Taiwan Itineraries: 7, 10 and 14 Days Round the Island

The classic first trip runs straight down the west coast by high-speed train and needs no backtracking until the final ride home.

The pace is two full city days, one travel-and-lake day and one and a half days in Tainan, which is about right for a first visit. At Sun Moon Lake, stay in Shuishe village by the main pier, where the buses stop and the boats leave; Ita Thao across the water is quieter and has the Thao village food street. Buy the lake boat ticket at the pier, rent a bicycle or e-bike for the flat stretch of the Xiangshan cycle path, and take the ropeway up to the Formosan Aboriginal Culture Village if you have children with you. Leave Taichung’s bus station early on day 4 to beat the weekend tour groups.

In Tainan, sleep in the West Central district near Shennong Street or the Confucius Temple, so that the temples, the old Hayashi Department Store and the best snack shops are walkable. Breakfast is the main event: beef soup from about 05:00, milkfish congee and rice cakes. The THSR station is 30 minutes out of the centre, so allow time for the shuttle bus or the short TRA connection from Shalun.

Cost line: THSR Taipei-Taichung and Tainan-Taoyuan plus buses come to about NT$2,500-3,000. Budget NT$14,000-18,000 for the week mid-range, excluding flights.

For more on the capital, our Taipei itineraries break the first three days down hour by hour, and where to stay in Taipei compares the neighbourhoods.

This loop adds the island’s wild Pacific side. It goes clockwise from Taipei down the east coast by train, crosses the southern tip to Kaohsiung and returns by THSR.

The east coast is where a hired car pays off. Highway 11 between Hualien and Taitung runs about 170 km along the sea, with stops at the Shitiping rock terraces, the Tropic of Cancer marker and the eight-arched footbridge to Sanxiantai, and public buses on it are infrequent. Car hire starts from about NT$1,800-2,500 a day and requires an International Driving Permit. Without a car, the TRA line inland through the East Rift Valley is the easy alternative: get off at Yuli or Chishang, rent a bicycle and ride through the rice paddies for a couple of hours before continuing south.

In Hualien, base yourself near the station or in the city centre by Dongdamen night market, as early trains and tours start from there. Kaohsiung is best slept in near Central Park or the harbour, where both MRT lines and the light rail meet.

Cost line: trains and buses about NT$3,500-4,500. Budget NT$22,000-28,000 mid-range, more if you hire a car on the east coast.

Two weeks lets you do the full circle without rushing, adding Alishan’s forest railway and a beach stop at Kenting to the 10-day loop. Travelling anticlockwise puts the mountains early and the beach at the end.

Alishan is the logistics puzzle of this route. The National Forest Recreation Area charges an entry fee (around NT$200-300) and its hotels near the Zhaoping and Alishan stations book out weeks ahead for weekends and the March and April blossom season. The sunrise train to Zhushan leaves before dawn, with the departure time posted the evening before at the station; buy the ticket that night. If the railway is sold out, buses run from Chiayi HSR and Chiayi TRA stations up the mountain in about 2.5 hours.

The pace eases in the second week: two nights each in Tainan and Kenting and a slower east coast. Kenting town’s main street is noisy and busy on summer weekends; the beaches at Baisha and Nanwan and the quieter guesthouses at Hengchun suit a calmer stay.

Cost line: trains, buses and the Alishan railway come to about NT$5,000-6,500. Budget NT$30,000-40,000 mid-range for the fortnight.

For a trip built around eating and folk religion, follow the old Hokkien towns south. It works well in winter, when the west coast is dry.

Cost line: about NT$3,000 for trains and buses; budget NT$15,000-20,000 mid-range, of which food is the best-value part.

First-timers: the 7-day plan is the safest bet. Add Taroko only if you can give it two nights in Hualien, since the timed road windows make a same-day return from Taipei rushed.

Families: swap Alishan’s cold dawn for an extra day at Sun Moon Lake or Kaohsiung, and hire a car on the east coast. Children under 12 travel at reduced fares on THSR and TRA.

Slow travel: three weeks lets you add Penghu by plane or ferry from Kaohsiung or Chiayi in summer, Green Island from Taitung, or a few days hiking in Shei-Pa National Park. Taiwan’s digital nomad guide covers longer stays.

Typhoon season and plum rains: from mid-May to October, keep one spare day and avoid mountain roads after heavy rain. In winter, run the itinerary the other way round so you reach the south when the north is grey. See best time to visit Taiwan for the full picture.

No time for the east: a 5-day trip can do Taipei plus one overnight at Sun Moon Lake, or Taipei and Tainan by THSR.

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