The following list highlights some of the best places to visiting in Taiwan. So if you are in Taiwan, I recommend visiting the following:
- Sun Moon Lake, Nantou, Taiwan
- The Lin Family Mansion and Garden, Banqiao, Taiwan
- Carton King Creativity Park, Taichung, Taiwan
- Rainbow Village, Taichung, Taiwan
- Xinshe Sea of Flowers, Taichung, Taiwan
- Dakeng Scenic Area, Taichung, Taiwan
- Taroko Gorge, Hualien, Taiwan
- National Palace Museum, Taipei, Taiwan
- Taipei 101, Taipei, Taiwan
- Shifen Waterfall, Pingxi, Taiwan
- Beitou Hot Springs, Beitou, Taiwan
- LaoMei Green Reef, New Taipei City, Taiwan
- Yehliu Geopark, Wanli, Taiwan
- Zushi Temple, Sanxia District, Taiwan
- Wanli UFO Village, Wanli, Taiwan
- Yangmingshan National Park, Taipei, Taiwan
- Longshan Temple, Taipei, Taiwan
- Tian Yuen Temple, Tamsui, Taiwan
- Lotus Lake Taoist Complex, Zuoying, Taiwan
- Grand Matsu Temple, Tainan, Taiwan
- Wusheng Night Market, Tainan, Taiwan
- Fo Guang Shan, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
The Best Places in Central Taiwan
1. Sun Moon Lake, Nantou
This lake, surrounded by majestic mountains, is the largest natural lake on the island. The climate here is very mild and cool: the air temperature in summer does not rise above +22 degrees, but does not fall below +15 degrees. Resting by the lake is an ideal option for restoring inner strength and distracting from everyday life. The mirror-like expanse of the waters reflecting the mountain peaks, the magnificent scenery is breathtaking, and here you can also get acquainted with local attractions, such as the Wenwu Temple and the amazing island that divides the reservoir into two parts.
2. The Lin Family Mansion and Garden, Banqiao
With a size of 20,000 m2 in a residential area of Taipei, divided into two areas, the Garden and the Mansion, surrounded by a century-old wall. The Mansion is the residential part where the Lin Yuan Ben family currently lives, known as the Mansion of the Three Courtyards, which can only be visited by prior reservation and organised tour with a tour guide. The history of the Lin Yuan Ben family dynasty in which several generations made their fortune mainly from rice cultivation and trade. The rest of the complex, with its many gardens and outbuildings, is free to enter, and it is a real treat to stroll through this haven of peace in the middle of the bustling city. Take a leisurely stroll among pavilions, gardens, fish ponds and small lakes and enjoy the Chinese love of nature reproduction.
3. Carton King Creativity Park, Taichung
This creative and original place is located in the city of Taichung in Taiwan and was built entirely from recycled materials. Among which are cardboard and paper, and there is also a restaurant made of the same material. Carton King Creative Park is looking for ways to reuse these materials to help the planet and provide visitors with unique experiences. Likewise, there is a shop inside the park which also sells items made of cardboard. Most people come out of curiosity because they don’t believe that everything is made from recycled materials. If you are also a recycling enthusiast, don’t hesitate to visit this park on your next trip to Taiwan.
4. Rainbow Village, Taichung
Rainbow Village is not really a village, but a few houses located in a slum north of the Taiwanese city of Tanchung, which is in the west of the island. The beauty of this place, apart from the drawings and the brightly coloured facades, is the inspiring story behind them. Almost childish drawings won the battle against speculative real estate interests that were threatening the area. And just like the story of David and Goliath, they managed to stop the imminent destruction to which the Rainbow Village houses were sentenced. It is not a must-see in Taiwan, nor is it a place I would say you can’t miss. But if you are in Taichung and you have a couple of hours when you don’t know what to do, come and see it.
5. Xinshe Sea of Flowers, Taichung
The festival is part of a series of activities designed to boost the local economy and promote regional tourism. The highlight of the festival is a 20-hectare floral landscape that includes fields of zinnias, French marigolds, garden sage, cockscombs and a host of other varieties. The festival, which runs from November to 16 December. Before entering the main area, visitors can see a sea of brightly coloured flowers even from the car park. In the off-season, the large area and surrounding paths provide opportunities for cycling and mushroom growing. If you’re a nature lover, you’ll want to visit on a sunny day.
6. Dakeng Scenic Area, Taichung
The Dakeng Scenic Area is a series of hills with a number of hiking trails. The Tai Hang trails are numbered from 1 to 10 and the highest viewpoint is about 850 metres and offers fantastic views of the surrounding area. Dakeng Trails Hiking differs from other hiking spots in Taiwan in that, although most of them are man-made trails, they are on man-made wooden stairs! The most famous trails are trails 1-4, which run almost parallel to each other, and trail 5 connects them along the highest ridge. Trails 6-10 are mostly short and not very steep.
The Best Places in Eastern Taiwan
7. Taroko Gorge, Hualien
One of the most beautiful and fascinating places in Taiwan is the Taroko Nature Reserve, located in an area of 930 square kilometres. Deep gorges cutting through the rock, incredible waterfalls, stormy rivers, virgin forests and other natural wonders will impress everyone who visits here. In 1937, a conservation area was founded on this territory, and today thousands of tourists from all over the world come to admire the beauty of these places, many stay here to rest for several days at a time.
The Best Places in Northern Taiwan
8. National Palace Museum, Taipei
When choosing where to go in Taiwan, once in its capital, it is worth allocating time to visit the Imperial Palace Museum. This huge historical museum is one of the largest in the world and hides within its walls a wealth of valuable exhibits symbolising Chinese traditions and culture: there are around 7,000 of them here, and the oldest exhibit is approximately 8,000 years old.
9. Taipei 101, Taipei
The main attraction and symbol of the capital is the 101-storey Taipei 101 skyscraper. A large number of shops, restaurants and entertainment venues are concentrated here. The upper floors of the building are impressive, because the height of the skyscraper is almost 510 metres, and the ascent to the top floor will take less than a minute, thanks to the fastest lifts.
10. Shifen Waterfall, Pingxi
One of the best sights in Taiwan is at the Shifen Waterfall. The magnificent waterfall with the purest emerald water is the largest on the island. The locals call it Little Niagara, thanks to its beautiful shape, consisting of many waterfalls and rapids. The roar of a huge overflowing stream has been heard for many miles and as you approach, you will be treated to a beautiful rainbow over the streams and abundant lush vegetation on the surrounding hillsides.
11. Beitou Hot Springs, Beitou
Taipei’s northernmost area, Beitou, is famous for its hot springs, which arose as a result of volcanic activity. The best way to familiarise yourself with the culture of visiting the springs is to go to the local Beitou Museum, which presents the history of the area and the tradition of therapeutic bathing. Almost all local hotels offer visitors a steam bath in the pools with hot sulphuric waters that strike straight from the bowels of the earth. After a healing bath, visitors are offered a traditional massage.
12. LaoMei Green Reef, New Taipei City
Green coral reefs are the result of a continuous layer of algae growing on volcanic rocks. As the algae die, their limestone skeletons form layers that serve as a base for the growth of a new generation of algae. This is what we see today as fine algal reefs, the result of the accumulation of living and dead algae. Countless photography enthusiasts come here every year. At sunrise and sunset, the sea reflects lights of different colours, making the beautiful panorama almost dreamlike.
13. Yehliu Geopark, Wanli
It is very close to Taipei, so it is very easy to get there by bus and make a day trip and combine it with a visit to another place on the north coast of Taiwan close to the Geopark. The reason for a trip to Yehliu Geopark is to see a geological landscape worthy of another planet. A narrow strip of land, 1.7 km long, juts out into the Pacific Ocean. From it protrude mushroom-like, erosion-worn stone structures called hoodoo rocks. The contrast of this eroded and bizarre landscape jutting into the ocean and the sight of these natural sculptures is what attracts visitors to the park. The park has three sections, with lookout points from which to view the stone structures from different locations.
14. Zushi Temple, Sanxia District
Zushi Temple is a beautiful Taoist temple located in Sanxia District. It is primarily dedicated to the god Patriarch of Qingshui, known locally as Zu Shi Gong, a 13th century governor who was praised for his courage in the face of the Mongol invasion of China. The temple is beautifully decorated with dragons, sages, fish, shellfish, birds, elephants and orchestras, as well as other sculptures and reliefs, making it a jewel of the island’s religious art. The finely finished main chamber is also striking.
15. Wanli UFO Village, Wanli
The eerie streets of this abandoned beachside paradise still echo with the cries of surfers battling strong coastal waves from the town’s bygone days as a centre of mid-century futurism. The prefabricated plastic oddities were originally designed as ski chalets light enough to be airlifted to any terrain, though Wanli traded in the UFO-style adjustable legs for sticky 1970s-era concrete pebble stairs. Today, the Futuro houses are a regular stop on the tourist routes of domestic and foreign travellers discovering the lands around Taiwan’s northern coast.
16. Yangmingshan National Park, Taipei
In the north of Taipei lies one of the country’s 8 national parks: Yangmingshan Park. This is a true paradise for nature lovers: here everyone can walk along narrow trails at an altitude of 200 metres to 1.1 kilometres, admire the flourishing sakura, see the peaks of extinct and active volcanoes, visit the healing hot springs, enjoy the splendour of the local scenery and sample local dishes. Cuisine. Due to the wet climate in the park, there are many lakes and rivers, large and small, which are fed by heavy rainfall for about 190 days a year.
17. Longshan Temple, Taipei
According to reviews, one of the most beautiful man-made sites is the oldest temple in the country: Longshan, located in the historic part of Taipei. Built in the mid-18th century by early Chinese settlers, it survived numerous trials of war and the elements. Today, Longshan is one of the main centres of Buddhism in the country. The temple includes 3 richly decorated halls, and an elegant artificial waterfall adorns the entrance.
18. Tian Yuen Temple, Tamsui
It represents the universe and is where the most important ceremonies of the Emperor, the Son of Heaven, take place twice a year. The Temple of Heaven Park covers an area of 270 hectares and is surrounded by walls measuring 1,700 x 1,600 metres from north to south and east to west. Inside are the main buildings of worship: to the north the Temple of Prayer for Good Harvests, which is also known as the Temple of Heaven (easily recognisable by its round shape), and to the south the Temple of Heaven and the Altar of the Beloved.
The Best Places in Southern Taiwan
19. Lotus Lake Taoist Complex, Zuoying
Here we will discover a beautiful collection of traditional buildings as well as a gigantic collection of mythical beasts that serve as bridges, gates and symbols of piety. The Spring and Autumn Pavilions are traditionally ornate palace towers separated by a large dragon ridden god. Two huge pavilions house the god of war known as Kuan Kung in many other scriptures. The two devotional buildings are separated by a huge dragon statue with a huge human figure on its back. A little south of the lake pavilion is the much taller Dragon and Tiger Pagoda, which was completed in 1978. Both the dragon and the tiger opened their mouths, and the room through which visitors entered the temple was consumed.
20. Grand Matsu Temple, Tainan
The goddess Matsu is one of the most important deities in Taiwan. When you visit temples in Taiwan, you will usually see painted gods on the entrance doors of the temples. Here at Matsu temple you won’t see them, instead there are nails decorating them. This is to show the high status of the goddess. Inside the temple there are several stone plaques embedded in the walls, a token of the respect that all the ancient emperors have had for Matsu. Presiding over the temple on a large altar, Matsu follows you around the temple with her clairvoyant, squinting eyes. Of course, there is no shortage of divination paraphernalia: moon blocks, goss sticks etc. The statue of Matsu is four metres tall, made of clay and made in mainland China.
21. Wusheng Night Market, Tainan
Wusheng Night Market is one of the most important night markets in Tainan City, Taiwan. Opened in 1984, Wusheng Night Market is the oldest night market in and around Tainan City. For those who want to reach the city centre on foot, this is the closest night market to the city centre. Open on Wednesday and Saturday nights from 15:00 to 22:00. It’s a great place to shop for fashion, gifts, electronic accessories and more. Several stalls also sell handmade crafts such as leather goods, hats, rings and necklaces, offering more than just food, drink and shopping experience, with many stalls offering entertainment for adults and even children.
22. Fo Guang Shan, Kaohsiung
It is located northeast of Kahosiung and is home to Taiwan’s largest Buddha Museum. Founded by Master Hsing Yun in 1967 in a bamboo forest, it grew into what is now the largest Buddhist monastery in Taiwan. Fo Guan Shan has around 200 temples around the world where humanistic Buddhism is spread. The monastery has 8 impressive pagodas distributed symmetrically on each side, which you can access and contemplate the Buddhist exhibitions and altars inside. All this without losing sight of the statue of the Great Buddha, which you will be able to observe more closely when you reach the end of the tour.
If you loved this article or found it useful, don’t forget to visit and subscribe to my social media for more useful content. Follow us on Google My Business, YouTube, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter, Facebook or Reddit and subscribe to our receive our free website content.