Rail Tour of Taiwan
Fly with EVA Air, an award-winning 5 star airline on this adventure to Taiwan. Start your holiday n style with a choice of three classes of cabin service: Royal Laurel Class (complete flat bed Business Class), award-winning Premium Economy Class and Economy class. Personal seat-back state of the art touch screen, audio/video on demand entertainment systems.
Taiwan’s fast and efficient railway system links the country from north to south, east to west. The clean and modern network offers 4 classes to suit any budget and a genuine alternative to the delays and frustrations of airports. The joy of rail travel in Taiwan lies outside the carriage, in the stunning alpine and coastal landscapes rolling past your window. Towns and cities appear, only to emerge again into timeless pastoral scenes; great mountain ranges loom, then part to reveal deserted, black sand beaches, the glittering sea beyond. Smaller trains wind through seas of cherry blossom, up beyond the clouds to reveal tumbling mountain rivers, glittering lakes.
Best time for this itinerary is April, May, October, and November.
Touring style: Self-guided adventure by rail.
- Day 1 Arrival into Taipei
- Day 2 Taipei sightseeing
- Day 3 Pingxi Historic Railway Line
- Day 4 Yangmingshan and Tamsui sightseeing
- Day 5 High speed rail from Taipei to Taichung and Sun Moon Lake
- Day 6 Sun Moon Lake touring
- Day 7 Train from Taichung to Chiayi and Forest Train to Alishan
- Day 8 High Speed Rail to Kaohsiung
- Day 9 Kaohsiung sightseeing
- Day 10 Kenting National Park touring
- Day 11 Kaohsiung train to Taitung
- Day 12 Train travel from Taitung to Hualien
- Day 13 Taroko Gorge touring
- Day 14 Taroko Express to Taipei
- Day 15 Northern Coast and Yehliu touring
- Day 16 Departure from Taipei
Day 1 Arrival in Taipei
Arrive Taipei and take a private transfer to your hotel.
Distance and journey time: 48 km, approx 45 mins
Day 2 Taipei sightseeing
This morning, you will enjoy a private tour of Taipei City and The National Palace Museum.
Taipei-the name means North Taiwan is the principal cultural and economic metropolis. The tour affords a glimpse of Chinese culture and the bustling city. It includes a visit to the Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall dedicated to the late President, passing the Presidential Square en route. Watch the Changing of the Honour Guards ceremony at the Martyrs' Shrine and onwards to the National Palace Museum which houses the world's largest and most priceless collection of Chinese art treasures. Also included is a visit to the Taiwan Handicraft Centre before returning via Grand Hill.
Day 3 Pingxi Historic Railway Line
Take a taxi to the Taipei Railway Station for the short train ride to Ruifang station.Connect to the Pingxi Line using your one day pass.This pass will allow you to hop on and off at any of the 12 stations on the route. This 8-mile long Pingxi Line is steeped in history and was originally built to transport coal. Admire the scenery on this route that goes pass green mountain cliffs, waterfalls, small mining towns, country hamlets. We suggest that you ride the train to the end of the line at Jingtong and decide where to stop on the return journey. Pingxi and Shifen are two villages of interest and there are also hiking trails that led up into the hills.
Overnight in Taipei
Day 4 Yang Ming Shan National Park and Tamsui sightseeing
Transfer to Yang Ming Shan for an overnight stay at a Hot Springs Resort.
Sightseeing tour of Tamsui - visit Shihsanhang Museum, Fishermen's Wharf, Hung-Mao Cheng, Tamsui Old Street and Guanou Nature Park.
Overnight in Yang Ming Shan.
Distance and journey time: 12 km, 40 mins
Day 5 High Speed Rail from Taipei to Taichung
Transfer to Taipei Railway Station and take the High-Speed Rail to Taichung. On arrival, transfer to Sun Moon Lake for 2 nights at the superb LALU Resort.
Distance and travel times:
Yang Ming Shan to Taipei HSR Station: 18 km, approx 40 mins
Taipei HSR Station to Taichung HSR Station: approx 45 mins
Taichung to Sun Moon Lake: 64 km, approx 1 hr
Day 6 Sun Moon Lake Tour
Full Day Sun Moon Lake tour.
All rooms at the Lalu face the Lake, and you may want to wake up early this morning to appreciate the sunrise. Take your time and enjoy a refreshing breakfast at the lakeside. After breakfast take a private lake cruise directly from the hotel's pier and visit Lalu Island and the Tzi-an Pagoda.
Overnight in Sun Moon Lake.
Day 7 Train to Chiayi and Forest train to Alishan
Private transfer to Taichung TSR train station for a train to Chiayi TSR Station. From Chiayi, depart for Alishan by Forest Train. As the entire Alishan Forest Railway has not been restored, the current service is available from Chiayi to Fenqihu. The 3 hr journey climbs slowly through the mountains via a series of switchbacks.
Your afternoon tour of Alishan Forest Recreation Area begins with a visit to a 3,000-year-old cypress named The Sacred Tree, struck dead by lightning in 1947. Tour the village museum, The Two Sisters Pond, Three Generation Tree as well as Ali Forest Park.
Overnight at The Alishan House.
Distance and journey times:
Taichung to Chiayi by train: approx 1.15 hrs
Chiayi to Alishan by Forest Rail approx 3 hrs
Day 8 High Speed Rail to Kaohsiung
Early morning catch the famous Alishan Chushan Train to watch the sunrise. As sunrise time varies in different seasons and every day, the schedule of the Chushan Sunrise Watching Train is adjusted based on the sunrise time.
Afterwards, take the bus or train to Chiayi HSR station for the High-Speed Rail to Kaohsiung, an international seaport located on the south-west coast of Taiwan.
Overnight in Kaohsiung.
Distance and journey times:
Alishan to Chiayi by bus: approx 2 hrs
Chiayi HSR to Zouying HSR: approx 30 mins
Zouying HSR Station to Kaohsiung: 8 km, approx 30 mins
Day 9 Kaohsiung sightseeing
Visit Cheng Ching (Clear Crystal) Lake resort area renowned for its lover’s bridge, ornate pavilions and the Chung Hsing (Restoration) Pagoda, one of the best-known landmarks in Taiwan. Visit the Lotus Lake area, site of the newest Confucian temple, which houses the Spring and Autumn Pavilions.
Overnight in Kaohsiung.
Day 10 Kenting National Park sightseeing
Drive to Kenting National Park for a full day excursion. Hengchun is the gateway to Kenting National Park. The city itself was once completely surrounded by a city wall; now about half of the wall remains intact, as well as the four city gates. Kenting's rugged coastline provides some of the area's most spectacular attractions such as Eluanbi Lighthouse, the rock formations of Maobitou and the Longpan grasslands.
Overnight in Kaohsiung.
Distance and journey time: 107 km, approx 2.30 hrs each way
Day 11 Kaohsiung to Taitung
Transfer to Kaohsiung TSR train station. Take the train to Taitung.
Overnight in Taitung.
Distance and journey time by train: approx 2.10 hrs
Day 12 Train to Hualien
Transfer to the train station for train to Hualien. Stay for 2 nights.
Distance and journey time by train: approx 2 hrs
Day 13 Taroko Gorge touring
Tour the amazing Taroko Gorge, a stunning, awe-inspiring river gorge lined by sheer river-carved cliffs of marble. The visit includes stops at the Swallow Grottoes, the Marble Bridge, and the Eternal Spring Shrine. Leave for Taipei via the Hsuehshan (Snow Mountain) tunnel. Overnight in Hualien.
Day 14 Train from Taroko to Taipei
Transfer to the train station for the tilting Taroko Express train to Taipei. Arrive for 2 nights.
Distance and journey time: approx 2.30 hrs
Day 15 Northern Coast and Yehliu touring
Proceed to Keelung to visit Chung Ching Park where you can view the huge statue of the Goddess of Mercy and also a panoramic view of Keelung Harbour. Continue to Yehliu Geopark famed for its numerous rock formations resembling a Queen’s head, Fairy Shoe, and Lover’s Rock. Drive to the Northeast Coast, visit Pitou Cape and Nanya Rocks Formation then onward to Chiufen Village. The villages of Chiufen were once centres of gold mining in Taiwan. The gold is gone, but these quaint old villages, built of closely-packed houses clinging to steep mountainsides, continue to offer enchanting scenery and fascinating glimpses into the lifestyles of the past.
Overnight in Taipei.
Distance and journey time: 42 km, approx 1 hr each way
Day 16 Departure
Transfer to the airport for departure.
Distance and journey time: 48 km, approx 45 mins