Taichung is one of Taiwan’s biggest cities on the island’s west coast. Filled with trendy cafes, wonderful museums, painted artwork and old Japanese buildings, we had the best time spending 3 days in Taichung.
Honestly, it’s an underrated city! We might prefer it to Taipei, but it’s hard to say. We loved the cosy vibe of Taichung and wandering around the little alleys.
During our Taichung itinerary, we explored the highlights of the city, felt the atmosphere on the weekend and took a day trip to the largest lake in Taiwan!
So here’s our 3 day Taichung itinerary where we show you our favourite spots and places you must visit!
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3 Day Taichung Itinerary: Best Things To Do
Whether you’re spending 2 days or more, this itinerary is perfect for you! We’ve added a few alternative plans if you’re already planning on visiting Sun Moon Lake on another day.
Get an EasyCard in Taiwan to use the local buses in Taichung (you can also use Uber, but we love the public transport)! We’ve shared some of our favourite places to eat, where to stay and how to get around at the bottom of this itinerary.
But if you’re having a quick browse, we recommend Mini West Hotel – Find it on Agoda here! So now we’ll jump into our Taichung itinerary!
Day 1 – Explore the West District
When you arrive in Taichung, head to your accommodation, drop your bags off and head out to begin your 3 days in Taichung!
We started our day in the city around midday, but we’ll leave some extra options in case you have a full day in Taichung. There are so many little streets to explore, you can easily spend more time at each spot!
You’ll notice on a map two main roads create a cross in the middle of Taichung’s main city centre. To make the most out of your day, split up the West and Central into two different days. So on your first day, explore Taichung’s West District.
Wander around the Botanical Garden
Start your day with a trip to Taichung’s beautiful tropical rainforest. It’s a small Botanical Garden, but it’s only NT$20 to visit per person so it’s pretty good value. The trees and waterfall inside are beautiful and it’s just a lovely place to walk around. There’s also a few fish!
Right across the road from the Botanical Garden, you can see the National Museum of Natural Science. It’s mainly aimed at families with children, so we just admired the outside atmosphere. It’s on the way to the next stop on this 3 day Taichung itinerary so you can choose to visit or just see the outside like us.
Chill in Taichung Civic Square
We visited Taichung during a weekend and it was basically a ‘bring your pet to the park’ day, so we saw snakes, lizards and dozens of dogs. There was music, a Christmas market and lots of activities going on for families! It was so sweet to see and the huge open square is a nice place to visit at any time of year!
Taichung has incredible food options and it’s very vegan-friendly! We stopped at Boiled Bodhi Vegetarian Cuisine for the best Asian fusion cuisine. We ordered miso aubergine with vegan chicken karaage, char sui Hong Kong buns and xiaolongbao!
Walk through Calligraphy Greenway
Although Calligraphy Greenway sounds cool, there isn’t really much going on. It consists of a long strip of park in between the main roads with a few artsy sculptures. But this area of Taichung is so lovely, so the Calligraphy Greenway is hard to miss.
Grab a Plant Light Vegan Donut
Plant Light is one of our favourite cafes in Taiwan! They have amazing donuts and incredible oat milk matcha – as you can see it’s a very trendy area of Taichung. We had to add this place to our 3 day Taichung itinerary, so you can try these doughnuts too! We also watched them make them handmade and it was very wholesome.
Explore Shenji New Village
Alongside our favourite donut shop, is our favourite area to explore in Taichung, Shenji New Village! This little creative village was once a government dorm compound, but it’s now filled with boutique shops, arts and crafts and even more trendy cafes.
It’s going to be hard not to buy at least something when browsing around the cute markets. There’s a postal shop (Kerkerland) where you can write a message to yourself in the future and they will post them locally or internationally! We bought a turtle patch!
Swing by TPL Stationery
Whilst you’re in the area, take a look at TPL Stationary shop. Even though we were travelling and didn’t need any stationary, we’re so glad we popped in. Taiwan do stationary on a different level! This shop instantly made me (Amy) want to scrapbook.
We bought a pack of stickers from places from all over the world and the owner gave us some paper to use the ink stamps in the room. It’s the cutest store and we wish we could buy more!
Visit the National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts
After wandering around the trendy area filled with hip shops we headed over to the National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts.
There was a little market out front in the beautiful garden and it’s free to enter so we had a look inside and escaped the afternoon heat.
It’s free to visit but it is closed on Mondays. After this, we head back to your accommodation to have a little break before the evening begins!
Feng Chia Night Market
Feng Chia Night Market is deemed one of the largest night markets in Taiwan and one of the best things to do in Taichung! It’s located in the Xitun District a little out of the city centre so you can either hop on a bus (use your Easy Card) or catch an Uber.
There are so many places to eat at the night market from popular street food snacks to restaurants and cafes! We recommend trying Taiwan’s famous sweet potato puffs! We also found a little vegetarian eatery serving up our favourite sesame noodles.
The night market is also really popular for claw machines, but unfortunately, we never win! After eating your heart out and enjoying the markets, get a good night’s sleep ready for more exploring on this Taichung 3 day itinerary.
Day 2 – Visit Sun Moon Lake
Taichung is the gateway to the most popular nature spot in the country, Sun Moon Lake. If you’re wondering if it’s worth visiting, it is. We highly recommend a day trip from Taichung.
It’s best to visit on a weekday as it can get pretty crowded on the weekends (as we discovered). Some people travel from Taipei, but the journey would be so long, Taichung is definitely a better place to travel from if you have the time.
So here’s how to spend the day at Sun Moon Lake during this 3 day Taichung itinerary.
How to get to Sun Moon Lake from Taichung
Head to Nantou Gancheng Bus Station and buy tickets for the 6670 bus to Sun Moon Lake or a Combination Ticket. We opted for the combination ticket as we wanted to do most of the activities and it was discounted at the time, but you can equally buy them separately when you’re there. We arrived at 7:45 and jumped on an 8 am bus!
We were given a special Sun Moon Lake easy card which had extra money on after our day trip.
We arrived at Sun Moon Lake around 9:30 am after a 1.5-hour ride! The bus drop-off is near the 7-Eleven in Shuishe. Now you can start your day!
The Combination Ticket was 660 including an extra Easy Card, but we heard it was meant to be 740.
Cycle around Sun Moon Lake
We recommend heading to Merida to rent a bike for a couple of hours. We only needed it for two which was perfect as our combination ticket was only 2 hours. The owner of Merida was so lovely and his bikes were in a lot better condition than others we saw on the trip! He needed our passport as a deposit, but this was very safe and he showed us all the cameras in the shop.
You can also rent e-bikes from other companies if you don’t love cycling! Helmets are not mandatory at Sun Moon Lake, so it’s up to you!
Start at Merida in Shuishe and head to the Xiangshan Scenic Lookout, stopping as many times as you want! It was pretty busy when we cycled, but we still managed to stop multiple times to enjoy the scenery. Some of the colours in the lake are incredible and definitely makes it worth a trip!
We witnessed a few falls and e-bikes going way too fast, but it was a great bike journey out and back! We returned the bikes and had lunch at Shan Hu Kitchen in Shuishe.
Take a boat trip across the Lake
No visit to Sun Moon Lake is complete without catching a boat across the huge lake! There are three boat destinations and they only go counterclockwise around the lake.
Shuishe (where you’ll already be starting), Xuanguang and Ita Thao (Yidashao). This will be your itinerary for the day! You can pay for boat tickets near the pier or use your combination ticket. We’re so glad we visited Sun Moon Lake on our 3 days in Taichung.
Visit the Temples of Sun Moon Lake
After the first boat trip, we arrived in Xuanguang, ready to explore the temple and walk up the hill.
There isn’t too much to see at Xuanguang Temple, so we also recommend following the uphill trail leading to Xuan Zang Temple. Although it’s steep, the walk through the tropical forest is totally worth it when you see the incredible views overlooking the lake!
You can walk further to Ci’en Pagoda, but this was closed for renovation when we visited, so it was forbidden to enter!
After the nature trail, head back down to the same boat port and hop on the next available boat.
Head to Ita Thao Market
Ita Thao will be your last stop of the day before leaving Sun Moon Lake. At this point in our day, it was around 4:30 pm and the last boats finished around 5-6pm!
Ita Thao is a small, bustling lakeside town with a chaotic street market serving all sorts of street food. It’s quite busy, and also a popular area to spend the night at Sun Moon Lake.
We wandered the street stalls and found a tofu snack. There’s an endless amount of Taiwanese snacks to try, plus the frog character pancakes looked amazing!
How to get back to Taichung from Sun Moon Lake
As time was running out, we quickly hopped on the next boat back to Shuishe to join the bus queue. Sadly the queue was pretty long and we had to wait almost an hour for the next available bus at 5:40 pm. So we highly recommend to get to the bus stop by 5pm! At the time there was a bus at 5:10 that was full.
Once you’re on the bus, simply tap on and tap off with your easy card. The bus can take anywhere from 1.5 to 2 hours to get back to Taichung. We managed to have some sesame noodles after the bus before getting an Uber back to our accommodation.
Sun Moon Lake is definitely worth it, so we had to add it to our 3 day Taichung itinerary. You’ll just need to prepare for a long day!
Day 3 – Rainbow Village & the Central District
As we didn’t rent a car for our Taiwan trip, we chose to stay local to Taichung on our third day. If you do have your own vehicle you can visit places like Xinshe Castle, Gaomei Wetlands and the Lavender Cottage (at the right time of year). All of these destinations are outside of Taichung city centre, so similar to Sun Moon Lake, you’ll have to travel around to see them.
So for this day, you can choose to do another day trip or follow our Taichung itinerary and explore the charming Central District with a trip to the Rainbow Village!
Discover Rainbow Village
Rainbow Village has the most wonderful story! The village was once a military dependents’ village that the government wanted to demolish in 2008 to rebuild new houses. One of the residents, Huang Yung-Fu, decided to paint his house and the streets around it with bright and colourful artwork to try and save his house.
It 100% worked and it became one of the most popular Instagram spots in Taiwan! Huang Yung-Fu sadly passed away in 2024 at the age of 101!
Sadly due to a conflict with the workers, the Rainbow Village was vandalised with most of the original artwork being ruined in 2022. After a year of trying to save it, the village opened again in 2023, but the artwork is not the same and now it’s a much smaller area.
After our long day at Sun Moon Lake, we actually chose not to visit the Rainbow Village. But we still wanted to include it in our 3 day Taichung itinerary as it’s recommended to visit.
Our reasons for not visiting were that it’s a little far out of the city (Nantun District) and public transport would have taken 35 minutes each way. Google reviews stated you only need to spend 10 minutes there and due to the vandalism, it isn’t the same place to visit anymore.
However, maybe it’s something you’d like to visit during your 3 days in Taichung!
Next head to the Central District, specifically Miyahara to spend the rest of the day seeing more of the creative city.
Visit a Buddhist Vegetarian Restaurant in Taichung
As Taiwan is a vegetarian haven, we wanted to recommend Jiu Liu Su Shi, an affordable Buddhist restaurant in Taichung! The owner is so incredibly nice and gave us so many recommendations. The restaurant is homely and serves up dishes like curry rice, sesame noodles and the best dumplings. You can’t go wrong for lunch or dinner! (location here)
Admire Miyahara
After fueling up on lunch, visit Miyahara to admire the interior of the building! We instantly felt like we stepped into Harry Potter and it reminded us of home (the UK). The ice cream is really popular here alongside pineapple cake which is a speciality in Taiwan!
Miyahara is a historical landmark and was once an eye clinic in the Japanese colonial era. Even if you don’t buy anything, you can just have a look around and take photos – the place is beautiful and worth a visit on your Taichung 3 day itinerary.
Grab a fresh mochi at Joy-Way Mochi
Right around the corner is Joy-Way Mochi, serving up some of the most incredible fresh mochi! We highly recommend the Matcha and Plum, Black Sesame and the Peanut.
The mochi’s come in the cutest packaging and you can see them making your order fresh in the kitchen. We loved them so much, we grabbed another pack of 6 when finishing our 3 days in Taichung.
We also recommend the Wheat Allergy Baking Studio (near Hausinc), if you’re after a pastry (it’s vegan!)
Also, check out the beautiful red brick on the Sun Cake Museum building after your mochi stop!
Stroll around Taichung Park
Taichung Park is the oldest park in the city and the perfect place to take an afternoon stroll. Take your mochi or snack to the park and enjoy! The lake is manmade but still very beautiful and the park is full of trees and artsy items.
Visit Taichung Second Market
Taichung Second Market is an ‘ingredient’ market where vendors are set up to sell vegetables and spices and you can find fresh noodles! There were a few places to eat, but we only saw the outside of the market. It’s worth a little look even if it’s for 5 or 10 minutes.
Walk along the Liuchuan Riverside
Next up on our 3 day Taichung itinerary, is a stroll along Liuchuan Riverside. You can walk close to the river in certain sections and we even saw some Christmas displays in the month of December! It’s a very nice way to spend the late afternoon!
Explore Painted Animation Lane
Moving away from the parks, take a trip to Painted Animation Lane to see some of Taichung’s best street art. If you’re an anime or comic fan, this street is for you! There’s Winnie the Pooh, Mario, Totoro, One Punch and lots of anime! The area is quite small but it’s definitely a highlight in Taichung!
See the birthplace of Bubble Tea
One of the last places to visit on your 3 days in Taichung is the Chun Shui Tang Original Store. This is the birthplace of bubble milk tea back, which was created in Taiwan in 1986! If you haven’t had a bubble tea yet, now is your chance! Sadly they don’t have any vegan milk options, but we love Nuttea in Taipei for that!
Browse Yizhong Street Night Market
As we already visited the biggest night market in Taichung on day 1, we chose to explore Yizhong on our last day. Much like other night markets in Taiwan, you’ll find all sorts of food here, clothes, claw machines and mini-games.
More things to do in Taichung
That comes to the end of our 3 day Taichung itinerary! We have a few more options for you if you have an extra day or want to swap any activities!
- National Taichung Theater
- Taichung Confucius Temple & Taichung Martyrs’ Shrine
- Xinshe Castle
- Gaomei Wetlands
- Lavender Cottage (check the season)
- National Taiwan Museum of Comics
- Cultural Heritage Park
3 Day Taichung Itinerary Breakdown
Day 1 – Explore the West District Day 2 – Sun Moon Lake Day Trip Day 3 – Rainbow Village & the Central Market
Where to stay in Taichung
We recommend staying in West District or Central District during your 3 days in Taichung. You’ll be able to walk to most of the sights and there’s lots of places to eat! Here’s a few places to stay:
Mini West Hotel – We stayed here for 3 days in Taichung and loved it! There’s private & dorm rooms and a lovely common area. The rooms are smaller but perfect for a short stay in the city. – Find it on Agoda here!
Adagio Hostel – Another great location in Taichung, Adagio has lovely private rooms! – Find it on Agoda here!
Norden Ruder Hostel – Close to the train station in a good location, Norden is the perfect place to stay with beautifully modern rooms – Find it on Booking.com here!
💤 Find more hotels & guesthouses on Agoda here!
Best places to eat in Taichung
- Plant Light Vegan Donuts – they have the best oat milk matcha and incredible doughnuts! you can sit in the cafe or take away!
- Pure Gourmet – lovely veggie buffet near the train station.
- Boiled Bodhi Vegetarian Cuisine – incredible Asian fusion with Japanese, Hong Kong and Chinese dishes!
- HAUSINC 1035 – A trendy cafe in an old Japanese hospital (there’s vegan options)!
How to get to Taichung
The most popular way to get to Taichung is from Taipei. Trains are the perfect way to get to Taichung from Taipei. They can take 1 hour on a speed train or 2 hours on an intercity regular train.
We arrived in Taichung from Tainan on a normal intercity train. We realised that the High-speed Rail stations are usually quite far out of the cities so the normal trains take almost the same amount of time from door to door and they’re cheaper!
We used the Taiwan Railway E-Booking app to book our train tickets (although there’s a different app for High-Speed Trains).
If you get the inter-city trains, you’ll arrive at Taichung Station (near Miyahara). You can either get a bus or walk to your accommodation if it’s close!
You can also get a bus to Taichung, but the trains are so much more convenient!
How to get around Taichung
Taichung is an easy city to get around and you can use Google Maps! We walked most of the city centre and took buses to get anywhere further than that. Places like the Rainbow Village take a little longer to get to. Taichung has a metro system, although the line is outside of the city, so we didn’t get to use it!
Getting an Easy Card is the best way to pay for transport around Taiwan. We bought ours in Taipei at the airport, but you can pick them up everywhere. Top it up in convenience stores or metro stations (with cash), whenever you need more money on your card.
We’ve planned our Taichung itinerary so you can walk to each location easily and limit the need for public transport unless needed!
Best time to visit Taichung
The best time to visit Taichung is between the months of March to May. Although December to March is also nice if you enjoy colder weather.
Typhoons can happen throughout the year but they’re worst in September and October. We missed a bad typhoon by a month when we visited in November! So keep checking the weather if you’re planning a trip this season. The west coast of Taiwan isn’t affected as much as the east, so 3 days in Taichung might be okay from October.
Is Taichung worth visiting?
Yes! Taichung blew us away. When we first planned our 3 week Taiwan trip, we were worried we were adding on too many cities. Luckily they all felt really different to us and we found the unique side to all of them. Taichung is so trendy! As it’s the gateway to Sun Moon Lake, it’s definitely worth visiting and adding to your Taiwan bucket list.
We would definitely visit Taichung again in the future, even if it’s to have more vegan doughnuts!
That’s the end of our 3 day Taichung Itinerary! Check out more of our Taiwan travel guides, so you can plan the best trip! Don’t forget to get travel insurance before your big trip, we recommend Safety Wing!
We’re working on more Taiwan Travel Guides, but for now, browse at more of North Asia!
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