Well, it’s Taiwan – it has everything from culture and history to adventure. It’s enough for a warm welcome to all types of tourists. It doesn’t matter which aspect of the country you choose to visit, it’s sure that you will end up getting mesmerized. For a Taiwan backpacker, the country has so much to experience and explore that a single visit isn’t enough to relish its all facets. If you are one of those backpackers who are planning to visit Taiwan, here is a guide to all the essential information about Taiwan tourism that will help to make your trip an indelible one.
How to Reach Taiwan?
Without a doubt, the best way to get to Taiwan is by air. Within the country, you can travel either by train, bus or MRT. In order to travel from one city to another, traveling by train is the best for a Taiwan Backpacker. However, MRT is also an ideal means to travel in a city like Taipei.
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Best places to visit as a Taiwan backpacker
For backpackers, the major travel destinations that one looks to visit are – Taipei, Taichung, and Kaohsiung. So, let’s have a look at some of the top attractions of all the three destinations.
Taipei
The capital city of Taiwan, Taipei is a place that you can’t afford to miss out on if you want to make the best of your Taiwan vacation. From night markets to historical attractions to national parks, the city has some of the best attractions during the day and night. For Taipei backpackers, here are the top attractions of the city:
Taipei 101
Taipei 101 – the iconic attraction of Taiwan. The description of this attraction doesn’t justify its actual grandeur. There is an observation deck where you can enjoy the pulchritudinous view of the entire city but we like wandering the streets below and catching our own hidden views of this amazing building.
Songshan Ciyou Temple
Traces its history from the 18th century, Songshan Ciyou Temple is one of the oldest and most popular sacred sites in Taiwan. The temple is sacred to Balck Faced Mazu. The entire structure of this popular temple is built in square and has a total of six floors and the main hall. Talking about the impressive architecture of the temple, it is adorned with twin dragons overlooking three immortals happiness, wealth, and longevity.
CKS Memorial Hall
Probably, the most eminent historical landmarks in Taiwan is CKS Memorial Hall. It was founded to commemorate the former president of the Republic of China – Chiang Kai-shek. The changing of the guard ceremony which takes place every hour is the key highlight of this historical attraction. It is one of the must-visit places for backpackers in Taipei in order to take an insight into the rich history of Taiwan.
Night Markets
For a fact, Taipei at night is altogether different from what it is during the day time. The vibrant nightlife ensures a fun-filled time for Taiwan backpackers and to help make that happen, Taipei markets play an important role. You would be amazed to know that Taipei host numerous night markets. Of all, Shilin, Raohe, Huaxi, and Nanjichang are some top Taipei markets.
There are so many more things to do in Taipei, which obviously cannot be covered. Hence, on the above list, I have tried to include the best of all (according to me). You can also include these places on your Taipei travel itinerary:
- Taipei Zoo and Maokong Gondola
- Yangmingshan National Park
- Shifen Station and Old Street
- Keelung and Yehilu Geopark
- National Palace Museum
- Beitou Hot Spring
- Creative Art Park
- Miramar Feris Wheels
Taichung
For Taiwan backpacker, the next stopover from Taipei is Taichung. You can take a bus from Taipei that would take around 2-3 hours to reach Taichung. The bus ticket price would cost you around 250 TWD. Let’s now have a look at places to visit in Taichung.
Sun Moon Lake
If you are planning to not to include this attraction on your Taichung itinerary, then trust me, it will definitely a bad call. There is much to explore and experience that you can definitely plan an entire day trip to Sun Moon Lake. Along with the lake, there are attractions like Alishan Forest, Cingjing Farm, Gaomei Wetlands, and Rainbow Village to explore in the region. Now, planning to extend your stay at Sun Moon Lake region?
Confucius Temple
If you are more of a religious person or love to know about different religions, then Confucius Temple is a must-go place for you in Taichung. In every way, the temple is worth checking out. The temple dates back to 1976 and unlike other Taiwanese temples, has a simple yet exquisite architecture. The atmosphere is so calm and serene that you can spend hours just sitting and gazing upon the interior.
Taichung has many more treasures in its fold. Some of the other popular things to do in Taichung.:
- Taichung Cultural Heritage Park
- Calligraphy Greenway
- National Museum of Natural Science
- Taichung Second Market
- Taichung Martial Arts Hall
- Chun Sui Tang
- National Taichung Theater
- Feng-Chia Night Market
**Traveling Taiwan is convenient and easy when it comes to transportation but pulling money out in Asia isn’t always the easiest or the cheapest so make sure you know if you should Exchange money before you go or not.**
Kaohsiung
A high-speed rail from Taichung will directly take you to your last stop, which is Kaosiung (also known as Zuoying). The journey will take around 1 hour to complete. The fair ticket depends on the date and time of the train ride. You can calculate your fare here. Now, let’s have a look at some of the things to do Kaohsiung and the top tourist attractions.
Lotus Pond
One of the most popular attractions of the city, Lotus Pond is known for its temples that surround it. There are twenty temples. Along with that, there are bikeways and paths where one can take a stroll and savor the beauty of this place.
The night markets
Like Taipei, Kaohsiung is also very famous for its night markets. Rui Feng, Liuhe, Zhong Xiao, and Sing Jhong are some popular night markets in Kaohsiung where you can eat, shop, and can do a lot more.
Tourism in Kaohsiung is not restricted to Lotus Pond and Night Markets, there are so much more to explore and experience in the city. Here are some other best places to visit in Kaohsiung.
- The Old British Consulate
- Love River
- Shoushan
- Zizhu Village
- Cijin Island
- Pier 2 Art District
- Dragon and Tiger Pagodas
- Fo Guang Shan Monastery
- Kenting National Park
So, this was our recommended Taiwan backpacker guide. I hope you’ve found it useful and informational. For more such amazing posts on Taiwan, you can check out our blog section. Along with that, for you, we have a list of travel essentials that you should be looking to carry with you on your every trip. This would help you plan your trips a lot easier and make them hassle-free.
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Oh, such a nostalgic post for me! I was in Taiwan last year and since my time there was limited, I could only explore Taipei’s night markets and the Lotus Pond in Kaohsiung. Had very nice experiences there! I think your list of the top attractions in Taiwan is really helpful to first-time travellers to this country. Thank you for sharing 🙂
Thank you so much!
I’ve been to Southeast Asia a couple of times, but never to Taiwan. I never really thought of it as a backpacker destination, for some reason I always thought it was kind of fancy. But this actually sounds really great! I love nightmarkets so from this post, I would probably love Taiwan as well. The Lotus Pond sounds very pretty also.
I think many people skip Taiwan because they think its so expensive but its really not as bad as we thought it would be!
I’ve always had a level of respect for Taiwan – for some of the greatest singers I know that come from there, and for its independence as a nation. The Lotus Pond and Sun Moon Lake areas appeal the most to me – any city benefits from having a lake close to it, and those temples look like places I would stop and walk through. CKS Memorial Hall looks like the Taiwan equivalent of Tiananmen Square in Beijing, but much less crowded – I’m all for that! I would’ve loved to see more pictures of the places you covered.
Aww thank you! We will remember to take more pictures:)
Never been to Taiwan before. Taiwan seems to have its own unique culture and traditional customs values. Lotus Pond temple looks so colorful with dragons statue, I would surely like to visit it, the Yangmingshan National park and the hot spring. I can see lot of shopping options in local market plus night markets. Thanks for sharing.
It really is a great place to explore! The shopping here is incredible especially after dark!
I had no idea that Taiwan had so many activities to enjoy as a tourist! I would love to explore the different night markets, because it sounds like such a unique experience that you can’t get most other places. And I love the idea of being able to enjoy a variety of Taiwanese cuisines as we go through the market. Yum!
Great things to do in all three cities. I love the Asian-futuristic ambient that Taipei has. It seems that these cities change radically from night to day, which, being a night person myself, I like a lot.
The night time here is really something else! From the night markets to the city lights you are never bored exploring after dark!
I’ve never been to Taiwan but every time I see it mentioned somewhere, it sounds like a place I’d love to visit. The night markets must be a great thing to do, full of atmosphere plus you get to try lots of different food.
I really want to go back! We loved it so much here!
I’m originally from Taiwan and it warms my heart so so much reading your guide! And ughhh the night markets!!! I used to live near the one in Shilin and my mom would always take me there as a kid. This is bringing back great memories. The Lotus Pond is beautiful too! I never really got to venture outside of Taipei so would defs love to take a high-speed rail to Kaohsiung sometime.
Its really such a beautiful country with so much to see!