Taipei is fun, but if you’re planning to travel to Taiwan, you shouldn’t confine yourself to the capital city. There are so many places to explore outside of Taipei, and you’ll probably miss half your life if you don’t go there. One of those places is Taichung City.
Taichung City is the second largest city in Taiwan and is located just south of Taipei. With a population of just over 2 million, Taichung is not as crowded and busy as Taipei, making it an excellent destination for tourists who desire a more quiet and laidback environment.
Just like Taipei, however, Taichung has an excellent public transportation system, with an efficient railway and buses that depart and arrive on time. Travelers from Taipei can hitch a ride on the Taiwan High Speed Rail (HSR) to reach Taichung in less than an hour.
Some people recommend that tourists spend at least two days in Taichung to be able to visit most of the popular attractions in the city, but since we were pressed for time, we decided to make it a one-day trip. We did miss out on some famous attractions such as the Gaomei Wetlands, but we still felt that our trip was worthwhile.
How to Get to Taichung from Taipei
As previously mentioned, the best (and quickest) way to travel from Taipei to Taichung is via the Taiwan High Speed Rail (HSR). You can depart from either the Taipei main station or the Banqiao HSR station.
You can buy HSR tickets through Klook (they currently have a 20% discount promo), or if you’re also planning to go to other places such as Kaohsiung and Nantou, you may avail of the HSR Unlimited Rail Pass to save money.
I recommend that you reserve your seat at least one day before your trip. That way, you can be assured of a seat in the “reserved seats” section and you don’t have to scramble for available seats in the “non-reserved” section.
You can reserve your seat through the Taiwan HSR website by entering the redemption code or order number listed in your Klook booking confirmation. You can also reserve a seat at the ticketing outlet of any HSR station.
From Taipei, you will arrive at the HSR Taichung station in about an hour or less.
Taichung One-Day Itinerary
Here’s a sample one-day Taichung itinerary that you can use as a guide to creating your own. Feel free to customize it and add your own stops.
- 7:00 AM – Ride HSR from Taipei Main Station to HSR Taichung Station
- 8:00 AM – Ride local train from Xinwuri Station to Tai’an Station
- 8:30 AM – Ride taxi to Zhongshe
- 9:00 AM – Zhongshe Flower Market
- 10:30 AM – Ride taxi to Tai’an Station
- 11:00 AM – Ride local train from Tai’an Station to Taichung Station
- 11:30 AM – Lunch at Wow Litson Manok
- 12:00 PM – Walk to Miyahara
- 12:30 PM – Miyahara Ice Cream
- 1:30 PM – Walk or ride bus to Chun Shui Tang
- 2:00 PM – Chun Shui Tang Original Store (origin of milk tea)
- 3:00 PM – Ride bus to Taichung Station
- 3:30 PM – Ride local train from Taichung Station to Xinwuri Station
- 4:00 PM – Ride bus to Rainbow Village
- 4:30 PM – Rainbow Village
- 5:30 PM – Ride bus to Xinwuri Station
- 6:00 PM – Ride HSR from HSR Taichung station to Taipei Main Station
- 7:00 PM – Arrive at Taipei Main Station
Tip: Use Google Maps to select a train station or bus stop and see the departing and arriving trains/buses as well as their next destinations.
Taichung Tourist Attractions That Are Worth Visiting
Taichung is a quite big city and is home to several tourist attractions that are worth spending your time in. I’ll share with you some of the tourist spots that we visited in Taichung, as well as the few notable ones that we missed (because we were pressed for time).
Zhongshe Flower Market
When we arrived in Taichung, our first order of business was to visit the famed Zhongshe Flower Market. Even if you don’t like flowers (who doesn’t?), this place is still worth a visit, simply because it lets you take colorful, awe-inspiring photos that you can post to Instagram.
To get to Zhongshe Flower Market, you must ride the local train from Xinwuri Station to Tai’an Station. Xinwuri Station is just near the HSR Taichung Station (in fact, they’re in the same building).
When we arrived at Tai’an train station and exited the terminal en route to Zhongshe Flower Market, we encountered a Filipino woman who asked us if we wanted to take a taxi. We obliged and she promptly called a taxi to fetch us. She even told us to DM her on Facebook Messenger if we needed a taxi ride back to the train station.
When I stepped into Zhongshe Flower Market, I felt like I was Alice in Wonderland! I was mesmerized by the endless sea of beautiful flowers with its cacophony of colors. There were even some props such as swings and a piano – perfect accompaniment for your Instagrammable photos!
Words can’t do justice to the beauty of this place, so just take a look at these photos to get the idea. Even my hubby had a grand old time mingling with the flowers and the bees!
Miyahara Ice Cream Shop
After spending an hour at Zhongshe (and taking a gazillion photos), we headed back to Taichung Station by local train. We were famished so we walked to Wow Litson Manok for our lunch (it’s only about 100 meters from the train station).
Next stop is the Miyahara Ice Cream Shop. As an ice cream lover, I have to admit that this is my favorite part of the itinerary!
Miyahara used to be an ophthalmology clinic ran by a Japanese eye doctor named Takeo Miyahara in the early 20th century. After World War II, the building fell into disuse until it was bought by the Dawn Cake pastry company, who transformed it into a Hogwarts-style attraction that it is today.
Hogwarts indeed! Stepping inside Miyahara felt like I was taken to the famous school of magic where Harry Potter and Dumbledore resided. The only things missing were the magic wands, but that doesn’t matter because simply looking at the surroundings was a magical experience by itself.
I also enjoyed looking at the delicious-looking sweet treats and confectionary on display. Most treats were too expensive for my taste, but I decided to buy some chocolates to satisfy my sweet tooth. I wasn’t there for the chocolates, however.
I was there for the ice cream, of course! Even though the queue was long, I didn’t mind since I was really excited to try their various ice cream flavors such as mango, chocolate, dragon fruit, strawberry, and many more.
Chun Shui Tang Original Store
Though I’m a big ice cream fan, I’m an even bigger milk tea fan. So when my hubby said that we’ll go to the very place where bubble tea was invented, I couldn’t hide my excitement!
It is said that bubble tea was invented in March 1987 when a store employee named Lin Hsiu Hui poured tapioca balls into an iced Assam tea drink. Everyone loved the new concoction and bubble tea soon became the store’s most popular offering, and it eventually spread throughout the world.
It took us about 30 minutes to walk from Miyahara to the Chun Shui Tang Original Store. The store has a simple and unassuming facade, and at first, I thought that the place is quite small. However, I read on Google that the store has a basement area, so we decided to go downstairs after placing our order.
Displayed on the store’s shelves are Japanese traditional tea-making utensils such as ceramic pots, bowls, cups, and metal containers. You can actually buy some of the utensils (though they’re a bit expensive), and you can even buy postcards to send to your friends!
Inside the store, you can read the fascinating history of the establishment, as well as interesting tidbits about the various types of tea they use (e.g. green tea, black tea, oolong tea). There’s also a few small statues and a small pond with a water fountain.
The main event is, of course, the bubble tea! I really thought that the tea would be served in plastic cups, you know, like a normal bubble tea store. But I was pleasantly surprised when our order came in a large glass mug. It’s not just any ordinary bubble tea shop, mind you.
As for the taste, I can say with complete honesty and confidence that it’s one of the best bubble tea drinks that I’ve ever tasted. I think that it’s a tie between this store and Xing Fu Tang (in Ximending, Taipei). But that’s just my opinion, try it and see it for yourself!
Getting Around Taichung City
Don’t know how to travel around Taichung? No worries because I’ll be your tour guide for the day!
As I’ve previously mentioned, Taichung is easily accessible from Taipei via the Taiwan High Speed Rail (HSR). Barring any unexpected delays, you should reach Taichung City in about 45 minutes.
Now the question is, how do you go around Taichung to visit the places in your itinerary? There are four common modes of transportation in Taichung: MRT, local train, bus and taxi.
During our sidetrip to Taichung, we rode the local train to travel to and from the Zhongshe Flower Market and took the bus to reach the nearer destinations. Keep in mind that the local train is different from the Taichung MRT; remember that to avoid confusion and save time.
Below is the Taichung MRT map that shows the railway lines and train stations in the city:
You can use Google Maps to check out the train stations and their respective locations, as well as the lines that are connected to them.
To pay for your fare, you can either buy a ticket at the MRT counter or use the EasyCard which you can top up at 7-Eleven or at any MRT ticket counter. Just tap your ticket or card on the turnstile when entering the platform.
We also took the bus going back to the Taichung HSR station. Unlike here in the Philippines, where you can hitch a bus ride anywhere, in Taiwan, you need to wait at the designated bus stop.
Google Maps shows the various bus stops near your current location. Just click the name of the bus stop and you will see the arriving and departing buses as well as their respective time of arrival/departure.
As for paying the fare, you can use your EasyCard to save time. Just make sure that you have sufficient balance to pay the fare and tap your EasyCard on the card reader immediately upon entering the bus.
Final Words on our Taichung City Travel Guide
Taichung is definitely worth a visit on your next trip to Taiwan, even for just a day. It’s not too far away from Taipei and you’ll have enough time to visit most of the popular tourist spots as long as you go there early.
Don’t make the same mistakes we did! We arrived half an hour before our scheduled departure time on the HSR but due to unforeseen circumstances, we missed it and had to take the next trip. We had to stand for the entire train ride because the reserved seats were already taken, and worse of all, we were late for our scheduled itinerary and missed out on the Rainbow Village and Gaomei Wetlands.
Still, our Taichung adventure was fun, educational, and memorable. Not only we feasted on the sights and sounds of the city, we also had our fill of delicious Chun Shui Tang bubble tea and Miyahara ice cream.
One thing’s for sure, I will be back to Taichung if and when we return to Taiwan in the future. Fingers crossed!
