Why This Taiwan Guide Rocks
Love amazing food, turquoise water, rainforest hikes & lovely people? Taiwan is for you – and so is this blog post!
• 2.5-week detailed itinerary
• All favorite restaurants + street food must-tries
• All Google Maps links – save to your lists (you’re welcome 😊)
• Short & sweet – just the highlights!
💡 Pro Tip: Use this as your base – mix with other blogs and create your perfect trip!
General Info
How to travel within Taiwan
You’ll most likely fly to Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, from which you can take the purple local train / subway Airport Line (Express) (only takes about 30min) to get to central Taipei. We arrived late, so took an uber to our AirBnB, but took the Airport Line back to the airport at the end of our trip. Just like other countries, Taiwan hast it’s own little payment card for public transport in Taipei, the Easy Card. It also works in convenience stores and busses country wide.
We did not rent a car because public transport is super easy to use. It’s also super easy to navigate in Taiwan because you can simply use Google Maps to get the general idea and train and bus numbers. To book High Speed Rail tickets, you can either go to the train station, HSR desk for the fast train and or ticket machines, they are also in English.
Buy the Easy Card for 100 (currently = 2,74€) to 150 TWD ( Taiwanese $) at any Seven-11 or Family Mart, of which you’ll find more than you could possibly need in Taiwan. Here you can buy everything from water, food, drinks (incl. very interesting alcoholic cocktails, which I’ll talk more about later).
🇹🇼 Taiwan Convenience Store Magic!
Did you know? Taiwan has the most convenience stores per capita in the world (1 per 1,703 people!) – 7-Elevens are everywhere!
Pro Travel Hack: Load 500-1000 TWD on an EasyCard for Taipei MRT, buses nationwide, and convenience store payments. Skip foreign credit card fees!
💳 Bonus: If you don’t already have this, get a Visa with free foreign transactions for future trips
Useful apps for Taiwan
🇹🇼 Essential Taiwan Travel Apps
These iOS apps are game-changers (Android versions likely available too). Perfect for your itinerary!
Book local TRA trains online. Skip station lines (weekends/HSR sell out fast!). Note: First screens Mandarin – hamburger menu → 語言 → English.
High Speed Rail tickets between major cities. Fastest way Taipei → Taichung → Tainan!
Every receipt = lottery ticket! Scan to check numbers automatically. Keep originals if you win (travel back required 😅).
Not just stars! Search “Near Me” → “Distinctions” → “Bib Gourmand” for amazing affordable eats like Fu Tai Table & Din Tai Fung from your itinerary.
💡 Pro Tip: Bib Gourmand = Michelin-quality meals under price cap. Perfect for foodies!
Our 2.5-week itinerary
We wanted to see west and east coast, so we went around the whole island once: We spent 3 nights in Taipei, 2 nights in Sun Moon Lake, 3 nights in Tainan, 2 nights in Taitung, 2 nights in Hualien, 2 nights in Wulai and 2 nights in Taipei at the end. We’d do it again like this.
What we missed: Next time we will visit Alishan National Recreation Area, but this wasn’t possible due to the Typhoon that was over Taiwan while we were there.
🇹🇼 2.5-Week Taiwan Itinerary: Taipei to Taroko & Beyond
Day 1: Arrival in Taipei
- Arrive in Taipei
- Visit Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall (free)
- Head to Taipei 101 observatory
- Grab ticket for Din Tai Fung 101 (2h wait, ask for earlier)
- Afternoon night market for dinner
Day 2: Taipei Museums & Markets
- Morning: National Palace Museum (china, calligraphy)
- Afternoon: Subway to Ximending walking area
- Dinner & drinks there or night market
- Breakfast: Taiwanese scallion pancake (street vendors everywhere)
- Lunch: Garlic sausage at food stall (5min from museum)
- Dinner: Shilin, Raohe or Ximending Night Market
Day 3: To Sun Moon Lake
- Morning: HSR to Taichung, bus to Sun Moon Lake
- Afternoon: Walk to Nine Frogs Stack & old town
- Lunch: Lu Shih An Restaurant (fish, seasonal greens)
- Street food: Cabbage bun (early!), Taiwanese burger, black tea ice cream
Day 4: Sun Moon Lake E-Bike Day
- Lunch: Shuishe little restaurant
- Dinner: Shang-Hao Snack Bar (set menu, fresh fish)
Day 5-7: Tainan Exploration
- Day 5: HSR to Tainan HSR, free bus to center. Anping Old Street, Fort, Tree House
- Day 6: West Central – Kaiji Temple, Chihkan Tower, etc.
- Day 7: Typhoon recovery – city walk & rest
- Day 5 Lunch: Beef noodle soup. Cheese cake! Cocktails at Old Bone Bar
- Day 6: Breakfast here, Lunch Fu Tai or Jin Man noodles
Day 8-9: Taitung & Green Island
- Day 8: Train to Taitung, free hotel bikes for beach/city
- Day 9: Ferry to Lüdao (Green Island) – scooter loop, Lighthouse, caves
- Lunch Day 8: Home’s Kitchen (winter melon pork! Went twice)
- Dinner: M’loma (beef standout)
- Day 9: Lunch box Diao Yu Ren, Dinner back to Home’s
Day 10-11: Hualien & Taroko Gorge
- Day 10: Train to Hualien, Dongdamen Night Market
- Day 11: Early to Taroko – drive to gorge end, turquoise viewpoint
- Lunch Day 10: Hua Lien buns & dumplings
- Dinner: Beef noodles
- Day 11 Lunch: Tainan Yi Wei Pin | New spot
Day 12-14: Wulai Hot Springs & Hikes
- Day 12: Train/bus to Wulai, explore town
- Day 13: 10km hike from Chenggong
- Day 14: Wulai Scenic Train to Falls, bus to Taipei
- Day 12: Breakfast pancakes, Coffee view, Dinner Taiya
- Day 13 Lunch: Sanbao Beef
- Day 14 Coffee: Tonyx
Day 15-17: Taipei Finale
- Day 15: Dihua Street souvenirs, Don Donki, Yongkang St
- Day 16: Maokong Gondola (glass floor!)
- Day 17: Elephant Mountain hike (2h loop), to airport
- Day 15 Lunch: Mingfu (1-star, crab!). Din Tai Fung to-go
- Day 16 Lunch: Longya Tea House, Dinner: Hosu (1-star, 13-course – book ahead!)
🇹🇼 Must-Try Taiwan Food Guide
Complete list from our 2.5-week itinerary – all Bib Gourmands, Michelin stars & personal favorites. 📍 Full Google Maps List
🏙️ Taipei (Days 1-2, 15-17)
World-famous xiao long bao (18-fold dumplings) + spicy shrimp wontons. Get ticket early (1-2hr waits). Day 1 lunch perfection!
Legendary breakfast – thick soy milk w/ youtiao, sweet/savory pancakes. 40+min queues. Day 1 highlight (long lines!)
Rice-stuffed crab, wild chicken, Buddha jumps wall soup. Book 2wks ahead. Day 15 finale – amazing crab!
14-course indigenous tasting menu. Seasonal mountain/sea ingredients. Day 16 trip highlight (book early!)
🌅 Sun Moon Lake (Days 3-4)
Lakeside Chinese – crispy sharpbelly fish, baked water bamboo w/cheese. Reserve ahead. Day 3 lunch perfection!
Fresh set menus w/3-cup chicken. Family-run gem. Day 4 dinner after e-biking!
Must-try street food – get early! Day 3 classic
Local gua bao-style – one of a kind!
Perfect lake refreshment.
🍲 Tainan (Days 5-7)
Michelin-rated sticky rice w/ braised pork, cucumber, fish floss & peanut powder. Peppery gravy + herbal soup famous since 1985. Migao rice bowl = pork lard + radish perfection!
80+yr legacy – braised pork rice + milkfish “fan zhuo zai” style. Clean 3rd-gen shop. Fried milkfish legendary. My Tainan favorite! Got seconds to-go 😋
Rich spicy dry noodles that sell out fast. Caught 2nd lunch before closing – worth it!
Classic Taiwanese comfort food. Day 5 lunch after Anping – perfect!
Great cocktails after sightseeing. Day 5 cheese cake + drinks!
🏝️ Taitung (Days 8-9)
Winter melon pork ribs. Went twice – trip favorite!
🏔️ Hualien (Days 10-11)
Rich broth after Taroko. Day 10 dinner classic!
♨️ Wulai (Days 12-14)
Hearty trail lunch. Day 13 hike fuel!
🥤 7-Eleven + Night Markets
📸 Blog Gold: Full Maps List + 180+ spots w/ personal notes and foodie tips
🇹🇼 Ready for your Taiwan adventure?
This 2.5-week itinerary blends city vibes, epic hikes, night markets & Michelin eats. We loved Taiwan and want to go back already! A few foods weren’t our taste (that’s adventure!), but we’ll keep trying new things.
📸 If you visit any of these places, share your pics with #CarbonaraInspired & tag @carbonaraontour!
Hope this helps plan your trip! Anything missing? Let me know in the comments!
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