Taiwan is a beautiful country with lots of natural, cultural and urban attractions. If you have only visited Taipei, we recommend you to venture out to its more historical and cultural cities such as Taichung and Chiayi. Chiayi, in particular, is the gateway city to visit the famed Alishan – a mountain province filled with green slopes, and sacred trees. To help you with your trip planning, we are happy to share the travel details of our 7 Days Taichung, Chiayi & Alishan Itinerary. Have fun adapting the itinerary to best suit your travel preference.
Taichung, Chiayi & Alishan Itinerary – 7 Days Taiwan Highland & Cities Adventures
| Day | City | Time | Activity | Venue |
| Day 1 | Singapore | 6.55am | Check In Flight Scoot TR 996 | Changi Terminal 2 |
| 8.30pm | Flight Departure | |||
| Taipei | 1.15pm | Arrival Taipei | Taipei Taoyuan Airport Terminal 1 | |
| 2.30pm | Take HSR To Chiayi / Lunch on board | Taipei HSR Station | ||
| Chiayi | 4.30pm | Reach Chaiyi HSR Station | Chaiyi HSR Station. Take cab 22 mins to hotel | |
| 5.00pm | Reach Chiayi King Hotel | No. 234, Sinrong Road 600 Chiayi City Taiwan | ||
| 6.00pm | Turkey Rice | Spraying of Water Chicken Rice 喷水鸡肉饭. On the way to night market | ||
| 7.00pm | Apo Duck Noodle & Wen’s Sichuan Beef Noodle | No.106, Lanjing St., West Dist., Chiayi City 600. Further down from night market | ||
| 8.00pm | Wenhua Road Night Market | Walk 550m from hotel | ||
| 10.00pm | Rest Early | Chiayi King Hotel | ||
| Day 2 | Alishan | 9.30am | Pick up from hotel (TWD1800 Cash) | Chiayi King Hotel |
| 11.00am | Reach Fenqihu, eat local bento & explore the old town | Fenqihu Town | ||
| 12.00pm | Movie Set For Starry Starry Night | |||
| 1.00pm | Drinks & Dessert At Aiyu Uncle’s House | |||
| 2.00pm | Reach 53.1 Homestay (stock up before heading up) | 602, Taiwan, Chiayi County, Fanlu Township, 公田村第五鄰隙頂76之8号 | ||
| 3.00pm | Trek Up For Sunset | 53.1 Trekking Trail | ||
| 5.30pm | Reach Homestay Before Dark | 53.1 Homestay | ||
| 6.00pm | Dinner At Minsu or Aborginal Youbasi | |||
| 9.00pm | Chill & rest for the night | 53.1 Homestay | ||
| Day 3 | Alishan | 6.30am | View Xi Ding Sunrise | 200m from 53.1 Homestay |
| 9.00am | Take bus up to Alishan Main Area | Bus stop from 53.1 Homestay | ||
| 10.00am | Reach Alishan Main Area | Alishan Main Area | ||
| 10.30am | Giant Sacred Trees, Giant Trees Clusters, Shoujhen Temple & Sister’s Lake | Sacred Tree Station | ||
| 7.00pm | Dinner At Minsu or Aborginal Youbasi | 53.1 Homestay | ||
| 9.00pm | Rest for the night | |||
| Day 4 | Alishan | 11.00am | Check Out | 53.1 Homestay |
| 11.30am | Bus to Chiayi HSR Station (TWD1300) | |||
| Chiayi | 1.30am | Train to Taichung / Lunch On Board | Chiayi HSR Station | |
| Taichung | 2.30am | Reach Taichung | Taichung HSR Station | |
| 3.00pm | Check In Hotel Half (18 mins cab ride away) | 4F, No. 135, Luchuan West Street, Central District, Taichung City, 400, Taiwan – 綠川西街135號4樓 , 中區, (台中市, 400) |
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| 3.30pm | Late lunch / Tea At Banana New Paradise | No.111, Sec. 2, Shuangshi Rd., North Dist., Taichung City 404, Taiwan (R.O.C.). 6 mins by car | ||
| 4.30pm | Confucius Temple Martyr’s Shrine | 2 mins walk from Banana New Paradise | ||
| 5.00pm | Yi Zhong Shopping Street Must Try: Fong Ran Ice |
Yizhong Street, North District, Taichung City, Taiwan 404 | ||
| 8.00pm | Smile Night Market (3 mins from Banana New Paradise) | Shuangshi Rd and Yule St intersection, North Dist., Taichung City, Taiwan 404 | ||
| 9.00pm | Rest back at hotel | Hotel Half | ||
| Day 5 | Taichung | 8.30am | Wake Up | Hotel Half |
| 9.00am | Breakfast & shopping Taichung 2nd Market Must try: Dingshan Rou Yuan, Wang Carrot Cake & Fuzhou Noodles |
No. 87, Sec. 2, Sanming Rd., Central Dist, Taichung, Taiwan (8 mins away from hotel) | ||
| 11.30am | Animation Lane (15mins walk away) | Lane 100, Linsen Road, West District, Taichung City, Taiwan 403 | ||
| 12.30pm | Chun Shui Tang for Bubble Tea | 403, Taiwan, Taichung City, West District, Gongyi Road, 68號 | ||
| 1.00pm | Taichung Civic Square & Calligraphy Greenway | Xiangshang North Road, West District, Taichung City, Taiwan 403 | ||
| 2.30pm | I’m Talato Ice-cream & Camwhoring (Reservations made) | No. 451, Yingcai Road, West District, Taichung City, Taiwan 403. | ||
| 4.00pm | Cab to Gaomei Wetlands | Calligraphy Greenway | ||
| 5.00pm | Gaomei Wetlands | Gaomei Wetlands, Meidi Street, Qingshui District, Taichung City, Taiwan 436 | ||
| 7.00pm | Bagua Kiln Restaurant | No.539, Sec. 3, Wuquan W. Rd., Nantun Dist., Taichung City 408, Taiwan (R.O.C.) | ||
| 9.00pm | Mitaka 3e Café | No.731, Dongjin E. Rd., Shalu Dist., Taichung City 433, Taiwan (R.O.C.) | ||
| 10.30pm | Rest back at hotel | Hotel Half | ||
| Day 6 | Taichung | 8.30am | Wake Up | Hotel Half |
| 9.00am | Breakfast only Taichung 2nd Market | No. 87, Sec. 2, Sanming Rd., Central Dist, Taichung, Taiwan (8 mins away from hotel) | ||
| 10.00am | Taichung Suncake Museum DIY Session | No. 25, Section 2, Ziyou Road, Central District, Taichung City, Taiwan 400 | ||
| 11.00am | Bath & final packing | Hotel Half | ||
| 12.00pm | Check out | |||
| 12.30pm | Lunch At Wu Wei Tsao Tang Tea House | No. 106, Section 2, Gongyi Road, Nantun District, Taichung City, Taiwan 408 | ||
| 2.00pm | Fantasy Story | 13 Meicun Road Section 1 Lane 117 | ||
| 4.00pm | Tea Break At Sweet Woods | 136 Xiangshang North Road (5 mins walk away) | ||
| 5.00pm | CMP Block Museum of Arts | No. 71, Guanqian Road, West District, Taichung City, Taiwan 404 | ||
| 7.00pm | Dinner & Dessert | Miyahara Eye Hospital | ||
| 9.00pm | Take luggage & leave for HSR | Hotel Half | ||
| 9.51pm | Take 1570 HSR to Taoyuan (10.34pm) | Taoyuan HSR Station | ||
| 11.25pm | Check In Flight Scoot TR 897 | Taipei Taoyuan Airport Terminal 1 | ||
| Day 7 | Taipei | 1.25am | Flight Departure | Taipei Taoyuan Airport Terminal 1 |
| Singapore | 6.15am | Arrival Singapore | Changi Airport Terminal 2 |
Taiwan Highland & Cities Adventures – Planning Tips
To avoid the crowds at Alishan, we recommend that you stay at one of the minsu that is located midway up the mountain range. The minsu – 53.1 Homestay we crashed at was really beautiful and we even saw a sea of cloud in the early morning. Use it as a base to explore Alishan. We were initially unsure if we should visit Gaomei Wetlands as it was pretty out of the way. But we were glad we did, it actually became one of our trip’s highlights. Have fun in Taichung, Chiayi and Alishan, do share your experience with us in the comments section below too!
