Taiwan

Whether you need a visa for Taiwan, the online arrival card every visitor must file, and the customs rules on meat, vapes and medicines that carry big fines.

Buy a travel eSIM before you fly; get a Chunghwa SIM at the airport only if you need a Taiwanese number. How to check your phone is unlocked, and the apps to install.

Where to pay by card and where to carry cash in Taiwan, where to change money without a fee, whether to tip, and how to claim the tourist tax refund.

What Taiwan's weather is like in your travel month, what to do when a typhoon is coming, train refunds, Lunar New Year 2027, and which Taipei museums close on Mondays.

Taoyuan Airport

Airport MRT or taxi into Taipei, high-speed rail or direct buses to other cities, free layover tours, and the NT$5,000 draw for returning visitors.

Which transit card or rail pass to buy for your trip, when high-speed rail and Taiwan Railway tickets open, and when a THSR Pass beats single tickets.

Whether you can drive in Taiwan on your International Driving Permit, when to hire a car instead of taking the train, what hire firms ask for, and the fines to know.

Riding Taiwan's Cycling Route 1 on your own bike or a hired one: when to go, how long it takes, taking bikes on trains, and the train hop past the Suhua Highway.

1Taipei

How long to give Taipei, the sights worth your time with the tip that matters at each, quieter corners, and what to do on a Monday or in the rain.

2Kaohsiung

How long to give Kaohsiung, the harbour, Cijin Island, Lotus Pond and Fo Guang Shan with the tip that matters at each, and what to do on a Tuesday or in the rain.

3Taichung

How long to give Taichung, the museums, theatre, Rainbow Village and Gaomei Wetlands with the tip that matters at each, and what's open on a Monday.

4Alishan

How to do Alishan as a day trip or overnight: bus or forest railway from Chiayi, when tickets open, the Zhushan sunrise train, and where to stay.

5Tainan

How long to give Tainan, its temples, forts, museums and night markets with the tip that matters at each, and what's open when the big museums close.

Day trips

Which day trip from Taipei to pick, how to do Jiufen and Shifen in one day, and the buses and trains to each, from Taipei or the Keelung cruise port.

• 6Jiufen
• 9Shifen
• 16Yangmingshan
• 17Keelung
• 18Yehliu

7Hualien

Using Hualien as a base for Taroko Gorge and the east coast: trains from Taipei, the sights with the tip that matters at each, the coast road and what to do when trains sell out.

8Sun Moon Lake

Sun Moon Lake as a day trip or overnight from Taichung: the bus, boats, ropeway and passes, the sights with the tip that matters at each, and what to do when the boats stop.

10Chiayi

Chiayi city before or after Alishan: the Palace Museum's southern branch, Hinoki Village and the night market with the tip that matters at each, and getting from high-speed rail into town.

11Taitung

Taitung as a base for the East Rift Valley, the coast road and Green Island: the sights with the tip that matters at each, the tourist shuttles, and what to do when trains sell out.

12Hsinchu

Hsinchu city and the Hakka villages of Neiwan and Beipu: the sights with the tip that matters at each, the branch line, and getting there from Taipei.

13Taroko Gorge

Visit Taroko Gorge from Hualien by car, scooter, tour or bus, timed to the road windows. Which trails are open after the 2024 earthquake, and which stay shut until 2031.

14Kenting

Getting to Kenting on the express bus from Zuoying, the parks and beaches with the tip that matters at each, night eco tours, and what to do in bad weather.

15Yilan

Yilan by bus from Taipei: the Jiaoxi hot springs, Turtle Island permits, whale watching, museums and night markets with the tip that matters at each.

19Wulai

Wulai as a half-day trip from Taipei: bus 849, the trolley to the waterfall, the Atayal Museum and Neidong forest, with the tip that matters at each.

20Kinmen

Flying to Kinmen, the tunnels, forts and old villages with the tip that matters at each, getting around by bus or scooter, and what to do when fog grounds the planes.

21Green Island

Getting to Green Island by ferry or plane from Taitung, the seawater hot spring, snorkelling and the Human Rights park with the tip that matters at each, and what to do when the ferries stop.

22Xiaoliuqiu

Getting to Xiaoliuqiu by shuttle and ferry from Zuoying, snorkelling with sea turtles and the tide-pool rules, the caves, and what to do when the ferries stop.

23Cingjing

Getting to Cingjing Farm by bus from Taichung, the grassland, skywalk and Hehuanshan's 3,000 m peaks with the tip that matters at each, and snow and altitude rules.