1st Time going to Taiwan

[Ted.Poh]

Hey guys,

Me never been to Taiwan before. I have be wanting to go taiwan for quite a long time. But don't really know how to go about it.

Hopefully I can get some help here to plan my trip. As I really do not wish to follow the travel agency leh.

Period: Nov/Dec - Is this a good time to go or is it going to be raining?
Duration: Max 14 days.
Pax: 02 Person

Basic things I need to know:
1. Anything to look out for when booking hotels? Do I book 1 hotel and stay thru of is it that I must pack and go?
2. Transportation - How to get around and how to travel to those places that listed below.
3. Any data sim card I can purchase to use in taiwan for my trip?

Places that I would like to go and things to do.
1. Scenery or sightseeing? (Both night and day)
2. Farm stay - (Not necessary if not enough time or if can't fit into the itinerary.
3. Hot Spring
4. Shopping
5. Night market
6. Tourist attractions
7. Putting up Sky lanterns

I have spoken to some people and they recommended the below and also don't know if they are at the same place or different places. How should I start?

1. Yang Ming Shan National Park - Flower Spring
2. Beitou - Hot Spring?
3. Wulai - Hot Spring?
4. Jiufen - Night View Scenery?
5. XiMenDing - Food
6. DanShui Street - Lovers Bridge and Fisherman's Wharf for Sunset
7. Shilin Night Market - Food
8. Wufenpu - wholesale garment market
9. Pingsi - Sky Lanterns
10. Shifen - Waterfall
11. Sun Moon Lake
12. Taichung - Not sure what they have there? Worth to go?
13. Taroko National Park - Rock - Is it worth to go?
14. Kaohsiung - Not sure what they have there? Worth to go?
15. Taipei 101 - Tallest building in the world?

Any advise how should I plan the above? Or is there more places that I can go?

 

[thejudge]

I share with you my experience traveling in Taiwan.

Basic things I need to know:
1. Anything to look out for when booking hotels? Do I book 1 hotel and stay thru of is it that I must pack and go?
- For me I look for accessibility. Near to railway/MTR station/bus terminal. Before you book the hotel/hostel, check out the reviews by people who have visited there before you make your choice.
- I suggest that you pack and go, this way you can stay at the places longer. Gotta do some planning. For example, you may want to tour Taipei and the west part of Taiwan (like Taichung/Kaohsiung). You may want to start your tour from Kaohsiung --> Taichung --> Taipei for the last few days before you fly off.

2. Transportation - How to get around and how to travel to those places that listed below.
From Taoyuan Airport (I assumed you will land there) there are public buses available to take you to Taipei Main Station (about NT$150) or to the high-speed railway HSR Taoyuan Station (about NT$30).

HSR in Taiwan is rather convenient. I suggest you purchase tickets online first, just in case. It takes about 90min to get from Taoyuan to Kaohsiung (Zuoying Station). Or you could take the slower train which are also quite frequent.

Otherwise you could purchase tickets at the stations a few days before you depart to guarantee seats.

Some places I went...
Kaohsiung West Coast
If you are taking HSR, stop at Zuoying station. There you can change to the Kaohsiung MTR system to head to your accommodation. If you are taking the slower train, you could buy tickets to Kaohsiung Station.

Can go to the British consulate at takao, then board a ferry to Cijin for seafood/lighthouse/beach/cycling/dried seafood market.
Liuhe Night Market.
Tiger/Dragon Pagoda at Lotus Lake.
Tuntex Sky Tower (85 storeys)

Taipei
Taipei 101 (MTR Taipei City Hall) - NT$450
Yang Ming Shan
Beitou Hotspring (MTR Beitou)
Danshui Old street (MTR Danshui)
Shilin Night Market (MTR JianTan, it is actually nearer to this station than to Shilin)
Wufenpu (MTR Houshanpi)
Ximending (MTR Ximending)

To go to Taroko National Park, you can start from Hualien (East Coast) then hire a taxi, which you can see outside the train station, to bring you around. (About $NT3000 for a taxi for a day). Recommend to stay 1 night there, if not you would only have like half a day to see things if you are traveling back and fore Taipei. Worth the trip. Just be careful and look out for falling rocks, listen to the driver share his/her experience driving through the roads, that the car you are sitting in is his 2nd or 3rd (the previous cars got damaged by falling rocks.)

You may like to check out wikitravel for more information. Google is your best friend.

 

[crystang]

(1) though i had stayed in ximending for both my taipei trip, i am starting to think that i should be staying near taipei main station instead as i kept having to change train at taipei main station whenever i wanna travel around taipei....

(2) if you are travelling within taipei, the train is sufficient, unless u are a lazy bum like me... i tend to cab and each way (eg from ximending to raohe night market) is slightly less than S$10.... u might want to consider finding another 2 ppl to go on the trip tog so that your can charter a cab when u travel from state to state and not having to lug 2 weeks of luggage around...

(3) for hotspring, i prefer the one at wulai than the one at yangmingshan... u can check out the photos in my blog (Candy's thoughts) under yangmingshan and wulai for comparison...

(4) Jiufen is lovely at night, it will be good if you can stay in the minsu there for a night in order to enjoy the peaceful night view... but take note, most of the shops start to close at about 630pm, except the tea houses which close at about 1130pm...

(5) you can skip pingxi and just go to shifen to save time on travelling cos sky lantern can be set off at shifen too

(6) as for night market, i would say skip shilin and go for raohe instead.... and you can go after shopping at wufenpu (very good shopping area) ... these 2 are in the same area....

(7) feng jia night market and yi zhong jie (very good shopping) are in taichung and together with cingjing and carton king (the main branch) , taichung is worth at least a day or 2

(8) taipei 101 is no longer the highest... some dubai building overtook it liao.... for S$20++.... i dun really think it's worth it, especially on a rainy day.... =S

 

[calkel20]

(1) though i had stayed in ximending for both my taipei trip, i am starting to think that i should be staying near taipei main station instead as i kept having to change train at taipei main station whenever i wanna travel around taipei....

(2) if you are travelling within taipei, the train is sufficient, unless u are a lazy bum like me... i tend to cab and each way (eg from ximending to raohe night market) is slightly less than S$10.... u might want to consider finding another 2 ppl to go on the trip tog so that your can charter a cab when u travel from state to state and not having to lug 2 weeks of luggage around...

(3) for hotspring, i prefer the one at wulai than the one at yangmingshan... u can check out the photos in my blog (Candy's thoughts) under yangmingshan and wulai for comparison...

If you have intention to go Yehliu, why not pop over to jinshan old street, they have hot-springs there too.

(4) Jiufen is lovely at night, it will be good if you can stay in the minsu there for a night in order to enjoy the peaceful night view... but take note, most of the shops start to close at about 630pm, except the tea houses which close at about 1130pm...

There was once when i watched e shifen Sky lantern festival and reached back Jiufen about 11pm, the only shops opened are the one that are right at the end. Only food available was steamboat.

(5) you can skip pingxi and just go to shifen to save time on travelling cos sky lantern can be set off at shifen too

You will find more and more people getting down at Houtong for a visit of the Cat Village. Route to take, Ruifang->Pingxi->Shifen->Houtong->Ruifang

(6) as for night market, i would say skip shilin and go for raohe instead.... and you can go after shopping at wufenpu (very good shopping area) ... these 2 are in the same area....

(7) feng jia night market and yi zhong jie (very good shopping) are in taichung and together with cingjing and carton king (the main branch) , taichung is worth at least a day or 2

(8) taipei 101 is no longer the highest... some dubai building overtook it liao.... for S$20++.... i dun really think it's worth it, especially on a rainy day.... =S

I will recommend that u go over to the office block reception,to go to the starbucks at level 35.
At least u can still see something there for the price of nothing, or maybe just grab some drinks and enjoy the view from that level.

As above, see if interest you at all.

 

[twosix]

I will go to Taichung first, spend a day or 2 there, then go back to Taipei. From Taichung, you may also consider going to 清境农场 for a farmstay. What to do in Taichung is already mentioned above by crystang.

From Airport to Taichung, can take coach (around 2 hrs) or bullet train (35 min).

 

[calkel20]

I will go to Taichung first, spend a day or 2 there, then go back to Taipei. From Taichung, you may also consider going to 清境农场 for a farmstay. What to do in Taichung is already mentioned above by crystang.

From Airport to Taichung, can take coach (around 2 hrs) or bullet train (35 min).

So called bullet train does not include abt 10-15mins bus ride to high speed rail station and also the wait. Reach taichung high speed rail station, still need to wait for bus to taichung or train to taichung.

Thus will still recommend you to take bus all the way.

 

[crystang]

So called bullet train does not include abt 10-15mins bus ride to high speed rail station and also the wait. Reach taichung high speed rail station, still need to wait for bus to taichung or train to taichung.

Thus will still recommend you to take bus all the way.

yes...just take the bus especially if you are arriving super early... cost NT$240 per trip and ends around taichung train station....

 

[Ted.Poh]

Hey guys,

Thanks alot for your valuable inputs. After going thru the posts, I spoke to a few of my friends also. I came out with the below itinerary. Not sure if it is feasible.

Stay 1 nights over at Taichung
Stay 1 night over at 清境农场 farm stay. <- is it too rush? Should i stay for 1 more night?
Stay 1 night over at Alishan.
Stay 3 nights over at New Taipei
Stay 3 nights over at Taipei City

It this ok?

Taichung
Day 1 and 2 -
. Feng Jia Night Market
. Yi Zhong Street
. Zhi Xiang Wang (Carton King)

Day 2 and 3 -
. 清境农场 for a farm stay

Nantou, Yuchi
Day 3 -
. Sun Moon Lake

Chiayi
Day 3 and 4 -
. Alishan National Scenic Area (Sunrise)?

New Taipei
Day 4 - 5 - Ruifang
. Shifen - Waterfall / Sky Lantern (Train)
. Jiufen - Day Night View Scenery (Train)

Day 5 and 6 -
. Wulai - Hot Spring / Old Street / Food / Mountain trial (MRT)

Day 6 and 7 -
. DanShui Street - Lovers Bridge and Fisherman's Wharf for Sunset (MTR Danshui)

Taipei City
Day 7 -
. XiMenDing - (MTR Ximending)
. Shilin Night Market - Food (MTR JianTan)

Day 8 -
. Wufenpu - wholesale garment market (MTR Houshanpi)
. Raohe Night Market

Day 9 -
. Taipei 101 - Tallest building in the world? (MTR Taipei City Hall)
. Yang Ming Shan National Park - Flower Spring

Day 10 -
.Beitou - Hot Spring? (MTR Beitou)
.Return back to SG?

 

[crystang]

for day 1, see if you can squeeze in rainbow village too

i think 1 night stay at cingjing area is sufficient, besides the evergreen grasslands and the little swiss garden, dun think there's much around there already

while at new taipei area, can consider going to keelung night market and also visit the gold ecological park (Candy's thoughts: Gold Ecological Park (Jinguashi))... take note of the timing for the gold panning activity though.... i missed it the last round.. =(

and since u going raohe night market, i suggest you skip shilin night market...it's really nothing much, besides, u will be stuffing yourself with food while at danshui/ ximending already...

you may want to consider heading to EZ5 if you are into live music or go clubbing (Candy's thoughts: Clubbing in Taipei @ Lava)

 

[twosix]

If you have never been to shilin, it is still worth a visit. Besides the indoor basement food stalls, the streets are still buzzing with stalls and activities. Raohe is worth visiting, but Raohe is just 1 street 2 ways while shilin is many streets many ways.