Taichung Travel Guide: What to See, Do, & Eat for a First Time Visit
Welcome to my Taichung Travel Guide – this guide is especially helpful for those that are spending a quick weekend in Taichung. Or if you are just visiting for the first time and want to hit the main attractions, eat great food, and explore this colorful and vibrant city!
Taichung is not only the birthplace of Bubble Tea but it is also known for its pleasant weather, artistic neighborhoods, delicious night markets, fascinating museums.
From walking around the iconic Rainbow Village to trying Bubble Tea at Chun Shui Tang, Taichung offers a nice mix of city atmosphere, relaxing spaces, rich culture, and amazing food.
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Getting to Taichung
Taiwan is well connected and getting to Taichung is easy. The Taiwan High Speed Rail (HSR) between Taipei and Kaohsiung stops at Taichung. From here, you can walk to Xinwuri Station and take the local train to Taichung Station, located in the city.
There is also an airport in Taichung, Taichung International Airport that has both domestic and international flights. You can read more about flying into Taichung and taking the HSR below.
Taichung International Airport
Taichung International Airport is situated about 20 km from downtown Taichung. The airport serves as a hub for both domestic and international flights.
For international flights to and from Taichung, there are destinations to places like Incheon, Macau, Hanoi, Hong Kong, and Okinawa.
Taiwan High Speed Rail (HSR)
All HSR trains that travel between Taipei and Kaohsiung make a stop in Taichung.
From Taipei or Kaohsiung, the HSR travel time is about 50 minutes to an hour. The HSR runs frequent, about every 10 – 15 minutes.
You can buy tickets at the train stations or even convenience stores. When purchasing a HSR ticket, you can either do a reserved seat or non-reserved.
Both times we took the HSR, the reserved seats were already booked and the non-reserved carts were full, so we had to stand the entire time.
When you get to Taichung HSR, walk toward Xiwuri Station to take the train to Taichung Main Station.
Just note, around the Taichung Station in town, there are a lot of homeless people that camp around the station. They are harmless.
Where to Stay in Taichung
Taichung offers a wide variety of places to stay from budget hostels and mid-range hotels to places you can truly splurge on. A lot of it to, just depends on the area of Taichung you are staying in.
Based on price, proximity to the Taichung Station, and activities in the area, I stayed two nights at the Old School Hotel in the East District of Taichung.
Old School Hotel
A 5 – 10 minute walk from Taichung Station is the Old School Hotel (Central Land Hotel). Not only is it close to the station but it is within walking distance to many major attractions like the Jianguo Public Market, Miyahara, and some of the huge malls in Taichung.
We chose to stay here because of the location, distance to the train station, budget, and of course decent online reviews. So, for my Taichung Travel Guide, I highly recommend the Old School Hotel.
Staff was friendly, the rooms were big, the hotel was clean, there was a few convenience stores around, and 12 Bubble Tea shops between the hotel and train station, we counted!
I booked a couple nights at the Old School Hotel (Central Land Hotel) using the Agoda app, it’s also listed on Booking.com.
Old School Hotel
Address: No. 65 Dazhi Rd, East District, Taichung City, Taiwan 401
Coordinates: 24.1339683, 120.6850337
Website: Official Hotel Website
What to do in Taichung
If you are looking for things to do in Taichung for a quick weekend getaway or simply for a day, trust me, you won’t be bored!
Taichung offers a nice mix of tourist attractions, relaxing parks, and night markets. Below is a list of some of the things we did in Taichung over the course of a weekend.
Explore the Jianguo Public Retail Market
I absolutely love starting my day off in a local market. It doesn’t get better then walking through aisles full of fresh produce, seafood caught hours ago, and chunks of meat hanging out in the open.
Taichung has many markets scattered throughout the city, but Jianguo Public Market is a must visit! This is the largest market in Taichung, you could spend a few hours here exploring.
It’s more of a fresh market though and not a food market. Sure, there are some food items that can be purchased and side restaurants, but this is where locals go to buy their produce, meats, spices, and other culinary delights.
Address: No. 500, Jiancheng Rd, East District, Taichung City, Taiwan 401
Hours: Tuesday to Sunday, 5:00 am – 12:00. Closed Mondays
Visit the National Museum of Natural Science
If you are traveling to Taichung with kids or it’s a rainy day in the city, then I highly recommend visiting the National Museum of Natural Science.
I love Natural Science Museums, so I visited on a sunny day and thoroughly enjoyed the museum. You could spend an entire day here, but I was short on time, so I spent probably around 3 hours at the museum.
The museum covers a lot of exhibits from local archaeological finds to dinosaurs.
For kids, there are a lot of hands and interactive displays. It’s a great place for the whole family to come together, learn, and have fun!
Address: No. 1, Guanqian Rd, North District, Taichung City
Hours: Tuesday to Sunday, 9:00 am – 17:00. Closed Mondays
Admission: General Admission is NT$100
Website: National Museum of Natural Science
National Taiwan Museum of Comics
I feel like this doesn’t make your average Taichung Travel Guide, but I recommend adding a brief stop at the National Taiwan Museum of Comics to your Taichung itinerary.
It’s a unique attraction that is free and doesn’t take to much time.
Build within the historic Taichung Prison Officers Quarters, the museum is comprised of several Japanese colonial-era buildings. Within the buildings you can find comics and art.
For me, the giant Banyan Tree on the grounds was the most impressive site. Based on the visible roots, you can see where a house used to be.
Address: No. 33, Linsen Road, West District, Taichung City
Hours: Tuesday to Sunday, 10:00 am – 18:00. Closed Mondays
Walk the Liuchuan Riverside Walk
I think the Liuchuan Riverside Walk is a newer addition in Taichung. It was constructed to clean up the river system and create an environment that people can enjoy and relax at both during the day and night.
The riverwalk is only about 300 meters long but it’s a nice stroll. Apparently at night it is lit up and especially around holidays and special occasions.
Relax at one of the Parks
I was surprised at how green Taichung was. There were so many parks, riverwalks, and greenspaces, scattered throughout the city.
Many of the parks I visited were pretty busy and active. Whether it’s people jogging on the trails or taking paddle boats around the city ponds.
Some of the parks and greenspaces I recommend visiting in Taichung include Yogquan Park, Taichung Park, Shin Sei Green Waterway, and the Calligraphy Greenway.
If you are wandering around Taichung and need a place to rest and relax, find a park and enjoy!
Rainbow Village
Prior to visiting Taichung, I was doing my research and read that the Rainbow Village in Taichung is the most popular attraction.
Rainbow Village is in the Nantun District, not far from the HSR Station. We took an Uber to the Rainbow Village from the station and jumped in a taxi on the way back. Price wise it was the same, NT$272.
What’s so special about Rainbow Village? It’s a small yet vibrant cluster of houses and structures that are painted with colorful murals depicting people, animals, designs, and local Taichung art.
Rainbow Village was started by a former soldier, Huang Yung-Fu. He first painted his home and due to its popularity, his artwork spread to a few nearby homes.
Rainbow Village is a fun and quirky. It was much smaller then I expected. Sure, it’s great for photos and Instagram but I don’t think it is worth going out of your way for. If you have time to spare before or after the train station, by all means, go!
Address: Zhanqu 1st Rd, Wuri District, Taichung City
Hours: Daily from 8:00 am – 18:00
Fee: Free
Get a Taiwanese Foot Massage
At the end of a long day on your feet while traveling, what better way to finish your night then a cheap yet professional foot massage.
We get foot massages every night when we visit Taiwan. It’s so cheap and so necessary after a long day.
You can find massage parlors everywhere in Taichung, simply look one up nearest to you and go.
One we went to that I really recommend is called, 金角養生館. Address below.
Address: No. 32 Section 4, Fuxing Rd, East District, Taichung City
Hours: 11:00 am – 24:00
The Birthplace of Bubble Tea
Taichung is renowned as being the birthplace of bubble tea. Taichung definitely lives up to being the capital city of Bubble Tea as it seemed that every other storefront sold Bubble Tea.
I mentioned earlier, just a 5-10 minute walk from the train station to our hotel, there were 12 Bubble Tea shops. Of course, they sold everything from fruit tea to milk tea.
Chun Shui Tang Original Store
Every Taichung Travel Guide will say that you have to go to Chun Shui Tang, the Bubble Tea shop that started it all. I highly agree, and we did. We went to the original Chun Shui Tang and waited about 20 minutes to be seated.
Chun Shui Tang began in 1983 and the founder, Liu Han-Chieh served cold tea with tapioca pearls which ultimately led to the first bubble tea.
When visiting Chun Shui Tang, you kind of have to try the Pearl Milk Tea, this is their claim to fame. On a hot day, it was fantastic. Although I prefer the fruit tea over milk tea, it was still really good.
The food here was delicious as well. Treat yourself to a nice meal and bubble tea!
Chun Shui Tang has multiple locations around Taichung, the original store’s address is below. Chun Shui Tang has exploded all over Taiwan and can even be found at Taoyuan International Airport.
Address: No. 30, Siwei St, West District, Taichung City
Hours: 8:00 am – 22:00
Where to Eat in Taichung
Taichung is a great city for foodies. You have the morning markets, great restaurants, small sit down eateries, and incredible night markets!
My recommendation is to check out a morning market, grab lunch at a restaurant, and sample bite sized dishes at the night markets for dinner.
Below is a listing of some of the recommended places to eat in Taichung City from Night Markets to Vegetarian sit down places.
Zhongxiao Road Night Market
Zhongxiao Road Night Market was about a 10 minute walk from the Old School Hotel we were staying at. Since we arrived to Taichung later in the evening, we went tried this night market out first.
To me, Zhongxiao Night Market didn’t feel touristy at all, it was a local market. The pros here are that it’s far less crowded, lines are minimal, and you can eat more!
This market is a few blocks long, there are stalls on both sides of the road. There was a mix of food stalls and restaurant store fronts selling food.
At Zhongxiao Night Market, I had a slice of Pizza. It looked so good, I couldn’t pass it up. I also had a Scallion Pancake, Fried Pork, and a Fried Chicken Leg.
Fengchia Night Market
Located in Taichung’s Xitun District, the Fengchia Night Market is a must visit food market. Reading online, I read it is the largest night market in Taiwan. I felt some of the night markets in Taipei were larger then Fengchia Night Market.
Fengchia Night Market was very crowded, it was almost shoulder to shoulder and long lines at almost every food stall.
With hundreds of food stalls, there was so much variety at Fengchia Night Market. We ate Sweet Potato Balls, Pepper Buns, Asparagus wrapped in Bacon, Sweet Sausage in a Rice Bun, and enjoyed Bubble Tea.
When visiting Night Markets in Taiwan, make sure to carry cash. Most vendors prefer if not only accept cash.
Eat Ice Cream at Miyahara or Fourth Credit Union
If you are looking for ice cream and desserts in Taichung, I highly recommend stopping by Miyahara or Fourth Credit Union.
Miyahara is a confectionery and ice cream parlor known for it’s old timey interior, sweet treats, especially the ice cream. It’s worth popping in quickly to see the architecture. Of course, sitting down for an ice cream is a must!
Miyahara had many flavors of ice cream from tropical fruit flavors to rich chocolate.
I’ll be honest, I didn’t get ice cream at Miyahara. There was a long line and doing my research online, I knew that Fourth Credit Union just down the street served the same ice cream.
Fourth Credit Union was a lot less busy and has the same ice cream flavors and toppings. We got a sundae here with several scoops and toppings. On a hot summer day, the ice cream was fantastic!
忠孝夜市初十五素食 (Vegetarian Restaurant)
If you are looking for a vegetarian restaurant in Taichung, right at Zhongxiao Night Market, there is a restaurant called 忠孝夜市初十五素食 (Just enter that in Google Maps).
The restaurant specializes in noodle dishes with various broths and toppings. We ordered a noodle dish with sesame and it was phenomenal. The place was popular the whole time we were seated. Highly recommend!
逢甲古早味蛋餅 (Pancake Snack)
Near the entrance of Fengchia Night Market was a small restaurant called 逢甲古早味蛋餅. This restaurant made egg pancakes with various fillings to choose from.
I just wanted to try one and ordered a pancake with bacon. It was delicious and cheap. Honestly, one of my favorite meals in Taichung.
Say Meow
If you are looking for a fun cafe in Taichung with great coffee and cute cats, then check out Say Meow.
Cute cats, great coffee, friendly staff, what’s not to love! I thought this was a cat cafe but it’s a legit cafe that just happens to have a few cats wandering around.
Say Meow has great coffee, various teas, and even a food menu.
Conclusion
After spending a weekend in Taichung, I have to admit, it is a must visit destination in Taiwan. For starters, it’s the birthplace of bubble tea, the night markets were delicious, and all the attractions were plenty enough to keep us busy!
Taichung is easy to reach from other main cities around Taiwan like Taipei or Kaohsiung plus it provides experiences that appeal to almost any type of traveler.
I hope my Taichung Travel Guide is helpful for your trip planning. Feel free to use this as an itinerary or pick and choose what you want to see and do. Either way, let me know what you think of Taichung and if there is anything I missed!
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