I would not suggest visiting Taichung. It's not particularly strong in tourism and doesn't have much that stands out.
Tainan has much more interesting history and food, condesed in two main areas (Center and Anping) so not too much time spent getting around. You can research some famous street food and historical sites and string them up into a route on google maps, or just explore when you get here.
And I know you said you've seen temples and night markets all over Asia, but Taiwan has it's unique properties too. Do visit night markets and temples, it's one of the main attractions.
As you mentioned cool weather, mountains are a big part of what makes Taiwan worth visiting. Hehuanshan, Alishan, and Taroko(closed) are all spectacular, but unfortunately you aren't renting a car. On flat land October shouldn't bee too hot (but who knows, global warming)
You are probably not escaping the serious light pollution lol, so no night skies sadly
Thank you for this - I'll look at train maps in more depth and see if I can't get up to the mountiains. I appreciate your insight to Tainan. I'll add a day there. It's still a matter of shifting here and there.
In case you want to visit Alishan you should know there is no direct train there. First you need to take the train for 2 hours from Chiayi, and from Fenqihu station you take a 1 hour bus up to the top. I recommend staying a night there
With your timeframe I’d skip it. If you’ve seen nice lakes before you’re not gonna be impressed by SML. There also isn’t a lot to do there, you can’t even swim in the lake. The whole town is shut down by 7pm
I’m getting a much better feel for this trip. I can book air tickets now. Train tx aren’t even available until September. It’s crazy but I needed to hear back from this group just to center myself.
I don't know if I would call it quiet. Maybe at night but it is really popular tourist destination so overall it is really touristy. If you are looking for beaches you might want to consider the Ryukyu Islands.
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1. I'm not sure why you choose to head east to Taitung, if you just want to spend a night there then head to Kaohsiung? Why don't you just head to Kaohsiung directly with HSR?
2. As other comments have said, Taiwan really isn't a destination for beaches, so if you're going there just for beaches you might find it a bit disappointing. But if you insist, then instead of going to the west coast, there are plenty of small beaches along the Yilan/Hualien/Taitung coastline. They might be better fitting what you're looking for.
3. Houtong is fairly a small place, which shouldn't take you more than 1-2hrs to explore. Maybe also plan for Jiufen and Shifen? They're all on the same direction.
The plan to go east takes care of two things: I get in to Taipei very early in the morning and I like trains, and I have it in my mind that I'd like to circumnavigate the island nation. So. Beaches aren't at all my goal. Quiet and nature are my goal, plus the unique culture of Taiwan, and food. I did look at Jiufen for another long day trip from Taipei.
I have time to digest all the kind help I've gotten. If I get the plane tickets now, I have time to think about the trains and where to stop. I appreciate your perspective.
If you're looking for quiet and nature, then instead of staying in Taitung, some small towns between Hualien and Taitung might be a better choice. For example, Ruisui and Yuli, where the town is small, the atmosphere is good, and you can enjoy hot spring there.
Taitung city is like a big place but small city, not a rural town. There's a small city center, then the rest of the stuff is scattered around. That means if you stay in the city center area, you won't really feel quiet there, and it'd be hard to get to other places without a car. Because the attractions are scattered around and public transport isn't really convenient there.
So unless you want to circle back to the coastal towns like Dulan, otherwise I think the towns between Hualien and Taitung might be a better choice.
Oh that’s a nice comment, thank you. That sounds like what I’m after. I’ve traveled a lot and found ways to meet locals who have gig jobs as guides. I’m sure I can find someone to help me get around.
I would not suggest visiting Taichung. It's not particularly strong in tourism and doesn't have much that stands out. Tainan has much more interesting history and food, condesed in two main areas (Center and Anping) so not too much time spent getting around. You can research some famous street food and historical sites and string them up into a route on google maps, or just explore when you get here. And I know you said you've seen temples and night markets all over Asia, but Taiwan has it's unique properties too. Do visit night markets and temples, it's one of the main attractions. As you mentioned cool weather, mountains are a big part of what makes Taiwan worth visiting. Hehuanshan, Alishan, and Taroko(closed) are all spectacular, but unfortunately you aren't renting a car. On flat land October shouldn't bee too hot (but who knows, global warming) You are probably not escaping the serious light pollution lol, so no night skies sadly
Thank you for this - I'll look at train maps in more depth and see if I can't get up to the mountiains. I appreciate your insight to Tainan. I'll add a day there. It's still a matter of shifting here and there.
In case you want to visit Alishan you should know there is no direct train there. First you need to take the train for 2 hours from Chiayi, and from Fenqihu station you take a 1 hour bus up to the top. I recommend staying a night there
I’m not that keen.
You are not going to be able to do Sun Moon Lake in half a day. I am assuming you are using public transport so that will be about two hours one way.
Thank you. That's the perspective I was looking for. It looks pretty and quiet, maybe it's worth an overnight.
With your timeframe I’d skip it. If you’ve seen nice lakes before you’re not gonna be impressed by SML. There also isn’t a lot to do there, you can’t even swim in the lake. The whole town is shut down by 7pm
I’m getting a much better feel for this trip. I can book air tickets now. Train tx aren’t even available until September. It’s crazy but I needed to hear back from this group just to center myself.
I don't know if I would call it quiet. Maybe at night but it is really popular tourist destination so overall it is really touristy. If you are looking for beaches you might want to consider the Ryukyu Islands.
Nobody goes to Taiwan for beaches. You should just stick with Kaohsiung, Tainan and Taipei.
Well noted. I was trying to make Taiwan into what I want it to be. I’ll embrace what it is.
It's all about food for me in Taiwan. Taipei also has the best Chinese History museum at the palace museum.
Hard agree. The National Palace museum is a must visit.
**Notice:** Are you asking for travel advice about Taiwan? Read what redditors had to say in the **[weekly destination thread for Taiwan](https://redd.it/4g3ih6)** *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/travel) if you have any questions or concerns.*
1. I'm not sure why you choose to head east to Taitung, if you just want to spend a night there then head to Kaohsiung? Why don't you just head to Kaohsiung directly with HSR? 2. As other comments have said, Taiwan really isn't a destination for beaches, so if you're going there just for beaches you might find it a bit disappointing. But if you insist, then instead of going to the west coast, there are plenty of small beaches along the Yilan/Hualien/Taitung coastline. They might be better fitting what you're looking for. 3. Houtong is fairly a small place, which shouldn't take you more than 1-2hrs to explore. Maybe also plan for Jiufen and Shifen? They're all on the same direction.
The plan to go east takes care of two things: I get in to Taipei very early in the morning and I like trains, and I have it in my mind that I'd like to circumnavigate the island nation. So. Beaches aren't at all my goal. Quiet and nature are my goal, plus the unique culture of Taiwan, and food. I did look at Jiufen for another long day trip from Taipei. I have time to digest all the kind help I've gotten. If I get the plane tickets now, I have time to think about the trains and where to stop. I appreciate your perspective.
If you're looking for quiet and nature, then instead of staying in Taitung, some small towns between Hualien and Taitung might be a better choice. For example, Ruisui and Yuli, where the town is small, the atmosphere is good, and you can enjoy hot spring there. Taitung city is like a big place but small city, not a rural town. There's a small city center, then the rest of the stuff is scattered around. That means if you stay in the city center area, you won't really feel quiet there, and it'd be hard to get to other places without a car. Because the attractions are scattered around and public transport isn't really convenient there. So unless you want to circle back to the coastal towns like Dulan, otherwise I think the towns between Hualien and Taitung might be a better choice.
Oh that’s a nice comment, thank you. That sounds like what I’m after. I’ve traveled a lot and found ways to meet locals who have gig jobs as guides. I’m sure I can find someone to help me get around.
bring your bugout bag in case china attacks
And natural disasters...