This trip to Taiwan was a family vacation, visiting our baby sister who lives in Taiwan now. Travelling in a big group of 10 with kids (and a toddler) was not easy but fun! My brother in-law rented a Volkswagen 9-10 seater van, with 4 rows of seats to Yilan, Ximending, Shilin. It was really nice of them to plan the vacation spots, the room in Yilan, Just Sleep Hotel has a private onsen tub and facilities in the room. Also for two days, we had a wonderful driver/ tour guide 小劉 who brought us to Shifen, Jiufen, Little Ding Dong Science Theme Park in Hsinchu and Shihmen Dam (石門水壩).
Transport
- Rental of Volkswagen 9-10 seater van, with 4 rows of seats for 3 days – TWD14,700
- Driver + tour guide – Volkswagen van (3 rows of seats) for 2 days – TWD12,000
- Uber Airport <-> Taipei – TWD1,500 one way
Accommodation
- The Grand Taipei Hotel – TWD2,800 per night for the Classic Room from trip.com
- Just Sleep, Yilan – 1 night – TWD5,900/ night (including breakfast) with private hot spring
- Linkou, New Taipei Airbnb 3 rooms + 2 bathrooms – TWD 10,000 per night (Sleeps 6 pax)
Itinerary
Many restaurants have the minimum spending rule, for example each person must order a drink or a main.
Day 1
Breakfast
Let’s Eat Breakfast 早早來吃, Linkou – TWD105 per person (signature noodles NT$70 + milk tea $35)
Shifen Waterfall
Our first stop is the Shifen Waterfall, one of the most stunning natural attractions in Taiwan. The waterfall is 20 meters wide and 40 meters high, the widest in Taiwan, but not the tallest. I recommend taking a leisurely hike across the bridge, pass some old coal mining rail tracks, through the lush forest, and neat trails to reach the waterfall and taking in the stunning scenery along the way.
Shifen Old Streets
Next up is Shifen Old Streets, a bustling street lined with traditional shops and restaurants. You can take a stroll down the alleys and admire the quaint architecture, which dates back to the Japanese colonial period. Don’t miss the opportunity to try some traditional Taiwanese snacks, like roasted squid, peanut ice cream and stinky tofu (or not). Here visitors write their wishes on lanterns before releasing them into the air. Watch out for trains that still run through these old streets.
Jiufen
We then headed to Jiufen, a charming old mining town located in the hills of northern Taiwan. Jiufen is famous for its narrow alleys, old tea houses, stunning views of the ocean and hill side houses. Shop for tea leaves (have to buy the Alishan high mountain Oolong tea) snacks, yam (taro) balls ~$50, fried squid $150, etc. Lunch at Zhang Ji Traditional Fishballs 張記傳統魚丸, Jiufen – Braised pork rice 40, fishball noodles, fishballs ala carte 60, tofu, vegetables, eggs, cold steamed chicken 200. Total: Around TWD80 per person. Don’t eat too much as you as you must sample the famous street food at Jiufen
Dinner
Chun Shui Tang 春水堂, Mitsui Outlet Linkou – cost around $200 per person, there are many branches all over Taiwan. It primarily focuses on tea-based drinks, popular Taiwanese snacks and comfort food.
Day 2
- Breakfast – McDonalds: About TWD60 per person
- Travel to Little Ding Dong Science Theme Park – Entrance ticket at TWD300 per person. Lunch – Little Ding Dong Theme Park Cafe: TWD150 per person
- Shihmen Dam (石門水壩) – Coffee and cakes at 尼爾瓦特 NEAR WATER café: TWD200 per person
- Dinner – Daluan Indigenous Theme Restaurant, Linkou 打鹿岸原住民人文主題餐廳《林口店》- TWD2,800 for 9 pax, about 300 per person
Day 3
- Breakfast – Planet Cafe, Linkou, TWD200 per person
- Linkou Park
- Early Dinner – New Mala Hot Pot Hanzhong Branch Buffet 新馬辣經典麻辣鍋 漢中店, Ximending: TWD698 per pax on weekdays before 4pm. You don’t need dinner after the hotpot and ice cream!
- Ximending Red House and street shopping
- Dr Sun Yet Sen Memorial Hall, park and take photos of Taipei 101 tower
Day 4
- Brunch – Beef noodles with drink and side dish, TWD120 per person
- Travel to Yilan and check in: Just Sleep Hotel Jiaoxi
- Walk around Tangweigo Hot Spring Park
- Yilan Dinner – Chinese dishes like steamed fish, vegetables, tofu, meat, etc. TWD2,200. About 240 per person
- Yih Shun Shiuan Jiaoxi Store – You have to buy their pastries, very fresh and delicious.
- Private hot spring in the room
Day 5
- Breakfast – Just Sleep Hotel Breakfast
- Zhang Mei Ama’s Farm, Yilan – TWD200 per person. Lunch – Scallion pancakes and snack at Zhang Mei Ama’s Farm, Yilan (included in the entrance fee)
- Travel back to Taipei
- Shilin Market Dinner – TWD1,290, about 140 per person
Day 6
- Breakfast at Aquatic Taipei – TWD1,700, about 190 per person
- Cycle at Taipei Riverside Bike (Dajia)
- Lunch – Second Floor Cafe – TWD3,200. About 360 per person
- Dinner at Shilin Night Market – TWD100 per person
Shifen Waterfall
A calming and relaxing walk across a bridge, along the beautiful nature with neat trails and some former coal mining tracks, we reached the widest waterfall in Taiwan (it’s not the tallest though).
Shifen Old Streets (十分老街)
Jiufen
A long stretch of street on the hills with shops selling local snacks, tea leaves, specialty products and restaurants. You will not get lost as there’s only one Main Street.
張記傳統魚丸 Zhang Ji Traditional Fishballs
The cold steamed chicken dish is very flavourful and not too spicy. Ru ro fan (braised minced pork rice) is good but there’s too much fat! The star of the shop, fishballs amazing. Some of them have juicy pork meat fillings, like Fuzhou balls.
The view at Jiufen took our breath away
Day 2
Little Ding-Dong Science Theme Park
Little Ding-Dong Science Theme Park Hsinchu which is 40km from Taoyuan International Airport. It’s cheaper to get tickets from Klook. The children were really fascinated by the outdoor interactive and hands-on activities.
My son loves the tilted room which is an optical illusion where a room is designed to trick the brain into thinking that the objects in the room are slanted in a certain way but are actually sloped in the opposite direction. It can make you wobble. There is a Ski Resort is inside the Theme Park. There are no extra charges to enter Ski Resort but there’re fees for rental of winter gear like jacket, gloves, etc.
Shihmen Dam (石門水壩)
Taipei Riverside Bike Rental (Dajia)
You can choose from cabins filled with bicycles of different sizes Rental from TWD15 for one hour Located at a lovely park in Taipei. You get to cycle on dedicated bicycle lanes along the Keelung River with gorgeous view. Remember to ride on the right side of the road.
Zhang Mei Ama’s Farm, Yilan
Well-kept animal farm but crowed as the place is quite small.
Feed and pet the cute animals. The sheep’s wool feels like carpet! The farm is very clean. Entrance fee includes snack after the visit; scallion pancake, and other pastries
Shilin Market and Night Market
Shilin Market Food Court at B1
Shilin is a popular tourist destination, tourists go there particularly for their street food and night market. The Shilin Market houses stalls that serve popular local dishes as well as games, Taiwanese products and snacks.
Places We Stayed
Linkou Airbnb
Stay – Linkou Airbnb 3 rooms + 2 bathrooms – TWD 40,000 for 4 nights
Just Sleep, Yilan
Comfortable spacious room with two double beds and a cute bathroom with a hot spring tub made of stone. You can adjust the temperature of the water. The private onsen experience was incredible, very relaxing, and rejuvenating. The warm water and minerals in the spring can have a soothing effect on the body, helping to relieve tension and ease sore muscles and joints as well as therapeutic benefits for the skin, helping to promote hydration and reduce inflammation.
The hotel provides complimentary snack and drinks for guests at the common area. The breakfast was good, nothing fancy, but we got to taste simple Taiwanese breakfast options such as porridge with a wide variety of condiments, pork bun, soya milk, fried tomato eggs, etc. The Taiwanese fruits were really delicious.
The apple is not your typical apple, it has a texture similar to pear but more crunchy. The blackcurrants were amazingly sweet.
1 night – TWD5,900/ night (including breakfast)
The Grand Hotel Taipei
This is one of the oldest and most remarkable landmarks in Taipei, situated on a hill, you can see the magnificent red structure from many places in Taipei. This luxurious 5-star hotel, known for its traditional Chinese architecture has undergone several renovations and expansions to meet the modern-day needs of its guests. Each room is beautifully designed with a blend of traditional Chinese and modern decor, in fact the room we stayed at was really clean and new, equipped with universal electric wall socket convenient for travellers from other countries.
We got a good deal from trip.com. We paid TWD2,800 per night for the Classic Room.
Transport
