Taiwan 3-Day Itinerary 2026: Taipei, Jiufen and Tainan by Rail

Three days in Taiwan works as Taipei old streets on day one, a Jiufen and Shifen rail day on day two, then Tainan by high-speed rail on day three — a pace that fits if you base yourself near Taipei Main Station and budget about NT$5,500 (US$170) per person per day, with the Taipei-Tainan HSR seat released 28 days ahead.

The paperwork is light. US passports get 90 days visa-free in Taiwan, but every foreign visitor must file the free online Taiwan Arrival Card (TWAC) within seven days before arrival, mandatory since October 1, 2025. Come between October and April for the dry, walkable 15-25C window; July to September is typhoon season, when coastal buses and the Pingxi Line pause at short notice.

Day one stays inside Taipei and runs almost entirely on the Metro. Start at Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall — free, with the guard-changing ceremony on the hour from 09:00 to 17:00 — then ride the Bannan Line to Longshan Temple, open 06:00-22:00, where the incense smoke at Bangka is thickest before 09:00. Ximending's pedestrian blocks sit one stop away at Ximen Exit 6, a good mid-afternoon break. Late afternoon belongs to Taipei 101: the 89th-floor observatory costs NT$600, Skyline 460 on the 101st floor costs NT$1,200, and both sell tickets until 21:15. Close the day at Shilin Night Market, whose main food-hall entrance faces Jiantan MRT Station Exit 1 — the same corner in our photograph. Budget NT$400-600 for grazing.

Day two trades the city for the northeast coast. Take TRA from Taipei Main Station to Ruifang, about NT$76 and 50 minutes, then switch to Keelung bus 788 or 1062 up to Jiufen Old Street for NT$15-30. Walk the teahouse lanes before 11:00, while the tour coaches are still climbing, then ride the Pingxi Line to Shifen — an NT$80 day pass covers the line — and write on a sky lantern beside Shifen Station, NT$200 for one color or NT$250 for the four-color version. Pause at the Golden Waterfall near Jinguashi on the way down, and aim to be back at Ruifang for a train that reaches Taipei before 21:00.

Day three heads south on the high-speed rail: Taipei to Tainan in 1 hr 45 min for NT$1,350 standard fare, roughly two trains an hour. In Tainan, walk Chihkan Tower (about NT$70), the shophouse lanes of Shennong Street, the Confucius Temple, and the snack counters along Guohua Street. Anping, on the harbor edge, adds Anping Fort and the old canal district. Tainan eats early, so queue for beef soup before 09:00 and danzai noodles at lunch — our Taiwan food guide maps the stalls worth the wait. A late-afternoon train puts you back in Taipei by dinner.

The three days as a table; prices are per adult in New Taiwan dollars unless noted. | Day | Clock | Transport and fare | Tickets | Eat | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 Taipei | 09:00 CKS Memorial Hall, 13:00 Longshan, 16:30 Taipei 101, 19:00 Shilin | Taipei MRT, NT$20-65 a ride | CKS Hall free; Taipei 101 observatory NT$600 | Shilin Night Market NT$400-600; beef noodles NT$180-250 | | 2 Jiufen and Shifen | 08:00 Taipei Main, 10:00 Jiufen, 15:00 Shifen, 20:30 back | TRA Taipei-Ruifang about NT$76; bus 788 or 1062 NT$15-30; Pingxi Line pass NT$80 | Jiufen Old Street free; sky lantern NT$200-250 | Jiufen taro balls NT$60-80; Shifen peanut ice cream NT$50 | | 3 Tainan | 07:30 THSR Taipei, 09:15 Tainan, 17:30 back | THSR 1 hr 45 min, NT$1,350 standard | Chihkan Tower about NT$70; Anping Fort about NT$70 | Beef soup NT$150-200; danzai noodles NT$55 |

Practical numbers. The Taoyuan Airport MRT reaches Taipei Main Station in about 35 minutes for NT$150. Taipei's MRT fare runs NT$20-65, and an EasyCard costs NT$100 plus whatever you load onto it. Night markets and small Tainan shops are still cash-first, so withdraw NT$3,000-5,000 at an airport ATM. Hotels must register your passport within 24 hours of check-in, and you will show it again at museum and observatory ticket desks.

Typhoon and rain plan. If a storm pushes you off the coast, swap day two for the National Palace Museum (NT$350, two MRT stops from Shilin) and the Beitou hot springs, both fully indoor or covered. Coastal buses and the Pingxi Line stop in high wind, so read the Central Weather Administration forecast the evening before rather than the morning of. Tipping is not expected, English signage covers the Metro and every major station, and trains leave to the minute.

One next step: book the Taipei-Tainan high-speed rail seat now. Early-bird fares open 28 days before departure on the THSR English site, they sell out first on weekends and around Lunar New Year, and the same page takes your passport number as the ticket. Buy that leg, load an EasyCard when you land, and the other three days run themselves — open our Taipei MRT and EasyCard primer if you want the transfer detail before you fly.