I would probably not have thought of visiting Taiwan, if I was not living in Hong Kong. But having visited there, I can see how I was so wrong. Firstly, Taiwan is visa-friendly for a lot of countries. Plus, it is really a much cheaper and almost similar version of its big brothers Japan and Korea. East + West is very evident in this country, plus the food. Oh, the insane variety of food just won me over!
Sharing in this article our 4 day itinerary of the east coast of Taiwan. Taiwan is really so much more than just Taipei. If you are visiting Taiwan soon, and like what you see here, head over to my Youtube channel to subscribe, as I am posting a lot of detailed vlogs, budget related information, tips and tricks there in following weeks! You don't want to miss the fun, do you :)
Day 1 - We had landed in Taipei on Day 0 and made an early start today to go around some of the sights of Taipei. We went to Beitou Thermal springs and then the Longshan temple, and then took a leisurely stroll around the Bopiliao old street, which is walking from Longshan temple. After having lunch somewhere around here, we had a train to catch to Hualien.
Taipei to Hualien is a 2 hour ride by the fast train, and on reaching there, after checking into our hotel, the first thing we did was to go to the Dongdamen night market. The variety of food it sells here at a super cheap price is to die for!
Day 2 - This day was all about getting into the wild, doing a few trails in Taroko national park, and on the way we also stopped at the Qingshui cliff, where the steep mountains drop into the ocean!
In the evening we took a train ride back to Taipei..
Day 3 - For this day we had booked a group tour to Jiufen, Shifen and a few other places on the way, like the Yehliu geopark. The tour got us back to taipei by 6 PM
In the evening, we HAD to checkout the Shilin night market. the lanes and lanes of food and merchandise mermerized me. We almost got lost and had to ask the locals to find our way back!
Day 4 - I had kept today for just roaming around Taipei city, because for me, no city tour is complete without taking a leisurely stroll around without any aim... We found ourselves at the Liberty square, which is surrounded by the Chiang Kai Shek memorial and the National Theaters...such gorgeous architectures.
After that, we went to Taipei 101, which is like the iconic structure in the middle of the city. It used to be the tallest building of the world couple years back, now it is 8th. The observatory gave us some amazing views of Taipei.
After that, we had a late lunch, and took our cab to the airport for our flight back!
I have to say, I was aching to stay back a few more days in the vibrant city..so much so that I am already planning my next trip here...this time to spend a few days only in Taipei.. :)