Taiwan Round the Island: Taipei, Taroko, Tainan, Sun Moon Lake

1. Day 1: Arrive in Taipei

   Taoyuan Airport (TPE) to your hotel in Taipei

   • Dinner
   • Stay in Taipei
   Day 1 details

   Fly into Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport (TPE). A transfer is proposed from arrivals to a central Taipei hotel; we confirm the method and time with the supplier. If you land early, ask the hotel whether bags can be held (not assumed), then wander toward a neighbourhood teahouse or a covered market. In the early evening a guide is proposed to meet the group for a short briefing on the ten days: the order of rail and road legs, which are long days, how to treat the Taroko trail closures, what to pack for damp days and warm ones. We then walk to a welcome dinner of Taiwanese dishes nearby, perhaps beef noodle soup or a table of small plates. Tomorrow begins with the Palace Museum, so tonight is for resting after the journey. No flights or rail seats are booked yet.

   Included

   • Proposed airport transfer
   • Welcome briefing with your guide
   • Welcome dinner

   Free time: Free until the evening briefing

2. Day 2: Palace Museum and a night market

   Taipei: National Palace Museum, then an evening night market

   • Breakfast
   • Stay in Taipei
   Day 2 details

   We plan to visit the National Palace Museum in the morning, with its collection of imperial Chinese art that came to Taiwan in the late 1940s. The museum's own site lists opening Tuesday to Sunday from 09:00 to 17:00, with ticket sales until 16:30, and Mondays closed apart from a published list of special opening days, so this day is fixed to a day it is open once dates are set. The guide chooses a few pieces to look at slowly rather than racing through every gallery. Lunch is free, perhaps in a lane near Shilin. In the afternoon you can browse Taipei's neighbourhoods, ride the MRT, climb the Elephant Mountain trail for a skyline view if the weather is clear, or rest. In the evening we go together to a night market, such as Shilin or Raohe, to taste street food. Taipei in cooler months can be damp, so a compact umbrella is advised.

   Included

   • National Palace Museum visit, subject to ticketing
   • Night market visit with your guide

   Optional experiences

   • A guided tea tasting; Taipei 101 observatory, cost not included

   Easier option: Skip the hill walk; taxi use is unconfirmed, may cost extra and is not included

   More active option: Climb the Elephant Mountain trail for the skyline view

   Free time: Free afternoon

   

3. Day 3: Jiufen and the Pingxi line

   Taipei: Jiufen lanes, then the Pingxi railway line

   • By train
   • Breakfast
   • Stay in Taipei
   Day 3 details

   Today is a day trip out of Taipei. We go to Jiufen, a former gold-mining village that climbs a hillside in narrow stepped lanes lined with teahouses and snack stalls, often wrapped in fog or drizzle. In the afternoon we reach the Pingxi line, a short branch railway where the tracks run between shopfronts. Releasing paper lanterns here is regulated by New Taipei City and the rules on where and when it is allowed have changed, so we do not promise a lantern release; if it is permitted on the day, you may choose to take part, at your own cost. We return to Taipei in the evening and the night is free. The lanes involve many steps and can be slippery; the guide decides on the day if heavy rain or fog changes the plan.

   Included

   • Jiufen walk with your guide
   • Pingxi line visit

   Optional experiences

   • Lantern release where permitted on the day, cost not included

   Easier option: Remain on the lower lanes at Jiufen; Any vehicle or taxi help is unconfirmed, may cost extra and is not included.

   More active option: Walk further along the Pingxi trails

   Free time: Free evening in Taipei

   Activity: Lantern rules and weather may change the plan

4. Day 4: By train to Hualien

   Taipei to Hualien by train, then the coast at Hualien

   • By train
   • Breakfast
   • Stay in Hualien
   Day 4 details

   After breakfast we take a train south and east along the Pacific coast to Hualien. Express trains on this line normally require reserved seats; Taiwan Railway's booking window opens 28 days before travel, so seats will be ticketed once dates are agreed; the journey is roughly two to three hours depending on the service and is confirmed against the timetable at that point. The coast between the cliffs and the sea is the scenic part. We check in, then walk by the Pacific near Hualien or drive to a viewpoint, and the guide introduces tomorrow's Taroko day, including what the park has open after the April 2024 earthquake. Hualien county was the area most affected by that earthquake, so we stay attentive to local conditions. The evening is free for a night market and seafood. Train times are estimates and the east coast line can be disrupted by weather.

   Included

   • Train Taipei to Hualien, seat reservation to be ticketed
   • Coast walk at Hualien

   Easier option: Shorten the beach walk; Any vehicle or taxi help is unconfirmed, may cost extra and is not included.

   Free time: Free evening in Hualien

5. Day 5: Taroko National Park

   Hualien: Taroko National Park, or an east-coast day if the park is closed

   • Breakfast and dinner
   • Stay in Hualien
   Day 5 details

   Taroko Gorge is the reason most visitors come to Hualien, with marble canyon walls above the Liwu river, but it is still recovering from the April 2024 earthquake. The park's own status page, read on 8 November 2026, listed most gorge trails as closed, gorge buses as suspended, and the Taroko Visitor Center area, Tianxiang area and part of Lushui as open. Provincial Highway 8 runs under convoy release times with a night closure from 18:30, so the day is built around the park's timetable. We therefore plan the day on whatever the park has open when we go, which may mean a short walk from the visitor centre, the Tianxiang area and a viewpoint stop, and the guide decides on the day. If the park or the highway is closed, we substitute an east-coast day around Hualien instead, with the details agreed in the written quote. Lunch is free. We return to Hualien in the late afternoon for a group dinner.

   Included

   • Taroko day with your guide on whatever the park has open, or an east-coast alternative
   • Group dinner in Hualien

   Optional experiences

   • A river rafting or cycling outing, cost not included

   Easier option: Choose the viewpoints and shorter walks the guide judges suitable; vehicle access is subject to park rules

   More active option: Take a longer open walk where the park permits

   Free time: Free lunch

   Activity: Park and highway status changes; confirmed with the park before each departure

   

6. Day 6: East Rift Valley and Chishang

   Hualien to Chishang by train, then rice fields by bicycle

   • By train
   • Breakfast and lunch
   • Stay in Chishang
   Day 6 details

   We take a train south from Hualien along the East Rift Valley, a long, narrow plain between two mountain ranges, to Chishang, a small town known for its rice. We estimate about two hours on the train and confirm it. After a lunch stop we spend the afternoon cycling flat paths through the rice paddies. The look of the fields depends on the crop cycle: green in growth, gold near harvest and bare after it, and we do not promise any one of these on your dates. We stay in or near Chishang, in a small hotel of a kind to be chosen, and the evening is quiet by design. This is a gentle day with little walking, but the bicycles require balance and a helmet. Tomorrow is a long rail day south to Tainan.

   Included

   • Train Hualien to Chishang, seat reservation to be ticketed
   • Cycling in the rice fields with your guide
   • Lunch stop

   Easier option: Ride at a gentle pace; electric bicycles or a following vehicle are unconfirmed, may cost extra and are not included

   Free time: Quiet evening

   Activity: Crop appearance varies by season

   

7. Day 7: South by rail to Tainan

   Chishang to Tainan by rail via Taitung and Kaohsiung, with a change

   • By train
   • Breakfast
   • Stay in Tainan
   Day 7 details

   This is a long rail day, an estimated four to five hours depending on the connections, from Chishang south through Taitung, over the south link to Kaohsiung and on to Tainan, with at least one change likely. Seats and the exact route are to be ticketed and confirmed, and the south link can be affected by weather. We keep Kaohsiung only as a transit point where a change or a short stop may be needed; we did not allocate a night there or at Kenting, since a night would add a day. We arrive in Tainan in the late afternoon, and check in. The evening is free for the snack streets near the old centre: danzai noodles, oyster vermicelli, shrimp rolls. Tainan is the island's old capital and its slower pace is the point of coming. We do not promise exact train times; if the connections prove impractical we may replace the rail with a road transfer.

   Included

   • Rail Chishang to Tainan, routing and seats to be confirmed

   Free time: Free evening in Tainan

   Activity: Connections not yet checked

8. Day 8: Tainan temples and old streets

   Tainan: temples, fort and old lanes

   • Breakfast and dinner
   • Stay in Tainan
   Day 8 details

   Today is Tainan on foot and by taxi. We plan to visit a handful of the old city's temples, such as the Confucius Temple and a Mazu temple, to see the incense, carved roofs and local ritual, and to see two historic forts. The official Tainan tourism site lists Chihkan Tower open daily from 08:30 to 21:30, though that listing may date from 2024, and both forts keep daily opening hours that we check before travel. The guide explains how Tainan was the capital under successive rulers. Lunch is free, and we suggest sampling at a few stalls rather than one restaurant. In the afternoon you may rest or walk the old lanes of Shennong Street. We share dinner at a local restaurant. Tainan's night markets run only on certain days of the week, so any market visit depends on the day and is checked when dates are set. Temple etiquette applies: modest clothes and quiet during ceremonies.

   Included

   • Tainan temple and old-town walk with your guide
   • Group dinner

   Optional experiences

   • A night market visit on a day one is running, cost not included; fort entry fees, not included

   Easier option: Visit fewer temples; Any vehicle or taxi help is unconfirmed, may cost extra and is not included.

   More active option: Walk the old lanes in the afternoon

   Free time: Free lunch and afternoon

   

9. Day 9: Sun Moon Lake

   Tainan to Sun Moon Lake by high-speed rail and road

   • By train
   • Breakfast
   • Stay in Sun Moon Lake
   Day 9 details

   We leave Tainan for Sun Moon Lake, in the central mountains, travelling by high-speed rail to Taichung and then by road; we estimate roughly two and a half to three and a half hours in total and confirm it once seats are ticketed. This stop is in tea country, but not Alishan, which is a separate mountain area not on this route. Sun Moon Lake is known for black tea, and a tasting is proposed, subject to availability. In the afternoon you can cycle a flat lakeside path or take a boat on the lake; both are proposed and neither is booked, and boat piers close in bad weather. The official scenic area site lists Ci'en Pagoda open from 09:00 to 16:30, so a late arrival may mean seeing it the next morning instead. The lake is high, so evenings are cool. Dinner is free. Mist may hide the far shore, and a popular lake can be busy.

   Included

   • High-speed rail Tainan to Taichung, seats planned
   • Road transfer to Sun Moon Lake
   • Tea tasting, subject to availability

   Optional experiences

   • A lake boat ride or a bicycle hire, cost not included

   Easier option: Take the optional lake boat (cost not included, availability unconfirmed) instead of cycling

   More active option: Cycle a longer section of the lakeside path

   Free time: Free evening

10. Day 10: Return to Taipei and departure

    Sun Moon Lake to Taoyuan Airport (TPE) via Taichung and high-speed rail

    • By train
    • Breakfast
    Day 10 details

    After breakfast we leave Sun Moon Lake by road to Taichung and take the high-speed railway north toward Taipei and Taoyuan, an estimated three to four hours in total with connections, and continue to the airport. If time allows before leaving, a short stop at Ci'en Pagoda, listed open from 09:00, is possible. We do not set a default flight deadline; because of the journey we recommend an afternoon or evening flight, or an added night in Taipei, which is not included. The trip ends at Taoyuan Airport or at a Taipei hotel of your choice. We do not promise arrival times: weather or rail delays can lengthen the journey, and tickets are not yet booked. This proposal ends here, with no overnight on day 10.

    Included

    • Road transfer and high-speed rail seat, proposed

    Free time: Free until your departure

Wildlife and weather: From October to April, Taipei and the north are often cool and damp, Hualien can be wet, and Tainan and the south are warmer and drier. Typhoons are mainly a June to October risk but can still affect early departures; rain can close mountain roads and trails at short notice.

• Taipei3 nights
• Hualien2 nights
• Chishang1 night
• Tainan2 nights
• Sun Moon Lake1 night