Taiwan Photography Spots: 8 Best Locations to Shoot in 2026

The short answer: shoot Taipei's Xiangshan (Elephant Mountain) trail first — free to hike, 20–30 minutes up from Exit 2 of Xiangshan MRT Station — then Jiufen, the Alishan Forest Railway and Kaohsiung's Love River. Go between November and April for the clearest 6:00 a.m. light, and budget NT$20–65 per MRT ride.

1. Xiangshan (Elephant Mountain), Taipei. Taiwan photography spots do not get much more efficient than this one. The trail begins at Exit 2 of Xiangshan MRT Station on the Tamsui–Xinyi Line, and the sixth and final viewing platform — the wooden deck with the cleanest, most open line on Taipei 101 — sits about 600 steps and 20 minutes above the trailhead. Arrive 40 minutes before sunrise: roughly 5:10 a.m. in July and 6:20 a.m. in January. Weekday mornings are calm, while weekend afternoons after 4:00 p.m. are a wall of tripods.

2. Jiufen Old Street. Walk Jishan Street to the top and shoot back down the alley over the teahouse roofs — 7:00–8:00 a.m., before the tour buses, or after 7:00 p.m. when the red lanterns come on and the hillside goes quiet. Bus 1062 from Taipei takes about 75 minutes; the train to Ruifang plus a short bus is the slower, prettier approach.

3. Shifen Waterfall on the Pingxi Line. From Ruifang, ride the Pingxi Line to Shifen Station — an NT$80 one-day pass covers the whole branch — then walk 20 minutes to the waterfall viewing path. Photograph the train crossing the old street between services, then stay for the 20 m curtain of water at f/11 with a slow shutter and a small tripod.

4. Alishan Forest Railway. Taiwan High Speed Rail covers Taipei to Chiayi in about 90 minutes, and from there the 71 km Chiayi–Alishan main line climbs through roughly 50 tunnels and 77 bridges into the clouds. Book online 14 days ahead, because the morning departures sell out first. From Alishan Station the Zhushan Sunrise Train leaves around 4:00 a.m. — the time shifts with the season — and reaches the cloud-viewing platform in about 15 minutes; buy the ticket at Alishan Station, where the departure time for the next morning is posted.

5. Fenqihu. Break the rail journey at 1,405 m, where the old street's bento shops and the tracks curving past the town make the classic Alishan frame. The shot comes from the lane above the station, not the platform, and the light is best in the two hours after sunrise, before the day-trippers arrive on the 10:00 a.m. service.

6. Sun Moon Lake. Mist sits on the water until about 8:00 a.m., so be at the Yidashao (Ita Thao) pier at first light and climb to Ci'en Pagoda afterward for the high, wide view over the whole basin. The lake is about 90 minutes from Taichung by bus, and the ropeway keeps seasonal hours, so confirm the day's schedule locally before planning a ride.

7. Love River, Kaohsiung. The Love River (Ai He) holds the city lights from the Wufu Road Bridge, and a 20-minute MRT ride to Sizihwan Station puts you on the harbor shore for sunset over the Taiwan Strait. The Cijin ferry from Gushan Pier costs about NT$30 one way and trades the skyline for shipping traffic in a few minutes.

8. Tamsui River, Taipei. Two frames, one river. The mangrove boardwalks and egret flocks at Guandu Nature Park work in soft morning light (free entry, roughly 9:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m., closed Mondays), and Lover's Bridge at Tamsui Fisherman's Wharf carries blue hour about 15 minutes by bus from Tamsui MRT Station.

Timing and gear. November to April brings the clearest light and the lowest rainfall; June to September means typhoon-season afternoon storms, so schedule mountain and east-coast shoots before noon and check the Central Weather Administration's warnings. Many Taroko National Park trails have stayed closed since the April 3, 2024 earthquake, so confirm access on the park's official site before traveling to Hualien, and note that Yushan day hikes need a permit applied for by lottery about a month ahead. A 35mm f/1.8 lens, a light tripod for blue hour and a $5 rain poncho cover almost everything — and a reliable Taiwan food guide helps you time the 8:00 a.m. breakfast stop that follows every sunrise shoot.

Your next step: book the Alishan Forest Railway seat today — online sales open 14 days ahead and the morning departures go first — then open our Taiwan 3-day itinerary to lock your first 48 hours around the Xiangshan trailhead, the Jiufen bus and the Tamsui blue-hour window, all timed to the light.