Travelisto destinations

Taiwan holidays

Taipei night markets, Sun Moon Lake and Toroko Gorge — Japan-meets-China with a different rhythm.

Plan my Taiwan holiday See holiday types

Overview

Welcome to Taiwan

Taiwan is East Asia's most-underrated travel destination — Taipei delivers the night-market food culture and the Taipei 101 skyline contrast; Sun Moon Lake offers misty inland-lake scenery with Indigenous Thao culture; Taroko Gorge's marble-walled canyon (Hualien, east coast) is one of Asia's most-spectacular gorges; Alishan's tea-growing high-mountain region produces some of the world's finest oolong tea; the offshore Kinmen and Penghu islands hold Cold War-era heritage and quiet beach culture; and the night markets (Shilin in Taipei, Ruifeng in Kaohsiung, Fengjia in Taichung) are the country's most-distinctive cultural experience.

A 10-14 day Taiwan trip: Taipei (3-4 nights — the National Palace Museum holds the world's greatest Chinese-imperial art collection, Longshan Temple, Jiufen old town day-trip, Beitou hot springs, the Shilin Night Market) → high-speed rail south to Taichung and Sun Moon Lake (2 nights) → continue to Alishan tea region or fly to Hualien for Taroko Gorge (2-3 nights) → Tainan colonial-Dutch heritage and Kaohsiung modern southern city (2-3 nights) → fly back to Taipei for departure. Round-island travel is straightforward thanks to the high-speed rail (HSR Taipei to Kaohsiung in 90 minutes).

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UK travellers get 90 days visa-free entry. Taiwan is one of Asia's safest, cleanest and friendliest destinations. Mandarin Chinese is the official language; Taiwanese Hokkien widely spoken; English in tourism. The food culture is the trip's organising principle: beef noodle soup (the national dish, with regional variations), xiao long bao soup dumplings (Din Tai Fung originated here), oyster omelettes, stinky tofu (the night-market signature), pineapple cake (the souvenir gift), bubble tea (invented here in the 1980s). The high-altitude Alishan and Lishan oolong teas are world-class.

Best for: food-and-night-market travellers, those drawn to Chinese-imperial art and culture, hikers (Taroko Gorge, Yushan/Jade Mountain), tea enthusiasts, photographers (Jiufen at sunset, Taroko's marble walls). Often combined with Japan, South Korea or Hong Kong as part of an East Asia trip.

From the team

Why we love Taiwan

Rossella — Travel Designer · Luxury & Destination Specialist

Taiwan is the East Asia trip I send people on who already know Japan and Korea and want something different. The food, the hot springs, the mountain landscapes, and one of Asia's most welcoming cultures.

Rossella Rossella, Luxury & Destination Specialist Meet our Travel Designers

Main areas

Where to go in Taiwan

3 distinct regions — they pair beautifully two or three at a time.

Taipei & the North

Taipei & the North

Taipei Beitou Jiufen Tamsui

Taipei's skyline and night markets, Beitou's hot springs, the gold-mining cliff village of Jiufen, and harbour Tamsui.

East Coast & Taroko Gorge

East Coast & Taroko Gorge

Taroko Gorge Hualien Taitung

The marble Taroko Gorge, the gateway city Hualien, and the surfing-and-hot-springs coast at Taitung.

South Taiwan

South Taiwan

Tainan Kaohsiung Kenting

Tainan's historic temples, Kaohsiung's harbour city, and the southern beach of Kenting.

Find your trip

Holiday types in Taiwan

Pick a holiday style — or combine two. Each section links straight to the next step.

Beach holidays

Beach destinations grouped by resort area — pick the cluster that matches your pace.

Kenting

Kenting

Kenting · Hengchun

Taiwan's southern beach park — surf, snorkelling, and tropical coast at Hengchun.

See hotels →

City breaks

Taiwan's cities reward 2-4 nights each — pair two for a tailor-made multi-centre trip.

Taipei

Taipei

Taipei 101, the night markets, the National Palace Museum, Longshan Temple, and Beitou's hot springs district.

Kaohsiung

Kaohsiung

Southern port city — the Lotus Pond, Liuhe Night Market, Pier-2 Art Centre, the Cijin Island ferry.

Cruises

Keelung (near Taipei) and Kaohsiung are Taiwan's main cruise ports — increasingly featured on Far East Asia loops.

See all Taiwan-departure cruises ->

Escorted tours

2 escorted tours through Taiwan — guided, customisable, fully ATOL-protected.

Every Travelisto tour runs with a small group (max 16), an English-speaking local leader, and is fully ATOL-protected. Most tours are also bookable as private departures — same itinerary, your party only, your dates.

See all Taiwan tours

Practical info

Knowing before you go

When to go
Jan
18°
Feb
19°
Mar
22°
Apr
25°
May
29°
Jun
31°
Jul
32°
Aug
32°
Sep
30°
Oct
27°
Nov
24°
Dec
20°

October-April is the prime season — dry and mild. May-September is hot, humid, typhoon-risky.

Flights & how to get there

Flights from UK to Taiwan — typically ~14h to Taipei (1 stop).

Visa & passport

UK passport holders get 90 days visa-free entry. For up-to-date entry requirements and safety advice, check the UK FCDO travel advice for Taiwan.

Currency & money

The New Taiwan Dollar (TWD). Cards in cities. 10% tip standard.

Language & tipping

Mandarin Chinese. English in tourist services.

Health & safety

Consult your GP 6 weeks before travel. Routine + hepatitis A typically advised. Buy comprehensive travel insurance.

Make this trip yours

Plan your Taiwan holiday with a Travel Designer

Pick from any of the options on this page or tell us what you have in mind — we'll build it around how you actually like to travel. ATOL protected, flights included, real humans available 9am–7pm.

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