tominrm

If I ask how many days would be enough to see Taiwan, I would get somewhere from 1 week to 2 months or more. So I will ask if two weeks would be good enough to go around Taiwan and visit most of interesting places. Somewhere in this web site someone suggested the following ten places:1 Taipei

2. Jiufen

3. Kaohsiung

4. Orchid island

5. Taipingshan

6. Taroko National Park

7. Kenting National Park

8. Yushan National Park

9. Rainbow Village

10. Fo Guang Shan
Would 2 weeks be enough for these cities and parks? I do not plan to rent a car.

What itinerary would you recommend and how many days for each place? Also, I am planning late Februry, 2023 or March. I think the probability of precipitation is about 40%.

crellston

Two weeks would not be enough time for all those places. As a broad guide, two nights staying in one place will allow for one full day of sightseeing. On that basis, visiting those places would need around three weeks.

We visited on a one week side trip and spent 4 nights in Taipei and 3 in Hualien/Taraoko Gorge. It went nearly enough. Taipei alone needs a week IMO. some details and photos of our time there on our blog @ https://accidentalnomads.com/category/taiwan/

We did rent a car from Hualien to visit Taraoko and were glad we did . It enable us to see a lot more than we could have by public transport. We found it necessary to book rail tickets way in advance as tickets seemed to sell out pretty quickly.

Can't advise you where to go and what to do,. You really need to get a guide book or research online what interests you.

As for the time of year, I would that there is no one best time to visit as weather patterns vary considerably around the island. See https://www.roughguides.com/taiwan/w...o-visit-taiwan for more info. We were there in July which was ok. No rain but excruciatingly hot!

Taiwan is definitely one of those places to which I would want to return.

tominrm

Thanks Crellston, as Frank Sinatra said "bit off more than I could chew", the list seems too aggressive. I am trying to make it in 15 days including the day of arrival and departure. I think 6 days in in Taipei including day trips to Jiufen and Taroko, 5 days in Tainan for day trips to Yu Shan National park, Kaohsiung, and 3-4 days in Hualien. I think Rainbow Village and Orchid Island may fall off the table. I am not really into teas, so I will not visit tea plantations.

thursdaysd

You may find my trip to Taiwan of some interest, although it was a while back. I would recommend, strongly, against doing Taroko as a day trip. I spent three nights, using a car and driver one day and buses the next. (Just saw you are spending the right amount of time in Hualien for Taroko, so not sure why you are listing it as a day trip from Taipei!)

For my TR with pix, links at the top of the page, start here: https://mytimetotravel.wordpress.com...oon-on-taiwan/

crellston

I agree with Thursdaysd, Taraoko is not a day trip from Taipei. It is best done as a day trip from Hualien (loved the food markets there!). As I said, we rented a car for a couple of days. Picked it up by the train station and return dit there at the end of our time. Enjoyed the freedom it gave us to explore the gorge and part of the coast and countryside. There will be tours and hiring a car and driver is also and option. I read some dire warnings about driving in Taiwan before we left but it was fine. no different to driving around London!

Even if you are not into tea I would recommend a trip on the Maokong cablecar. The views and walks are great and you could incorporate a visit to Taipei Zoo. Not usually a fan but it is one of the best in the world and does some good work.

tominrm

I saw a "day trip" ad from Taipei, but it appears Hualien is better place to make a day trip to Taroko. Thank you, Crellston and thursdaysd. I am learning something new everyday. Maokong cable car ride is very interesting.