Taiwan is a really easy country to travel around, not only does it have fantastic transport infrastructure such as reliable and fast trains, but it is the perfect shape and size to loop the whole way around visiting many of Taiwan’s cities, towns and national parks as you go, and you can see a lot of the Country on a Taiwan 2 week itinerary like this!
On my first visit to Taiwan, I did the perfect 1 week itinerary in Taiwan taking me from Taipei to Kaohsiung down the East Coast. On my second trip to Taiwan, I spent my 2 weeks in Taiwan travelling from Taipei to Kaohsiung along the West Coast of Taiwan.
Taiwan 2 Week Itinerary
So now that I’ve done the full loop myself, in this Taiwan travel blog and Taiwan travel guide, let me give you what I think is the perfect Taiwan itinerary from Taipei to Taipei visiting the best places to visit in Taiwan with 2 weeks in Taiwan!
Day 1 & 2 – Explore Taipei City
You need at least 2 days in Taipei to really enjoy this city. You may not know much about it now (it’s such an underrated city in my opinion) but there are many Taipei tourist attractions that you’ll end up wanting to visit.
Related Post: 12 Taipei Travel Tips and Things To Know about Taipei!
The Taipei metro (MRT) is really easy to use, you need an EasyCard to pay for it which you can get at the airport along with a sim card which is bookable online, or in any of the MRT stations. You can then keep this EasyCard as you’ll use it on all public transport in Taiwan!
Things to do in Taipei:
Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Park
Longshan Temple.
The shopping area of Xiaonanmen.
Knife Massage in Taipei City Mall
National Palace Museum
Taipei 101
Climb Elephant Mountain
Cable Car to Maokong
Huashan Creative Park
Raohe Night Market
Shilin Night Market
To help you see all of these things to do in Taipei and save money on your Taiwan 2 Week itinerary, I recommend the Taipei Unlimited Fun Pass which gives you access into 16 of the top Taipei attractions meaning you don’t have to worry about paying for entrance fee’s in each of them!
You can buy the Taipei Fun Pass online here and pick it up at the Airport or Taipei Main Station when you arrive!
FIRST TIMERS GUIDE TO TAIWAN
I’ve been to Taiwan twice. I love the country so much! I have written lots of posts to help you visit Taiwan, start with my 8 Helpful Tips For Planning a Trip to Taiwan from Start to Finish and the Best Places to Visit in Taiwan!
TAIWAN SIM CARDThe best way to stay connected in Taiwan is to buy this EasyCard & Sim Card package deal in advance. You’ll need an EasyCard to get around on transport in Taiwan anyway and at the same time you can get a Taiwan Sim Card with 4G and pick them up at Taipei Taoyuan Airport when you land!
GETTING AROUND TAIWAN
The Metro within cities in Taiwan is really great, easy to use and so safe. You’ll need an EasyCard which you top up with credit to use the metro and buses.
To get around Taiwan, I loved travelling by train. As a tourist, we can’t use the direct Taiwan train booking system. Instead you can go to a train station a few days before and purchase your ticket, or book online in advance using 12GO Asia!
Day 3 – Taipei Day Trip
If you want to spend your third day in Taipei on this Taiwan 2 Week itinerary visiting more of its cool cafes, some of the Taipei themed restaurants, you can do this but a good alternative is to take a day trip from Taipei.
I’d say the most popular day trip from Taipei is to Shifen and Juifen which give you a traditional look at Taiwan. If you’ve seen photos of a place with an old street and Chinese lanterns, this is it!
To save you time and to make your trip to Shifen and Juifen from Taipei easier, I’d recommend booking on a tour which also takes you to Yehliu National Park.
Day 4 – Travel to Taichung. Afternoon in Taichung
From Taipei, you can jump on the train from Taipei to Taichung, Taiwan’s second-biggest city. There are 2 options, the TRA is the local train which takes about 2 hours or the HSR which is the high-speed train that takes less than one hour. The only thing to note is that whilst Taipei Main Station is the station for both the TRA and HSR, Taichung’s high-speed rail station is 20 minutes by taxi from the city centre.
I didn’t find Taichung that interesting and it’s a little hard to get around due to there being no metro station but there are a number of Taichung tourist attractions to pass the afternoon and evening which is why I’m including it on this Taiwan 2 Week itinerary.
Things to do in Taichung:
Rainbow Village
Taichung Creativity Park
Bubble Tea at the Original Store and Home of Bubble Tea.
Fengjia Night Market, Taiwan’s biggest night market.
For more information on how to spend your time in Taichung and more things to do in Taichung, read my Taichung itinerary and guide here.
To help you plan your trip around Taiwan, have a look at all of my Taiwan Blog Posts here!
Day 5 – Taichung Day Trip
There are 2 popular day trips from Taichung, Sun Moon Lake and Dakeng Hiking Trails so I suggest you get a bit of nature on day 5 of your 2 week Taiwan itinerary. I chose to go to Sun Moon Lake which I enjoyed. More details on how to get from Taichung to Sun Moon lake can be found in my blog post here.
Alternatively, if you’re keen for some hiking in Taiwan and Taiwan is popular for this, head to the Dakeng Hiking Trails from Taichung instead.
Related Posts: The BEST Places to Visit in Taiwan! & How Much Money I Spent in Taiwan!
Day 6 – Travel to Tainan. Afternoon in Tainan
From Taichung to Tainan by HSR it’s a 40-minute journey, keep in mind that both of these cities HSR stations are out of the city which adds on a bit of extra time and money each side, or you can get a slower local train which is still very fast and comfortable.
Book your train from Taichung to Tainan here.
Like Taichung, Tainan does not have a metro system but it is fairly easy to walk around Tainan. Tainan used to the capital city of Taiwan and holds a lot of history from its various occupations of the Dutch and Japanese.
Things to do in Tainan:
Confucius Temple
Fuzhong Street
Chihkan Tower
Shennong Street
Flower Night Market
Anping Tree House
Fort Zeelandia
Day 7 – Travel to Kaohsiung. Afternoon in Kaohsiung
To get from Tainan to Kaohsiung directly you can take the local train. This train will be more local than the ones before, it’s more like a metro train but in about 1 hour you’ll be arriving at Kaohsiung Main Station.
Kaohsiung as a metro system which like Taipei is really easy to use and makes getting around Kaohsiung really easy.
Kaohsiung is a much slower paced city than Taipei, Taichung and Tainan I’ve found so enjoy its slow pace in the afternoon. Kaohsiung is now one of my favourite cities after visiting twice which is why I’m including it on this Taiwan 2 Week itinerary!
TAIWAN ITINERARY HELP
Here are my top Taiwan itinerary posts to help your plan your trip:
- 2 Week Taiwan Itinerary!
- 1 week Taiwan Itinerary!
- 18 Best Places to Visit in Taiwan!
- How to Plan a Trip to Taiwan!
TAIWAN ON A BUDGET
Taiwan isn’t the cheapest country but it’s not the most expensive either and can be travelled on a reasonable budget. Here’s my post on the cost of travel in Taiwan and how to travel Taiwan on a budget!
Day 8 & 9 – Explore Kaohsiung City
Things to do in Kaohsiung:
Taiwanese Breakfast at Xing Long Ju
Pier 2 Arts Centre
Fo Guang Shan Buddhist Monastery
Lotus Pond & Dragon Tiger Pagoda
Here’s my full list of things to do in Kaohsiung
To help you plan your trip around Taiwan, have a look at all of my Taiwan Blog Posts here!
Day 10 – Travel to Taitung. Afternoon in Taitung
There is a train from Kaohsiung to Taitung, it does take a few hours as to me, this part of the Taiwan train network isn’t as established but the views are incredible!
Taitung is a city that isn’t as visited as other cities in Taiwan and after 4 cities already on your Taiwan 2 Week itinerary, it will be a breath of fresh air and a chance to slow down a little.
Day 11 – Explore Taitung County
Hire a scooter if you can and explore Taitung county today. Out of the things to do in Taitung, seeing the aboriginal way of life and trying aboriginal food is one of the most popular Taitung attractions and this can be seen around Taitung County.
Day 12 – Travel to Hualien. Afternoon in Hualien
The train from Taitung to Hualien is easy and direct, you may even get a Hello Kitty themed train as I did!
There are not many things to do in Hualien City apart from its night market which I recommend going to. However, the East Coast of Taiwan is beautiful and Hualien is a good place to see it from. You can rent a scooter or use the public buses in Hualien to see some of the coast this afternoon.
Day 13 – Taroko National Park Day Trip
The main reason for visiting Hualien on this Taiwan 2 Week itinerary really is to see some of the places nearby and as a day trip from Hualien I really recommend going to Taroko National Park. It’s one of the most popular Hualien day trips but for good reasons!
Read this post of mine for all the information you need on how to visit Taroko National Park by bus from Hualien.
Day 14 – Travel back to Taipei
Hualien to Taipei by train takes about 2.5 hours and from Taipei Main Train Station you can head to either of Taipei’s Airport to catch your flight after completing this epic Taiwan 2 Week itinerary!
How to get to Taiwan?
I suggest starting your Taiwan 2 Week itinerary in Taipei.
Taipei has 2 Airports- Taipei Taoyuan International Airport which is the biggest airport and further out of the city, and Taipei Songshan Airport which is smaller and within the city. Getting from Songshan Airport to Taipei City Centre is really quick and easy by metro so if you can fly into this airport, I’d recommend it. If not you can easily get from Taoyuan International Airport to Taiwan city centre by bus or metro.
How to get around Taiwan?
Trains are the best way to get around Taiwan during your 2 weeks in Taiwan. You can’t book trains online via Taiwan’s train system but you can book them online using 12GO Asia, the top transport booking platform in Asia. Search for the train times and availability and book them here!
Trains are the best way to get around Taiwan. You can’t book trains online via Taiwan’s train system but you can book them online using 12GO Asia, the top transport booking platform in Asia. Search for the train times and availability and book them here!