Itineraries · 5 days
Food and temples: five days in western Taiwan
A slow eating tour of the west coast.
Classic
5 days · Taipei, Tainan & Kaohsiung
Numbers follow the order of the trip. Open a destination for the full guide.
Day by day
The plan
Five days of temples, old towns and market food in Taipei, Tainan and Kaohsiung, linked by high-speed rail.
A slow eating tour of the west coast. This route is a flexible sketch: keep the fixed transport, move the rest around the weather and your energy.
Day 1
Taipei temples and markets
Start with the city’s spiritual and culinary classics.
Longshan Temple
Incense and carved wood.
Wanhua
Beef noodles
A Taipei must.
Zhongshan
Dadaocheng
Tea and old streets.
Dadaocheng
Shilin Night Market
A big, busy dinner.
Shilin
Day 2
Taipei to Tainan
High-speed rail south and an evening snack crawl.
HSR to Tainan
About 1h45.
Taipei
Anping snacks
Oyster rolls and shrimp crackers.
Anping
Chihkan Tower
A short history stop.
Central Tainan
Shennong Street
Dinner in the old lanes.
Central Tainan
Day 3
Tainan food day
A full day of small meals and temples.
Milkfish soup
Breakfast of champions.
Central Tainan
Confucius Temple
Quiet courtyards.
Central Tainan
Danzai noodles
A small bowl.
Central Tainan
Garden Night Market
If open; otherwise seafood.
Tainan
Day 4
Kaohsiung harbour
Train south and eat by the water.
Train to Kaohsiung
A short ride.
Tainan
Pier-2
Art and coffee.
Yancheng
Cijin seafood
Lunch by the harbour.
Cijin
Liuhe Night Market
A final market.
Liuhe
Day 5
Temples and home
One last temple morning before the train.
Dragon and Tiger Pagodas
Walk the lake path.
Lotus Pond
Fo Guang Shan
The Buddha Museum and vegetarian lunch.
Dashu
Train north
High-speed rail.
Kaohsiung
More itineraries
More itineraries
1 day
Classic
Taipei
Taipei in one day
Temples, dumplings, a skyline hike and the city after dark.
2 days
Classic
Taipei
Two days: Taipei & Jiufen
A city day, then lanterns in the mountains.
3 days
Classic
Taipei & Taichung
Three days: Taipei, Taichung & Sun Moon Lake
From the capital to the lake, by high-speed rail.