Taiwan in 7 days
 

I have booked return flights to Taipei from Kota Kinabalu and will be in the country for 7 nights Jun/July. That was the was easy bit.Now where to go?

My initial plan was to spend the entire seven days in Taipei and, in addition to exploring all that the city has to offer, take a few day trips out from Taipei. Reading through my Rough Guides book, the following places seem likely candidates:

- Jiufen and JinguashiThe
- Yilan National Scenic Area
- Keelung
- Pingxi branch rail line - apparently a really scenic rail trip

Taroko Gorge was my first thought but we did see a lot of gorges in South America, so I am thinking Tainan for Chinese history and culture and allegedly amazing street food. A high speed train would get us there in 1.5 hours.

Does 4 nights for Taipei and its environs and 3 for Tainan sound like a decent plan or am I spreading our time too thinly? Any thoughts or suggestions would be very much appreciated. Are there any other alternatives I should be considering?

Hi crellston - you did read my blog posts on Taiwan, right? Definitely a vote for Tainan.

Indeed I did Thursdaysd! That and your post on Taroko, is what prompted me to ask the question! Which you have now answered?

Pretty much. I loved Taroko gorge, but if you are gorged out, I would go to Tainan instead.

Seven days in Taipei is too much. You can easily see the sites in two days and then a day trip or two will be enough. If you are doing the Pingxi railroad, leave as early in the AM as possible and avoid going on a weekend or holiday. And on of your evenings in Taipei, be sure to walk up Elephant Mountain. The view of the city from the top is amazing and was my favorite part of Taiwan.

Even if you've been to other gorges, I would still recommend Taroko. In South America, I doubt you will have seen a clifftop temple with waterfalls trickling down from it. There is plenty to see in the gorge itself and in the surround area.