5 Days Itinerary in Taiwan + Travel Tips (UPDATED 2025)

Here’s a 5 days itinerary in Taiwan, including some personal tips!

I traveled to Taiwan for a few days. It’s actually an easy place for a solo traveler like me. First of all, it has good public transportation and there are signages everywhere so getting lost is not an issue. Taipei City can be explored by commuting and there are joiner tours for exploring areas outside the city.

Personally, I like how Taipei City feels so modern, but at the same time there are many nature parks and the roads are filled with trees. The night markets are alive and buzzing, food is delicious, and it’s a lively city in general. The day trips are also enjoyable, particularly the North Coast Tour and Shiding Tour. Overall, I enjoyed it better than I thought I would.

Taiwan is visa-free for Filipinos up to July 2025, so what are you waiting for?

P.S. Visiting Taiwan soon? Don’t forget to read about our First-Timers Guide to Taiwan.

How to get here

Taiwan has 2 major international airports: Taoyuan and Songshan. Taoyuan International Airport is the main gateway to Taiwan.

Manila to Taoyuan Airport

From Manila, it takes 1 hour 45 minutes to reach Taoyuan International Airport via Cebu Pacific and AirAsia.

Currently, there are midnight and morning flights from Manila to Taipei City. I suggest getting a morning flight so you can have proper rest before going on a tour.

Upon arrival

Here are the things you should do after arrival in the airport:

• Exchange your USD to NTD (New Taiwan Dollars). You can also exchange it in money changers outside the airport if you’re particular about getting the best rates.
• Buy a SIM card or pocket Wi-Fi for seamless internet access. Pre-order online via platforms like Klook or KKDay for convenience and pick up at the airport.
• Buy a Taipei Pass or Easy Card for use in trains & buses. More about this on How to Get Around section.

If you arrive in the wee hours of the morning, you can sleep at the airport or book at Novotel Taipei Taoyuan International Airport, a highly-rated airport hotel.

Taoyuan Airport to Taipei City

Taoyuan International Airport is about 40 km away from Taipei City. Travel time is around 40-50 minutes.

Here are your options on how to get from Taoyuan Airport to Taipei Main Station in Taipei City:

• Train. There are 2 types of train: Express (purple) and Regular (blue). The Express Line takes 35 minutes, and the Regular Line takes 50 minutes. One-way ticket costs 150-160 NTD. Schedule is 6AM to 11PM.
• Bus. The 1819 bus line operates 24 hours. Fare is 135-150 NTD.
• Taxi. Taxi is a bit expensive, but it’s a good option if you have heavy luggage or if you arrive late at night. Fare from the airport to Taipei Main Station is around 1000-1200 NTD.
• Others: Private transfer is a good option if you are in a group or if you arrive late at night. Private transfers start at 1500 NTD for up to 4 people (book via Klook or KKDay).

From Taipei Main Station, you can catch connecting trains or take a bus/taxi to your accommodation.

How to Get Around

The public transportation in Taiwan is very good.

• It has a train station called Metro Taipei that connects the major city areas and even the north and south areas in Taiwan. Fare is 20-25 NTD.
• It also has numerous bus lines in the cities. Fare is 15-35 NTD.
• For those who are in a hurry or traveling late at night, you can get a taxi or Uber, which is widely available in Taipei.

To get around via public transport, I recommend buying a Taipei Pass or Easy Card. This way, you don’t have to worry about cash or get in line at the train station everytime.

• A Taipei Pass offers unlimited train & bus rides within a specified period in Taipei City. This is useful especially if you plan on a jam-packed city tour itinerary. A 1-day card starts at 190 NTD
• An Easy Card is a reloadable card that can be used in buses and train stations anywhere in the country. You can buy an Easy Card at the airport, train stations, or 7-11. The card costs 100 NTD plus top-up amount in multiples of 100 NTD.

I bought an Easy Card since I find it more flexible. I even used it in places outside Taipei City such as Jiufen.

To navigate public transportation, use Google Maps or the Taipei Metro Go app, which lists train and bus schedules in real-time.

5 Days Itinerary to Taiwan

Here’s a sample 5 days itinerary to Taiwan. Consider this a rough guide.

Day 1	Arrival in Taoyuan International Airport Early check in at hotel in Taipei Taipei City Tour – Walking tour – Lungshan Temple – Taipei 101 – Elephant Mountain – Night market
Day 2	North Coast – Yehliu Geopark – Shifen Old Street – Shifen Waterfall – Jiufen Old Street
Day 3	Shiding – Thousand Island Lake – Ba Gua Tea Plantation – Shiding Old Street
Day 4	Check out of hotel in Taipei Taichung – Green Fantasy Forest – Houli Flower Farm (Zong She Flower Market) – Rainbow Village Check in at hotel in Taichung
Day 5	Taichung – Sun Moon Lake OR Nantou – Qingjing Farm – Snow Mountain (Xueshan) Head back to Taipei City / Flight home

If you have a limited schedule for the trip, get a late-night flight on your last day.

Here are some things to note when planning your own itinerary:

• Taipei city tour can be done in 1-3 days. For the rest of your stay, you can go on one- or multi-day trips outside the city. The most popular ones include the North Coast and Taichung.
• Taiwan has great public transport, but when exploring outside Taipei it’s best to book joiner tours or rent a private car (if you’re in a group).
• I’m solo so I opted for the most convenient choice: I booked a joiner tour each for the North Coast, Shiding, Taichung, and Nantour. I only spent a day in Taipei since I’m not really a city person and would like to see more of the countryside.

Day 1 – Taipei City Tour

You can do a DIY Taipei city tour. Here’s a suggested one day itinerary.

Start at around 9AM with a walking tour to some of the main city attractions. Go to Ximen Station in Ximending Area to Rainbow Pedestrian and Red House Theather. Then walk towards the Presidential Office and Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall.

From there, ride the train to Lungshan Temple.

In the afternoon, head to Taipei 101. Have lunch at Din Tai Fung, which is famous for their pork xiaolongbao (steamed buns). Afterwards, buy a ticket to the Taipei 101 Observatory located at the 89th floor where you can enjoy a view of the city below. Afterwards, visit the Starbucks in the 35th floor, which is considered the highest Starbucks in the world, or explore the high-end shopping mall in the building or surrounding areas.

From Taipei 101, walk to the jump-off point to the Elephant Mountain. Trek for 20-30 minutes to reach the viewdeck, where you can enjoy a view of the cityscape including the Taipei 101 Building. Watch the sunset above.

End your day with a visit to a night market.

Pro Tip: If you’re on a budget, you can skip the Taipei 101 Observatory. Hiking to the Elephant Mountain is free and the view is just as nice, especially at sunset.

Day 2 – North Coast

This is one of the must-book day trips from Taipei City. The North Coast area is about 45 minutes away from the city.

The highlight of this North Coast trip is Jiufen Old Street. Some people go here DIY, but joiner tours are cheap and will allow you to see other nearby locations. I booked mine via KKDay. The tour was a bit compressed but overall enjoyable.

The tour starts in Yehliu Geopark, where you will see interesting landscapes. Then to Shifen Old Street, which is famous for the sky lantern activity. You can buy a Chinese sky lantern, write your wish on it, and let it fly. This is actually really fun and the good thing is the lantern scraps are collected by the locals afterwards. Next is Shifen Waterfalls.

The last stop is Jiufen Old Street, the place that’s said to inspire Miyazaki’s Spirited Away. This is a good place to eat, shop, and just stroll around.

Day 3 – Shiding

Shiding is an underrated destination an hour away from Taipei City.

Public transport here is limited, so the best way to explore it is via joiner tours. As above, I booked mine via KKDay. This is actually my favorite day tour during my stay in Taiwan. It’s laid-back and there are so much amazing sights.

The Thousand Island Lake is a water reservoir surrounded by islets, which is where it gets its name from. You can stop at a handful of viewpoints to take pictures of the lake. One of the stopovers here is the Ba Gua Tea Plantation, where you can tour the nearby tea farms and then have a snack at a cafeteria which offers coffee or local desserts such as soya ice cream. Finally, the Shiding Old Street is a small area where you can buy various tofu delicacies, including tofu stew, tofu ice cream, tofu cakes, and more.

The tour ended early, so my KKDay guide also let me see Shenken Old Street, the tofu capital in Taiwan. This is a more crowded but bigger street compared to Shiding Old Street and a truly enjoyable place for eating.

Day 4 – Taichung

Taichung is a great place for art and culture. It’s about 2-2.5 hours away from Taipei City.

Here is a day tour itinerary in Taichung. Typically, travelers spend another day in the area to see the Sun Moon Lake or other nearby attractions, but I only did a day trip because, as I have mentioned above, it’s the most convenient option as a solo tourist.

There are many tour agencies offering tours in Taichung, but I suggest checking their itinerary because some are too short, which is a bit wasteful considering the distance you will have to travel from Taipei City.

The attractions here are mainstream, so during weekdays expect a lot of people.

Start the morning at Green Fantasy Forest, a park filled with fantasy-inspired installations, such as a giant clock in a forest and Disney-like castles. Then head to Houli Flower Farm, where you can take gorgeous photographs in fields of flowers. Finally, explore the Rainbow Village, a small residential village painted in whimsical designs by Huang Yong-fu, who is also known as the Rainbow Grandpa.

Day 5 – Taichung or Nantou

If you want to stay in Taichung, you can use this day to explore Sun Moon Lake.

There are many things you can do here. You can go on a cable car ride which offers a nice view of the lake and then proceed to Ita Thao and Formosan Aboriginal Culture Village. Hop on a ferry to explore the lake including the islets. You can also visit the surrounding tea farms or flower farms.

Alternatively, you can proceed to Nantou, which is about 1.5-2 hours from Taichung. I took this as a day trip from Taipei City because I didn’t know that it’s already close to Taichung. It’s more sensible to stay overnight in Taichung and then head to Nantou.

One of the best places to see here is the Qingjing Farm, a big farm filled with cherry blossoms during spring. You can stroll around the farm, feed leaves to sheeps, and breathe in the refreshing mountain air. Next, head to the Snow Mountain, which is the second-highest peak in Taiwan. As its name implies, it’s famous for snow fall when the temperature dips below zero.

Where to Book Tours

The city tour can be done DIY since the city attractions are either walking distance or accessible via the public transport system. You can also join free walking tours with a local guide.

For day trips from Taipei City, it’s best to book a joiner tour or rent a private car (if you’re in a group). I don’t recommend commuting since it can be tiring.

Tours via KKDay

For joiner tours, I recommend KKDay. What I like about KKDay is that their tours include the best sights & activities and their tour guides are highly familiar about their assigned locations. Our tour guide for the North Coast Tour, Karen, gave us personal recommendations on where to go in the city and what to do/where to eat during our tour.

Here are some day trips you can book via KKDay:

• North Coast Tour | Book Here
• Shiding Tour | Book Here
• Wuling Farm Tour

Here are some things you have to note:

• Entrance fees and meals are not included.
• Arrive 10-15 minutes before departure time. Listen to your tour guide so you’ll know what time to get back on the bus after each stop.

Tours via private car

If you’re in a group, you can charter a private car. You need to plan your own itinerary, but the good thing about this is you have control over what time to start and what places to include in your itinerary. Places like Taichung are a bit far (2 hours away) so you can arrange to leave early at 7AM in contrast to joiner tours which normally leave the city around 9AM.

Where to Stay in Taiwan

There are a lot of accommodations in Taipei City, ranging from budget hostels to luxury hotels.

There are also Airbnbs available. Bed & breakfasts are technically not legal in Taipei City but you can find listings online and you won’t encounter any problem when booking one. Once in immigration, just give them the address of your Airbnb. Your host may also ask you not to mention that you are renting a room for only a short stay.

It’s best to stay around Taipei Main Station since it’s the most accessible area in Taiwan. Other places you may consider include Ximen (station in Ximending Area), Taipei 101, or Dingxi station. If you like food trips and night life, then stay at Ximen since it has a night market and the Ximen Station makes it easy to explore the city or go on day trips.

Here are some recommended stays:

Taipei Main Station:

• Budget: Taipei Sunny Hostel | Flip Flop Hostel
• Midrange: Taipei M Hotel | Cosmos Hotel Taipei

Ximending:

• Budget: Cho Hotel 3
• Midrange: Energy Inn | Roaders Hotel | CitizenM Taipei North Gate

I booked a room via Airbnb in Ximending, about 3 minutes walk to Ximending Night Market and Ximen Station.

Where to Eat

Taipei City is a foodie haven!

Make sure to try out the offerings in local night markets. The most famous ones include include Ximending Night Market, Raohe Night Market, and Shilin Night Market. Shilin Night Market is one of the biggest residence night markets and it has the lowest prices, so if you want to go on a food trip or buy pasalubong, this is your best option.

You can also use your Google Maps and check for hole-in-the-wall eats. A lot of local eats don’t have English menus, so you might want to research about it beforehand.

Some of the food you should try include xiaolongbao (steamed buns), stinky tofu (most popular streetfood), and pineapple cake (most popular dessert). Of course, you should also try the boba milk tea in the city. Boba is big in Taiwan, so you can also see boba chocolate, nougat, and more.

I spent most dinners in Ximending Night Market. I recommend getting a pork rice dumpling, mashed potato with cheese, and candied strawberry for dessert.

If you’re not adventurous when it comes to food, you can buy meals in 7-11. They have rice meals, pasta, sandwiches, and more. The food here is actually good and they are open 24 hours. This is where I would go for breakfast, since most local eateries open a bit late at 9AM onwards. There are also fastfood restaurants like McDo or KFC.

Reminders and Tips!

• Buy your travel essentials (sim card or pocket wifi, Easy Card or Taipei Pass) and entrance tickets (Taipei 101 Observatory) via Klook or KKDay to save time and money.
• Read up on the weather so you can plan your outfit accordingly. Take note that regular beachwear and slippers isn’t normal in Taipei City and a guarantee that you will stand out as a tourist. I suggest wearing something casual chic or smart casual with proper sandals or shoes.
• Taipei City is pretty laid-back, but it’s best to still read up on local rules & regulations. One of the things you should know is that, in the MRT, it’s not allowed to drink, eat, or even chew gum.
• Bring a reusable travel bottle and refill your water in train stations or in your accommodation. Drinking tap water is not advisable.

Budget and Expenses

Taiwan is more affordable compared to other countries in Southeast Asia such as South Korea and Japan. It’s reasonable even for solo travelers like me, but as with everywhere else it’s easier and cheaper to explore it in a group.

Here’s a basic estimate of expenses in Taiwan:

Accommodation	Starts at 400 NTD (dorms/hostels) or 800 NTD (standard room)
Food	80-120 NTD per meal
Transportation	Train – 20-30 NTD per ride / Bus – 15-40 NTD per ride
Tours	North Coast Tour – 500-600 NTD Shiding Tour – 1000-1100 NTD Taichung Tour – 1300-1500 NTD (via joiner tours) Nantour Tour – 1600-1800 NTD (via joiner tours) Note: Joiner tours are around 1000-1800 NTD per person. Private car rental costs 4500-6000 NTD per day, depending on your destination (good up to 4 people).
Entrance Fees, etc.	Taipei City tour – Taipei 101 Observatory – 800 NTD North Coast – Yehliu Geopark – 120 NTD per person – Sky lantern starts at 200 NTD for a one-color lantern Taichung – Green Fantasy Forest – 350 NTD per person – Houli Flower Farm – 200 NTD per person Nantou Qingjing Farm – 200 NTD (weekday) / 250 NTD (weekend) Small Swiss Garden – 120 NTD per person
Others	– SIM card with 5 days internet: 300-350 NTD – Easy Card: 100 NTD card fee + top-up amount (500-600 NTD is good for 5-6 days)

Your budget will depend on how many you are in a group, what you plan to do, etc. If you plan on doing a city tour for most of your trip, you don’t need much pocket money except for entrance & activity fees. It’s more expensive if you plan on doing a lot of joiner tours, as I did.

I spent 6 days in Taiwan as a solo traveler (last day is the return flight. My budget was about 12,500 NTD (P21,300) excluding flights. Adjusting for increasing costs, for a solo traveler in 2025, an approximate budget would be about 13,500 NTD (P24,000).

Has this 5 Days Itinerary in Taiwan been helpful to you? If you have questions or suggestions, let me know in the comment section below!

What to read next:

Planning a trip to Taiwan? Here are important guides:

• First-Timers Guide to Taiwan
• 5 Days Itinerary in Taiwan
• One Day in Taipei City
• Best Day Trips from Taipei City
• What to Eat in Taipei City

Day tours from Taipei City:

• North Coast Day Tour
• Taichung Day Tour
• Shiding Day Tour