. Any advice for my itinerary?
Thanks!
Frodo
I'm in Taiwan right now on a 2-weeks trip and can tell you that there is plenty to see and the country is really worth visiting.
There is plenty to see in Taiwan. You would probably need a month to do the place justice, longer if you like hiking.
You itinerary looks pretty solid, but you might want to leave a little more time for Taipei itself- day trips to Wulai and Pinglin can be a little tiring. I would skip Meinong and instead spend the extra day in or around Taipei, visit Lugang, or go somewhere else on the east coast.
So I'm looking at 7D, 7N in Taiwan right now. Is the train trip to Tainan worth it then just for 1D/1N financially and interest-wise?
Thanks for both of your help, much appreciated!
Is the train trip to Tainan worth it then just for 1D/1N financially and interest-wise?
That depends on what you are interested in, and how much you have to spend. Tainan is the oldest city on, and the first capital of, Taiwan so there are many historic buildings (the majority of them temples) there. As for cost, the fastest way to get there is by high-speed rail. Check out the Taiwan High Speed Rail Corporation website to see how much the fares are, and whether or not they fit your budget.
If Tainan seems too time-consuming and expensive for you, Lugang is a good alternative. More for those not interested in temples, too.
So I'm looking at 7D, 7N in Taiwan right now. Is the train trip to Tainan worth it then just for 1D/1N financially and interest-wise?
Tainan is worth one very jam-packed day or one and half leisurely ones.
It has a great old temple, (and there are so many great temples in Taiwan that's really saying something), two old government buildings that are close together, and an old fort. It's the place where Taiwan got started, kind of like Jamestown or Plymouth is to the US so there are a lot of neat little sites as well.
If you get to see a performance of Song Jiang Battle Array (Song Jiang Zhen) while there, you hit the jackpot. The art is much more popular in central Taiwan, but it was actually used in Tainan against the Dutch.
How about Kaohsiung? I was thinking of doing a night there since I'm in the South for Tainan anyways. Is this feasible? I want to leave around June 17 so i have one more day to plan. Any suggestions to a place I may have missed?
june 10
Taipei (2N)
- Pinglin
- Wulai
- Hot springs
T: Taipei --> Hualien (Taroko Express) take 2 hours and cost 440NTD
June 12
Hualien (1N)
- Tarako Gorge tour
T: Hualien --> Taipei (Taroko Express) take 2 hours and cost 440NTD
T: Taipei --> Tainan
June 13
Tainan (1N)
Shuttle bus into city
- Temples
Meinong?
June 14
Trian to Kaiohsung
1N
June 15
Train to Taipei
(1N)
June 16