Top Experiences in Taiwan
Taiwan is a country with more facets than the 11-headed Guanyin you’ll see inside its temples.
On a single trip, you could be cycling between skyscrapers, drinking coffee at plantations, sunbathing, forest-bathing, soaring on luscious homegrown whisky, or reeling from rocket fireworks and the repertoire of a night market. The options are endless.
So whether you’re a first-time visitor or returning for more, deciding what to do might just be the hardest part of your trip. Here are some of the best experiences in Taiwan.
1. Take Your Pick of 15,000 Temples
Pick a couple, if not more. Be they incense-filled and packed to the eaves with idols and art, or a dusky roadside shrine, whether Taoist, Buddhist, Confucian, or folk, temples offer a fascinating glimpse into Taiwan’s spiritual life.
You’ll see devotees, including a surprising number of young people, praying and giving thanks. They burn joss paper for the departed, toss moon blocks to seek divine guidance on whether to buy a car, and make offerings of guava, orchids, and sesame crackers to a pantheon of deities.
During festivals, temples offer up a smoky and noisy slice of local life. On quiet days, with their relics, sculptures, and caisson ceilings, temples are museums in their own right.
Both Tainan and Lukang are home to a wealth of old structures, from understated Confucius temples to Mazu temples rich in southern Chinese folk decorative art.
Some favorites from all over the country are Taipei’s UNESCO-award winning Bao’an Temple, Lukang’s graceful Longshan Temple, Penghu’s old Tianhou Temple, Tainan’s fierce City God Temple, and Changhua’s Nanyao Temple with its Doric columns.
Local tip: Entering and leaving a temple the proper way – through the “dragon door” on the right-hand side and exiting through the “tiger door” on the left – means you go into protection and leave danger behind. The center door is reserved for the gods, the abbot, and the president.
2. Sunbathe on Jibei Sand Tail, Penghu Islands
The windy collection of islands known as Penghu is distinctive yet hard to pin down. Set along its roaring coastlines are sea-facing temples, coral stone-walled villages where vendors sell seashell pendants and prickly pear sorbet, and beaches good for water sports. In winter, Penghu becomes a windsurfing hot spot for top-class athletes the world over.
Added to this mix are geological wonders, a large aquarium, and remnants of ancient sea trade in all their desolate splendor. Further still, Penghu cuisine is celebrated for its delicious simplicity and plentiful seafood. If you come out of season, the golden spit known as the Jibei Sand Tail could be all yours.
3. Explore Urban Tainan on Foot
Urban Tainan has such a tight weave of attractions that walking is the best way to take everything in. Cafes, restaurants, and dessert shops are liberally tucked into the fabric, offering abundant options for a refuel.
Many sights are clustered around the roads radiating from the Tang Te-chang Memorial Park roundabout in central Tainan. You’ll see the Museum of Taiwan Literature in a gorgeous Japanese colonial building, and the Altar of Heaven.
Slightly further out are the Neoclassical Land Bank, the art deco Hayashi Department Store, the old and new Tainan Art Museums, the Confucius Temple with its red walls, and the City God Temple.
From the roundabout, a 15-minute stroll northwest takes you to Shennong Street, an art village with shophouses repurposed into boutiques and cafes.
4. Hike Along Swallow Grotto at Taroko Gorge
Taiwan’s top tourist draw is a walk-in Chinese painting. Rising above the froth of the blue-green Liwu River, the marble walls of Taroko Gorge swirl with the colors of an artist’s palette.
Add grey mist, lush vegetation, and waterfalls seemingly tumbling down from heaven, and you have a truly classic landscape. Walk along the Swallow Grotto to see the gorge at its most sublime, or brave the Zhuilu Old Trail, a vertiginous path 500m (1,640ft) above the canyon floor.
5. Cycle or Drive Along the Breathless East Coast at Hualien
Cycling is Taiwan’s national sport, and cyclists favor the stunning and unspoiled east coast for multi-day trips. Love the sea? Then ride the gorgeous coastline along the Pacific Ocean between Yilan and Hualien or Hualien and Taitung. It’ll leave you breathless in more ways than one.
There are dramatic elevation changes in Taroko Gorge, and portions of the highways are subject to landslides after heavy rain. But the beauty is unparalleled, and you’ll pass beaches, fishing harbors, indigenous towns, and art villages.
6. Do a Homegrown Coffee Crawl and Buy Beans
Blessed with good soil and a climate and altitudes conducive to arabica trees flourishing, Taiwan has become the coffee mecca of Asia, bagging awards worldwide for its beans that range from peanutty to tea-like.
You can sip them at their source in Gukeng and Dongshan, but it’s more fun to try different cafes that serve killer homegrown brews and also roast and sell beans. A bonus is the setting, which can range from retro Taipei and hipster to Nordic minimalism.
Detour: Cacao farms in Pingtung grow beans and craft some of Asia’s finest chocolates. You can tour the premises, learn about the bean-to-bar process, and make your own sweets.
7. Enjoy a Feast at Miaokou Night Market, Keelung
Grazing is a useful technique to have on the road, and Taiwan’s night markets are great for honing this skill. Fulfilling the need for food and entertainment, the markets bring happy crowds every night of the week.
Check out harborside Miaokou Night Market in Keelung for the quintessential experience of grazing (especially on seafood!) and people-watching.
8. Get a Taste of Gourmet Taiwan in Mountain and Sea House, Taipei
Taiwan may be one of the world’s street-food capitals, but the country’s dining landscape has plenty more to offer.
Taiwan is steadily making a mark on Asia’s culinary landscape. The lists don’t just honor French-style cooking, expensive Japanese or meticulous Cantonese kitchens, but also solidly executed Taiwanese cuisine.
9. Be Wowed by the National Palace Museum, Taipei
Taiwan houses one of the greatest collections of dynastic Chinese artifacts in the world. With ancient pottery, bronzes, jade, Ming vases, Song landscape paintings, and calligraphy, Taipei’s National Palace Museum isn’t merely a must-visit, it’s a must-repeat-visit.
10. Delve into Military History While Enjoying Art at Alien Art Center, Kaohsiung
The military outposts of Kinmen and Matsu Islands, with their tunnels, forts, and artillery displays, will please hardcore military buffs. However, if you want something softer and unique enough that everyone can enjoy, head to Kaohsiung.
11. Join Locals in Hazmat Suits at the Yanshui Beehive Fireworks Festival
Attending a traditional folk festival is one of the most exhilarating ways to experience local culture. Taiwan has a slew of these – solemn, bizarre, carnivalesque, you name it.
The strange Yanshui Beehive Fireworks Festival is a blowout in which thousands in protective gear (or not) place themselves willingly in a melee of exploding fireworks.
Planning tip: Bring goggles, a motorcycle helmet, and protective clothing if you don’t want to pay for overpriced gear on-site or end up in the hospital.
12. Follow Ancient Hunting Trails Through Forests in Wulai
Taiwan is 50% forested, and asphalt gives way to the real thing astonishingly quickly – consistently a delight for nature lovers. In the mountainous Wulai township, old indigenous hunting trails cut through misty tropical forests.
13. Understand Indigenous Taiwan at the Shung Ye Museum of Formosan Aborigines
There are 16 recognized indigenous tribes in Taiwan. Although long suppressed, tribal culture and pride have made a remarkable turnaround in the 21st century.
14. Relax in Beitou’s Hot Springs
Taiwan’s ground surface has plenty of fissures, which gives rise to an abundance of spring sources hard to match anywhere on the globe. Locals believe the waters are effective for everything from soothing muscles to improving health.
15. Tour the Kavalan Distillery to See How Taiwan’s Single Malts Are Made
Whisky lovers, you’re in luck. Taiwan is a country of whisky drinkers, and they’re not only sipping imported brands – Taiwan’s own award-winning Kavalan is a huge favorite. You can try Kavalan on the rocks or in a smoky martini at one of the country’s many exquisite cocktail bars, but you can also tour the distillery in Yilan for free and sample the single malts.
