Classic Private Tours of Taiwan

‘We’ve never been to Taiwan… so we want to see the best of everything!’

Our expert itinerary designers are used to receiving requests like this, but we still listen carefully to every single client. We aim to devise experiences that not only ensure our guests fall deeply in love with the island we call home but also meet their individual needs and preferences, be they for in-depth cultural insights, for particular types of food, for plenty of time outdoors, or for relaxation far from the bustle of big cities.

How much of this captivating destination you’ll be able to see depends, of course, on how much time you can spend here. If you’ve no more than six days, and you’ll be arriving on a long-haul flight landing at Taoyuan International Airport, we strongly recommend focusing on the north and northwest of the island.

Taipei: Much more than a capital

The airport is less than an hour from central Taipei, and staying in or close to the capital (population 2.5 million) for the entire trip is an appealing option. Greater Taipei has an exceptional density of attractions in every category: architectural, culinary, cultural, historical, and natural.

What used to be the tallest building on Earth has slipped out of the global Top 10, overtaken by projects elsewhere in Asia. That said, Taipei 101 remains a striking engineering achievement in a region prone to earthquakes and typhoons. You might well find some of the landmarks that date from the 1895-1945 period of Japanese rule much more charming. Several of these elegant Art Deco-influenced buildings were erected by colonial officials keen to drum into the local population that the Tokyo-appointed rulers were wise, mighty, and absolutely certain they’d be around for a long time.

The capital’s cityscape showing Taipei 101, taken from Elephant Mountain.

After 1949, following Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek’s retreat from the Chinese mainland, Taipei was designated ‘the provisional capital of the Republic of China’. The Chinese Nationalist (Kuomintang, KMT) regime he led erected their own edifices and renamed all the streets. Whatever you think of the man and his uncompromising politics, the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall — not to mention the memorial built to honour the KMT’s spiritual father, Sun Yat-sen, and the National Revolutionary Martyrs Shrine — are well worth seeing if you’ve an interest in 20th century history.

Taipei is probably the best place on the island to enjoy beef noodle soup, a deeply satisfying dish that’s come to represent Taiwanese cuisine. Among the city’s night markets, those centred around Ningxia Road and Raohe Street are especially lively. As you’d expect in a metropolis at the heart of a region that has almost 7 million well-heeled and food-loving inhabitants, the range of dining options is excellent.

Vegans and vegetarians won’t go hungry, and fans of Asian cuisines can find a tsunami of recommendations online. There are many reasons for this. One is that the Taiwanese nowadays eat far more Japanese food than they did during the colonial era. Another is that the refugees who followed Chiang to Taiwan included chefs trained in the ‘Four Great Traditions’ of Chinese cuisine. Many of the restaurants they founded have gone from strength to strength.

Visitors to Taiwan often comment on the visibility of religious tradition, despite the obvious modernity of a society better known for semiconductors and precision manufacturing. Even in Taipei, every neighbourhood has at least one shrine where locals pray and make offerings every day of the year. The capital has several grand halls of worship, among them Mengjia Longshan Temple and Dalongdong Baoan Temple. As you’d expect in an open-minded city that attracts people from every corner of the world, there are also churches of every denomination, a small number of mosques, and even a Jewish community centre.

Taipei has dozens of museums and one of them is truly world class. The National Palace Museum, often spoken of in the same breath as the British Museum and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, preserves and presents the cream of the vast collection that was accumulated over centuries by China’s emperors. Sublime artefacts from every corner of the Chinese world are on display. Some of them predate the Christian era; others reflect the West’s impact on the empire.

Wherever you stand in Taipei, you’ll see mountains. Yangmingshan National Park, to the north of the capital, is a realm of dormant volcanoes and very active hot springs. Due south, the Austronesian indigenous inhabitants of Wulai live adjacent to pristine yet highly accessible natural ecosystems. The sight of Taiwan’s magnificent highlands may well inspire you to explore further… and you certainly should if you have the time. We heartily recommend spending a few days or more high above sea level, using Sun Moon Lake and/or Alishan as bases from
which you immerse yourself in the tea, the tribes, and the tasty delicacies of the island’s spectacular interior.

Nature most magnificent: Taroko Gorge

Until the spring of 2024, Taroko Gorge was one of the most-requested attractions. And that’s hardly a surprise: Such is its striking beauty that Taiwan’s government has listed the gorge as a potential UNESCO World Heritage Site. (Taiwan is not a member of the United Nations, so it’s unlikely UNESCO will add any candidate sites from Taiwan to its official list in the foreseeable future.) However, the earthquake that shook the region on April 3, 2024 caused damage that will take years to repair. Most of the trails that drew hiking enthusiasts to the gorge are still closed and it’s unclear when or if they’ll reopen.

The road through the gorge is currently open but the authorities advise travellers to use it only if strictly necessary, because there’s a real risk of landslides or rockfalls. Fortunately there’s another way to get between Taiwan’s northeast and the very centre of the island. The superbly scenic Highway 7A connects the Lanyang Plain in Yilan County with Wuling, the highest point on the island’s road network at 3,275 m (10,745 ft) above sea level. Between these two locations there are a number of indigenous communities where outsiders can learn something about Taiwan’s Austronesian minority.

A tributary of the Liwu River flows through the gorge in Taroko National Park, Taiwan.

There’s plenty to see and do between Taipei and Yilan — so much so in fact that the government established the Northeast and Yilan Coast National Scenic Area to promote and manage various attractions. If promontories and bays appeal to you, consider setting aside an entire day and making stops at Fulong (which has one of Taiwan’s best beaches), Sandiaojiao Lighthouse, and Beiguan Tidal Park (where wind and waves have eroded the rock strata into photogenic shapes).

Rather than following the coast, you can take an inland route that’ll bring you through a major top tea-growing area. As well as tea plantations where you can sample and buy local tea, Pinglin has a museum devoted to the industry.

Yilan County’s Jiaoxi is one of Taiwan’s most popular hot springs resorts. Staying overnight is an option — the town has some seriously luxurious inns — but many visitors are content to stretch their legs for an hour or so and then soak their feet for free at Tangweigou Hot Spring Park. Culture vultures might prefer the National Centre for Traditional Arts just outside Luodong, where you can take in performing-arts shows and learn a great deal about local cultures.

From Wuling, it’s a gradual descent towards Sun Moon Lake. When you get here, you’ll understand why, in the days before Taiwanese could afford to go overseas, it was the island’s number-one honeymoon destination. A late afternoon boat cruise is a lovely way to experience the lake and its mountainous surroundings; Life of Taiwan can make the necessary arrangements as part of a private guided tour of Taiwan.

The eastern part of this body of water is round like the sun while the southern section resembles a sickle moon, hence the name Sun Moon Lake. The lake’s current dimensions are the result of human interference. In the 1930s, the Japanese colonial authorities then governing Taiwan dammed the basin so the water could be diverted through a hydroelectric power station.

The area is home to the Thao people, one of Taiwan’s smallest indigenous ethnic groups. Taiwan’s Austronesian tribes have very strong music traditions — this is one reason why indigenous artists are overrepresented in the local pop music scene — but the Thao are the only ones who use pestles to accompany their songs. By battering stone mortars with wooden pestles of different lengths, they can create a range of pitches.

Driving the 97 km (60 miles) from Sun Moon Lake to Alishan is another fantastic motoring experience. Even though the road is usually in excellent condition, hiring a private driver-guide who’s familiar with every twist and turn — and who also knows where it’s safe to park so you can get out of the car and properly take in the breathtaking landscape — will allow you to fully relax and get the most out of the trip.

A mystical forest, a magical sunrise

What can we say about Alishan that hasn’t already been said? Not a lot. Among previous visitors who’ve rhapsodised about its sublime beauty are hard-nosed Japanese colonial officials, American servicemen stationed in Taiwan in the 1950s, and 21st-century backpackers. This little settlement more than 2,000 m (6,562 ft) above sea level was founded to facilitate some of the most environmentally-destructive behaviour imaginable. Fortunately, the felling and removal of entire stands of red cypress and yellow cypress trees ended decades ago, and Alishan now represents everything that’s admirable about Taiwan’s efforts to preserve its forests while striking a balance between sustainable tourism and conservation.

Alishan National Forest Recreation Area has a lot going for it: Family-friendly hiking trails, gorgeous woodlands, alluring birdlife, plus a range of accommodation and eating options. But it’s certainly not the be-all and end-all of this region. Tribal villages like Laiji offer a very different experience. Fenqihu (the midway point on the historic narrow-gauge railway that links Alishan with the lowlands) is a charming mini-town. Around Shizhuo, tea farms cover the hillsides.

If you plan to spend ten or more days in Taiwan, seriously consider allotting three days/two nights to Greater Alishan. It’s worth rising super early at least once so you can enjoy the sunrise from the observation deck at Zhushan (elevation 2,451 m / 8,041 ft). There’s no need to hike up from Alishan; special predawn train services take less than 10 minutes. Keen to avoid crowds? We know a couple of other sunrise-viewing spots that aren’t half as popular as Zhushan and we can guide you to them.

Temple town! The old capital of Tainan

Leaving Alishan by car, Tainan can be reached in about three hours. If time allows, we can detour to the Southern Branch of the National Palace Museum or to the delightful little town of Yanshui. Once a place of far greater importance than its current size suggests, Yanshui (like another ex-entrepot in central Taiwan called Lukang) was left ‘stranded’ when sedimentation blocked its access to the coast. As a result it hasn’t developed much since its heyday, and people come here for a taste of Taiwan as it used to be.

Tainan’s written history begins in 1624, when the Dutch East India Company set up a trading post on a sandbar just off the southwestern coast. Under two subsequent regimes — Koxinga’s Kingdom of Dongning and China’s Qing Dynasty — this settlement grew into the biggest city on the island. In the third quarter of the 19th century, however, Tainan was eclipsed by Taipei, which became the formal capital in 1887. The municipality now ranks as the sixth most-populous local government division, yet there’s no dispute that it’s the most historic and culturally rich city on the island.

Tainan’s most obvious treasures are its temples, several of which are almost 400 years old. The Confucius Temple exudes an austere tranquillity. The Guan Gong Temple aka Martial Rites Temple is an L-shaped shrine dedicated to Guan Gong, a deity said to have been a real-life general in China more than 1,800 years ago. Right next to it, the Great Queen of Heaven Temple honours Mazu, the perennially popular sea goddess. Other places of worship worth seeing are the Five Concubines Temple (be warned, the backstory is tragic) and the Altar of Heaven aka Tian Tan, where the faithful seek out traditional ‘expelling shock’ and ‘redirecting misfortune’ rites.

You might not catch a glimpse of the ocean during your stay in Tainan, because the coastline has shifted westwards over the past few centuries due to massive amounts of silt being washed down from the mountains every typhoon season. Back in the 17th and 18th centuries, what’s now the old city centre was a place of docks, warehouses, and merchants’ offices. The characterful antique buildings along Shennong Street date from that era and are best appreciated just before and just after dusk.

The oldest part of Tainan is Anping, where the Dutch built a fortress they called Castel Zeelandia (Fort Zeelandia aka Anping Old Fort). It was robust enough to resist Koxinga’s assaults, but its besieged occupants were eventually starved into submission, ending four decades of foreign domination in 1662. In addition to seeing the fort, visitors who get to Anping should wander through the nearby side streets and alleyways, some of which are far too narrow for cars, and allow at least an hour for Anping Tree House. The latter isn’t especially old, having been built in the second half of the 19th century. What makes it special are the huge banyan trees that have taken control of the site, their roots creating a scene that’s almost surreal.

Among Taiwanese, Tainan is as famous for its street foods as it is for its temples. One of these is hei-bai-qie (黑白切), which isn’t a million miles from what English speakers call ‘cold cuts’. Pig offal, sausage, shark meat, deep-fried crab roe, bitter gourd, and other delicacies are precooked, chilled, sliced up when ordered, then served with a mild dipping sauce. Another is deep-fried rolls (蝦捲, xia juan) filled with a mixture of ground shrimp, shallots, pork, and offal. As long-time Tainan residents and enthusiastic foodies, we at Life of Taiwan know which vendors still use caul fat as the wrapping for these rolls, rather than cheaper non-traditional tofu sheets.

Venturing to the unspoiled east

Quite a few visitors conclude their Taiwan tour in Tainan, but there’s plenty more to explore. If the harbour city of Kaohsiung doesn’t appeal, proceeding south to Kenting National Park via the picturesque Hakka villages of Pingtung County makes for a lovely day. For those travelling to the east, the South Cross-Island Highway offers stunning views as it skirts Yushan National Park. If that high-altitude road is closed — like the highway through Taroko Gorge, it’s vulnerable to typhoon damage — Highway 9 can deliver you to Taiwan’s Pacific coast.

How much time is needed to do justice to the thinly-populated and industry-free eastern counties of Taitung and Hualien? There’s a great deal to see, so we suggest no fewer than four days/three nights. The east has much more than winning scenery. There are several eco-tourism opportunities and a number of indigenous communities that welcome visitors. Simply let us know what you find interesting and we’ll come up with a schedule that’s as action-packed or as laid-back as you want. Contact us today to start planning your private Taiwan tour of a lifetime, whether it be the 5-Day Private Classic Tour of Taiwan, the 7-Day Private Classic Tour of Taiwan, or the 9-Day Private Classic Tour of Taiwan.