# Taichung travel guide (台中) Taiwan Region · South China, China · 15 places Canonical: https://cnatrip.com/en/destinations/taiwan-region/taichung ## Quick itinerary - **Day 1:** Taichung Railway Station → Miyahara → National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts → Rainbow Village → Tunghai University → Gaomei Wetlands → Fengjia Night Market ## The feel of the place - **Culture City:** Across Taiwan, every city has its own style and every county its own atmosphere. Taichung's signature is 'culture'. After Taipei, it has the greatest concentration of public and private universities, and institutions such as National Chung Hsing University, Tunghai University, Feng Chia University and Chung Shan Medical University have become cultural landmarks of Taichung. - **Pearl Milk Tea and Foam Red Tea:** Wandering around Taichung, the most eye-catching sight is the colourful array of restaurants and drink shops. Many consumer food trends that have swept across Taiwan originated here, most famously pearl milk tea and foam red tea. It's said that almost any food loses its appeal once it leaves its place of origin, no matter how much it is improved, so to taste an authentic cup of milk tea, you may want to linger in Taichung for a while. - **Emotional Bond:** It comes from how much you have dreamed of Sun Moon Lake and Alishan. Whether it's the lovely descriptions of Sun Moon Lake in your primary school textbook, or the vivid rendition of the song 'Girl from Alishan', the feelings you have for these places run deep. These two landmarks, which represent greater Taichung, have consistently ranked at the top of Taiwan's tourist attractions. ## The feel of the place ### Preparation and Consultation ### Language Mandarin is widely spoken and easily understood in Taichung. ### Climate and Best Time to Visit Taichung enjoys spring-like weather year-round, so every day is a good time to visit. ### Festivals Every year on Mazu's birthday in the third lunar month, Dajia Zhenlan Temple holds rituals, incense pilgrimages and processions. The full procession, including deity palanquins, opera troupes, vehicles, embroidered banners and pilgrims, passes through Yuanlin in Changhua, Xiluo and Huwei in Yunlin, and reaches Xingang in Chiayi, taking 8 days and 7 nights. - address: No. 158, Shuntian Road, Dajia District, Taichung City ## Getting there & around ### Getting There Taichung is easy to reach by train, car or other public transport, and flights from the major northern and southern metropolitan areas are also available. ### Air Taichung International Airport (Qingquan'gang) is Taiwan's third international airport. The former Taichung Shuinan Airport has since closed. The airport currently operates international flights to Japan, South Korea, Phuket, Palau and Ho Chi Minh City, as well as domestic flights to Hangzhou, Ningbo, Wuhan, Fuzhou, Shanghai, Xiamen, Shenzhen, Jinan, Chengdu, Tianjin, Changchun, Nanjing and Hong Kong. ### Rail Taichung is the largest station on the Mountain Line of the Western Trunk Railway, served by trains of all classes at frequent, convenient intervals. ### High-Speed Rail Take the high-speed rail to Wuri Station (乌日站), then transfer to other transport to reach different parts of Taichung. ### Road Taiwan Bus Company (台汽客运) runs services to Taichung from major towns across western Taiwan. Tong Lian Bus (统联客运) also runs to Taichung from Taipei, Xinying in Tainan, and Kaohsiung. In front of Taichung Station, Fengyuan Bus runs to Fengyuan and Dongshi. On Jianguo Road, Jyuye Bus serves Qingshui and Dajia. Behind the station, Changhua Bus runs to Changhua. Within Taichung, public transport is mainly provided by Taichung Bus and Renyou Bus, which depart from in front of Taichung Station and from Lüchuan East Street respectively. Their routes are comprehensive and convenient. ### Getting Around Town Taichung has many bus routes. Taxis are mostly five-seaters, with a flag-fall of NT$85 for the first 1.5 km, then NT$5 for every additional 250 m. ## Eat & drink Taichung is the birthplace of bubble tea and pearl milk tea, and the area around Zhongshan Office in particular is packed with teahouses. - **Chun Shui Tang** — The original home of bubble tea in Taichung. The idea came from the owner's trip to Japan. Through refinement, the shop added tapioca pearls to flavored black tea, creating pearl milk tea. It now offers more than 40 distinctive flavored iced teas, and has developed its own chewy tapioca pearls, tea bread, tea jelly and light meals. Excellent value, with the cheapest item at just NT$60. (No. 30, Siwei Street, Taichung City, 00886-4-22297991) ## Shopping Taichung has ten shopping districts, each with its own specialties. For clothing, the Tianjin Road fashion district is highly recommended. The Jiguang Street district is known for authentic local snacks, and the Electronics Street district has a wide range of gadgets. Shop owners there usually serve customers personally, with attentive service and plenty of room to bargain. Good souvenirs include sun cakes from Taiyang Tang, pine nut crisps from Chun Mei Bakery (俊美饼店), Wan-Yi Foods' signature dried tofu, and nougat. Nantou County also has a range of local specialties, including Chila fish (奇拉鱼), Puli Shaoxing wine (埔里绍兴酒), Lugu Dongding oolong tea (鹿谷冻顶乌龙茶), Mingjian Songbo evergreen tea (名间松柏常青茶), Yuchi Assam black tea (鱼池阿萨姆红茶), Puli red sugarcane, Zhushan red sweet potato, Jiji bananas and Xinyi Fengqiu grapes. - **Taiyang Tang** — (No. 25, Section 2, Ziyou Road, Taichung City, 00886-4-22200012) ## Where to stay ### Old England Manor - **Feels Like Stepping into a European Castle** — An elegant, charming setting at high altitude, with fresh mountain air. The manor has three buildings, open only to guests. The restaurant takes reservations, however, where you can enjoy an authentic English afternoon tea at leisure. (No. 20-3, Shouting Lane, Ren'ai Township, Nantou County) ## Things to see - **Tunghai University** (★★★): Time needed 1–2 hours — https://cnatrip.com/en/places/tunghai-university - **Gaomei Wetlands** (★★★★): Time needed 1–2 hours — https://cnatrip.com/en/places/gaomei-wetlands - **National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts** (★★★): Opening hours 9:00–17:00 (Tuesday to Friday); 9:00–18:00 (Saturday and Sunday); closed on Mondays; Time needed 1–2 hours — https://cnatrip.com/en/places/national-taiwan-museum-of-fine-arts - **Fengjia Night Market** (★★★★): Time needed 1–3 hours — https://cnatrip.com/en/places/fengjia-night-market - **Rainbow Village** (★★★): Time needed 1–2 hours — https://cnatrip.com/en/places/rainbow-village - **Taichung Railway Station** (★★★): Admission Free; Time needed 1–2 hours — https://cnatrip.com/en/places/taichung-railway-station - **Miyahara** (★★★★): Opening hours 10：00—22：00; Time needed 1–2 hours — https://cnatrip.com/en/places/miyahara ## Day trips & beyond - **Sun Moon Lake** (★★★★): — https://cnatrip.com/en/places/sun-moon-lake - **Xitou Monster Village** (★★★): Time needed 2–4 hours — https://cnatrip.com/en/places/xitou-monster-village - **Baxianshan Forest Recreation Area** (★★★): Admission NT$100; Time needed 3–4 hours — https://cnatrip.com/en/places/baxianshan-forest-recreation-area - **Qingjing Farm** (★★★★): Admission Qingqing Grassland: NT$160 full price on weekdays, NT$200 full price on holidays; Time needed 1–2 days — https://cnatrip.com/en/places/qingjing-farm - **Alishan** (★★★★★): Admission NT$300; Time needed 1–2 days — https://cnatrip.com/en/places/alishan - **Alishan Forest Recreation Area** (★★★★): Time needed 4–8 hours — https://cnatrip.com/en/places/alishan-forest-recreation-area - **Lukang Town** (★★★★): Time needed 0.5–1 day — https://cnatrip.com/en/places/lukang-town - **Lukang Longshan Temple** (★★★★): Time needed 1 hour — https://cnatrip.com/en/places/lukang-longshan-temple --- Source: China Self-Guided Travel 2025 (《中国自助游》, Tianjin Science & Technology Press, Aug 2024), pp. 2691–2702. Prices, hours and transport details are as printed in the August 2024 edition and may have changed. Always confirm with the venue before you travel.