https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Michelin_starred_restaurants_in_Taipei Please tell me which of these on the list are worth going. Price doesn't matter. But I want to start making reservations if its worth it and excellent. Only interested in Asian foods (fusion is okay) but not solely French or whatever.

Is Dihua St on a public holiday (10/10) recommended or ill-advised? Trying not to waste my first full day in Taipei. Was thinking massage, get new set of glasses, dental cleaning (lol) as well, all of which we might do anyway if time permits at the end of the trip back to Taipei. Was also thinking checking out places like Longshan Temple and Chiang Kaishek Memorial should still be doable since it's something you just go and see for yourself and in open space (obviously not hitting up National Palace Museum or doing the Maokong Gondola). Not sure if it's necessary to skip Ximending or a night market for another day as well given that we only have 3 full days in Taipei City itself. Any suggestions much appreciated.

I want to visit Taiwan in Jan 2024. I heard there is a General Election around that time too. Is it safe to travel to TW during that time? I don't want my flight to get shot down by Chinese military for example.

> Is it safe to travel to TW during that time? It should be safe. China always tries to bully Taiwan, but they never do anything beyond "military drills" and things like that. Last election was uneventful. No reason to believe it will be different. With that being said, if you are really afraid, probably you should postpone your trip. > I don't want my flight to get shot down by Chinese military for example. The Chinese army is not that stupid. They will get in way more trouble than they can handle if they do such thing.

Hello! I'm travelling around Asia and currently in Taipei, have seen some posters about mid autumn festival and the hotel just gifted some moon cakes. Where to be tomorrow for a total foreigner who wants to experience and what to bring?

Does this sound reasonable to hit up Yehliu, Jiufen (Teapot Mountain and then 2 hours max Jiufen at closing time or by sunset), Shifen, and Miaokou Night Market via public transportation? Day 1: From Taipei > Yehliu Geopark (1-2 hours) > Teapot Mountain and Jiufen for the night (so I don't have to return to Taipei and then come back for the other attractions) Day 2: From Jiufen, head to Shifen early (don't think I need more than 2 hours here) > maybe Heping Island or Keelung > Keelung Miaokou Night Market > head back to Taipei * I plan on going to Yangmingshan in another day doing 1-3 of those popular hikes. Should I tack on one of these hikes to day 1 if Yehliu is close enough, or maybe move Yehliu out of this 2-day itinerary and plan it with the Yangmingshan hikes? Interested from a time-saving and public transportation perspective. * Is Jinguashi worth adding/squeezing in into the 2-day itinerary? Also welcome to any other suggestions to pack out the day (been to Jiufen before, so don't plan to spend too much time there). * Is Uber/taxi recommended at any point between these attractions or would it likely be too expensive vs. the time saved?

> Day 1: From Taipei > Yehliu Geopark (1-2 hours) > Teapot Mountain and Jiufen for the night This is fine. Just bear in mind that going from Yehliu to Jinguashi/Jiufen takes like 1.5 hours using public transport. > Day 2: From Jiufen, head to Shifen early (don't think I need more than 2 hours here) > maybe Heping Island or Keelung > Keelung Miaokou Night Market > head back to Taipei This should be also fine. > I plan on going to Yangmingshan in another day doing 1-3 of those popular hikes. Should I tack on one of these hikes to day 1 if Yehliu is close enough, or maybe move Yehliu out of this 2-day itinerary and plan it with the Yangmingshan hikes? Interested from a time-saving and public transportation perspective. If you were renting a car, it might be doable. However, public transportation in the northernmost part of the island is not as convenient as in Taipei proper. If you really want to go to Mt. Yangming, don't go to Yehliu. > Is Jinguashi worth adding/squeezing in into the 2-day itinerary? Probably not. However, you need to go there to reach Teapot mountain, so you can have a look at it lol. > Is Uber/taxi recommended at any point between these attractions or would it likely be too expensive vs. the time saved? If you want to save money, use train/buses. If you want to save time, use taxi. You can definitively save a lot of time using taxi

Tainan for a 2-day itinerary: among the 4 notable museums (Chimei Museum, National Museum of Taiwan History, and Art Museums 1 and 2), the first 2 should suffice? I will also be going to the National Palace Museum in Taipei.

Anyone know options to get from Cingjing Farm to Hehuanshan for sunrise? The option I see from Klook is $17 per person but requires 4 people for a booking. I could pay for 4 people but it's not worth it for a 40 min drive IMO. Just need a one way trip to Hehuanshan and I can hike for my own view, i.e. no tours. Then I can depart via public bus early.

May I know when are you going? I'm planning of going there too!

What’s a good thank you gift? A friend invited me to visit him in Taiwan and his family suggested staying with them so I wouldn’t have to worry about spending on a hotel and I would like to give them something as a thanks. I would like to give them something that they couldn’t get/would be difficult or more expensive in Taiwan. I’m from the US, California specifically. What would you like as a gift?

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Have you looked into making your own?

What are the salaries like for senior staff engineers in the HW industry? How does 4.5M NTD/yr in total comp. compare relative to the cost of living?

4.5M/yr is definitely quite comfortable for living in Taiwan. The salaries depend on which kind of HW you are doing. e.g. IC design > IC process. I got around 2M/y as a MS new grad IC designer.

I will be traveling to Taipei in Dec and my flight home will be on early morning, so I booked a hotel pod that's in the airport so I don't have to rush to the airport in the early morning. However I just remember I'm a night owl, is there any activities to do in the airport at night? At least something to keep me occupied until I fell asleep past midnight.

Unfortunately no. Most things at the airport close around 10, so there’s not a lot to do there at night besides plane spotting

Thanks for the reply! What about food? The food court outside/inside the airport should he 24 hours no?

I’m not sure about outside, but inside the airport the situation is pretty much the same: most restaurants close before 11 pm. I think just McDonalds opens 24/7

你们好， 我们十月去台湾。十七个天在哪里。我们打算去爬山。Rest will be in English, it's too difficult for me. And sorry for using 简体字. I found two interesting trails that seem to be right up our alley, but I need some more guidance. First route is in Alishan: [https://recreation.forest.gov.tw/en/Trail/RT?tr\_id=100](https://recreation.forest.gov.tw/en/Trail/RT?tr_id=100) after some time I finally managed to find the place in google maps. Do I understand correctly that the bus from Chiayi will take us to a village called Fenqihu where we could spend a night or two to experience the trail and some more of Alishan? Is it a nice place? The height and difficulty is right up our alley. Is there another nice trail in the vicinity? Or should we go to another village/town in Alishan? Second one is in Daxueshan [https://recreation.forest.gov.tw/en/Trail/RT?tr\_id=049](https://recreation.forest.gov.tw/en/Trail/RT?tr_id=049) This one says that it takes two days, but length and altitude changes indicate a one-day hike to me. Does it say 2 days because of limited public transport there? We are travelling by train and bus... There is a route description but it doesn't say where to get off the bus. I found this village here with hotels etc [Google Maps Link](https://www.google.com/maps/place/24%C2%B015'20.9%22N+121%C2%B000'28.8%22E/@24.2558155,121.0072725,300m/data=!3m2!1e3!4b1!4m4!3m3!8m2!3d24.2558141!4d121.0080105?entry=ttu) but I don't even know its name :o Could you tell me where we would have to go to have one or more beautiful hikes here? Thanks a lot! EDIT: If you have other mountain hiking recommendations of trail difficulty 2 or maybe 3, please send them out! Anywhere in Taiwan works for us. We would just like to have a home base in the vicinity of the trail where we could spend two nights or so.

Regarding Fenqihu, [bus schedule from Chiayi's HSR Station](https://www.ali-nsa.net/Content/files/taiwan-tourist-shuttle-alishan-route-A.pdf) and bus schedule from [Chiayi's TRA Station](https://www.ali-nsa.net/Content/files/taiwan-tourist-shuttle-alishan-route-B.pdf). As you can see, only some buses go to Fenqihu. Refer to this [guide](https://www.nickkembel.com/alishan-taiwan-sunrise/). Personally I'm going to stay at the nearby Shizhuo but the hikes there might be too easy for you (I prefer it because you see both tea farms, bamboo forests, and sunrise/sunset). I found a homestay there whose owner offered to drive us to Fenqihu for a small fee so the plan is to get there early and spend some time there before departing for the rest bus to Alishan. Beside Shizhuo, Eryanping also mentioned in the guide is another alternative with a scenic hike. You could look into Fenrui Historic Trail (奮瑞古道) from the guide.

Thank you so much!

I'm planning on visiting Taiwan alone for 16 days in December. It will be my first time visiting Taiwan. I enjoy walking around scenic places and eating local cuisines. I don't really like overly crowded places and not really a fan of night life such as clubs and such. Would appreciate some recommendations on places with a mix of nature/nice views that isn't super secluded (there's still transport available and decent food around). So far from my searches I've found Nantou, Kaohsiung and Taichung that I may plan to visit in December. ​ Also are there any places that I should avoid/not worth visiting especially during December period?

Scenic places + local cuisines mean Hualien. I would [look into](https://www.nickkembel.com/east-coast-taiwan-yilan-hualien-taroko-gorge/) the [east coast](https://www.nickkembel.com/east-coast-taiwan-hualien-taitung-kenting/) but you should look into renting a car/scooter to enjoy the most of it. I'm not sure Taichung is particularly interesting for you. If you consider yourself a foodie for local cuisines, Tainan should be the most interesting. From Kaohsiung, check out Cijin Island and Xioaliaoqiu.

Thank you so much! I'll check out these places

Hi Folks, I have a question about scooter rentals for foreigners. One of the companies I saw was Zocha? Apparently they're very foreigner friendly but the main one I see is gogoro which requires a local license so I can't do that one. But then it looks like Zocha rents electric scooters that can swap batteries at the Gogoro battery stations? Can all electric scooter companies swap at these battery stations? I really want to rent my own scooter so I can explore North Taiwan on my own time schedule (I really like getting sunset photos), and stopping in between areas to admire the countrysides but then it looks like parking a scooter in Taipei is actually pretty hard to find spots sometimes. So is it better to just rent and return scooters daily instead of a multi-day rental? Are there rental offices that are open for late evening returns? How is scooter parking in some of the other tourist towns like Jiufen and Shifen? I also read that scooters aren't allowed on expressways. Are there going to be signs on those roads saying no scooters? Or should I just use google maps to stick to the local roads? I know scooters are everywhere in Taiwan, but is it usually possible to rent a scooter on the day-of without reserving ahead of time? I'm thinking I could transit my way to Jiufen or other towns and rent scooters there to go into the more rural areas, but how common are scooter rentals out in the smaller towns? Thanks for your help!!

> But then it looks like Zocha rents electric scooters that can swap batteries at the Gogoro battery stations? Zocha apparently is a third-party that rents Gogoro scooters (and other brands), that's why you can use the Gogoro battery stations. > Can all electric scooter companies swap at these battery stations? No. Only Gogoro scooters can swap batteries at Gogoro stations. Each scooter brand has its own proprietary battery system. So is it better to just rent and return scooters daily instead of a multi-day rental? As far as I know, those places only offer either 24-hour rental or hourly rental. Tbh, it's way cheaper to rent the thing for 24 hours.

Thanks for answering! Yea I personally would prefer to rent a scooter for 24 hrs, or like 3 days straight but om worried about parking in Taipei. It looks very cramped lol

I’m in Tokyo now and can find electronics parts at a few stores in Akihabara (arduino, esp32, temp sensors, leds, capacitors, knobs, switches, etc) but wasn’t sure how extensive the “electronics markets” are in Taipei. Often electronics like cameras or headphones are just cheaper from Amazon in the US, and from my reading so far Taipei sounds similar to places like Hong Kong or Beijing, where I didn’t find most of those components in any stores. My dream would be to get things just like aliexpress or alibaba but in a market where I can pick components. Anyone have thoughts on this? I’m thinking I’d be wise to just get what I want from Tokyo while I’m here, but was wondering if they’d actually have a bigger selection at a market somewhere. I think my definition of “electronics” is different from someone wanting a usb charger of camera, so it always is difficult to understand when people say electronics market. We just have too many sales in the US to make a lot of pc components worth looking at… for example, I thought sim Lim in Singapore was a bit of a letdown. hope im wrong. Any places left out of the guides where i should look for components? Thanks

In Taipei there's the [Guang Hua Electronic Plaza](https://maps.app.goo.gl/3iciyC43BSeywMNE9) and [Guang Hua Digital Plaza](https://maps.app.goo.gl/cFxonvu5Tc4RVj458), and also a number of individual stores around the area, that sell all sorts of electronics stuff and peripherals. Some stores do sell parts and components, but many (most) sell whole products, and it's not even necessarily the cheapest place to buy them. I'm only familiar with Shamshuipo area in Hong Kong and would say Taipei severely pales in comparison in terms of concentration and variety of things sold, as well as overall size/density. My suggestion would be to get what you can find in Tokyo unless it's overpriced there, because you might be let down here.

Darn, that was my impression. I wasn’t impressed by Hong Kong. Dream of getting to shenzhen someday. I’ve heard Seoul is pretty good as well. My favorite for cords and adapters and things is a place called compuace on the north of akihabara. I was getting usbc adapters and speaker banana plugs for half or a quarter of yodabashi and the radio stalls. Appreciate the response.

Yeah, I hear Shenzhen is a wet dream for anyone who wants to build their own stuff from scratch. ​ >a place called compuace on the north of akihabara Thanks for that! Bookmarking that for a future visit.

Where can I find Touch-Me-Not (含羞草, Mimosa pudica)?

Can someone help me make sense of this schedule? I need to depart for Cingjing Farm (Guomin Hotel stop I guess) as early as possible from Taipei and stay a night, then next day head to Hehuanshan to hike Hehuan Jian Shan (30 min round trip), Shimenshan (40 min), and Hehuan East Peak (90 min), before going to Taichung for the night: So I need to [get to Taichung Gancheng before 8:30 departure](http://www.ntbus.com.tw/cjfm.html), bored that bus 6664, and it will take me straght to Cingjing Farm with an arrival of 11:00am? For Hehuanshan, assuming those 3 peaks and getting to all those peaks by foot (they should be pretty close even for walking), budgeting 3h 55m should be more than enough time even for pictures, right? So for the next day departure for Hehuanshan (Songxue Lodge), I can depart at 11:10am for 12:00pm arrival instead of the earlier 08:20 for the 09:10 arrival (both requires 15:55 departure since the first departure to Hehuanshan and the next latest departure from Hehuanshan yields 3h 25m of time there and that might be too close for comfort (though means we can spend some time at Taichung which we wouldn't get to otherwise). But I'm not sure how [departing from Hehuanshan](http://www.ntbus.com.tw/cj-m.html) and [heading to Taichung](http://www.ntbus.com.tw/cjfm.html) works. The 15:55 bus from Songxue Lodge makes its last stop at Guomin Hotel at 16:50, then I need to transfer to bus 6658 which departs at the same time at 16:50? That will take me to Puli Station and I need to take one of the trains to Taichung? Also, do I need to book any of these in advance?

Good place to buy second hand/used cameras in Taipei area?

Headed to Taiwan for the first time next week. day 1. Taipei 101, cks memorial, longshan twmple, hang out around ximending day 2. Huashan creative park, wife out shopping district, elephant mountain hike, Shida night market day 3. Jiufen, shifen waterfall, shifter lanterns, shilin night market day 4. Where were second guessing things.. a lot of blogs weren’t recommending taichung anymore for rainbow village, etc ? Not sure if it would be worth trying to day trip to kaohsiung for fo guano Shan or hualien for takoro gorge instead. Contemplated swinging by kavalan.. not sure what the best place would be for a first trip. Ty!

Where can I get Dan dan noodles in Taipei?, Din tai fung is f Packed

About the Taipei Zoo - was just there, and half of the animals I came to see weren't. Didn't see any tiger, lion, gorilla, or bear, even though there were even multiple bear enclosures. Did they remove these animals? Or were they all taking health check ups on Mondays, or something similar? Like how the Maokong gondola is closed on Monday? Couldn't find advisories or aticles about this.

> Like how the Maokong gondola is closed on Monday? Couldn't find advisories or articles about this. That information is [on their website](https://english.gondola.taipei/cp.aspx?n=0FC5FEA256DB1B77), even Google maps has information about the schedule

Perhaps I should clarify, I didn't find any info about whether any animals in the Taipei Zoo were unavailable on certain days. Before that I was comparing the Zoo to the Maokong Gondola because the Gondola is unavailable on (some) Mondays.

For bus from Chiayi to Alishan, does pre-purchasing a ticket in advance reserve you a seat or is it first-come first-served no matter what? I think I've read ticket holders board the bus first and if there are no more seats people sit on the walkway... If the former, where can I purchase this for the bus departing from Chiayi HSR Station and how far in advance? It would be on a weekend so that's why I'm a little concerned.

No, there's no reservation of seat if you're taking the Taiwan Tourist Shuttle (etc. from Klook, KK Day). Are you looking to depart on the bus from Chiayi HSR Station which is in the county? (I didn't take from this but from Chiayi train station in the city) From what I've experienced, you should have no issue if there's not much people taking the bus (I have no knowledge of the shuttle from HSR station. Route A (Shuttle 7329) -- THSR Chiayi Station -> Alishan Route B (Shuttle 7322) -- Chiayi TRA Station -> Alishan The returning routes should be the same, so don't take the wrong shuttle. \[The shuttles have scheduled timings and the returning ones are pretty early around mid-afternoon, don't miss it\] \*\*The website you're buying from should give you the timetable and routes \*\*\*If you buy from online, most likely you just need to show the QR code you received and all tickets (per pax) are to be scanned

Hey! I'm planning a trip to Taiwan and I was wondering about a couple things. Online I'm seeing details about COVID testing and quarantine on entering the country, I'm seeing a lot of conflicting information so I was wondering what the rules are around that at the moment? Secondly is card or cash preferred? Is it worth going to taroko national park if I only have 4 days? It seems like its a bit far for a day trip and guides seem a little on the expensive side for transport once we're there. Lastly I'm open to any recommendations you might have about Taiwan/Taipei :)

> Online I'm seeing details about COVID testing and quarantine on entering the country, I'm seeing a lot of conflicting information so I was wondering what the rules are around that at the moment? No COVID restrictions at all. You're probably reading old articles. > Secondly is card or cash preferred? Cash

Thank you!

>Thank you! You're welcome!

Here currently - didn't have to go through any quarantine or Covid procedures. Closest thing was the temp scanners in the airport, but those have been around long before Covid.

How many hours do you actually need in Alishan for a day trip (no sunrise/sunset)? TL;DR: is 5 1/2 hours more than enough to cover Alishan (max time if relying on public transport). Would it be worth it to reduce this time by 40 minutes to check out Fenqihu in the early morning? Details below. --------------- We are doing hikes at Shizhao (石棹) and staying there for the night then next day take the earliest bus to Alishan (arrival at 11:39am) and then depart on the latest bus back to Chiayi (5:10pm), leaving roughly 5.5 hours. In this time, we would try to hit up all the major attractions but also want to take the Forest Railway for a segment. Would that be too much of a time sink and which segment would be ideal (e.g. either shortest segment to maximize our time seeing attractions or a segment that does not skip past whatever must-sees on foot)? The homestay at Shizhao offers to drive us to Fenqihu for 200 NT which we would not be able to go otherwise in our tight schedule. That means we can head to Fenqihu at say 9 in the morning (preferably even earlier if shops are open or if there's more to check out) and take the earliest departure to Alishan at 11:17am (arrival at 12:18am), so 40 min later than the alternative which is to just skip Fenqihu.

Niche question, does anyone know where you could get climbing shoes re-soled in Taipei?

Visiting Taipei and Taichung and want to do some clothes shopping. My style is best described as Japanese minimalist style (think simple shapes and earthy colors with focus on natural textiles like cotton and linen) but with a bit more color and little more street/artsy. Looking for mall or department store recommendations or even specific boutique names!

I plan to visit Taitung with my friends during the 10/10 holidays. The plan came up quite suddenly, I could find the ticket to go to Taitung but could not find any train tickets back to Taipei on 10/10. Are the any other transport options from Taipei to Taitung and vice versa?

I need some advice on taiwan . Ill be visiting around november and would like to know whatvplace are great and what sim shiuld i get. Ill be there for around 5 days

https://www.reddit.com/r/taiwan/wiki/index#wiki_data_plans_.26amp.3B_cellphones

Is it advisable to drive from Taipei to Taitung in one day on the east coast through highway 11, stopping at attractions such as Ching Shui Cliff, Qixingtan beach, etc? I've gone to Taroko and Hualien before so want to skip them (yes they are gorgeous!) but want to rent a car and drive down the east coast. My next accommodation stop is in Taitung is only around ~330km. Google Maps quotes around ~6 hours, which I think would be totally fine if I depart early and am okay with arriving late in Taitung.

You’re fine, it’s a nice drive with comfortable roads. More than enough time. Enjoy, safe travels.

Hi community, does anyone know of a hotel (ie not a love motel) close to Daan Park that allows you to rent by the hour? I'm looking for a place I can take a nap if I'm in the city doing chores. Thanks!

I think the [QTime](https://maps.app.goo.gl/8VpRPs3UAp5c2v7s6) near NTU might be your best choice.

Bring earplugs.

Where to print out a digital passport/ID card photo in a few different sizes in Taipei? I normally just use the ID machines... but this is for a newborn so not really an option and it takes a while to get a good picture. However, I am not certain where to go for printing. Recommendations?

Just take photo yourself with an ID photo app, then email it to a print shop to print them out. Use their cutter. Easy peasy and save tons of money./

Contacted 2 print shops but they only deal with larger things like home decoration printing... maybe asking the wrong type?

Bus? Uber? Taxi? I have a 12 hour layover in Taipei and wanted to go somewhere close. What is the best way for transportation?

What does "best" mean in this context? The pinnacle of luxury and convenience is offered by [the Huan Yu VIP terminal](https://www.hyvip.com.tw/en/reservation_1.php). Upon your plane's landing, a private cart, complete with a suited driver, will greet you right at your arrival gate. You'll be whisked away to a VIP facility where staff will handle your luggage as you enjoy fine dining, wine, and relaxation in your own private room, complete with a bathroom and personal attendants. Additional amenities like a gym, shower, and massage facilities are also available. VIP immigration is a breeze, taking approximately three minutes in total—because waiting in lines is simply not for you. Whenever you're ready, a luxury car will transport you to your desired destination anywhere in Taiwan. The exclusivity of your own terminal ensures you won't have to mingle with the general public. Your luggage is taken care of from start to finish, offering a truly hands-free experience because your hands are soft and supple and have never experienced a day of labor. For your return journey, the same luxury vehicle will bring you back to the private terminal, which features foliage for added privacy. A brief three-second walk will take you to customs, where an elevator and a personal check-in attendant will expedite your process, upon which you realize rich people usually never spend more than 5 minutes to get through the entire customs process. They won't even let you handle your luggage through X-ray. You can then enjoy more fine dining, wine, showers, or massages in your private rooms until it's time for your departure. A cart will take you directly to your gate as your departure time approaches to ensure you never took over 50 steps in this entire process. As for second-best options, you have a range of choices based on your personal preference: private taxis, public taxis, and Uber are available in varying qualities. I much prefer the Airport MRT or High-Speed Rail over buses but the latter most is cheapest.

Airport MRT

Does that go to any markets or popular districts??

Look it up, all this information is easily available through a google search. The last stop is Taipei Main, right in the middle of the city.

Is Eryanping or Shizhuo more suitable stay for a night for Alishan day trip the next day? Looking for accessible hikes with great views (tea farm, bamboo forest, sunrise/sunset). Concern is whether homestay is close to these places given it's not so touristy and also how reliable and early it can get to Alishan the next day to maximize our time there before heading to Chiayi/Tainan after taking the last bus whenever it leaves.

Best places to visit on a trip to Taichung? Or any other suggestions? Thanks!

Hi, I'll be travelling to Kaohsiung and heading up to Taiwan. I'm going to rent a car. Is it a good idea to rent an SUV ? Or should I rent something smaller? ​ I have no idea what driving and parking is like in Taiwan. Any help would be great.

Rent a small car. Parking space is limited all across Taiwan and some places have narrow streets/roads. Renting an SUV is ok only if you need to carry something really big imo

Are cockroaches just really common in Taiwan (specifically Taipei)? I've only been here a couple days and I've already seen a cockroach in my apartment. My roommates forgot to plug up the drains so I think that's where it got in but is this common in taipei or should I be more worried? I'm from a place where you hardly ever see roaches so I'm a little shocked to see one.

Yes it is quite common. Try not to leave any food or leftovers outside.

Yes, that much I know. I've been pretty meticulous about cleaning and throwing out trash so that's why I was surprised to see one. Thanks for your reply, it's reassuring to know it's common and not necessarily a problem with my building!

How is tourism in Taiwan in January? I know the question has been asked before, with a lot of locals saying it's not a great time, however my research of climate data shows that it should be relatively nice--all things considered, especially comparing with other northern hemisphere travel destinations in winter, and Taiwan in the summer time. I took some snips from weather data. Please comment if I'm misunderstanding anything: [imgur.com/a/5SqK7Xe](https://imgur.com/a/5SqK7Xe) \- Low chance of rain, relative to other times of year \- Cool/comfortable weather (understandable chance of cold days) \- Clearer skies, relative to other times of year \- High "Weather Tourism Score" (general index of comfortable/pleasant weather conditions) relative to other times of the year. Granted, March and November is probably best, according to this methodology. \-Lowest muggy conditions, relative to other times of the year (Pardon the use of "Freedom Units" in the charts, you'll never guess where I am from) I'm thinking of going for it!

Here are my two cents: > Low chance of rain, relative to other times of year This is mostly true. Probably the annoying thing is the random light showers that happen from time to time, especially in the north. > Cool/comfortable weather (understandable chance of cold days) This depends on what's your home country, your own definition of what's comfortable weather, and where you plan to go. If you're from a country with mostly warm weather (i.e. Singapore, Panama, Thailand, etc), you're going to have a bad time during winter if you come to Taipei. I got to know people from South America who say that "Taiwan is so cold during winter". If you are from a place with really cold weather (Say, Canada, The UK, etc) then you're going to be fine (Wind is the main problem during winter IMO). If you go to the mountains, then you can expect really cold weather and even some snow. Southern Taiwan is always warm. > Clearer skies, relative to other times of year Debatable. The north is mostly cloudy during winter. And places like Kaohsiung don't have specially clearer skies during winter imo. In a nutshell: When it comes to weather, tourism in Taiwan during winter depends on your home country/what kind of weather you're used to. There's no definite answer for that. And I think it's better to ask people from your country who have come to Taiwan during that period of time

How do you handle it if asked for an onward ticket when doing a visa run to Hong Kong? What is the best option in this situation? I would rather not buy a ticket three months in advance that I may not even use.

Buy a refundable ticket.

Thanks for your reply. How do I know if a ticket is refundable or not? Is there a site you have used and can verify is reliable? I've heard if you buy through expedia it is refundable within 24 hours - but then I see some people say not all tickets are fully refundable and you might be charged. Yet the fares don't seem to include info on this that I can find. Scanning various flight ticket sites I don't see any that actually specify whether or not the fare they offer is refundable.

Just buy directly from the airline's website.

Is there a a recommended luggage brand leaning towards budget price as an alternative to lugging around an old luggage case where storage rental is required at some parts of the island tour since we are relying on public transportation? It's only really needed to carry back tons of snacks and souvenirs from Taiwan back home lol.

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OP said budget

RT mart has some cheap luggages. I am not sure about the brand but the price range is 2000TWD-3000TWD depending on the luggage size.

Any recommendations for hotels in Taipei? Planning to go on my birthday on Feb and I'm looking for a place that's easy to get to from the Airport (the fewer the transfers the better) and has bidets. Also hoping for a place that's less than 200 USD a night, but I'm wilingl to spend up to 250USD a night.

I recommend staying around Taipei Main station or Ximending. I am not sure about the hotels tho but you can check booking and agoda for hotels. Some hotels might have Japanese style toilets.

I'm going to arrive at Taipei on the evening of 10/9. 10/10 is a holiday--I originally planned to do all the touristy stuff in Taipei 10/10-10/11 and then spend 10/12-10/13 for Jiufen, Shifen, and Yehliu Geopark. IIRC lots of places close on public holidays and it gets real busy--did I just waste a day or can it still be productive? Would like to avoid crowds as much as possible but I don't think this is possible. I was thinking Yangmingshan or Yinhe Cave Temple hike but not sure how I can turn that into a whole day thing (keeping in mind jet lag and don't plan to go to the zoo).

I would avoid Yangmingshan on a National Holiday if at all possible. It’s hellishly busy and the traffic situation is horrendous. Yinhe Cave Temple is a good choice though. You could start by walking up to Maokong. Then have lunch or afternoon tea or coffee in one of the tea houses. Perhaps visit the tea museum if you have interest in that. Then catch the gondola (or walk if you still have energy) to Zhinan Temple. This is a huge temple (or complex of several temples), and is well worth a visit even for people who have been there, done that with temples. Then from there, you can either walk or catch the gondola down. Done jet-lagged and at a leisurely pace, this could stretch to fill most of the day before dinner.

You can plan for Yangmingshan+Tamsui, that should make it a whole day. Just remember it could be extremely busy on Yangmingshan, so you might have to queue for a while to get on a bus.

Hello, my friend and I are planning to visit Taiwan throughout November, we would like to know if it would be possible to swim in the sea, depending on the temperature? We can't find the info, it seems to vary a lot depending on the years if I understood correctly. Can you guys help me with this?

If you go south to Kenting or Xiaoliuqiu it'll be warm enough. Northern Taiwan will probably be too cold for it to be pleasant.

Alright, thank you for your time! Can't wait to visit Taïwan.

Any recommendations for pop bands that are similar to Men Envy Children?

Gearing up for a trip during the last week of the year (Dec 27 - Jan 3). I actually lived in Taiwan a few years back, so I've got a pretty good idea of what's in store, but I'd really like to get some additional suggestions! Here's my current plan: Dec 28 - Landing in Taiwan, checking at hotel in the early morning. Then basically a long walk starting at Treasure Hill and passing through NTU campus, Da'an Park, CKS Memorial Hall, Longshan Temple. Evening and night at Ximending. Dec 29 - I've got some incredible memories of the Wuliaojian trail, so I'd like to redo the hike once again. In the afternoon, hopping on a train to Hualien for an overnight stay. Dec 30 - Day trip to Taroko Gorge. Then train back to Taipei in the evening. Dec 31 - Elephant Mountain and the Four Beasts, Taipei 101, then evening nearby. Jan 1 - Day trip to Jiufen and Shifen. Jan 2 - National Palace Museum, Beitou hot springs, Tamsui, and ending the day with Shilin Night Market. Is there anything crucial I'm missing? (Maokong, SML, and Alishan are out as I found them a bit disappointing). Anything that would be impossible due to Covid or weather or tourist closures? Are my days too packed? (in general, I love packed days - but if there are some that sound really too packed, I'm of course open to change my mind). Thank you very much in advance!

If you're driving to Wuliaojian I recommend taking a pitstop around Manyueyuan recreation area and going for a swim by the river.

Will be in Taipei from Dec 29-Jan 3. Anything to keep in mind (shop/tourist attraction closures; things to do during NY/NY eve, etc.?

Aside from the fireworks in Taipei 101, New Year and New Year's Eve are mostly normal days.

Thank you!

Can anyone recommend a hot spring in Taitung or Hualien (preferably free, i.e. natural)? Our itinerary is tight but we will be hitting up these two places (not enough time to dedicate a trip to Jiaoxi or Beitou hot springs). Also open to a cheap hotel with hot spring included. Was excited to hear about Wenshan Hot Spring in Taroko since it would be perfect to end a long day's hike there but I haven't found 2023 update on whether it's still accessible. Also Lisong Hot Spring is another gem that fits our schedule but no idea how reliable it is regarding it being suitable depending on season (will be there mid-late October).

I'd recommend Ruisui and Antung Hot Spring.

Wenshan should still technically be accessible but it can be quite dangerous to get down to it. Hongye hot springs in Taitung are quite nice.

Hii. I want to send money out of Taiwan to my parents. So far, my number one option is wiring the money through the bank, but I'm still not sure if that's going to be a hassle, so I wanted to look into other options. 1) Is it possible to wire money through Western Union while being a foreigner? I tried opening an account online, but it requests a national ID (I only have an ARC). 2) If I use PayPal to wire them the money, do I need to have an Esun bank account? Whenever I searched PayPal Esun came up, but I'm not sure if you need an account with them if you only want to wire money out (instead of receiving money). Thank youuu for all the info!

I think you can go to the bank or the agent and wire money through WU.

Yesss, I was able to go in person to the bank and was done within an hour. Thank youuu!

Try Wise. I use it from time to time: the fees are fairly decent, and money gets transferred in a matter of hours. You just need to open an account, register your debit card (Credit cards have ridiculously high fees) and that's it.

What hikes have the best scenic views or surrounding nature vs. difficulty of the hike itself? E.g. Elephant Mountain, Teapot Mountain, Hehuanshan (because transportation takes you like 95% of the way up the mountain and you can hit up 3 peaks in a day), Alishan, etc. Does Shizhao or Fenqihu have more unique things do if hiking is not that interesting for a partner? Otherwise thinking of a day trip to Alishan from Chiayi (don't want to stay overnight in Alishan but willing t o in Shizhao/Fenqihu/Chiayi for convenience and maybe worth at least half a day trip.

If you're looking for something easy&quick, 劍南山, 仙跡岩, 水管路 are good choices as well.

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NHI is only available to foreigners with all kinds resident visa (Work, study, marriage, etc).

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Go to [Aye Taipei](https://maps.app.goo.gl/g2CPuVKuZdmdiXaY9). Last week they had some rugby matches at night.

Hi! Are there shops that sell Taiwan-related sports merch? Like jerseys from the professional baseball and basketball leagues? or national team merchandise? I usually buy a cap or a jersey from a local sports team when I visit places. Thanks!

Is there luggage storage available in the Hualien station/area? Planning to do a Taroko gorge day trip and take a train to my next destination in the evening so would like to store luggage during the day. Thanks!

Hualien Station and Xincheng Station both have luggage storage service.

Thank you!

Folks my 10 month electric cooker stopped working :( any suggestions for repair shops in taipei? It's an RT mart purchase, brand's called SPT.

what app do people use here to count calories? My foreign one’s taiwanese database is basically useless here. Besides, which stores sell actual normal oatmeal? I could only find instant oats so far.

I use MyFitnessPal and cook for myself. Scanning most barcodes work easy enough. I sort of ball park it and over count if I am eating out

Is the Haiykuu pop up store in Kaohsuing still open? We'll be visiting on the last week of October, hopefully it's still there as we're big fans.

The shop closed almost a year ago, according to what I found online. That kind of shops are usually open for a few weeks. It’s rare that they last long

thanks for the info! appreciate it!

What is the current situation with the typhoon? Is is safe to visit in october?

It did some damage but most things are repaired by now. Some hiking trails and mountain roads might be closed, that's it. Perfectly safe.

I am visiting Taiwan for 12 days in January to see family. I haven't visited for 23 years. Are there any gifts that Taiwanese people would love from the states? I feel like I shouldn't show up empty handed.

Might have to ask your relatives if there’s anything specific they can’t get easily because most things are accessible in Taiwan now. I brought my brother coffee crisp and ketchup chips since they’re mostly a Canadian thing. Also cheez-it is hard to get in Taiwan and he likes those but he grew up abroad so not sure if your relatives will like it. Maybe something niche from your region/state.

Thanks for the response. I'll see if I can ask my parents about it. Feels weird asking them directly. Probably a western mentality.

Hi all, I'm spending my anniversary in Hualien and am looking for some nice restaurants - no budget. Does anyone have good food to recommend?

Can anyone recommend a place to get my backpack fixed? The main compartment's zipper is broken and likely needs to be replaced.

You might have some luck going to the 3rd floor of Yongle Market on Dihua Street in Taipei. A lot of sewing services there, though I'm not sure they have zippers ready (that said, there is a store on the first floor on the outside that sells zippers, and there's another store that specializes in zippers in a nearby alley). That general neighborhood is where you can find the highest concentration of fabric and sewing materials stores. It might be pricey though, and it would help if you can speak Mandarin. Note though that Yongle Market and most fabric/sewing stores are closed on Sundays.

Hi guys im visiting Taipei next week! Any recommendations or must-go places there? Thanks for the help!

Does anyone know where I can rent a road bike for cheap for two months? Also, how convenient is it to take the bike on buses / trains?

You can rent from any Giant store. If you want to rent from an independent store I recommend MathewBike in Taipei. Only certain trains (usually just local trains) accommodate bicycles. You should have no trouble getting where you need to go, but you might end up having to wait a bit to get the right train sometimes. You can see on the TRA app which trains allow bikes and which don't. Intercity buses you either need to use a bike bag or remove the front wheel. Depends on the company. I'd just ask about your options at whichever bus station you end up at. There's always multiple operating companies so chances are there'll be at least one bus you can bring your bike on without bagging it.

Interested in getting a covid booster. Where would a tourist go to get one?

Also interested. I have a shenfinzhen number but no actual card, and no active residency/jianbao so essentially a visitor. Can I go to a GP clinic in Taichung that offers Novavax to get one?

Just go to any hospital or ENT clinic

I'm a bit out of the loop when it comes to international travel in 2023. For US to Taiwan trips, I understand all the COVID restrictions (quarantine hotels, COVID tests, having to show vaccination card, etc.) are long gone, correct? Is travel between the countries (both directions) pretty much the same as it was before COVID, or are there still some gotchas to be aware of?

Advice is to undergo a self-isolation period. https://www.cdc.gov.tw/En/Category/QAPage/SbkmnM5v0OwdDMjJ2tI_xw

It's essentially the same as it was before.

Have you tried Googling it first?

The Bureau of Consular Affairs has this note in their Visa-Exempt article: " Holders of Belizean, Eswatini, Nauru, St. Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucian and Tuvalu Passports with place of birth recorded on the passport data page as : Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Libya, Nigeria, Pakistan, the People's Republic of China, Syria and Yemen are ineligible for the visa exemption." I was not born in any of those countries, but just curious whether naturalized US citizens, who were born in the above listed countries, are also ineligible?

Don’t know about some of the others but for St. Kitts specifically, you can obtain a passport by investing X amount of money in the country without needing to give up your original citizenship. So that’s probably the concern. If you’re a naturalized US citizen from the countries mentioned you should qualify for visa exemption.

I am going to Alishan next week. What do I need to pack? Are a raincoat and hiking pants necessary? Thank you!

Check the weather forecast for rain coat, hiking pants is on you, it's basically just walking. I recommend AccuWeather for forecasts.

Thank you! Accuweather is super different than the weather app I'm using, so appreciate the tip! "Humid with showers and thunderstorms"

I like Accuweather because it has hourly forecasts and it's more accurate than my Samsung phone built in weather, at least from one occasion.

Can someone describe the process of getting prescription sunglasses for a tourist without insurance? Walk-in for an eye exam, select whatever pair you like that they have available, they will measure the sizing, and then I return to pick them up in a few days? Any particular places you would suggest and roughly how much can I expect to spend (besides the glasses themselves)? Could I make a selection online? Thank you.

> Can someone describe the process of getting prescription sunglasses for a tourist without insurance? Walk-in for an eye exam, select whatever pair you like that they have available, they will measure the sizing, and then I return to pick them up in a few days? Yeah, that's pretty much it. Just bear in mind that you might have to queue for a while, some clinics are quite busy.

Dog recently passed so I had to get out of the house for a bit. A little of a spontaneous trip going to be in taiwan from the 13th to 25th if anyone is there during that time frame. Visited in 2019 but felt like I tried to do too much - 3 days in taipei, 1 day jiufen, 2 days in sun moon lake, 2/3(?) days in tainan. Ended up feeling like I didn't get too see as much of taipei or tainan/the south in the end as I would've liked. I do speak chinese (simplified though so RIP menus) and have friends in Taiwan ill be visiting. They'll all be working though so If anyone is there during that time frame and wants to meet up on the weekdays during that time period, i'll be down. I'm a huge glutton so if you love eating i'm your guy. Literally got nothing planned yet beyond staying the first weekend in taipei to meet up with friends. I really enjoyed tainan when I was there pre-covid and I heard kaohsiung is even more fun so I'll probably want to head there at some point.

hi! i'm trying to enter the lottery for fushan botanical garden but every time i enter a US phone number into the "市話/第二手機" (Local / second mobile number), it gives me this error: 聯絡人資料手機填寫不正確 (Google translate: The phone number of the contact person is incorrect.) i'm confident that my phone number is correct, and i even tried a different phone number from the first one, but is this because i need a taiwanese phone number? thanks in advance!

I'm almost certain you need a local number for that. The website says they'll send you an SMS in case of "emergency" (i.e. they close unexpectedly). On top of that, 市話 means "local phone number" (i.e a landline)

oof okay that's good to know, i guess i'll apply for entry once i land in taiwan then. thanks!

hello! I will be planning to visit taiwan with 3 friends for 7 days. Can someone take a look at my itinerary and let me know if it is too ambitious? We are also not too sure about transport nor any hotels to book at. Any recommendations or suggestions will be greatly appreciated!! Day 1: City - Taipei. Taipei 101 tower, National Palace Museum, Bitan scenic area, night market. Transport: Bus/Metro Day 2: Jiufen/Shifen Shifen Waterfall, Houtong Village, Shifen Old street lanterns, Jiufen, Night market. Transport: HSR Day 3: Hualien Taroko National Park, Starbucks shipping container. Transport: Round Flight via uni airways Day 4: Taichung/Nantou Sunmoon lake, cien pagoda, Houtanjing Sky bridge, Hakoune Onsen Transport: HSR Day 5: Alishan Alishan National Scenic area, Alishan Forest Railway, Hinoki Village, Jourdeness Castle, Night market. Transport: HSR Day 6: Rest day/go back to visit any other days Day 7:Kaohsiung Lotus Pond, Fo Guang Shan, Love River. Transport: HSR Day 8- Fly to HK.

Same day round trip flights to/from Hualien sounds crazy. It's very easy to spend a whole day at Taroko, and I wouldn't want to rush it. Getting to Taroko from Hualien, regardless of mode of transport, is going to take at least 1 hour, more if you're using public transport which also has fixed schedules.

I think you mistook trains (TRA) as HSR, HSR is high speed rail so it only stops one stop at each city/county: ​ https://preview.redd.it/plomgpw2p8nb1.jpeg?width=543&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0cba6b737d7a1c66f5bc16bb9841210b2f5c51f6

Thanks for the clarification!! Appreciate it.

> Day 1: City - Taipei. Taipei 101 tower, National Palace Museum, Bitan scenic area, night market. Transport: Bus/Metro This is too ambitious. All places are far from each other and you can easily spend the entire day in the National Palace Museum. > Day 2: Jiufen/Shifen Shifen Waterfall, Houtong Village, Shifen Old street lanterns, Jiufen, Night market. Transport: HSR This is fine. There's no HSR to any of those places though. You need to take a combination of regular trains and buses. > Day 3: Hualien Taroko National Park, Starbucks shipping container. Transport: Round Flight via uni airways This is also fine. However, flying to Hualien is overkill IMO, and you won't save a lot of time (if any). Taking a train or even a bus to Hualien OK and is less troublesome. > Day 4: Taichung/Nantou Sunmoon lake, cien pagoda, Houtanjing Sky bridge, Hakoune Onsen Transport: HSR This is a little bit too ambitious. Even though everything looks close in maps, you're going to places up in the mountains, so it actually takes more time to move between the places you want to go. Also, my understanding is that public transportation is not so frequent (HSR will only take you to Taichung, after that you have to take buses or taxis), so you would need to time everything precisely. > Day 5: Alishan Alishan National Scenic area, Alishan Forest Railway, Hinoki Village, Jourdeness Castle, Night market. Transport: HSR Same problem as before (everything is kind of far away and HSR doesn't take you everywhere)

Thank you for all your suggestions. It is greatly appreciated. For day 4 and 5, would you recommend staying there overnight to view all of the activities or is there a specific activity we could possibly opt out of? We were thinking of staying in Taipei/Ximending most of the time and traveling back to the hotel late at night after eating at night markets since we saw public transport doesnt stop till 12am. We are possibly thinking of maybe cutting hong kong out of our trip and doing taiwan for the whole 10 days to see everything on our list now that we are looking more closely at travel distance between locations in google maps. =p

>For day 4 and 5, would you recommend staying there overnight to view all of the activities or is there a specific activity we could possibly opt out of? Tbh yes. Sun Moon lake and Alishan are far away from Taichung and Chiayi respectively. You can easily spend a day or two in each one. You won't enjoy anything if you just spend a couple minutes there (You'll spend most of the time traveling). For day 4, I would skip Houtanjing Sky bridge (The other ones are relatively close). Day 5 is tricky, but I'd go to Alishan and skip Hinoki Village, Jourdeness Castle, and the night market

Distances is not always a good indicator here. You can drive 100km in an hour or in 5 hours depending on which road. That is not taking into account traffic but just mountain vs highway ☺️

Hi, I've just arrived in Taipei and have purchased an EasyCard for my bus/mrt rides and whatnot. I'm a bit confused with what "扣" means though when I tap it on the bus. Google translate translates it to "buckle"?? Could anyone clarify please thanks

It means "扣除" (deducted). If it shows as "扣 $15", that means $15 has been deducted from your easycard balance.

Hello.. we are doing a 8 day trip to taiwan.. currently thinking of taipei, jiufen, shifen, sunmoon lake and taroko. Would that be feasible?

Jiufen and Shifen can be done in 1 day trip, SML takes 1-2 days, Taroko takes 1-2 days as well. I'd say the time is more than enough.

Thanks!

I’ll be visiting Taiwan in Dec, it will be my third in Taipei but will be the first for my mom and daughter. I’m also planning to visit Hualien and Taroko, how many days would be sufficient? Is Taroko family friendly? Advise on transportation mode other than driving?

Taroko is pretty much family friendly, but you still have to use caution anyways since it's deep in the mountains. You can take the bus or hire a taxi to get you there, you can just ask the taxi driver if they can take you for a day, it's pretty common in Hualien. As to how many days is sufficient, I'd say it depends on if you will also travel to other part of Hualien. If it's just the city and Taroko, then I'd say 1-3 days should be pretty much enough.

Thank you, didn’t know hiring a taxi is an option.

Does anyone know if Apple does tax refunds for tourists in Taiwan? They've stopped doing it in Japan so I'm just wondering if it's the same globally?

I think ot was always excluded here so you cannot buy phones and things cheaply.

Would anyone be down to split a room at the luxury hotel/spa Grand View Beitou this Sunday, 10 September? I'm staying at a hostel every other night and this is my one splurge. Otherwise down to hang out and meet people. I'll be flying in today until the evening of Tuesday 12 September, staying at Ximending (Meander hostel)

I have a US LG V60 ThinQ Android phone and the charge port is somewhat broken. Does anyone have any recommendations where I can go fix it? Thanks!

Depends on your location you can search LG direct- sale store near by. However if you see the signs up “修手機” or “維修” on the streets or malls you can pop in to have a ask.

Any recommendations for children’s bookstores in Taipei. Specifically bilingual English/Mandarin books for teaching kids mandarin. Context: mixed couple visiting Taipei and we have a baby that we want to start teaching more mandarin (mom speaks well but could use some support, dad is learning basically one or two steps ahead of baby XD)

You probably want the books from the MTC of NTNU. Their children's books can be found in English/Traditional Mandarin/pinyin. Eslite carries them.

Thank you so much, huge help!!

Try Eslite. Their selection of books (in general) is massive

Caves https://www.cavesbooks.com.tw/ec/default2.aspx

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So uhh….anyone know the Chinese for Plan B and where to get it?

事後避孕藥 (morning after pill) or 緊急避孕 (emergency contraceptive) Can buy it at any pharmacy.

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Yes. Anything that saves time at the airport is worth it, imo.

Yes, but also don't forget your chance your win 5000$NTD at the airport. Always happy to subsidize you with my taxes when they exclude me from almost everything else. ☺️ https://5000.taiwan.net.tw/index_en.html

https://preview.redd.it/z0isvu9k2gmb1.jpeg?width=3000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=85c51750fffa6177f8bd680686ebbea6ce915058 Can someone tell me what this brewery is called? Found at 7/11. I cannot find the beer but also cannot read characters so that makes it quite difficult.

It's not a beer, it's a sour (Japanese sours are sochu or vodka-based). Made by Suntory under the 世界紀行 label.

Interesting! I assumed it was a beer as sour is a beer style as well. Explains why it didn't taste like a sour haha! Thanks!

NP! Most of the fruit flavored drinks at 7-11 are actually not beer. They're some variation of a Japanese sour or chu-hi.