What to do in Taichung
Releasing lanterns at Shifen, sipping tea in Jiufen, and devouring street food at Shihlin Night Market – these activities usually spring to mind when one thinks of the land of bubble tea. For good reason, Taipei is a fave among Singaporeans. But the oft-overlooked city of Taichung is equally deserving of a spot on your Taiwan hit list.
With a perfect balance of nature spots and city bustle, Taichung is suitable for all kinds of travellers – and you can easily get there in under 1 hour via High Speed Rail from Taoyuan or Taipei station. We booked our flights and hotel through Expedia, and jetted off to experience what the beautiful city had to offer. Here are some activities you can enjoy there:
Table of Contents
- What to do in Taichung
- How many days in Taichung is enough?
- How to get from Taichung from Taipei?
- Activities & Attractions
- 1. Fengjia Night Market
- 2. Rainbow Village
- 3. Lihpao Discovery Land
- 4. Carton King Creative Park
- 5. Taichung Park
- 6. Lavender Cottage
- 7. Mitsui Outlet Park
- 8. Shen Ji New Village
- 9. Panding Church
- 10. Gaomei Wetlands
- 11. Painted Animation Lane
- 12. Xinshe Castle
- 13. Zhong She Flower Market
- Bonus: Sun Moon Lake
- – Cafes –
- 14. Sowing The Sweets
- 15. Hong Rui Zhen bakery
- 16. Chun Shui Tang
- 17. Miyahara
How many days in Taichung is enough?
If there are only a couple of attractions you want to see in Taichung, 1-2 days is more than enough to cover the city. In fact, it’s even possible to organise a day trip if you’re travelling from Taipei. If you’re planning to cover every activity listed here, then we suggest a vacation of 5-7 days would nicely pace out these things to do in Taichung.
How to get from Taichung from Taipei?
The easiest and most convenient way is to book a seat on the Taiwan High Speed Rail via Klook, where tickets cost S$28.95/adult and S$14.49/child. Once you’ve paid for your ticket, you’ll be able to reserve a seat directly on the THSR website. The Taipei-Taichung route runs throughout the day, and the journey only takes about 40-50 minutes.
You can also book tickets at the Taipei Main Station just before train departure if you don’t want to book online.
Activities & Attractions
1. Fengjia Night Market
Open until 1am everyday
We all know of Shihlin and Raohe Night Market in Taipei, but Taichung has the trump card: Fengjia Night Market, the biggest one in the entire country. It’s open until 1am every day, so night owls who’d rather not laze away in their hotels at the end of the day can camp out here.
30cm fries drizzled with honey mustard.
Like most Taiwanese night markets, Fengjia Night Market offers delectable street fare as well as stylish clothes and games – all at affordable prices.
Super tall mango and strawberry ice cream.
Some of the nosh we tried include torched beef cubes, milky bubble tea, and a jacket potato drowning in cheese and ham.
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2. Rainbow Village
Pretty, colourful murals
Rainbow Village is a small cluster of homes that are connected to one another.
Image credit: @carin17 via Instagram
When it comes to colourful murals, it doesn’t take much convincing for us to dash right over. It’s no wonder that Rainbow Village continues to be a fave on social media. Bright red alleyways covered head-to-toe in paintings of animals, humans, and colourful motifs – what’s not to love?
Image credit: @jessica_chongml via Instagram
These vibrant streets were painted by one of the village’s last residents, a retired soldier named Huang Yong-Fu. Apparently, visitors can still find him hanging out in the village. Although relatively small in size, the village is worth a couple of hours’ visit with photoworthy spots in every corner and equally colourful souvenirs to cop. Best of all, visiting this little gem is completely free-of-charge.
3. Lihpao Discovery Land
Theme park with roller coasters & water rides
Adrenaline junkies, this one’s for you. Just when you thought you’ve been there, done that with countless runs on all of Universal Studios Singapore’s roller coasters, Lihpao Discovery Land in Taichung has a dizzying one for you to conquer. Enter The Stinger, a roller coaster that’ll have you suspended 90-degrees in the air before dropping you into a tunnel.
That’s not all, of course. Be sure to dedicate at least a full day here to explore the entire theme park. There are 32 parks with tons of rides for adults and kids of all ages.
Mala Bay waterpark.
Image credit: @lihpaoland via Instagram
The park happens to be part of the Lihpao Resort Park cluster. So, consider booking a stay at Fullon Hotel Lihpao Land so that you can take your time to explore Mala Bay waterpark, the outlet mall, and other attractions like go-kart racing and escape rooms.
4. Carton King Creative Park
Paper-made Eiffel Tower & Leaning Tower of Pisa
Image credit: @you_guan via Instagram
If an alternate dimension existed on Earth, it might very well be a paper dimension at Carton King Creative Park. That pretty much describes this spot in a nutshell: think furniture made of heavy duty cardboard, paper decor such as lanterns, and paper replicas of landmarks such as the Leaning Tower of Pisa and the Eiffel Tower.
Image adapted from: @ying790823 & @jenny890830 via Instagram
Explore this little park to snap whimsical photos, or browse their store for unique paper goods such as cardboard toys and gifts. There’s also a cafe onsite where you can have hotpot served in the cafe’s iconic paper pot for NT$460.
5. Taichung Park
Oldest park in Taichung
Hu Xin Pavilion.
Image credit: Travel Taichung
Fun fact: Taichung Park was built in 1903, during Japanese colonisation of the island. So if you spot Japanese architectural influences, like at the Hu Xin Pavilion, you’ll know why. But the photo ops don’t just end there.
Image credit: nirvana via Google Maps
The pavilion sits on a zen lake you can oooh and ahhh at, or take a paddle boat to traverse across. If you do, be sure to stop at the Zhongshan Bridge, a bright red bridge running across part of the lake, for more pictures.
And if landmarks aren’t your kiddos’ thing, you can take them to the children’ s play area or tennis court and tire them out before their afternoon nap.
6. Lavender Cottage
Pretty lavender fields & scenic gardens
Image credit: @lavenderforest.tw via Instagram
If frolicking in a field of flowers is on your bucket list, you can check that off successfully at Lavender Forest. This gorgeous field of lavenders will make for the perfect backdrop of your next IG post. The best time to visit is from November to May, when the whole farm turns a dreamy purple. And during spring and autumn, you can catch the beautiful salvia farinacea.
The lavender grown here isn’t just for the ‘Gram. The fragrant flowers are harvested to make lavender essential oil, which aids in relaxation and reducing inflammation. Reap those benefits when you pick up lavender-scented soaps and massage pols at their souvenir stand.
Image credit: @lavenderforest.tw via Instagram
There are also DIY workshops where you can make your own lavender sachets and handmade soaps. For kids, there are craft sessions too where they can get messy with paints. If you’re feeling snacky after all the craftiness, you can devour lavender-themed foods, like cookies and tea at their in-house cafe.
7. Mitsui Outlet Park
220 brands including Gucci & Coach
Image credit: 馮蘭婷 via Google Maps
Save your spending money for your day out at Mitsui Outlet Park, where you can get all your fave brands, like Calvin Klein, Gucci, and Coach at discounted prices. Apart from the international brands you already know and love, there are also local brands available here. Check out Mode Marie, a local lingerie designer, and Genki Bear, which sells all sorts of home organisation products.
And, if all that shopping gives you the munchies, there are plenty of restaurants and cafes to make a quick pitstop at. Fill up at restaurants like Eat Steak for Taiwanese-style steak, or Jiangxi’s Small Kitchen for simple homecooked fare. For something sweet, you can get desserts at Rose House Cafe or Baskin Robbins 31.
Image credit: Edward Chen via Google Maps
This mall also features a massive Ferris wheel (from NT$150) which offers scenic views of Taichung and the surrounding area. If you stay till after the sun sets, the wheel is illuminated beautifully with colourful lights. It’s also the perfect distraction for kiddos who are tired of all the shopping and need something a lil’ more exciting.
8. Shen Ji New Village
Ideal for art, culture & creative shop enthusiasts
Image credit: @luku752265 via Instagram
For a quick aesthetic change, visit Shen Ji New Village, which is a collection of abandoned dorm buildings that have been converted into shophouses. It’s been taken over by bustling young creatives selling cute items like handcrafted jewellery. There are even DIY workshops you can participate in, in case all those creative juices have taken effect on you.
Image credit: @varavut_nilthalak via Instagram
You’ll also find cool and trendy cafes, like Bugcat Cafe, to indulge in sweet treats and snap your pics. Or, you could use the aesthetic murals as a backdrop.
9. Panding Church
Most renowned church in Taichung
Teepee-shaped Luce Memorial Chapel is probably the most famous church in Taichung. But Panding Church, built to look like a ship, is another unique one worth visiting – and you won’t find it in most tourist guides!
The blue and white colour scheme is calming on the eyes, and needless to say, this architectural gem makes for beautiful photos.
10. Gaomei Wetlands
Scenic Preservation Area
While Gaomei Wetlands may not appear spectacular during the day, it’s a whole different story at sundown. Watching the golden orb of the sun inch down towards the horizon feels almost surreal, and the row of windmills adds to the charm of the scene.
During low tide, you’ll see little critters like mudskippers and crabs here.
Stroll to the end of the 800m-long boardwalk and you’ll reach an open area where you can walk on the wet sand. We chose to skip the extensive walking and instead picked a spot halfway down the path to sit with our legs dangling over the edge.
This was taken shortly after the sun disappeared into the horizon.
Note: the vibrancy of the sunset scene here is quite weather-dependent. Check the weather forecast beforehand before making plans to visit. Sunset in Taichung usually begins around 5.30pm, so do reach with enough buffer time to catch the wetlands in its full splendour.
11. Painted Animation Lane
IG-worthy street art
Street art might be a common city sight no matter where you go, but instead of the usual graffiti, Taichung has a little alleyway known as Painted Anime Lane, dedicated to murals of cartoon favourites from our childhoods.
From Looney Tunes to Mr Bean and characters from the anime Bleach, all designs are painted with impeccable workmanship. One might even think they were done by the original artists themselves!
12. Xinshe Castle
Perfect for a romantic stroll
Xinshe Castle looks like a scene straight out of a European fairytale. Funny thing is, this was neither built nor lived in by the Europeans. The origins of this place aren’t clear, but no matter – we’re in love with how serene and romantic it feels.
For some reason, Xinshe Castle’s lake is completely green, but it’s still a sight to behold
Spend some time strolling around and breathing in the fresh air here as you take in the lush greenery around you!
13. Zhong She Flower Market
Perfect gift for bae
Despite its name, Zhong She Flower Market is more of a gigantic flower field than a marketplace. Types of flowers you’ll encounter here depend on the season – we got to feast our eyes on various blooms like lavender, lilies, and cheery sunflowers.
With props like windmills and a princess carriage, Zhong She Flower Market is ideal for lovey-dovey couple shots – you may spot some people taking their pre-wedding photos here.
Giant sunflowers that may be taller than you.
Be sure to snap a picture at this pink piano surrounded by a carpet of flowers.
Bonus: Sun Moon Lake
Bike riding, cable car & boat rides
Image credit: @guzzythai via Instagram
Though Sun Moon Lake isn’t located in Taichung, it’s only a 1.5 hour ride via bus. You can take bus companies like Kuo-Kuang Motor Transport and Taiwan Tourist Shuttle that both travel to Sun Moon Lake.
This stunning natural beauty is surrounded by mountains and clear blue waters making it an ideal place to unwind and take in the scenery.
Image credit: @qrine286 via Instagram
The best way to take it all in is to follow the cycling route around the lake to get views of the mountains and temples that surround it. Sun Moon Lake bike rentals are from S$4.95/pax and there’s no time limit, so feel free to use the bike to get around.
If you’re not feeling like cardio, you can opt for the cable car which will take you to Formosan Aboriginal Culture Village, where you can explore Taiwan’s indigenous culture.
Book a Sun Moon Lake day tour from Taichung.
– Cafes –
14. Sowing The Sweets
Devour sweet treats
With yellow and white as its main colour scheme, Sowing The Sweets is the epitome of cheery. If you’re wondering about their name – the cafe serves cakes made to look like potted plants.
Decorated with a carrot-shaped meringue, their Chocolate Cake (NT$130, ~S$5.60) appeared dry on the surface, but upon digging in, we were pleased to find that it was moist and dense enough without being too heavy. Another meringue-topped creation is their Tiramisu (NT$130, ~S$5.60) served with a little dripper of rum.
15. Hong Rui Zhen bakery
Combos of sandwiches
They might look just like the ones you can get at any HDB bakery, but don’t knock Hong Rui Zhen Bakery’s humble sandwiches till you try ‘em!
While simple, their combinations of jam with cheese, egg with cheese, or ham with cheese are somehow inexplicably delicious. For the most full-bodied flavour, go straight for the ham one. Each sandwich costs just NT$30 (~S$1.30) or less, so take the opportunity to load up while you’re there!
Don’t believe us? Even the locals will tell you that these are the best sandwiches in Taichung. We were skeptical at first, but ended up visiting the store thrice during our 3 days in the city and probably gobbled down more than 10 sandwiches each.
16. Chun Shui Tang
Inventors of bubble tea
Image adapted from: @chunshuitang & @endless.eatss via Instagram
There’ll be no escaping bubble tea when you’re in Taiwan – they’re the place where the drink was invented after all. Now, if it’s the absolute OG you seek, then visit Chun Shui Tang, which has been credited as being the original creators of boba.
At Chun Shui Tang, the tapioca pearls are still made by hand and are served in tall glasses of rich milk tea. Fun fact: the tea is brewed using leaves from a traditional Taichung tea shop of the same name.
Image credit: @spicyen303 via Instagram
We’re starting off strong with traditional boba, but fret not, their traditional food doesn’t disappoint either. At this renowned eatery, braised beef noodles and kung fu noodles are both popular choices. For the former, you’ll get chewy noodles coupled with a slightly spicy broth that has tender beef pieces. As for the kung fu noodles, the dish comes with a delicious mushroom minced meat topping.
17. Miyahara
Harry Potter-style eateries
Entering Miyahara will make you feel like you’ve stumbled upon a Harry Potter set – with a grand chandelier, gothic-style cupboards, and towering wooden columns lined with (fake) books, this opulent dessert store – once a Japanese eye clinic – could pass off as the Hogwarts library.
Head up the staircase and you’ll find yourself at their equally fancy-looking restaurant, Moon Pavilion. They serve an assortment of sweet treats and Taiwanese dishes, but we say, go straight for the desserts.
At NT$500, their Afternoon Tea For One consists of a pot of tea and your choice of 3 desserts – I picked the Honey Rice Cake, Pineapple Cake, and Chocolate Bark. Dishes here are slightly pricey in general, but for the quality, ambience, and top-notch service, costs are justified.
We also ordered their Cheesecake with Fruits and Honey Pickled Tomatoes
Note: there is a minimum order amount of NT$380 (~S$16.50) per person at Moon Pavilion, but order one dessert each and you’ll easily hit that base amount. View Miyahara’s menu for more options.
Book your flights and hotel for your Taichung trip with Expedia’s app
*Note: The promotions featured in this article may no longer be available.
All geared up and ready to go on your next trip? Expedia is a handy booking portal to use. They’ll help you search out a whole list of flight and hotel options, suitable for all budgets and preferences.
Each booking will earn you points, which you can accumulate and use as credits for future bookings. For double the points, make your bookings on Expedia’s mobile app (iOS, Android) instead!
The Expedia mobile app shows you a nifty map of the region of your choice, picking out hotels in various locations with different price ranges
For flight bookings, Expedia’s app lets you sort search results according to preferences like price, airline, and whether or not there are stopovers involved. You can even filter out flights that don’t have your ideal departure or arrival timings. If you book in advance, you’ll be able to snag direct flights to Taiwan for prices as low as $280 or less.
So go on and make a hassle-free booking for your trip to Taichung with Expedia – you’ll have truckloads of fun at Taichung’s numerous scenic spots, quaint cafes, and the largest night market in the entire country!
Find out more about the Expedia app here
This post was brought to you by Expedia.
Last updated by Evangelin Deshika on 21st November 2024.