Taiwan Travel Guide: Night Markets, Mountain Railways and Hot Springs

Taiwan surprises you with range. The island sits off the southeastern coast of China, roughly the size of Belgium, and in a single week you can eat your way through a neon night market, ride a century-old logging railway into a cloud forest, stand under a marble canyon, and soak in a hot spring fed by a volcano. Twenty-three million people live here, most of them in the western cities, while the spine of the island rises into mountains over 3,000 meters high. It is compact, safe, remarkably well organized, and almost endlessly rewarding for travelers who like food, history and landscapes in the same trip.

Start in Taipei and give it three days. Longshan Temple hums with incense and chanting from early morning, Dadaocheng's old streets remember the 19th-century tea and camphor trade, and the red gates of Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall frame a plaza where students practice dance at dusk. Climb Taipei 101 for the view, then eat your way down Yongkang Street, past beef noodle shops and mango shaved ice, before finishing in Ximending, where street performers and sneaker stores keep the sidewalks busy until late. Between stops, the MRT takes you everywhere for pocket change.

History is layered here, and it rewards a little curiosity. The Dutch built Fort Zeelandia at Anping in 1624; Zheng Chenggong took it in 1662; the Qing ruled for two centuries; Japan governed the island from 1895 to 1945. In Tainan, the oldest city, you can walk from the ruins of that fort to Chihkan Tower, then to a temple whose beams were carved by 18th-century craftsmen. In Lukang, Longshan Temple still holds stone lions worn smooth by three hundred years of hands. The Alishan Forest Railway, completed in 1912 to haul cypress, now carries visitors through switchbacks and mist to sunrise viewpoints above the clouds.

Then there is the food, which is really the point. Night markets open around 5 p.m. and run past midnight: Shilin and Raohe in Taipei, Ningxia for a calmer sit-down meal, Liuhe in Kaohsiung. Order oyster omelette, pepper buns, stinky tofu, grilled squid, and a bowl of beef noodle soup rich enough to end an argument. Tainan does danzai noodles and shrimp rolls with quiet pride, Taichung claims the first bubble tea, and pineapple cakes and sun cakes make the easiest gifts to carry home. Bring small notes and coins; many stalls are cash-only.

Beyond Taipei, the island opens up. Head east for Taroko Gorge, where the Liwu River has cut marble cliffs and the Swallow Grotto trail runs along the rock face. South of Hualien, the East Rift Valley rolls between mountains and the sea, dotted with rice paddies and hot-spring towns like Ruisui. Inland, Alishan delivers its famous sea of clouds at dawn, Sun Moon Lake offers bike paths and tea farms, and Kaohsiung pairs the art warehouses of Pier-2 with the temples and lotus ponds of its old quarter. Near Taipei, Jiufen's hillside lanes and Wulai's riverside springs make easy day trips.

Getting around is simpler than most first-timers expect. The high speed rail links Taipei and Kaohsiung in about 90 minutes, with stops at Taichung, Chiayi for Alishan and Tainan; book seats a few days ahead for weekends and holidays. Regular TRA trains and buses reach the coasts and mountains, and an EasyCard bought at any convenience store or station covers the MRT, city buses, the YouBike share system and even many shops. From Taoyuan International Airport, the Airport MRT reaches Taipei Main Station in roughly 35 minutes, while Songshan Airport sits right in the city. Renting a scooter requires an international driving permit and nerves of steel.

October to April is the sweet spot: cooler days, clearer skies over the mountains, and cherry blossoms in February and March. May and June bring the plum rains, July to September is typhoon season, and summer heat and humidity are real. Complete the online Taiwan Arrival Card before you land, and check visa rules for your passport, since many Western visitors can stay 90 days visa-free. Tipping is not customary, English is common in Taipei but thinner in rural towns, and a translation app plus a smile covers the rest.

Give Taiwan seven to ten days. Fly into Taipei, spend three days on temples, museums and night markets, ride the high speed rail south to Tainan and Kaohsiung, then loop back up the east coast by train through Taitung and Hualien for Taroko and the hot springs. Book Alishan and Taroko transport early, keep one unscheduled afternoon for a tea house, and pack a light rain shell in every season. This is an island that rewards slow eating and early mornings in equal measure. Start with a night market, and let Taiwan feed you through the rest of the trip.