9 Brilliant Things to Do in Taichung, Taiwan

To be honest, the city of Taichung in northwestern Taiwan was a mystery to me. I was only heading there as the first stop on my first trip to Taiwan because it was the cheapest place to fly to. I had always assumed Taipei was the only Taiwanese city destination. Turns out, Taiwan was such a blank slate to me that it didn’t matter where I started. In a way, Taichung was kind of perfect for me to get my bearings.

Although I only really had 24 hours, I managed to quickly delve into what Taichung had to offer. As the second largest city in Taiwan, I missed out on some things, but what I did find left me wanting more anyway. Here are 8 things to do in Taichung I highly recommend, plus one I’m disappointed I missed out on.

Explore the City Streets

As a vast and dense city, there’s more than enough of Taichung to keep a wanderer such as myself occupied. Even just exploring the streets of the Central and West Districts provides endless fodder for urban junkies.

Unfortunately, walking around everywhere isn’t all that common in Taiwan so the streets aren’t always pedestrian-friendly. Slipping down into side streets you start to get a feeling for what life is like in this big, big city. Of course, this is also a thing to do in Taipei as well as other Taiwanese cities.

Stroll through Taichung Park

After working my way through Taichung’s dense city streets, Taichung Park was a breath of fresh air. A large park centring on an artificial lake, Taichung Park offers a nice chance for shade and a chance to get out of the sun.

In the lake and ponds you’ll see plenty of little turtles swimming around and scattered through the lawns, several earnest pagodas and shrines. In the park, you’ll also find these awesome banyan trees like the one below that lend some atmosphere to the place I think.

Also worth a visit is the Caligraphy Park for its peaceful nature and design, not to mention its unlikely giant statue to see a character from World of Warcraft. However, the best statue I came across in Taichung has to go to the gargantuan Goat Statue that sits on the edge of Taichung Park. There’s no context given for the statue, but it seems to have been built for the Year of the Goat back in 2015.

Take in the Wanchungong Temple

It’s no real surprise that you’re going to find a hell of a lot of temples in Taiwan. The thing is, if you’re like me, you’re going to have a hard time telling them apart. I have to plead ignorance in saying I struggled to tell if I was visiting a Taoist temple, an ancestral shrine or other less well-known faiths. It can also be hard to find that information when the temples lack any English language names, in real life or on the internet.

So when I visited the Wanchungong Temple to the sea goddess Mazu, its significance was lost on me. Found on Chenggong Road near Pingdeng Street, this beautiful temple immediately caught my eye. Worship of Mazu is quite common in Taiwan and temples like this are some of the oldest on the island.

There are other temples to Mazu in Taichung, but they’re much further from the city centre. One of the more distinctive elements of Taiwanese temples has to be the bright, multicoloured glass used across the roofs of the temples.

Walk the Liuchuan Riverside Walk

The city of Taichung seems to be in transition at the moment. Much of the city still has a simple, worn feeling to it, but certain patches have seen rejuvenation. One such area is the banks of the Liuchuan River flowing through the centre of the city.

The newly developed riverside walk has been carefully designed to create plenty of much-needed green space, alongside sleek walkways. The riverside walk offers a welcome break from the grid of urban streets, while still allowing you to admire some of the more interesting hi-rises nearby.

Visit Shen Ji New Village

Once a government housing compound, the Shen Ji New Village has recently been converted into a market for small businesses. Selling everything from arts and crafts to food and coffee, the historic village has been given new life and offers local entrepreneurs a great space to thrive.

Walking around the small village it’s hard not to be swept up in its fun and youthful energy. Particularly popular is the elevated walkway which attracts plenty of people looking for selfies. I think if I had found it earlier in the day, I would have spent quite a bit of time there.

Devour some Baobing

Visiting in October, the weather in Taichung was scorching hot. After walking around the city all day, I was dying to cool down. After passing several gelato stands in the Shen Ji New Village, I was tempted by the Miss Meet shop nearby.

Rather than gelato though, this is a store that sells Baobing, a shaved ice dessert. Popular in East Asia and especially Taiwan, Baobing is normally made with shaved, lots of fruit and condensed milk. It was pretty much the perfect treat after the intense heat and humidity. You don’t want to miss out!

Admire Miyahara Dessert Store

In most cities around the world, there’s at least one place that locals are obsessed with. It seems like Miyahara is that place for Taichung. Just on the corner of the street in which I was staying, the store was busy the entire time I was there. After passing the sizeable queue of people waiting to get ice cream several times, I decided I had to go in.

Selling a range of desserts from ice cream to chocolates and more, Miyahara’s secret weapon is its interior decor. Grand but not gaudy, the store is lined with beautiful wooden cabinets and looks more like an apothecary than anything else.

The desserts looked like they would make fantastic souvenirs if I hadn’t at the start of my Taiwan trip. There’s also the upstairs cafe which seemed quite exclusive and outside my price range. Even if you don’t plan on buying anything, Miyahara is worth a look.

See the City by Night

Like many cities in Taiwan, Taichung looks markedly different at night. Lit up with neon signs, the city glows with neon colours and suddenly feels much more modern. While it’s normally only the main streets that are illuminated, Jiguang Street is a little special. From its cool little gateways to the fairy lights that glimmer overhead, it’s definitely a special place at night.

Missed: The Rainbow Village

One of Taichung’s sights I was unfortunate to miss was the Rainbow Village. Sadly, I only learned about the village after leaving Taiwan and it wasn’t even that far from where I walked. Based on all the photos I’ve seen of it since this beautifully painted village looks like a cool place to visit. So don’t be like me, don’t miss it!

Advice for Visiting Taichung, Taiwan

Getting In and Around

• The city’s airport is quite remote and your only options to get into the centre are by taxi or bus. Buses aren’t all that frequent and make sure to have exact change for the fare, NT$ 100, as I wasn’t allowed to board without exact change. At least the bus had Wi-Fi.
• It’s worth knowing that there are two very separate train stations, one for high-speed rail and one for regular trains. The HSRT station is a long way from the centre of the city, while the normal train station is right in the centre.

Where to Stay and Eat

• Despite the size of the city, Taichung isn’t as popular as other parts of the island. Even so, you’ll find a great range of hotels and hostels to choose from in the Central and West Districts. A nice budget option right near the train station is the TC Hotel where I stayed.
• Two places I ate at that I quite enjoyed were Marukame Udon, an affordable noodle place, and an Atari Cuisine place just next door to Miyahara. It can be challenging to find places with English menus so pointing at pictures can help.

What would you do when visiting Taichung, Taiwan? Have you visited before and want to recommend other things to do? Please share your thoughts in the comments below.

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