Advice needed for 7D6N

[just1n]

Dear all,

I am new to the travel thread and based on what I have read, the community here is plain awesome! Hope you guys pardon any mistakes I make while requesting for help!

Period: Mid June for one week
Pax: 2 person, me and my girlfriend
Goal: Explore the scenic/beautiful places in Taiwan
Budget: Prefer to travel using the TSR/bus. Staying at cheaper hotels
Help: Require advice on how to travel around the places we are interested in via public transport. Also require advice on the order in which we should move from place to place.

We will arrive in Taiwan Monday morning at 530am and will leave on the next Monday at 3pm.

Priority Places:

Cingjing - feedback from many friends that this is a beautiful place with green pastures everywhere. Planning to come here first and spend two days exploring the place. (Sheeps/Little Swiss Garden)

Alishan - going to spend a night here and explore the place. Planning to catch the sunrise in the morning before leaving for our next destination. However, there seems to be problems coming to this place via public transport.

Jiufen/Shifen - planning to spend our last two days here or in Taiwan. We want to release the lanterns at night in Shifen or see the waterfalls.

Not sure:

Sun Moon Lake - heard its a nice place but out of the way.

Taroko Gorge - some say its the most beautiful place in Taiwan. However, once again it seems out of the way and not easily accessible by public transport.

Based on where we would like to travel to and our constraints, does anyone have any advice for us? Any help is greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance!

 

[saman28]

I'd been to most of the places you mentioned except i got a driver to bring me around..

my honest opinion - SML very overrated.. alot of china tourists around.. there's only 3 piers.. i really regretted going..

there are public transport to go alishan.. but if you want to catch sunrise you can check with the minsu owner.. cause sometimes you can share cost with other people to take a ride to see sunrise..

stayed in cingjing but didnt manage to go in cause was raining.. didnt go little swiss garden as my driver told me overrated.. i read before that there are buses to go cingjing but you must google hard to find..

hualien is very nice.. but i would suggest u share a driver in hualien with other couple..

you can do jiufen, shifen and keelung market in one day.. keelung market to have dinner then take TRA back to taipei..

 

[LearnIT]

I'd been to most of the places you mentioned except i got a driver to bring me around..

my honest opinion - SML very overrated.. alot of china tourists around.. there's only 3 piers.. i really regretted going..

there are public transport to go alishan.. but if you want to catch sunrise you can check with the minsu owner.. cause sometimes you can share cost with other people to take a ride to see sunrise..

stayed in cingjing but didnt manage to go in cause was raining.. didnt go little swiss garden as my driver told me overrated.. i read before that there are buses to go cingjing but you must google hard to find..

hualien is very nice.. but i would suggest u share a driver in hualien with other couple..

you can do jiufen, shifen and keelung market in one day.. keelung market to have dinner then take TRA back to taipei..

hi, when u take train from keelung back to taipei. do you book early? will there be seats reserved for you?

 

[calkel20]

hi, when u take train from keelung back to taipei. do you book early? will there be seats reserved for you?

No need. Trains are not that full. Unless you want to book trains with seats. Prefer to take local trains, which is the 区间车。 Since it's the starting station, no troubles getting the seat at all.

 

[Gixxerfied]

hi, when u take train from keelung back to taipei. do you book early? will there be seats reserved for you?

Dont have to book..Local train will do..In March when we took the train back to TMS from Keelung, practically sat all the way cos not much ppl..Was the 9+ train..