Featured destination

Taiwan Holidays

Small enough to circle in a week, dense enough that you will not want to — mountains, hot springs and the best street food in the region.

Get a Taiwan quote Price Delhi–Taipei flights

Oct–AprBest months

6–8 daysIdeal trip length

₹1,29,999Packages start at, per person

~7hDelhi to Taipei

Taiwan is the one our team keeps recommending to travellers who have already done Thailand and Singapore and want something with more texture. The island is roughly the size of Kerala, so a high-speed train ride puts you from Taipei's night markets to Kaohsiung's harbour in ninety minutes — and an hour east of the capital, Taroko Gorge cuts a marble canyon straight through the mountains.

It is also unusually easy going. Public transport is excellent and signposted in English, the food is extraordinary and cheap, hot springs are everywhere, and the crowds that fill Japan and Korea have not really arrived yet.

The case for it

Why Taiwan

Night markets as a nightly planShilin, Raohe and Ningxia in Taipei; Liuhe in Kaohsiung. Beef noodle soup, pepper buns, bubble tea from the country that invented it — dinner rarely crosses a few hundred rupees.

Mountains an hour from the capitalTaroko Gorge's marble walls and swallow-grotto trails, Alishan's sunrise sea of clouds, and Yangmingshan's volcanic steam within Taipei's own city limits.

Hot springs without the ceremonyBeitou is a metro ride from central Taipei; Jiaoxi and Guanziling are open, informal and inexpensive. A soak after a hiking day costs less than a coffee in Tokyo.

Building the route

Where to go

TaipeiTaipei 101 and Elephant Mountain at sunset, Chiang Kai-shek Memorial, the National Palace Museum, Beitou hot springs and a different night market each evening. Three to four nights.Find Taipei hotels →Hualien & Taroko GorgeThe Shakadang and Swallow Grotto trails, Qingshui cliffs and the Pacific coast road. Two nights, or a long day trip if time is tight.See Taroko packages →Sun Moon Lake & AlishanCycling the lake's shoreline path, the Wenwu temple, and the Alishan forest railway to a sunrise above the clouds. Two nights.See island-loop itineraries →Jiufen, Shifen & the north coastThe lantern-lit hillside teahouses that inspired a generation of animation, sky lanterns at Shifen and the rock formations at Yehliu. One full day from Taipei.See day trips →

Sample shape

A week on the island

1
Days 1–2 — Taipei
Land at Taoyuan. Longshan Temple and Ximending, Taipei 101 and Elephant Mountain for sunset, Raohe night market. Second day for the National Palace Museum and Beitou.
2
Day 3 — Jiufen and the north coast
Yehliu Geopark's rock formations, Shifen's sky lanterns and waterfall, then Jiufen's old street as the lanterns come on.
3
Days 4–5 — Hualien and Taroko
Train down the east coast. A full day in the gorge — Shakadang trail, Eternal Spring Shrine, Swallow Grotto — and the Qingshui cliffs on the way back.
4
Day 6 — Sun Moon Lake
Cross the island. Boat across the lake, the Ci'en Pagoda climb, and a slow evening on the shoreline.
5
Day 7 — Kaohsiung or Taipei
High-speed rail south for the Fo Guang Shan Buddha Museum and Lotus Pond, or back to Taipei for the flight home.

Season by season

When to visit

Window	What it's like	Worth knowing
October – December	Dry, mild, clear mountain views	The best all-round window. Comfortable for hiking and for the cities.
January – March	Cool, some drizzle in the north	Lunar New Year brings closures and crowds — the Pingxi Sky Lantern Festival is the reason to come anyway.
April – May	Warm, green, cherry blossom in the hills	Alishan and Yangmingshan blossom. Humidity starts climbing by late May.
June – September	Hot and humid, typhoon season	Cheapest, but gorge roads and east-coast trains close during storms. We build slack into these dates.

Practical

Good to know

Money. New Taiwan Dollar (TWD). Cards work in hotels and malls; night markets, temples and local buses are cash. ATMs are everywhere.
EasyCard. One stored-value card for the Taipei metro, buses, trains, convenience stores and even some taxis. Buy it at the airport.
High-speed rail. The HSR runs down the west coast; the east coast to Hualien is the slower, prettier TRA line and books out on weekends — we reserve those seats in advance.
Language. Mandarin, with English on all transport signage. Younger staff usually speak some English; older market vendors will not, and it does not matter.
Food. Excellent for vegetarians — Taiwan has a large Buddhist vegetarian tradition, and su shi (素食) buffets are common. Look for the 卐 symbol on a shopfront.
Typhoons. Between June and September, keep a spare day in the plan. Trains and gorge roads close, and reopen quickly.

Taipei 101 above the city at dusk — Taipei 101 and the Xinyi skyline

Waterfall and shrine set into the gorge wall — The Eternal Spring Shrine, Taroko Gorge

Still water and wooded hills at Sun Moon Lake — Sun Moon Lake, Nantou

Taiwan: common questions

How many days do I need in Taiwan?

Six covers Taipei, the north coast and Taroko. Eight lets you add Sun Moon Lake and Kaohsiung for a full island loop without a rushed day.

Do Indians need a visa for Taiwan?

Most travellers use one of two routes: a free online Travel Authorization Certificate if you hold a valid visa or residence permit for certain countries, or a Taiwan e-Visa otherwise. Our visa desk confirms which applies to your passport.

Is Taiwan expensive?

Noticeably cheaper than Japan or Korea, especially food and transport. Our packages start at ₹1,29,999 per person including flights, and a night-market dinner rarely costs more than a few hundred rupees.

Is Taroko Gorge worth a separate night?

Yes. Day-tripping from Taipei means eight hours on trains for four in the gorge. Two nights in Hualien turns it into the highlight of the trip.

What about typhoons?

June to September carries real risk of closures on the east coast. We either build a buffer day in or steer the itinerary west, and we book refundable rates in that window.

Is it good for vegetarians?

One of the easiest countries in Asia. Buddhist vegetarian buffets are common and clearly marked, and most night-market stalls have meat-free options.

Circle the island in a week

Taipei, Taroko and Sun Moon Lake, or a short Taipei break — send us your dates and we will come back with a costed plan and the right entry route for your passport.

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