I have arrived in Taiwan and for the next 10 days I will be touring this country so I am going to share with you some destinations and attractions. For a first trip to Taiwan, I am sharing the basics.
Basic information for traveling to Taiwan
- Capital: Taipei
- Official language: Mandarin Chinese, but Taiwanese is also widely spoken and English is also widely spoken in tourist areas.
- Currency: Taiwanese dollar and credit card is widely accepted
- Internet: don’t be disconnected in Asia, I traveled with the Holafly eSIM. You can sign up for your eSIM at a discount using the code “MUNDUKOS” here.
- Get a discounted travel insurance quote for Taiwan here
- Voltage: type A and type B plugs and sockets are used. The mains voltage is 110 V at a frequency of 60 Hz. That is, if you travel from countries like Mexico you do not need a plug or voltage adapter, but you do If you travel from Europe you will need an adapter.
- Visa: Mexican citizens do require a visa for tourist trips and it is recommended to process it at least one month before the trip, although there is an option to request it urgently and they will grant it to you the day after you hand in your documents.
- If you are looking for tours in Spanish for your trip to Taiwan you can find them here.
Important. If you want a free tour to get to know Taipei, you can sign up here. It is available in English. Remember that these are tours that are based on tips at the end.
Route through Taiwan
Day 1: Arrival in Taipei – Taichung
Day one is for arrival in the country, in my case I decided not only to take Taipei as a base (something completely possible on a short trip), but to stay for a few days in Taichung. This way I could visit the city more calmly and would use it as a base for getaways that were closer from this point.
From Taipei airport I took a bus from the company Ubus (ubus.com.tw) which cost me approximately 8 USD. It is not necessary to buy in advance as there are several frequencies during the day, so you can just land and go through the baggage claim and look for the bus station and buy your ticket there for the next available time. There are several stops in the city and the final one is at the central train station.
The journey takes almost 3 hours but the seats are very comfortable and you have internet during the trip. Another option would be to take the high-speed train, but here you would have to transfer, so the bus was perfect for traveling with luggage.
Another option would be to directly look for a flight to Taichung, which has an international airport and can sometimes be cheaper than Taipei.
Day 2: Taichung
Taichung is one of the must-sees from Taipei or, as I did, it can be a destination in itself. The attractions that you should not miss in the city are:
- The National Museum of Natural Sciences
- National Taichung Theater
- Rainbow Village: A dozen houses painted in a very colorful way, it has become one of the most photogenic places in the city.
- Taichung Park, ideal for a walk.
- At night don’t forget to visit one of their night markets, I went to Fengjia which is the largest and most famous.
Day 3: Getaway to Sun Moon Lake and Gaomei Wetland
On day 3, it’s time to leave Taichung to visit some of the surrounding attractions. I started the day with a boat ride on Sun Moon Lake, then took a one-hour bike ride, considering that the area around the lake is considered one of the most beautiful cycling routes in the world. Afterwards, I visited the Wen Wu Temple, which is undoubtedly impressive for its size and views of the lake. To finish the day, I went to the Gaomei Wetlands (next photo), located less than an hour from downtown Taichung. It’s important to visit these wetlands at sunset to get the best views.
Although there are buses to some of these points such as Sun Moon Lake, I wanted to optimize my day, so I booked a tour on the Klook website, only it is important to note that it is only available in Chinese. The cost was 39 USD.
Day 4 – Alishan Forest Railway from Taichung
Another popular day trip from Taichung is to the Alishan Nature Reserve. This area includes a railway, villages, waterfalls and tea plantations at high altitude. It is also offered by Klook and costs USD 100.
Day 5 – Taichung to Taipei
On day 5 it is time to go between Taichung and Taipei. If you are looking to save money and time is not a problem, use the bus for less than 10 USD, while if you prefer to save time for 20 USD you can take the high-speed train and be between Taichung and Taipei in one hour. Only it is very important to consider that you have to take the train at the high-speed station and not from the central station, from where there are also trains but which take much longer. On Uber you can locate it as HSR Taichung Station. Since the journey is so fast you can take advantage of an extra day in any of the cities.
Day 6 and 7 – Taipei
Taipei is the capital of Taiwan and a destination to which you must dedicate at least 2 full days, among what you cannot miss are:
- Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall
- The Taipei 101 viewing point.
- Elephant Mountain
- Maokong Gondola (cable car)
- National Palace Museum
- Yangmingshan National Park
If you want a free tour to get to know Taipei, you can sign up here. It is available in English. Remember that these are tours that are based on tips at the end.
Day 8 – Yehliu Geopark, Jiufen, Shifen and Golden Waterfall
From Taipei there are many day trips you can take and one of the most popular is the one that combines the Yehliu Geopark with Jiufen, Shifen and Golden Waterfall. This way, you have some natural beauties together
Day 9 – Extra getaway, most recommended: Taroko Gorge
There are many more getaways you can do from Taipei such as:
- Taroko Gorge is located in one of the most important national parks in Taiwan and can be done as a day trip or there is also the option of dedicating a couple of days to it due to the importance of the place.
- Beitou and Yangmingshan is another alternative day trip from Taipei.
⚠️It is mandatory to travel with insurance
Insurance is an essential requirement for traveling abroad. You can get it from 20 USD and if you use my code MUNDUKOS you receive 20% discount. Get an insurance quote here.
