A 22-day vacation to Taiwan

This is a three-week trip to Taiwan to visit tourist sites. The emphasis is on off-shore islands (4 of 20 nights on Taiwan are spent on off-shore islands) and snorkeling or diving. May or October would be ideal times to do this. Summers would work well, but put plans at risk from typhoons. This trip wouldn’t be so good in the winter, as temperatures in the ocean would make the emphasis on swimming on islands less comfortable.

Travel to see Taipei, Jiufen, Yilan, Taroko Gorge, Taitung, Green Island, Zhiben Hot Springs, Nankwunshen Temple, Penghu Islands, and Sanyi.

Short Summary.

Day 1	Fly from the United States to Taiwan	Overnight flight
Day 2	International Date Line	Flying over the Pacific Ocean
Day 3	Arrive in Taoyuan, get to Taipei.	Taipei
Day 4	Day to recover from jet lag in Taipei.	Taipei
Day 5	Palace Museum in Taipei	Taipei
Day 6	Taipei to Ruifeng, see Jiufen, then continue to Yilan	Yilan
Day 7	Day in Yilan, see the National Center for Traditional Arts and the Lanyang Museum.	Yilan
Day 8	Train to Hualien. Afternoon in Hualien.	Hualien
Day 9	Morning shuttle up Taroko Gorge in Taroko National Park to Tienhsiang.	Tienhsiang
Day 10	1st day in Taroko Gorge, move down to Buluowan Recreation Area in the afternoon.	Buluowan Recreation Area
Day 11	2nd day in Taroko Gorge, hike around Buluowan Recreation Area.	Buluowan Recreation Area
Day 12	Morning in Taroko Gorge, then leave Buluowan Recreation area, and head down to Hualien for the night.	Hualien
Day 13	Morning train south to Taitung. In Taitung visit the National Museum of Prehistory and Beinan Cultural Park.	Taitung
Day 14	Morning ferry to Green Island. Afternoon on Green Island	Green Island
Day 15	Day on Green Island. Go Snorkeling. Take a hike. Rest in hot springs.	Green Island
Day 16	Afternoon Ferry returning to Taitung, then train to Zhiben Hot Springs	Zhiben Hot Springs
Day 17	Zhiben Hot Springs. Trains to Taibao. Tour of Budai Port, Haomeiliao Nature Reserve and the Nankunshen Temple complex in BeiMen district of Tainan County.	Taibao, Chiayi County
Day 18	Ferry from Budai Port to Makung. Rest of the day on Magong.	Makung, Penghu Islands
Day 19	A day on Penghu Islands. Go Snorkeling.	Makung, Penghu Islands
Day 20	Return ferry to Budai Port, then on to Sanyi (三義).	Sanyi, Miaoli County
Day 21	Morning in Sanyi. Then take a train to Taipei. Evening in Taipei.	Taipei
Day 22	Day in Taipei	Taipei
Day 23	Flight back home.	home

See our list of trips.

See a shorter version of this trip.

My Travel Resources Page

Full Description

Day 1	Thursday	Fly from the United States to Taiwan	Overnight flight
Day 2	Friday	International Date Line	Flying over the Pacific Ocean
Day 3	Saturday	Arrive in Taoyuan at the airport, take bus or train or hotel shuttle to Taipei, and spend the night in Taipei.	Taipei. Stay at the Grand Hotel because it is a famous landmark (rooms are about 28.3 Myrftis per night). Or, a budget hotel would be the Dong Wu hotel (18.6 Myrftis per night) or the Cosmos Hotel (23 Myrftis per night).
Day 4	Sunday	Day to recover from jet lag in Taipei. There will probably be time to see some attractions and visit a museum.	Taipei
Day 5	Monday	The Palace Museum in Taipei will take the better part of a full day.	Taipei
Day 6	Tuesday	Taipei to Jiufen by way of Ruifeng. Leave some luggage at Ruifeng station in lockers; then take 15 minute bus up to Jiufen. Or, take taxi from Ruifeng station to Jiufen and leave luggage with staff at a restaurant or inn while walking around Jiufen. There are trains from Taipei to Ruifeng at 9:20 a.m. (arrives at 10:11 a.m.) and another train at 10:10 a.m. that arrives in Ruifeng at 11:00 a.m. Assuming it takes a while to find lockers and work those out or otherwise figure out how to store your luggage while visiting Jiufeng, you should arrive in Jiufeng in time for lunch, before noon. You can wander around Jiufen for a few hours, and be ready to take a bus or taxi back to Ruifeng to catch a bus on to Yilan to catch trains leaving in the afternoon at 3:21, 3:49, 4:28, 4:38, 5:24, or 5:48. The fastest of these trains (4:38 p.m. and 5:48 p.m.) makes the trip to Luodong station in less than 1 hour and 10 minutes. The slowest trains take about 1 hour and 45 minutes. You'll arrive in Luodong station sometime between 4:38 p.m. and 7:06 p.m., and then take a taxi for about 15 minutes to the National Center for Traditional Arts.	Stay at Dongshan Villa. (Yilan County)
Day 7	Wednesday	Day in Yilan, based at the National Center for Traditional Arts. Probably use trains and taxis to go see the Lanyang Museum.	Stay at Dongshan Villa. (Yilan County)
Day 8	Thursday	Train to Hualien. Afternoon in Hualien. See the Marble museum. Stay at C'est Jeune Hotel (reviews) or Byeyer Hotel (reviews)	Hualien
Day 9	Friday	Morning bus up Taroko Gorge in Taroko National Park to Tienhsiang. Visit Taroko National Park.	Tienhsiang.
Day 10	Saturday	Hike in Taroko Gorge. Morning back down part way Taroko Gorge, stopping at Leader Village (Buluowan Recreation Area) for the day, staying the night	Leader Village (Buluowan Recreation Area)
Day 11	Sunday	Day in tour from Leader Village. Hike in Taroko Gorge. Leader Village (Buluowan Recreation Area) for the day, staying the night	Tainan. Stay at the Tayih hotel.
Day 12	Monday	Day in Buluowan Recreation area, then back down to Hualien for the night.	Hualien
Day 13	Tuesday	Morning train south to Taitung. (depart Hualien at 10:30 a.m. and arrive in Taitung at 12:39 p.m.) Take a train down the Eastern Rift Valley. In Taitung visit the National Museum of Prehistory and Beinan Cultural Park.	Taitung. Stay at Taitung Bali Suites.
Day 14	Wednesday	Taitung in the morning, then take a ferry to Green Island.	Green Island
Day 15	Thursday	Day on Green Island. There is some good snorkeling and coral. There is a special hot spring pool. It is possible to take a hike up in the hills on forest trails. There is a monument to human rights, and also a small museum in a visitors center.	Green Island
Day 16	Friday	Take a mid-day ferry from Green Island to Taitung. In Taitung take a train to Zhiben Hot Springs. Spend the afternoon hiking and soaking around the Zhiben Hot Springs area.	Zhiben Hot Springs. Stay at Royal Chihben.
Day 17	Saturday	Morning in Zhiben Hot Springs. Take train to Xinzuoying, departing Jhihben at 11:11 a.m. and arriving in Xinzhoying at 1:40 p.m. Then take the high speed train from Xinzhoying at 2:00 to Chiayi (actually the station is in Taibao). Check in at the Sunflower Motel in TaiBao. Then, get a bus or taxi to Budai Port. From there hire a taxi to take you to on a tour to see Haomeiliao Nature Reserve just south of Budai Port, and then the Nankunshen Temple complex in BeiMen district of Tainan County. It’s a total of about 36 kilometers each way between the hotel in TaiBao and the Nankunshen temple. You may expect to pay about 1,100 NT each way for taxi transport.
Day 18	Sunday	Take the 10:00 a.m. ferry from Budai Port to Makung (you’ll need to leave the hotel by tax around 8:30 a.m. in order to reach the ferry area 45 minutes before the ferry leaves so you can be sure to find your way on board and get the tickets.) The ferry will get you to Makung by 11:30 a.m. Rest of the day on the Penghu Islands.	Makung, Penghu Islands. Stay at Villa Romano B&B.
Day 19	Monday	Day on Penghu Islands. Certainly go snorkeling. There is plenty to see, both on land and in the water.	Makung, Penghu Islands
Day 20	Tuesday	Return on the 1:00 p.m. ferry to Budai Port, arriving at 2:30 p.m. Get a taxi to the Chiayi High Speed Rail station in Taibao and get the 3:36 p.m. train to Taichung (arriving at 4:00 p.m.), and then walk to the adjacent New Wurih (新烏日) station to get on a western line train to Sanyi (三義). There is a train (#2468) that comes at 4:17 p.m. that will arrive at Sanyi at 5:02 p.m. You can stay for the night at West Lake Resortopia or one of the guest houses near the wood carving museum.
Day 21	Wednesday	Day to see the wood carving museum and enjoy the area around West Lake Resort. Depart on train from the Sanyi station at 4:36 p.m. and arrive in Miaoli at 5:01 p.m. Then take a train to Taipei, departing Miaoli at 5:49 p.m. and arriving in Taipei at 7:30 p.m.	Taipei. Stay at the Hotel Royal Taipei.
Day 22	Thursday	Day in Taipei	Taipei
Day 23	Friday	Flight back home. Because you get back a day from crossing the International Dateline, you'll arrive home just a few hours after leaving Taiwan (most flights depart Taiwan at 10:00 a.m.), even though your total travel time will be nearly 24 hours.	home

Costs. (Day, expense, Cost in 2011 U.S. Dollars, Cost in percent of median year-round full-time income)
(Thus 1,080 Myrfti is 10.8% of a median year-round full-time American income, while 230 Myrfti is 2.3% of median year-round full-time income. To convert costs into current dollars, simply multiply the costs in the far right column times the current median year-round full-time American income, and you'll have an idea of current costs. Otherwise, use a Consumer Price Inflation adjustment to 2011 with the dollar figures. The resulting cost estimates should be similar, at least if travel costs and incomes have matched inflation).
The two-person prices assume an adult couple sharing a bed, and the four-person costs assume a family of four with two children aged between 12 and 17.

Day 1 and 16	Air travel tickets for this trip. Prices for tickets to Asia very tremendously. Costs in 2011 were as low as $1,200 (in March and November), while in July-August prices ranged from $1,600 to $3,600. Let's assume a price of $1,500 in 2011 dollars (303 Myrftis)	2 persons $3,000 4 persons $6,000	2 persons 606 4 persons 1212
Days 3-6	Price given here is for the Grand Hotel. Other more modest hotels that are more highly rated and closer to the train station would save about 20% compared to the Grand Hotel.	2 persons $420 4 persons $840	2 persons 85 4 persons 170
Days 3-6	Costs in Taipei include: taking a shuttle from the airport to the hotel (cheap, 0.64 Myrftis per person), three dinners, two lunches, and three breakfasts, taxis and MRT passes, admission to museums including the Palace Museum, and some extra money for drinks or snacks. The assumption here is that people eat out at nice restaurants for dinner.	2 persons $415 4 persons $740	2 persons 84 4 persons 150
Day 6	Transport from Taipei to Jiufen (train, then taxi), onward transport to Yilan (taxi, then train). Also the taxi ride from Dongshan train station to the Forte Dongshan Villa.	2 persons $50 4 persons $85	2 persons 10.1 4 persons 17.2
Day 6	Food and other expenses (luggage storage in Ruifeng) during visit to Jiufeng. Probably one lunch and some snacks.	2 persons $40 4 persons $78	2 persons 8.1 4 persons 15.8
Day 6	Expenses in Yilan area, including admission to the National Center for Traditional Arts and the Lanyang Museum. Transportation between Forte Dongshan Villa and Lanyang Museum, then back again. Also meals, including two dinner and a lunch.	2 persons $76 4 persons $140	2 persons 15.4 4 persons 28.3
Day 6-8	Two nights in the Family Suite at FORTE DONGSHAN VILLA as booked at fastbooking.com or agoda.com (for four persons) or a superior room (for two person). Breakfast is included with the room.	2 persons $232 4 persons $300	2 persons 46.9 4 persons 61.2
Day 8	Transport from Dongshan (Yilan County) to Hualien. (Taxi to train station and train from Dongshan to Hualien)	2 persons $21 4 persons $35	2 persons 4.2 4 persons 7.1
Day 8	Night in Hualien. The prices are about the same at Byeyer Hotel and C'est Jeune Hotel.	2 persons $87 4 persons $92	2 persons 17.6 4 persons 18.7
Days 8-9	Costs in Hualien including two lunches, a dinner, and a breakfast, and taxi from train station to hotel, and then transport within Hualien, and a taxi to the place where the hotel shuttle will pick up passangers to take them from Hualien to Taroko.	2 persons $126 4 persons $224	2 persons 25.5 4 persons 43.5
Day 9	Transport from Hualien to Tienhsiang (assuming use of a shuttle service provided by the hotel for transport from Hualien to Taroko Gorge National Park).	2 persons $14 4 persons $28	2 persons 2.8 4 persons 5.7
Day 9	One night in the Taroko Gorge in a luxury hotel in Tienhsiang	2 persons $270 4 persons $315	2 persons 54.4 4 persons 63.6
Days 10-12	Three Day and Two Night package with leader Village. I've added in the NT$580+10% for one set meal and NT$ 1300 for an assumption this is a holiday season or weekend. ( 3 Days 2 Nights: ) 1.Grand-view Suite for 2 nights 2. Breakfast buffet x 2 3. Set meal “When Wild Boar met Eiffel Tower” x 1 (a choice of either lunch or dinner for NT$580+10%) 4. Set meal “IDAS Tribal Meal” x1 (a choice of either lunch or dinner) 5. Taroko afternoon Tea x 1 6. Prize “ Passing Tests” x1 with a guide in each room 7. Native dessert x 1 for each room 8. Aboriginal music performance 9. Free coffee, tea, and mineral water 10. Free broadband internet Above pricing is for regular seasons and weekdays. Additional NT$600 per room on Friday and Sunday; additional NT$1300 per room on Saturday and during holiday seasons.	2 persons $489 4 persons $625	2 persons 98.8 4 persons 126.2
Days 12-13	Getting from Taroko Gorge down to Hualien, and expenses in Hualien, including transportation, one lunch, one dinner, and one breakfast, snacks.	2 persons $40 4 persons $75	2 persons 8.1 4 persons 15.1
Day 12	Another night in Hualien. The prices are about the same at Byeyer Hotel and C'est Jeune Hotel.	2 persons $87 4 persons $92	2 persons 17.6 4 persons 18.7
Day 13	Transport from Hualien down to Taitung	2 persons $35 4 persons $64	2 persons 7.1 4 persons 12.9
Days 13-14	Costs between Hualien and Green Island, mostly costs in Taitung. This includes transport between train station, hotel, and port, dinner, breakfast, snacks, and a museum admission fee.	2 persons $60 4 persons $110	2 persons 12.2 4 persons 22.2
Day 13	A night in Taitung at the Bali Suites Hotel.	2 persons $67 4 persons $105	2 persons 13.5 4 persons 21.2
Days 14-16	Full cost of transport to Green Island and hotel on Green Island using Green Island Adventures package tour, assuming the use of ferries to and from Green Island rather than flights from Taitung.	2 persons $476 4 persons $826	2 persons 93.3 4 persons 46.7
Day 14-16	Two dinners, two lunches, and snacks on Green Island	2 persons $50 4 persons $100	2 persons 10.1 4 persons 20.2
Day 16	Hotel in Zhiben Hot Springs. The Royal Chihpen is available with special deals online, and that’s the price for the two person stay. If not, Hoya Hot Springs Resort is a possibility, and has been priced for two rooms for four persons.	2 persons $154 4 persons $245	2 persons 31.1 4 persons 49.5
Days 16-17	Costs of museum in Taitung, transport in Taitung, transport to Zhiben, costs in Zhiben, and food in Taitung and Zhiben.	2 persons $85 4 persons $136	2 persons 17.3 4 persons 27.4
Day 17	Trains from Zhiben hot springs to Taibao, switching from normal train to High Speed Rail in Zuoying.	2 persons $50 4 persons $100	2 persons 10.1 4 persons 20.2
Day 17	Night in Taibao at Sunflower Hotel.	2 persons $139 4 persons $167	2 persons 28.1 4 persons 33.7
Day 17	Cost of tour of Budai Port, Haomeiliao Nature Reserve and the Nankunshen Temple complex in BeiMen district of Tainan County. This would probably be a self-guided tour with the cost mainly being payment to a taxi driver to transport and wait, and perhaps admission fees.	2 persons $84 4 persons $105	2 persons 17.0 4 persons 21.2
Day 17 - 18	Costs of food and transportation and incidental costs between Zhiben Hot Springs and the ferry to Makug. One dinner, one breakfast, and one lunch. Taxi from Taibao high speed rail station to hotel in Taibao, and taxi from hotel in Taibao to Ferry in Budai Port.	2 persons $74 4 persons $126	2 persons 14.8 4 persons 25.5
Days 18 & 20	Ferry from Budai Port to Makung in Penghu and return ferry from Makung in Penghu Islands to Budai Port.	2 persons $140 4 persons $280	2 persons 28.3 4 persons 56.6
Day 18-20	Two nights in Magong in the Villa Romana B&B.	2 persons $137 4 persons $172	2 persons 27.6 4 persons 34.6
Days 18-20	Boat trip, museum admission, two dinners, two breakfasts, and one lunch in the Penghu Islands, motor scooter rentals or car rentals.	2 persons $126 4 persons $224	2 persons 76.4 4 persons 45.3
Day 20	Transport from Budai Port to Sanyi. This will include a taxi, a high speed rail train from Budai to Wurih station near Taichung, and then a normal train to Sanyi, plus a taxi from the Sanyi station to the hotel in Sanyi.	2 persons $46 4 persons $80	2 persons 9.3 4 persons 16.2
Day 20	Night in Sanyi. Stay at the West Lake Restopia	2 persons $158 4 persons $193	2 persons 31.8 4 persons 38.9
Days 20-21	Food and shopping costs from the time you enter Budai Port until leaving Sanyi, including two lunches, one dinner, and one breakfast. Also, a budget of $300 for purchasing wood carvings or other significant works of handicraft on Penghu or in Sanyi.	2 persons $427 4 persons $522	2 persons 86.3 4 persons 105.4
Day 21	Trains from Sanyi to Taipei.	2 persons $28 4 persons $56	2 persons 5.7 4 persons 11.3
Days 21-23	Two nights at Hotel Royal Taipei booked through Agoda website (price is for double, whether two or four persons). The cost at San Want Residences (better hotel, without swimming pool) would be a little higher, at slightly over $400 for two nights in a room for two persons.	2 persons $336 4 persons $336	2 persons 67.9 4 persons 67.9
Days 21-23	Costs in Taipei, including transportation, two dinners, two lunches, and two breakfasts. Museum admissions. Shopping budget.	2 persons $290 4 persons $580	2 persons 58.6 4 persons 117.2
Days 1-23	Extra expenses and spending money	2 persons $200 4 persons $400	2 persons 40.4 4 persons 80.2
	TOTAL COST (in 2011 US$ and Myrftis) For two persons, this will cost 17.7% of a median year-round full-time worker’s income, and for four persons the cost is about 28.3% of a median year-round full-time worker’s income.	2 persons $8,770 4 persons $14,000	2 persons 1,770 4 persons 2,830
	In 2010, the median earnings for a year-round full-time male employee was about $56,000, and for a female employee the median was about $43,000, so $49,500 would be an adequate estimate of a median year-round full-time income. Incidently, the median household income was about $50,500 in 2010. To afford a vacation like this for four persons every three years, a typical family budget for a family earning 120% of the median year-round full-time income (about $59,500 in 2011) might allocate money in this way each month: Housing and utilities: 28.2% ($1,400 per month in 2011) All taxes: 15% ($744 per month) Groceries, food, and household supplies: 9.4% ($465 per month) Car expenses (purchasing, insuring, gas, maintenance): 15.1% ($750 per month) Savings for a trip like this every three years: 9.1% ($450 per month) Savings for retirement: 4.4% ($220 per month) Savings for children's college expenses: 5.2% ($260 per month) Health insurance and health care expenses: 5.5% ($270 per month) Other entertainment, Internet, travel, cable television, movies, etc.: 2.0% ($100 per month) Miscellaneous other expenses: 3.2% ($160 per month) Clothing: 2.0% ($100 per month) Charitable giving: 2.1% ($105 per month)