When it comes to planning a Taiwan trip, there are basically two starting points. If you’re someone who has a limited amount time off work—and, thus, a fixed number of days or weeks to travel—this sets your frame in place. The task becomes determining how much you can (and should) see within that amount of time.
If you’re partially or totally flexible, meanwhile, this has both benefits and drawbacks—you can see “everywhere” in Taiwan, if you want; you may inadvertently bite off more than you can chew.
No matter which of these categories you fall into, you’ll want to continue reading: My Taiwan trip ideas are the perfect starting point for any length of trip.
The Art of Planning an Amazing Taiwan Trip
Every time I plan a trip to Taiwan, whether for myself or for one of my private clients, I try to occupy two head spaces at once. On one hand, itinerary creation can be a very modular process. Once you know how long you can stay in Taiwan and how many days you generally like to spend in each place, you simply harvest destinations from your list and plug them in until it feels right.
And herein lies both the magic and the frustration: At some point, planning your trip becomes less of a science, and more of an art. It’s one thing knowing which attractions and experiences can physically fit within the structure you’ve created for your trip. It’s quite another to be able to intuit which will pair well with one another, or match your energy level (physical and emotional) throughout the trip, never mind if you have specific goals for photos or videos you want to take.
Amazing Taiwan Trip Ideas
1 week in Taiwan
Unless you only plan to explore Taipei and its vicinity, a week in Taiwan is the shortest trip to Taiwan I recommend you take. With one week in Taiwan, you can head from the capital down the west coast to Tainan and/or Kaohsiung; through central Taiwan to Alishan and/or Sun Moon Lake; or along the east coast to destinations including Yilan, Hualien, Taitung and even Kenting National Park. You just can’t go all these places!
10 days in Taiwan
Slightly longer Taiwan trips give you more options. 10 days in Taiwan, for example, means that you can either make more stops along your chosen “track” (definitely stop in Tainan on the way back from Kaohsiung, and maybe even in Chiayi or Taichung), or even add a second track. This could mean adding Sun Moon Lake from Taichung or Alishan from Chiayi from Taichung, in the example I’ve just given. It could mean seeing “everywhere” along the east coast.
2 weeks in Taiwan
I’ve often said that two weeks in Taiwan is a “goldilocks” trip. It’s the shortest amount of time you can visit Taiwan and take a comprehensive trip; it’s not so long that you’ll be ready to leave when you finish. I usually like to rent a car upon leaving Taipei and head to Yilan or Hualien, then drive all the way down the east coast to Taitung and Kenting. From there, I head to Kaohsiung and return the car, and go up the west coast by THSR, stopping en route—and veering off into central Taiwan—en route back to Taipei.
3 weeks in Taiwan
Have about three weeks in Taiwan to play with? There are basically two ways to maximize it. The first is changing all your “ors” to ands. Visit both Yilan and Hualien on the east coast; don’t hesitate about going to Kenting National Park between Taitung and Kaohsiung. Don’t use make excursions from Chiayi and Taichung to Alishan ahd Sun Moon Lake—make central Taiwan a dedicated destination of its own.
A month in Taiwan (or longer)
Much longer trips to Taiwan—so, a month in Taiwan or longer—give you even more latitude. Some travelers will use the extra time to go offshore—from Taitung to islands like Lanyu and Lyudao, for example. Alternatively, you could extend your stay in certain destinations (Taipei is perfect for this) and “live” somewhere for a while, and use it as a base for taking day trips. The sky is really the limit, with this much time.
How to Guarantee a Perfect Taiwan Trip
Planning a Taiwan trip on your own doesn’t have to be hard—I get dozens of emails per week from people thanking me for the information I’ve published on my website, which empowered them to get the job done. It does, however, taking time and life force. And the reality is that even if you think you have the hours in the day or energy to sit down and work your Taiwan trip out, “later this year” can become “later this month” way more quickly than you think.
Thankfully, there’s a way that you can explore Taiwan to your heart’s content—and all you have to do is follow directions. Specifically, when you hire me to plan your trip to Taiwan, I put together a detailed and personalized itinerary, which previous clients of mine have described as a “secret agent manual for travelers.” It includes detailed recommendations for activities, meals, accommodation, transportation and more.
Other FAQ About Planning Your Taiwan Trip
What is the perfect trip to Taiwan?
The perfect trip to Taiwan, for first time travelers, is two weeks in Taiwan. This allows you to enjoy a few days in Taiwan, travel down the wild and lush east coast by car, and then back up the west coast (from Kaohsiung to Tainan, to Taichung and back to Taipei) by high-speed rail. If you’re coming back and don’t need the trip to be as comprehensive, you can spend less time here.
How long do I need in Taiwan?
You should stay as long in Taiwan as you have to spend. With this being said, for a truly comprehensive trip, you need two weeks; you should stay an absolute minimum of a week, unless you literally plan to stay completely in Taipei (and even in this case, you’d need 2-3 days for that).
When is the best time to visit Taiwan?
My favorite time to visit Taiwan is in late spring (from about mid-April to early June) and mid-autumn, i.e. the month of November. These tend to be relatively dry periods in most of Taiwan, and while they aren’t always cool, then tend to be warm-to-hot instead of the sweltering weather than can define Taiwanese summers.
The Bottom Line
Feeling directionless as you plan your Taiwan trip? Don’t be. Whether you’re constrained by PTO, or are more flexible and just don’t know how long you should stay, I’ll help you set realistic expectations about what you can (and should) see, given how many days or weeks you expect to spend in Taiwan. (Spoiler alert: A truly comprehensive trip requires at least 10 days, or ideally two weeks in Taiwan!) Of course, there’s an even more guaranteed way to take the perfect Taiwan trip, besides just reading the advice I publish on this website. I’m speaking, of course, about my custom Taiwan itinerary planning service, where I create a day-by-day travel plan completely personalized for you!
