The best time to visit Taiwan is during their winter period from December to February. During this time, the weather is not humid and comfortably cool in the low 20s degree C. Living in a country near the equator with hot and humid weather all year round, just to enjoy the cool weather was already a good reason to make a trip.
This is the itinerary for my 8 Days around Northern Taiwan covering Taichung, Sun Moon Lake, Taipei and Jiaoxi from January 6 to January 13, 2016.
Day 1 (6 January 2016)
Travel from home to Taiwan by air, arriving in the early morning. Our first destination in Taiwan is Sun Moon Lake. Sun Moon Lake is Taiwan’s largest fresh water lake and is known for its natural scenic beauty as well as aboriginal Thao tribe that lives around the lake.
From Taoyuan airport, we took the shuttle bus to Taipei HSR Station to ride the High Speed Rail (HSR) to Taichung.
From the Taichung HSR Station, we took the Nan-Tou bus to the final stop at Visitor Center at Shuishe Village, arriving at about noon.
We had the rest of the afternoon to explore the sights of Sun Moon Lake. The “Round the Lake” bus is a convenient way to visit the Cien Pagoda, XuangZang Temple and lastly Wenwu Temple, a good place to see the sun set over the western part of the lake.
Where I stayed: Mei Jen House at Shuishe Village, Sun Moon Lake. Mei Jen House is a B&B (Minsu as it is called in Taiwan) located about 5 minutes walk away from the Shuishe Pier and Bus Station. A very convenient location for exploring Sun Moon Lake.
Trip report - getting to Sun Moon Lake and afternoon at Sun Moon Lake.
Trip report – watching the sun set from Wenwu Temple.
Day 2 (7 January 2016)
We got up early to watch the sunrise over the lake with the other guests of Mei Jen House. It was very nice to walk around the shores of Sun Moon Lake in the early morning before the day trippers arrive. The best time for photos is also in the early morning (and late evening).
After breakfast at the Mei Jen House, we rented bikes and cycled along the bikeway that starts close to the Shuishe Visitor Center. Sun Moon Lake (日月潭) is reputed to have one of the top 10 best cycling trails in the world.
Where I stayed: Mei Jen House at Shuishe Village, Sun Moon Lake. In addition to being ideally located about 5 minutes walk away from the Shuishe Pier and Bus Station, the owner of the B&B is an avid photographer who brings guests to the best spot in Sun Moon Lake to appreciate and photograph the sun rise.
Trip report – Sun rise and morning at Sun Moon Lake.
Trip report – Cycling at Sun Moon Lake.
Day 3 (8 January 2016)
After 2 days at Sun Moon Lake, we travelled by public bus to Taichung city. After check-in at our hotel near the Feng Chia Night Market, we visited Yi Zhong Market in the afternoon.
Yi Zhong Street is known for good shopping, cafes and street food.
The evening is spent at the Feng Chia Night Market where some of Taiwan’s best street food could be sampled.
Where I stayed: Kun Hotel at Taichung. A good place to stay in Taichung as it is located within walking distance to the Feng Chia Night Market.
Another good value hotel to consider is the Le Parker, also 5 minutes walk from the night market. We stayed at family room in the Le Parker in our previous trip.
Trip report - A day in Taichung City.
Day 4 (9 January 2016)
We travelled from Taichung to Taipei by High Speed Rail (HSR). After the logistics (checking into the hotel in Taipei) was done, we went to seek out the best beef noodles in Taipei at Yong Kang Street.
In the evening, we climbed up Xiangshan (象山) or Elephant Hill to enjoy the sun set and get good views of the iconic Taipei 101 skyscraper.
Where I stayed at Taipei:
The most convenient place to stay while visiting Taipei would be hotels within walking distance to the Taipei Main Station. The Taipei Main Station is a transportation hub for regional and local trains, High Speed Rail (HSR), all the subway (MRT) lines, airport limousine bus and buses to nearby towns. There are also many malls and eateries nearby.
We could not get a room at the Caesar Park Hotel, where we stayed in our previous trip. Caesar Park Hotel is ideally located right on top of the MRT Taipei Main Station. So we stayed at the CityInn Hotel Taipei Station Branch III, which is about 7 minutes walk to the Taipei Main Station and also a short walk to Zhongshan MRT Station.
Trip report - From Taichung to Taipei and best beef noodles in Taipei.
Trip report - Climb Elephant Hill or Xiangshan (象山) and get an excellent view of Taipei 101.
Day 5 (10 January 2016)
A day to explore Taipei and see the sights that we missed seeing on our previous trip. We visited Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall, erected in honour and memory of Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek, the former President of the Republic of China.
We enjoyed watching the hourly changing of guard ceremony where one could see precision drills of the military personnel guarding the large bronze statue of Chiang.
Then a lazy afternoon at the Wisteria Tea House, a well-known and historically important teahouse located in the Daan District.
Trip report – Visit to Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall and Wisteria Tea House.
Day 6 (11 January 2016)
Did an excursion to Jiaoxi, a small town with lots of hot springs and a 3-tier Wufengchi waterfall, located in the Yilan County along the east coast of Taiwan. The journey to Jiaoxi took only 50 minutes by express bus from the Taipei Bus Station.
Jaioxi has various free public natural hot spring foot baths and quirky shops to enjoy. We also went for a short hike to see the 3-tier Wufengchi waterfall.
Must try – roast chicken at the Wen Yao Chicken (甕窯雞) restaurant and chilli ice-cream at the Chilli Hunters chilli pepper shop.
In the evening, we travelled by local train from Jiaoxi to the nearby Luodong (another small town in Yilan) to have dinner at the Luodong Night Market (羅東夜市).
Must try - famous Mutton Soup Stall at Ah Du Po Mutton Soup (阿灶伯當歸羊肉), Stall 1094.
Trip report - Day trip to Jiaoxi and Luodong.
Day 7 (12 January 2016)
A trip to Taiwan in the winter months should include some time to enjoy the hot springs of Taipei. We went by MRT to the Beitou Hot Spring to enjoy a private hot spring bath at the Grandview Resort (Prior booking recommended).
While in Beitou, we went to see the Beitou Thermal Valley, the public library and the Hot Spring Museum.
Must try - popular Man Lai Ramen noodle (滿來溫泉拉麵) near the Xin-beitou Station.
The Longshan Temple is worth a visit when in Taipei and the best time to go is at night, when it is beautifully lit. It is easily accessible by MRT and we went there after our visit to Beitou.
The Huaxi Street Night Market is next to the temple. Huaxi Street is known for the shops selling snake meat and is an interesting street to explore.
Trip report - Beitou Hot Spring in Taipei.
Trip report – Longshan Temple and Huaxi Street Night Market.
Day 8 (13 January 2016)
Our last day in Taipei was planned to be free and easy. We chose to try more of the famous Taipei street food and recommended “must try” restaurants at Ximending and its surrounding areas. Some were excellent but some were closed on this day.
Trip report – day of hits and misses in Taipei.
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