Islands and Beaches in Taiwan

Penghu is the largest island group, about 90 islands of flat basalt in the Taiwan Strait, with Magong as the main town. The main islands are joined by bridges, so a scooter takes you across to Baisha and Xiyu, past old temples and fields walled with coral stone against the wind. Boats from Magong reach the outer islands: Jibei in the north has a long white sand spit and water sports, while the southern islands of the South Penghu Marine National Park have basalt columns, and Qimei has the twin-hearts stone fish weir. Hujing is a short hop from Magong.

Flights from Taipei Songshan take about 50 minutes; ferries run from Budai in Chiayi and from Kaohsiung. Go between April and October. The Penghu Ocean Fireworks Festival runs on set evenings in spring and early summer. From October to March, strong northeast winds make Penghu a windsurfing and kitesurfing spot but too cold and rough for most beach trips.

Green Island is a small volcanic island about 33 km off Taitung, ringed by one road you can circle by scooter in under an hour. Snorkelling and diving here are among the best in Taiwan, with coral gardens close to shore and the giant “Big Mushroom” coral off the south coast. The Zhaori hot spring has seawater pools at the shoreline; go at dawn or after dark. The former political prison is now part of the National Human Rights Museum.

Ferries from Fugang harbour near Taitung take about 50 minutes, and small planes fly from Taitung. Summer weekends sell out, so book ferries and rooms ahead.

Orchid Island, or Lanyu, lies further out in the Pacific and is home to the Tao people, whose painted plank canoes, semi-underground houses and flying fish season (roughly February to June) shape the island’s life. The coast road passes rock formations, cliffs and coves good for snorkelling, and the interior is steep tropical forest.

Ferries run from Fugang near Taitung or from Houbihu in Kenting, about two to three hours, and are often cancelled in rough seas; small planes fly from Taitung. Ask before photographing people or homes, never touch or climb on the canoes, and keep away from ceremonies unless invited. See our culture guide for more on Taiwan’s indigenous peoples.

Xiaoliuqiu (Liuqiu or Lamay Island) is a coral island off the Pingtung coast, small enough to circle by scooter in about half an hour. Its draw is green turtles, which feed in the shallows so close to shore that snorkellers see them on almost every swim. Vase Rock, a coral pillar topped with plants, stands at the harbour, and the coast has coral caves and tide pools.

Ferries from Donggang take about 30 minutes. It is busy at weekends and in summer. Keep a distance from the turtles and never touch them, and choose reef-safe sunscreen.

Matsu is a chain of granite islands just off the Fujian coast, reached by air from Taipei in about 50 minutes or by an overnight ferry from Keelung. Nangan and Beigan have stone-built villages, tunnels dug for military boats, and from about April to June the “blue tears”, bioluminescent plankton that light up the sea at night. Kinmen is better for history than beaches, with old Fujianese villages, bunkers and anti-landing spikes still on the shore.

Kenting has the island’s warmest water and the most reliable swimming beaches, including Baisha and Nanwan, with jet skis, dive shops and a nightly street market in Kenting town. The Kenting Express bus runs from Kaohsiung’s Zuoying station in about two and a half hours. For the parks and coastal walks, see our national parks guide.

In the northeast, Fulong Beach near the train line from Taipei has golden sand and a summer sand sculpture festival, and Wai’ao in Yilan is Taiwan’s most popular surf beach, facing Guishan Island. Landing on Guishan needs an advance permit and is only possible from spring to autumn, though whale-watching boats from Wushi harbour circle it without one. Keelung Islet has boats from Badouzi harbour in season. On the east coast, Dulan near Taitung is a laid-back surf village.

Island ferries are often cancelled in winter, and for typhoons from July to October, so leave a spare day at the end of any island trip. Scooters are the normal way around every island, and rental shops ask for an international driving permit; bikes and island tours are the alternatives. Most beaches have lifeguards only in summer, and swimming outside the flagged zones is dangerous, especially on the north and east coasts. Our best time to visit guide covers the seasons and the getting around guide the flights and ferries.