Taiwan travel guides, city by city

Quick answer · where to go in Taiwan

First trips run the west coast. Give Taipei three or four days, then take the high-speed line south to Tainan for the old capital and Kaohsiung for the harbour, with Taichung as the way into the lake and mountain country behind it. Repeat visitors cross to the east, where Hualien and Taitung trade cities for marble gorge, rice terraces and the Pacific. The clearest weather is October and November, with March a close second.

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Jump to City guides Map Fun fact Stereotypes Famous Taiwanese Food FAQ

2 Taiwan city guides

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Taipei

Asia · 10 picks

Taichung

Asia · 10 picks

Fun fact

One number worth knowing

Taiwan has 268 peaks above 3,000 metres. The highest, Yushan, reaches 3,952 metres, which puts it above anything in Japan or Korea.

Stereotypes, sorted out

The clichés you have heard, what is actually true, and how to fit in.

"Taiwan is a smaller version of China"

The realityTaiwan elects its own government, prints its own currency and issues its own passport. What you meet on the ground is a blend: Hokkien and Hakka roots, sixteen officially recognised indigenous peoples, and fifty years of Japanese rule that still shows in the railway stations, the hot springs and the food.

"It is all night markets"

The realityThe night markets are worth the hype and they are also the easy half. Two thirds of the island is mountain, with 268 peaks above 3,000 metres and a marble gorge cut into the east coast.

"You cannot get around without Mandarin"

The realitySignage and announcements on the metro and the high-speed rail are bilingual, and one EasyCard covers metro, buses and local trains island-wide. Station staff in the big cities usually have some English.

"Typhoons make the whole trip a gamble"

The realityStorms cluster between July and October and are tracked days ahead by the Central Weather Administration. Travel in November, or between March and May, and a typhoon is rare.

Bubble tea on every cornerNight markets running past midnightA wall of scooters at every lightConvenience stores that do everythingStinky tofu you smell firstChip factoriesBaseball as the national sport

Cultural notes that actually help

Queues are real. People line up for the metro doors, the bus and the bubble tea, and cutting in gets noticed.
No eating or drinking on the Taipei metro, water included. The rule is signed and enforced.
Tipping is not expected. Some restaurants add a 10% service charge and that is the end of it.
Shoes come off at the door of a home, a homestay and the inner hall of many temples.
Convenience stores are infrastructure here: tickets, parcels, bill payments, hot food and a clean toilet.
Pass a business card or money with two hands. It reads as respect and costs nothing.

Famous Taiwanese faces

The names behind Taiwan's politics, cinema, music, sport, science and food. Pick a field.

Tsai Ing-wen

President of Taiwan from 2016 to 2024, and the first woman to hold the office

Ang Lee

Director, twice an Academy Award winner for Best Director

Teresa Teng

Singer whose ballads defined Mandarin pop across Asia

Jay Chou

Singer-songwriter who reshaped Mandopop from Taipei

Morris Chang

Founder of TSMC, the company that makes most of the world's advanced chips

Yuan T. Lee

Nobel laureate in Chemistry, 1986

Tai Tzu-ying

Badminton world number one for a record 214 weeks

Lee Teng-hui

First president of Taiwan chosen by direct popular vote, in 1996

Lai Ching-te

President of Taiwan since 2024

Chen Shui-bian

First opposition-party president, elected in 2000

Audrey Tang

Taiwan's first digital minister

Chiang Kai-shek

Moved the Republic of China government to Taipei in 1949 and led it until 1975

Hou Hsiao-hsien

Director, Golden Lion at Venice for A City of Sadness

Edward Yang

Director, Best Director at Cannes for Yi Yi

Tsai Ming-liang

Director, Golden Lion at Venice for Vive L'Amour

Shu Qi

Actress, from Taipei to Hong Kong cinema and back

A-Mei (Chang Hui-mei)

Puyuma singer and one of the biggest voices in Mandopop

Jolin Tsai

Pop singer who has spent two decades at the top of the Mandopop charts

Mayday

Rock band that fills stadiums across Asia

Lo Ta-yu

Singer-songwriter whose protest ballads soundtracked the 1980s

Kuo Hsing-chun

Weightlifter, Taiwan's first gold medal of the Tokyo Olympics

Lee Chih-kai

Gymnast, Olympic silver on the pommel horse in Tokyo

Wang Chien-ming

Pitcher, the first Taiwanese starter to headline a New York Yankees rotation

Chen Wei-yin

Left-handed pitcher for the Baltimore Orioles and Miami Marlins

Terry Gou

Founder of Foxconn, the world's largest contract electronics manufacturer

Cher Wang

Co-founder and chair of HTC

Jensen Huang

Born in Tainan, co-founded Nvidia in 1993

Barry Lam

Founder of Quanta Computer, which builds laptops for much of the industry

Lin Hwai-min

Founded Cloud Gate Dance Theatre in Taipei in 1973

Ju Ming

Sculptor, best known for the Taichi series

Chen Cheng-po

Painter from Chiayi, the first Taiwanese artist shown at Japan's Imperial Art Exhibition

Wu Pao-chun

Baker who took the bread title at the 2010 Bakery Masters in Paris

Fu Pei-mei

Taught Chinese cooking on Taiwanese television for forty years, from 1962

André Chiang

Chef, from Restaurant André in Singapore back to Taiwan's dining rooms

Must-try Taiwanese food

The classics, then the night market, the regions and the sweets. Pick a category.

Beef noodle soup

The national dish: braised shank in a dark, star-anise broth.

Lu rou fan

Minced fatty pork stewed in soy over rice. The cheapest good meal on the island.

Three-cup chicken

Chicken simmered in sesame oil, rice wine and soy, finished with basil.

Gua bao

A steamed bun folded around pork belly, pickled mustard greens and peanut powder.

Xiaolongbao

Soup dumplings, and the reason people queue in Taipei.

Stinky tofu

Fermented, then fried or braised. The smell travels further than the taste.

Oyster omelette

Small oysters in a sweet-potato-starch batter under a sweet chilli sauce.

Fried chicken cutlet

Pounded flat, fried, dusted with pepper and handed over in a paper bag.

Popcorn chicken

Salt-and-pepper bites fried with a handful of basil leaves.

Pepper bun

A peppery pork bun baked against the wall of a clay oven.

Scallion pancake

Layered, blistered on the griddle and folded around an egg.

Danzai noodles

Tainan's small bowl of noodles with minced pork and a single shrimp.

Coffin bread

Thick toast hollowed out and filled with a creamy chowder, also Tainan.

Ba-wan

A translucent starch dumpling filled with pork and bamboo shoot, from Changhua.

Hakka lei cha

Ground tea, seeds and nuts poured over rice and vegetables in Hakka country.

Sun cake

Taichung's flaky pastry around a thin malt-sugar centre.

Milkfish congee

A Tainan breakfast: milkfish belly in rice porridge.

Grilled squid

Whole squid off the charcoal, brushed with soy and garlic.

Shrimp rolls

Deep-fried rolls of minced shrimp and pork, best near the coast.

Fish ball soup

Bouncy fish balls in a clear broth, a Keelung staple.

Mango shaved ice

Summer's answer: shaved ice, fresh mango and condensed milk.

Pineapple cake

A short, buttery pastry around candied pineapple. The souvenir everyone brings home.

Aiyu jelly

A fig-seed jelly served cold with lemon.

Douhua

Soft tofu pudding with peanuts, taro or syrup.

Bubble tea

Invented here. Tapioca pearls, tea and milk, sweetness to order.

High-mountain oolong

Grown above 1,000 metres and brewed cup by cup.

Taiwan Beer

The lager on every night-market table.

Winter melon tea

Sweet, faintly caramelly, served over ice.

Taiwan travel FAQ

How many days do you need in Taiwan?+

Eight to ten days circles the island without rushing: three or four in Taipei, two more down the west coast by high-speed rail, and three on the east side. With less time, stay on the west coast and skip the loop.

When is the best time to visit Taiwan?+

October and November are the clearest and driest months, and a typhoon that late is rare. March and April are the next best. July to September is hot, humid and the heart of storm season.

Is Taiwan expensive to visit?+

Not by East Asian standards. Budget around $60 to $120 per person per day mid-range, and less again if you eat where the queues are, which is usually the night market.

Do you need a visa for Taiwan?+

Passport holders from the US, UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea and most of the EU enter visa-free for up to 90 days. Confirm the rule for your own nationality before booking.

Is it easy to get around Taiwan without Mandarin?+

Yes. Metro and high-speed rail signage and announcements are bilingual, one EasyCard covers metro, buses and local trains, and staff in the big stations usually have some English.

Top 10s across Taiwan