Tour of Taiwan: Taipei, Taroko Gorge, Sun Moon Lake & Kaohsiung — 8 days

From the bustling capital to marble gorges and the tropical south. Day-by-day itinerary: Arrival in Taipei; Taipei; Train to Hualien & Taroko; Taroko in depth.

Day-by-day itinerary

Day 1 — Arrival in Taipei

15:00 — Arrival in Taipei
17:00 — Hotel check-in — Ximending
Metro to Raohe — Ximending → Taipei
19:30 — Raohe Night Market — Taipei

Day 2 — Taipei

09:00 — National Palace Museum — Taipei
15:00 — Longshan Temple & Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall — Taipei
18:00 — Taipei 101 Observatory — Taipei

Day 3 — Train to Hualien & Taroko

08:00 — Express train to Hualien — Taipei → Hualien
10:30 — Hotel check-in — Hualien
Out to the gorge — Hualien → Gorges de Taroko
13:00 — Shakadang Trail — Gorges de Taroko
16:00 — Swallow Grotto — Gorges de Taroko

Day 4 — Taroko in depth

08:30 — Eternal Spring Shrine — Gorges de Taroko
10:30 — Baiyang Trail (Water Curtain Cave) — Gorges de Taroko
Walk to lunch — Gorges de Taroko → Tianxiang
13:00 — Lunch — Tianxiang

Day 5 — On to Sun Moon Lake

08:00 — Train to Taichung then bus to Sun Moon Lake — Hualien → Sun Moon Lake
14:00 — Hotel check-in — Sun Moon Lake
16:30 — Sunset by the lake — Sun Moon Lake

Day 6 — Sun Moon Lake

09:00 — Lake cruise — Sun Moon Lake
11:00 — Wenwu Temple — Sun Moon Lake
14:00 — Ropeway to the Ita Thao indigenous village area — Sun Moon Lake

Day 7 — On to Kaohsiung

08:00 — Bus to Taichung then high-speed rail to Kaohsiung — Sun Moon Lake → Kaohsiung
12:00 — Hotel check-in — Kaohsiung
15:00 — Lotus Pond & the Dragon and Tiger Pagodas — Kaohsiung
19:00 — Liuhe Night Market — Kaohsiung

Day 8 — Kaohsiung & departure

09:00 — Cijin Island by ferry — Kaohsiung
13:00 — High-speed rail back to Taipei — Kaohsiung → Taipei
15:30 — Transfer to the airport
18:30 — International flight home