Taiwan
Taiwan crams in marble gorges, peaks approaching 4,000m, Japanese-era hot springs and some of Asia's best night-market food into an island whose high-speed trains link Taipei and Kaohsiung in as little as 90 minutes. Taipei is efficient, friendly and endlessly edible; beyond it lie Taroko's chasms, Sun Moon Lake and the temples of old Tainan.
Overview
Taiwan's geography sets the route. A spine of high mountains runs north to south, so the densely populated west coast, linked by high-speed rail, holds Taipei, Taichung, Tainan and Kaohsiung, while the wilder east coast, with Hualien, Taroko and Taitung, is reached by conventional train along the Pacific shore. A classic first trip spends four or five days in and around Taipei, including Jiufen and the Pingxi branch line, then loops the island: down the west via Sun Moon Lake or Alishan to Tainan and Kaohsiung, and back up the east coast. Two weeks covers it comfortably; ten days feels rushed.
Taiwan is easy, efficient and good value: transport is punctual, city signs are bilingual, convenience stores sell almost everything, and a superb night-market dinner costs a few pounds. Accommodation is the main expense, especially in Taipei. It suits food lovers, hikers, culture enthusiasts and first-timers to Asia. Visitors are often surprised by the mountains, which reach 3,952m at Yushan, by the helpfulness of strangers, by the scooter swarms at every junction, and by the layering of Indigenous, Chinese, Japanese colonial and modern democratic culture, visible in everything from temple festivals to the café scene.
Map of Taiwan
Top 5 highlights
- 1Culture
National Palace Museum
One of the world's great collections of Chinese art, much of it shipped from the mainland to Taiwan in 1948–49: bronzes, calligraphy, Song-dynasty paintings and the famous Jadeite Cabbage. Displays rotate, so no two visits are alike.
- 2Nature
Taroko Gorge
Marble cliffs rise hundreds of metres above the Liwu River in Taiwan's most famous national park. Rockfalls from the April 2024 Hualien earthquake closed many trails, some of the best known for years, so check which routes are open before planning around it.
- 3Nature
Sun Moon Lake
Taiwan's largest lake, ringed by forested hills at around 750m in the island's centre. Cycle the lakeshore path, take the cable car to the Formosan Aboriginal Culture Village, or hop between Shuishe and Ita Thao piers by boat.
- 4History
Tainan's old town
Taiwan's oldest city and its capital until 1887, packed with ornate temples, the Dutch-era Anping Fort and Chihkan Tower. It is also the island's food capital, famous for milkfish, danzai noodles and shrimp rolls.
- 5Culture
Jiufen
A former gold-mining town clinging to the hills above the north-east coast, with steep stepped lanes of teahouses and red lanterns. Go on a weekday evening, and combine it with sky lanterns on the Pingxi line.
Biggest cities
Taipei
A relaxed, efficient capital where temples sit between tower blocks: Taipei 101, the National Palace Museum, hot springs at Beitou and night markets such as Raohe and Ningxia.
Taichung
The sunny second city has Toyo Ito's cave-like opera house, Fengjia night market and a claim to have invented bubble tea. A good gateway to Sun Moon Lake.
Kaohsiung
The southern port city has reinvented itself with harbourside arts spaces at Pier-2, the Lotus Pond's dragon and tiger pagodas, a light-rail loop and easy access to Kenting's beaches.
Taipei's figure is for the metropolitan area including New Taipei and Keelung; Taichung and Kaohsiung are special-municipality populations.
When to go to Taiwan
Best time: Oct–Dec, Mar–Apr.
Average climate in Taipei
Festivals & events
- Feb–MarLantern Festival
The 15th day of the lunar new year ends the holiday with lantern displays nationwide; Pingxi releases thousands of sky lanterns, and Yanshui stages its riotous beehive fireworks.
- May–JunDragon Boat Festival
On the fifth day of the fifth lunar month, crews race dragon boats on rivers in Taipei, Lukang and elsewhere, and everyone eats zongzi, sticky rice wrapped in bamboo leaves.
- Sep–OctMid-Autumn Festival
Families gather for outdoor barbecues, a distinctly Taiwanese twist on the moon festival, sharing mooncakes and pomelos under the full moon of the eighth lunar month.
How much does Taiwan cost?
Estimates per person per day, excluding flights. Prices vary by season and city.
Food to try
Beef noodle soup
Taiwan's unofficial national dish: chewy wheat noodles in a rich beef broth, either spicy red-braised or clear, with chunks of shank and pickled mustard greens.
Lu rou fan
Braised pork rice: finely chopped fatty pork stewed in soy, rice wine and five-spice, spooned over white rice; a cheap, comforting staple everywhere.
Bubble tea
Sweet milk tea with chewy tapioca pearls, invented in Taiwan in the 1980s; Taichung and Tainan both claim the original, and shops let you set sugar and ice levels.
Getting around
Taiwan High Speed Rail runs down the west coast from Taipei to Zuoying in Kaohsiung in roughly 90 minutes to two hours, while conventional TRA trains circle the island, including the scenic east coast. Taipei, Taichung and Kaohsiung have metro systems; an EasyCard covers trains, buses, YouBike bikes and convenience-store purchases. Uber works in the main cities, and buses run to Sun Moon Lake and Alishan.
Practical information
- Plugs & voltage
- AB110V — bring a UK-to-A/B adapter
- Emergency numbers
- Ambulance and fire: 119
- Police: 110
- Coastguard: 118
- Domestic abuse and sexual assault hotline: 113
- Any further assistance: 0800 024 111 (‘Information for Foreigners in Taiwan’ helpline)
Source: FCDO “Getting help”
- Dialling code
- +886
- Time zone
- UTC+8 (standard time)
- Tap water
- Varies — bottled or filtered is safer
- Driving
- On the right
- Tipping
- Not expected; hotels and many sit-down restaurants add a 10% service charge. Tip tour guides, and leave small change only for exceptional service.
- Etiquette
- Eating, drinking and chewing gum are banned on the MRT and in stations, and people queue in marked lines. Don't stand chopsticks upright in rice, and hand over cards and money with both hands.
- Main airports
- Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport (TPE), Taoyuan (for Taipei); Taipei Songshan Airport (TSA), Taipei; Kaohsiung International Airport (KHH), Kaohsiung
Visas & entry for Taiwan
Shown for a British passport.
No visa needed
You can visit Taiwan without a visa for up to 90 days. You can extend this by a further 90 days once you have arrived in Taiwan. You can get more information on entering Taiwan without a visa (‘visa-exempt entry’) from the Taiwan Bureau of Consular Affairs. This applies if you travel: as a tourist; to visit family or friends; to attend business meetings, cultural or sports events.
If you plan to stay in Taiwan for longer than 180 days, you must have a visa before you arrive. If you stay beyond the time given on your visa, you will get a fine and risk being deported from Taiwan.
From the UK government's FCDO entry requirements for British passport holders — read the full page for passport validity, permits and exceptions.
Health & vaccinations
- Recommended for most travellers
- Tetanus
- Sometimes advised — depends on your trip, activities and health
- ChikungunyaDengueHepatitis BJapanese encephalitisRabiesTuberculosis
- Yellow fever certificate
- A yellow fever certificate is only required if you arrive from (or transit through) a country with yellow fever risk — not if you fly direct from the UK.
- Malaria
- No malaria risk
Source: TravelHealthPro (National Travel Health Network and Centre), checked 21 October 2026. This is a summary, not medical advice.
Public holidays in Taiwan
The next 12 months. Banks, offices and some sights may close, and transport and hotels get busy around these dates.
| Sun 25 Oct 2026 | Taiwan Restoration and Guningtou Victory Memorial Day |
| Mon 26 Oct 2026 | Taiwan Restoration and Guningtou Victory Memorial Day (observed) |
| Fri 25 Dec 2026 | Constitution Day |
| Fri 1 Jan 2027 | Founding Day of the Republic of China |
| Thu 4 Feb 2027 | Chinese New Year's Eve |
| Fri 5 Feb 2027 | Chinese New Year's Eve |
| Sat 6 Feb 2027 | Chinese New Year |
| Sun 7 Feb 2027 | Chinese New Year |
| Mon 8 Feb 2027 | Chinese New Year |
| Tue 9 Feb 2027 | Chinese New Year (observed) |
| Wed 10 Feb 2027 | Chinese New Year (observed) |
| Sun 28 Feb 2027 | Peace Memorial Day |
| Mon 1 Mar 2027 | Peace Memorial Day (observed) |
| Sun 4 Apr 2027 | Children's Day |
| Mon 5 Apr 2027 | Tomb-Sweeping Day |
| Tue 6 Apr 2027 | Children's Day (observed) |
| Fri 30 Apr 2027 | Labour Day (observed) |
| Sat 1 May 2027 | Labour Day |
| Wed 9 Jun 2027 | Dragon Boat Festival |
| Wed 15 Sep 2027 | Mid-Autumn Festival |
| Tue 28 Sep 2027 | Confucius' Birthday |
| Sun 10 Oct 2027 | National Day |
| Mon 11 Oct 2027 | National Day (observed) |
National holidays only. Dates based on lunar calendars can move by a day or two depending on official announcements.
Useful phrases in Mandarin
| English | Mandarin | Say it |
|---|---|---|
| Hello | 你好 | nee HOW |
| Thank you | 謝謝 | syeh-syeh |
| Please | 請 | ching |
| Excuse me | 不好意思 | boo how ee-suh |
| How much is this? | 這個多少錢？ | jay-guh dwor-shao chyen |
Know before you go
- Convenience stores are a lifeline: 7-Eleven and FamilyMart sell hot meals, top up EasyCards and SIM cards, print tickets at their kiosks and have ATMs that take foreign cards.
- Book High Speed Rail and east-coast trains early for Lunar New Year and long weekends, when seats sell out days ahead; standing tickets on TRA trains are an uncomfortable fallback.
- Typhoons strike mainly from July to October, occasionally earlier or later, cancelling flights and closing mountain roads; build slack into your itinerary and check Taroko and Alishan access before setting off.
Taiwan travel FAQs
When is the best time to visit Taiwan?
The best time to visit Taiwan is generally Oct–Dec, Mar–Apr. Peak months are March, April, October, November and December. Average highs in Taipei range from 19°C to 34°C across the year.
How much does a trip to Taiwan cost per day?
Roughly £45 a day on a tight budget, £100 mid-range and £200+ for comfortable travel, per person including accommodation, food and local transport. Flights are extra.
What currency is used in Taiwan?
New Taiwan dollar (TWD).
What plug type does Taiwan use?
Type A and B sockets at 110V. UK visitors need a travel adapter — UK Type G plugs will not fit.
Which side of the road do they drive on in Taiwan?
Traffic drives on the right in Taiwan, unlike the UK.
Is tap water safe to drink in Taiwan?
Varies — bottled or filtered is safer.
Do I need a visa for Taiwan?
For British passport holders, the FCDO says: You can visit Taiwan without a visa for up to 90 days. Entry rules change, so check the official FCDO entry requirements for Taiwan before you travel: https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/taiwan/entry-requirements
What vaccinations do I need for Taiwan?
TravelHealthPro recommends Tetanus for most travellers, with Chikungunya, Dengue, Hepatitis B, Japanese encephalitis, Rabies and Tuberculosis sometimes advised depending on your trip. Make sure routine UK vaccinations are up to date and see a travel health professional 6–8 weeks before you go.
