Taiwan 2011 Trip Overview

This was my planned itinerary for the Taiwan vacation from December 13 to December 22, 2011.

Day 1  (13 December 2011)

Travel from home to Taiwan by air.

Upon arrival at Taoyuan airport, travel to Taichung either by bus/taxi, taxi or combination of shuttle bus/HSR/taxi.

* Actual – we took the limousine bus from airport to Taichung. Cheapest and quite fast too.

Visit Feng Chia Night Market.

Where I stayed: Le Parker Hotel at Taichung. This hotel is ideal for visiting Feng Chia Market as it is located about 5 minutes walk away from the night market.

Day 2  (14 December 2011)

Charter a taxi to take us from Taichung to Sun Moon Lake to visit the following places (Wenwu Temple, Ita Thao, Syuanguang temple and Shueishe) .

Then stopover at Puli before going to Cingjing where we planned to stay for 2 nights.

Where I stayed: Misty Villa Minsu at Cingjing.

Day 3  (15 December 2011)

Free and easy day around Cingjing.

Visit Green Green Grassland and take the scenic walking trails around Cingjing.

Where I stayed: Misty Villa Minsu at Cingjing.

Day 4  (16 December 2011)

Charter a taxi to take us from Cingjing to Hualien.

Along the way, visit the following attractions:

HeHuanShan.

Swallow Grotto at Taroko Gorge National Park.

Taroko National Park (Bilu Sacred Tree, Tian Xiang, Cimu Bridge, Swallow Grotto, Eternal Spring Shrine)

Cingshui Cliff, QiXingtan.

Where I stayed:  Oceanbnb Minsu at Hualien town. The minsu is near the Hua Lien town center.

Day 5  (17 December 2011)

Charter a taxi for the whole day to take us explore the East Coast of Taiwan stretching from Hualien to Sansantai.

Eight arch bridge at Sansiantai.

Visit the following attractions:

Hualien Visitor Center, Farglory Hotel, Henan Temple, Forest of Braves, Baqi Viewing Platform, Shihtiping, Sansantai, Basiantong, Tropic of Cancer Marker and ChangHong Bridge.

Where I stayed:  Oceanbnb Minsu at Hualien town. The minsu is near the Hua Lien town center.

 

Day 6  (18 December 2011)

Travel by Train (Taroko Express) from Hua Lien to Taipei.

Rest of day in Taipei to visit one attraction (National Palace Museum) in Taipei and one night market (Shilin).

Where I stayed:  Caesar Park Hotel at Taipei. I chose this hotel for its excellent location; right on top of the Taipei Main Station, Railway Station, HSR station and Bus Station.

Day 7  (19 December 2011)

Explore Taipei by MRT - Beitou Hot Spring. Book a private room at Villa32 to enjoy 1.5 hours of hot spring at Beitou).

Visit Tamsui and Ximending.

Where I stayed:  Caesar Park Hotel at Taipei. I chose this hotel for its excellent location; right on top of the Taipei Main Station, Railway Station, HSR station and Bus Station.

Day 8 (20 December 2011)

Charter a taxi for the whole to make a day trip outside Taipei. The plan was to visit the following places around the northern part of Taipei.

Yehliu (野柳) Geopark --> Shifen (十分) - launch sky lantern –> Jiufen (九份) --> Jinguashi (金瓜石) – visit Gold Ecological Park, see Golden Waterfall (黄金瀑布), see Yinyang Sea (阴阳海). --> Keelung MiaoKou Night Market (廟口夜市) for dinner.

Where I stayed:  Caesar Park Hotel at Taipei. I chose this hotel for its excellent location; right on top of the Taipei Main Station, Railway Station, HSR station and Bus Station.

Day 9  (21 December 2011)

Explore Taipei by MRT - Taipei 101, Wufenpu, Raohe Night Market.

*  Actual – we skipped Raohe (too much shopping at Wufenpu , so head back to hotel to unload our shopping bags). Went to Ximending again for dinner.

Where I stayed:  Caesar Park Hotel at Taipei. I chose this hotel for its excellent location; right on top of the Taipei Main Station, Railway Station, HSR station and Bus Station.

Day 10  (22 December 2011)

Travel home.

Being on a Do-It-Yourself (DIY) trip, we had the freedom to make changes to our plan and itinerary along the way. I love it when a plan comes together. Overall, almost everything that was planned turned out well, although I was a bit ambitious on the places to visit versus time that we had.

Taiwan and the above places are worth another visit in the future. If I were to do this again, I may made the following changes:

1. Stay one or two nights at a nice minsu around Sun Moon Lake to enjoy the beautiful scenery and take walks on the various hiking trails around the lake. Also, it would be nice to photograph the mornings and dusk scenes there.

2. Stay at Starry Minsu if I were to go to Cingjing again. Misty Villa was good and met my expectations but if I were to visit Cingjing again, I would like to try another minsu and Starry Minsu would be on my list. It is located higher up in the township and I believe offers better views of the mountains and “sea of cloud”. Or splurge and stay at one of the more luxurious hotel or minsu for a romantic getaway.

3. The Oceanbnb Minsu at Hualien also met my expectations but I think there are better minsu in the Hualien town for the price we paid for a room with the sea view. The sea view is actually the harbour view.

4. Go to Beitou on any weekday, except Monday as the Beitou museum,  Thermal (Hell) Valley are closed on Monday. Don’t go on weekends unless you like crowds or like to pay more for a soak in one of the hot spring resorts.

5. Allocate more time at the National Palace Museum. 2 hours was just enough to see the main highlights. There are many more interesting exhibits and could easily take one whole day for those interested in art and Chinese history and culture.

6. Extend the trip and one or two more days in Taipei. For shopping and also to visit the many other places of interests.

7. Allocate more time in Juifen or stay one night in northern Taipei. I think Juifen and Jinguashi area have a lot more to offer. Get a local guide who can share the history of these places.