2021 Year of Cycling Tourism

Enjoy your Ride on the Island!

Feature Articles

2021 Nov./Dec.FeatureNorth

A Hakka Country Living Museum

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2021 Nov./Dec.FeatureNorth

Fun Day Tripping in Daxi and Longtan

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2021 Nov./Dec.FeatureNorth

Let’s Head to Lalashan!

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2021 Sept./Oct.FeatureNorth

Small Cultural-Creative Travels

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2021 Sept./Oct.FeatureNorth

A HSINCHU Journey

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2021 Sept./Oct.FeatureNorth

North Taiwan on a Budget

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Random Picks

2021 July/Aug.

The Kinmen and Matsu Islands

Far from Taiwan main island, Kinmen and Matsu are two fascinating island groups worth visiting, both rich in history, culture, and scenery.
2021 Mar./Apr.

The Great Taiwan Coffee & Tea War

A battle of the daily staple beverages has been raging in Taiwan the past decade-plus, a titanic struggle for the hearts and minds of the people. Tea has sat proudly…
2021 Mar./Apr.

Luxury Vacation Stays in Hualien

Three great places to spend a vacation in style in Hualien, one inside the world-famous Taroko Gorge, two in the scenic East Rift Valley, all providing high-quality service and facilities…
2020 Sept./Oct.
YILAN COUNTY Discoveries
2021 Nov./Dec.
A Hakka Country Living Museum
2021 Sept./Oct.
Along the Dahan River
2021 Jan./Feb.
Riding in the Harbor City
2021 May/June
Taiwan’s Wide World of Flour-Based Culinary Joy
2021 July/Aug.
Feeling Free
 

Things to Do in October~December

If you like eating crab, head to the North Coast’s Jinshan-Wanli area and order some of the fattest crabs of the year at restaurants right by the fishing harbors!

New Taipei City Travel
 

Nature Appreciation November~January

Enjoy the warming shades of brown, yellow, and orange when the leaves of bald cypress trees (for example at the high-mountain Wuling Farm) and maple trees (for example in the Aowanda National Forest Recreation Area) change their colors during the winter months.

Forestry Bureau
 

Hot Spring Season

Soaking in hot springs is one of the great pleasures to experience while visiting Taiwan. It is possible to dip into hot-spring pools even during the height of summer (there are cold springs on the island too), but winter is certainly the prime soaking season. Not only do the cooler temperatures make a dip more appealing, many hot-spring resort hotels and restaurants generously offer special discount packages during this time of the year. To find out more about where to enjoy a soak, and where to find good hot-spring deals, visit the website.

Taiwan Hot Springs
 

New Small Tourist Attraction on the East Coast

Between the port town of Su’ao and the city of Hualien on the East Coast, towering mountains reach right to the Pacific Ocean’s edge, presenting the visitor with breathtaking views of vertical cliffs and leaving little room for settlements. Two of the few villages in this area are Aohua (in Yilan County) and, across a river, Heping (in Hualien County), the latter dominated by a massive Taiwan Cement plant complex. The cement company not long ago opened the DAKA rest stop area in Heping, with a food court and stalls selling indigenous handicrafts. Just 4km north along Prov Hwy 9 is another recent DAKA project, the Hanben Ocean Service Station. Yilan’s southernmost Coast Guard station has been prettified (brightly painted by young indigenous artists from Aohua) and the first floor turned into a cozy rest stop space. Outside is a large swing (seating 5), allowing you to experience what it feels like “flying out to the ocean.”

DAKA
 

Nature Appreciation | November~January

Taipingshan in southern Yilan is a wonderland of natural attractions no matter which season you visit. In winter, visit this mountain’s forest recreation area to be amazed by magnificent sunrises, sunsets, and seas of clouds.

Taipingshan
 

New Cultural-Creative Hub in Lugang

One of the latest of the numerous cultural-creative centers established around Taiwan in recent years is the Huo Xing Youth Start-up Hub in the old town of Lugang, Changhua County. A cluster of eight old dormitory houses in the town’s center were restored and given a new purpose, the new center joining other major attractions in central Lugang such as the Longshan Temple, Lukang Folk Arts Museum, and Old Street area. Apart from appreciating the heritage buildings, visitors can also browse nine boutiques run by young entrepreneurs, selling designer and handicraft items as well as artisan snack foods. As well, a part of the complex is now home to the small Lugang Salt Industry Museum, which has an interactive exhibition about an industry that once was important in this part of Taiwan.

Facebook
 

Things to Do in October~December

Go hiking and appreciate the beauty of mountain slopes covered with silvergrass in Yangmingshan National Park.

Yangmingshan National Park
 

Things to Do in October~December

Head to Hsinchu County’s Xinpu village for the persimmon harvest season. Persimmons are very delicious, and the bright-orange fruits drying on racks in the sun is an unforgettable sight.

Hsinchu County
 

Pingtung Harvest

There is a new cluster of shops selling indigenous crafts and art in Pingtung City, named Pingtung Harvest. Opened this year, the shops are located in a former military dependents’ village to the north of Pingtung Railway Station. A project realized by Pingtung County’s Department of Indigenous Peoples, this new indigenous-culture hotspot in the city gives visitors a chance to learn about the county’s indigenous tribes and purchase some of their unique products.

Facebook
 

Chaojing Aquarium in Keelung

When the world-class National Museum of Marine Science & Technology was opened in 2013, not only a modern state-of-the-art museum was established. At the same time, a former waste dump area on the peninsula just to the north of the museum was turned into a beautiful seaside park. One of this park’s attractions is the Chaojing Ocean Center, run by the museum. This facility has recently been remodeled, and now includes the Chaojing Aquarium, a place where you can marvel at the wonders of marine life with the help of modern technology, such as immersive VR and AR displays.

NMMST
 

Cartoon Artist Jimmy in Jiaoxi

If you’ve ever been outside Yilan Railway Station and walked through the Jimmy Park you’ll be familiar with the cute sculptures created by famous local cartoon artist Jimmy Liao. There is now another park with more of his work in Yilan County, right beside the bus station in the well-known hot-spring town of Jiaoxi. This time Jimmy has focused on a bunch of mischievous rabbits enjoying their time in Jiaoxi, three of them indulging in a hot-spring soak, five others riding a teeter-totter.

Jimmy
 

Opening Soon

Taipei Performing Arts Center | Location: Just outside MRT Jiantan Station in Taipei; construction to be completed 2021; projected opening July 2022

Taipei Performing Arts Center
 

Opening Soon

Mitsui Outlet Park Tainan | Location: Close to Tainan High Speed Rail Station; projected opening end of 2021

Mitsui Outlet Park Tainan
 

Opening Soon

SKM (Shinkong Mitsukoshi) Outlet Park Kaohsiung | Location: Site of former Taroko Park near Kaohsiung Int’l Airport; projected opening early 2022

- SKM Outlet Park
 

Opening Soon

Chengqing Lake Maze Garden | Location: On southern side of Chengqing Lake in Kaohsiung City’s Niaosong District; projected opening this year

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