Looking for a getaway that’s familiar but different? The historic island of Taiwan is just a short hop across the South China Sea. A Chinese feel, but with strong Japanese and European influences, its northeast is full of fascinating attractions and natural beauty. Here’s how to spend six days taking in the best of what the region has to offer.
Photograph: Jade Wu (Ningxia Night Market)
Around a two-hour flight from Shanghai, Taiwan’s capital city Taipei offers a dare we say, welcome, slower pace of life than Shanghai. Famous for its busy night markets and their variety of delectable street food (don’t skip the
fresh seafood stalls at Ningxia Lu’s famous night market in Datong district), as the home to the former world's tallest building
Taipei 101, and the fascinating Imperial art and artifacts of the
National Palace Museum, Taipei is very much a modern Asian capital, blending elements of the past with those of the future.
Photograph: Jade Wu (Dihua Street, Datong district)
Photograph: Shui Nan Dong by Jade Wu.
Venture further northeast of New Taipei City to Taiwan’s famed gold mining area (take the
Keelung bus route
1062 or a 30-minute taxi ride from Taipei). The water of Shui Nan Dong Bay shimmers gold and blue, having been discoloured by gold minerals – the effect is strange but fascinating.
Photograph: Jade Wu (A Mei Teahouse, Jiufen)
Photos snapped, head for the old mining town Jiufen, a popular spot with tourist groups renowned for its traditional teahouses and old alleyways. Due to the abundance of precious metals and the vast numbers of islanders coming to work in the mines during the 1920s, Jiufen was dubbed ‘Little Shanghai’. Fear not, there’s not an Ofo, Mobike or Wagas in sight, just picturesque ocean views – like those from the charming A Mei Teahouse (20 Shinxia Alley, Ruifang), which is great for a spot of lunch.
Photograph: courtesy Taiwan Tourism Bureau (Fulong International Sand Sculpture Arts Festival)
Head down the east coast until you hit Fulong Beach (around an hour or so from central Taipei by car or a little more by train) and the lavish
Fullon Hotel (
41 Fulong Jie; around 1,100-1,800RMB per night). Home to the Fulong International Sand Sculpture Arts Festival (this year running until July 15), here you can catch displays of incredible sand sculptures, constructed by artists from all over the world.
Around an hour south by car or an hour and a half south by train is rural township Jiaoxi, a small area rightly famed for its hot springs, with a number of public springs and many hotels boasting their own baths on site. Forego shared springs and check yourself in for a night of serious luxury at
Wellspring by Silks (
67 Wenquan Lu; from around 1,200RMB per night), where premium rooms come with a private hot spring bath on their private balcony. Fancy. All that relaxing made you hungry? Jiaoxizhuang Yingtaogu (
72 Jiaoxi Lu) serves
some seriously good duck.
Photograph: Jade Wu (Jiaoxizhuang Yingtaogu)
Basically, Jiaoxi is a wonderful place to relax and put your feet up before you take on the hiking trails of Taroko Gorge...
Photograph: Adam Hopkins (Taroko Gorge)
Easily accessible from nearby Hualien City (one hour and 45 minutes by train from Jiaoxi), the naturally occurring Taroko Gorge in Taroko National Park is a sight to behold, with its valleys and canyons offering great routes for hiking and exploring – like the Shakadang Trail, an easygoing 4.5km hike that winds its way along Shakandang River through the heart of the gorge.
Other sites and sights worth your time here are the naturally formed Swallow Grotto walking trail and the Eternal Spring Shrine – a picturesque landmark constructed in memory of the 212 veterans who died constructing the Central Cross-Island Highway that connects Taiwan's east and west.
If you're looking for a place to rest your weary head within the park five-star style, there's the decadent mountain-side
Silks Place Taroko Hotel (
18 Tianxiang Lu; from around 1,500RMB per night) – the only five-star resort within the park. Alternatively there's the
Taroko Village Hotel (
231 Fushi Village; from around 1,000RMB per night), designed in the style of a traditional village of the indigenous Truku people.
Head back to Taipei for a final day of sightseeing, cause let's face it, the Taiwanese capital is worth way more than a day trip. This time around check out the famous Longshan Temple (
211 Guangzhou Jie) and the bookworm’s dream
24-hour Eslite Dunnan bookstore (
245 Tunhua Nan Lu).
The essentials
Flights from Shanghai to Taiwan start at around 1,700RMB return on Ctrip. For more information on this tour or to plan your trip, visit
mytaiwantour.com.
