Taiwan Solo, April 2026
A practical two-week clockwise loop through Taipei, Taitung, Tainan, Alishan, and back to Taipei.
Read the companion observations post: Things Just Work, and a Bit of Chaos
Itinerary changes
I changed the original plan in two ways. I had a night booked in Chiayi between Tainan and Alishan, which I dropped in favour of catching the morning train from Tainan straight through to Chiayi and onto the forest railway. I had also booked two nights in a hostel in Dulan village. The hostel looked great, but the main draw was surf and SUP, neither of which I was there for. I extended the Inn in Taitung by two nights instead.
The pattern I noticed in Taipei and stuck with for the rest of the trip is that I feel more relaxed having several nights in the same place. Finding a good coffee shop, a good steamed bun place, working out where locals are eating. That paid off more than ticking off another town would have done.
Taipei
Apr 16–20: Fullon Hotel Taipei Central, Da’an
Thu Apr 16: Arrival Landed in the morning and went for a run in Daan Park before checking in. I ended up spending a lot of time there over the four nights. It is ten minutes from the hotel, very green, full of flowers, and full of older people doing synchronised callisthenics in the early morning. One of my favourite parts of the city.
Fri Apr 17: Qixingshan Bus from Jiantan MRT to Yangmingshan terminal, then a shuttle to Xiaoyoukeng. The Qixingshan traverse takes about four hours: up to the main peak, across to the east peak, and down to Lengshuikeng. The path is well-marked the whole way. The volcanic geology is the draw, with fumaroles at Xiaoyoukeng, sulphur-stained rock, and a summit ridge that gives you views north to the coast and south over Taipei on a clear day. I got a clear day. From Lengshuikeng I took the minibus back to Jiantan. Worth leaving early because the path up was busy by mid-morning.
The hike came in at 16km and 904m of elevation gain over four hours. Strava
In the evening I went to a dinner organised through Nomad Table, which arranges group meals for solo travellers. The table was Costa Rica, the Philippines, India, and South Korea. Some were on work trips, some had moved out. Good group, and a few of them carried on afterwards. Highly recommended on a solo trip.
Sat Apr 18: Walking tour Did the Like It Formosa free walking tour in the morning. The other people on it were from London, Australia, the Netherlands, and Israel. The guides were genuinely good and gave a lot of cultural, historical, and religious context that I would not have got from wandering on my own. It started raining toward the end so I ducked into a beef noodle place for lunch.
Sun Apr 19: Jiuwu Peak Short hike from the MRT, the classic Taipei 101 viewpoint route. 9.3km and 490m of elevation over about two and a half hours. Strava I finished with another bowl of beef noodles.
Taitung
Apr 20–24: Inn by the Village
Getting there: Tze-Chiang Express from Taipei Main Station, four and a half hours. I booked trains through 12Go because it was easier to navigate than railway.gov.tw, then collected the ticket at the station on the day with my passport.
Inn by the Village includes breakfast. The spread was wide and the quality was genuinely good, easily the best hotel breakfast of the trip. One sign translated a salad option as “Comprehensive Lettuce”, which I found hilarious.
Mon Apr 20: Arrival Arrived mid-afternoon. Ramen for dinner at 長生塩人 台東, a spot near the hotel. The owner had run a restaurant in San Francisco for a while before moving back to Taiwan a few years ago, and we ended up chatting for most of the meal.
Tue Apr 21: Forest Park and tribal restaurant Walked around Taitung Forest Park during the day, which was a good low-friction way to spend time in the city without making a project of it.
Took a bus out to Taitung Tribe, a tribal restaurant in a village outside Taitung, for dinner. It was a twenty-minute walk in from the bus stop and I got there at six. On the way in I realised the only bus back was at 7:04pm and there were no taxis. Ordering was confusing. The owner kept waiting for me to add things, so I kept adding things. I think it was meant to be family style because I ended up with enough food for three people. I ate as much as I could in twenty minutes and ran back down the hill to make the bus. Eventful, not necessarily enjoyable.
Wed Apr 22: Dulanshan Left at 8:30am and took a taxi to the trailhead, about 35 to 40 minutes from central Taitung at around NT$400. The route I did came in at 20km and 1,330m of elevation gain, taking just under five hours. Dense old-growth forest the whole way up, sustained steep gradient, and almost certainly no view at the top because of cloud. I had cloud. The forest was the reward, and that was enough. Strava
Afterwards I did Liyu Mountain in Taitung, which is a good viewpoint over the city and the coast without needing to leave town again.
Thu Apr 23: Taimali beach Bus south to Taimali. I walked ten kilometres along the beach and saw three fishermen the whole way. Finished with another bowl of beef noodles at a small place that felt completely authentic. One of the best food stops of the trip.
Tainan
Apr 24–27: Hotel Tainan, West Central District
Getting there: Tze-Chiang 3000 from Taitung, three hours, booked through Taiwan Railway.
Three nights here was the right call.
Fri Apr 24: Arrival Arrived to a rainy afternoon. Found a beef noodle place to dry off in, then wandered around Tainan Park, which is genuinely beautiful. Dadong Night Market in the evening.
The classic Tainan dish I kept coming back to over the next few days was thin-sliced beef in a pho-like broth with rice on the side. Night markets were excellent and rotated, with a different one each evening. Squid, fried chicken, and shrimp all featured. Wandering the markets was as much the point as the food itself. My favourite steamed bun shop of the trip was here, doing matcha red bean and chocolate.
Sat Apr 25: Beach and Anping Beach day at Yuguang Island near Tainan, then a walk around Anping Wharf and the fort. While I was wandering I came across a religious parade going through the street, with music, costumes, and fireworks. Tainan Garden Night Market in the evening.
Sun Apr 26: Forest and museum Spent the morning at 虎山林場, the forest I had wandered into the previous day with an audiobook. I could happily do this all day every day. Then the Chimei Museum, which is good and sits on lovely grounds. I gave it about an hour, probably underdoing it given how much they had on display, but I wanted to get back for lunch and a quiet afternoon. Tainan Garden Night Market again.
Alishan and Fenqihu
Apr 27–28: Tianyi Homestay, Shizhuo
Getting there: TRA from Tainan to Chiayi, then the Alishan Forest Railway from Beimen Station. The forest railway is nearly five hours on a narrow gauge line through 72 tunnels into the mountains. Book well in advance at afrts.forest.gov.tw because it sells out fast. I booked Alishan Express 5, leaving Beimen at 10:08 and arriving Alishan at 14:56.
Mon Apr 27: Dadongshan I got off at Fenqihu on the way up to explore the old street, then made my way to Shizhuo. After dropping my bag at the homestay I went out on one of the trails for the afternoon. The route I did came in at 17km and 1,177m of elevation gain, about four and a half hours of walking through tea plants and forest. Strava
I got chased by monkeys. Cute at first. Then genuinely terrifying. I did not know I would see them and did not know how to react. Apparently running away, which was my instinct, was the wrong call, and they chased me for a while. The hosts had not flagged this in advance.
The room at Tianyi was basic and good. I did not spend much time in it. There was a firefly viewing with the hosts that I missed because I was hiking and then getting dinner. In the evening I sat on the porch with the other homestayers. People from Scotland, Japan, the US, and the Netherlands, all lovely, all trying to work out how a guy from Nebraska had ended up in London and was currently in Taiwan.
The bus schedule from the area was not clear, so I asked the hosts when I arrived. I had to make a 12pm HSR from Chiayi the next day. One of the hosts was driving a group to Chiayi the following morning and offered me a seat for NT$400, which worked out well.
Tue Apr 28: Morning walk Did a portion of the same route again before breakfast at the homestay, this time stopping well short of monkey territory. The morning loop came in at just under 12km and 730m of elevation gain. Strava Quick breakfast, then the lift down to Chiayi. Windy mountain road, then the HSR back to Taipei, which was impressively fast and smooth.
Taipei (return)
Apr 28–30: Fullon Hotel Taipei Central
Wed Apr 29: Teapot Mountain Took the train from Taipei to Ruifang. Most people get the bus from there to Jiufen, but I found a route that climbs in via a long stone staircase, so I did that instead. Stopped for steamed buns and 7-Eleven snacks before starting. Teapot Mountain and the surrounding ridge was the most scenic hike of the trip, with epic views over the hillside towns, the coast, and the hills inland. The route came in at 21km and 1,292m of elevation gain over five and a half hours.
I followed the Strava heatmap, which mostly worked. The route gets scrambly in places and I missed the turn down off Teapot Mountain. Worth checking the map yourself rather than assuming the heatmap will route you cleanly. Strava
Jiufen itself felt very touristy. I finished the hike around noon and the main street was already packed. I had planned to stop there for lunch, but sitting in a packed tourist trap felt wrong after five hours alone in the hills. I got a taxi all the way back to the hotel and had a quiet afternoon instead.
Dinner: Impromptu by Paul Lee Michelin one star, ten-seat counter around an open kitchen, NT$5,000 tasting menu. Book well in advance via inline.app. The 30-day window goes fast, and the counter specifically is worth requesting if you are dining solo.
The counter works because there is a lot to watch. Kitchen energy is high, the music stays low enough that you can hear the dish explanations, and Paul Lee walks you through every course himself. The pacing was right and the explanations were interesting rather than rehearsed.
Standout dishes included a Chinese-style raw fish and prawn with truffle oil and soy that was a clever piece of work, a clam in a rich savoury broth with egg, and a chicken wing stuffed with dried swim bladder which sounds odd and tastes brilliant. The NZ lamb smoked with hay was served with three garlic sauces and a layered potato, lamb, and sweetbread construction that was the best single bite of the night. Desserts ran to a smoked sugar cane mousse with meringue and a fermented rice base with chocolate ice cream presented like a small garden. The kimchi that came with the noodles was good enough that I ate the plate on its own. They brought another without being asked.
Thu Apr 30: Departure Final morning. Departed TPE at 7:40pm via Abu Dhabi, arriving London at 7:00am.
Practical notes
Transport I booked intercity TRA trains through 12Go because it was easier to navigate than railway.gov.tw, then collected the ticket at the station on the day with my passport and booking code. HSR via thsrc.com.tw or 12Go covers the west coast high-speed line. Alishan Forest Railway is at afrts.forest.gov.tw. The booking window opens 14 days in advance and tickets go quickly. Pick up an EasyCard at Taoyuan Airport on arrival for all MRT, city buses, and YouBike. Top up at any 7-Eleven or FamilyMart.
Accommodation Fullon Hotel Taipei Central is well-located and good value for Da’an. Inn by the Village in Taitung is the pick for that leg, with breakfast included and a wide, genuinely good spread. Tianyi Homestay in Shizhuo is the standout of the trip and worth going out of your way for.
Packing I brought a merino base layer and a microfibre towel and used neither. Otherwise I used everything. Coin laundry is common across Taiwan, and one wash towards the end of each city stay was enough without over-packing.