How to Plan Your First Trip to Taiwan

Most travellers need no visa for stays under 90 days, and the airport MRT puts you in Taipei in 35 minutes. But Taiwan rewards those who leave the capital: the high-speed rail runs the west coast in under two hours, and that is where the old towns, tea mountains and tribal valleys begin.

Seasons matter less than you fear. October to April is cool and clear; summer is hot and green with afternoon storms that pass in an hour. Typhoon season (July–September) needs flexibility, not avoidance.

How many days? Five lets you pair a city with one deep region — Taichung plus the mountains, or Taipei plus the east coast. Ten lets the island unfold properly.

Our advice after two decades of guiding: pick fewer places and go deeper. Taiwan's soul is not in the checklist sights but in the market breakfast, the temple side hall, the tea farmer's kitchen. That is the travel we build.