Nick’s 7-Day Itinerary for Taipei, Taiwan (printable option!)

Seven days in Taiwan is enough to get a good taste of the capital, Taipei, plus a few other destinations in the country.

You will most like face some difficulty choosing which destinations to include. The truth is, one week is simply not enough for Taiwan. Two weeks is the minimum you need for doing a round-island trip that hits all the main stops – and even that is a little tight.

But if a week is what you have, that I’m here to help you make it work! Based on checking hundreds of people’s itineraries in my Facebook group, I’m going to walk you day-by-day through what I consider to be the classic one-week itinerary.

You’ll have some options for customization. And if you don’t love the places I choose, at the end I’ll also provide some alternative route ideas.

My Printable Itinerary: 7 Days in Taiwan

If you purchase the paid version of my seven-day itinerary for Taipei, with a discount if you also get my ebook, you will get over 8000 words (22 pages) of instructions for every step of your 7-day itinerary. I sell this as a printable pdf because it is too long (and valuable!) for a blog post.

The paid itinerary comes with three times the content and details that this blog post does.

For example, it tells you exact how long you’ll need for every stop, how to get between them (right down to which MRT exit numbers to take), a list of restaurant options for every meal of your trip, and many insider tips.

It also comes with outlines for two alternative itineraries: one which focuses more on cities and another which focuses on kid-friendly attractions.

In this blog post, I will only do a general overview of the classic itinerary. 

How to Plan Your Week in Taiwan

The itinerary I’ve created here includes four of Taiwan’s top destinations: Taipei, Jiufen & Shifen (as a day trip from Taipei), Sun Moon Lake (via Taichung), and Alishan. These fit perfectly into one week.  

The itinerary also assumes that you have seven full days in Taiwan. You may have to make some small adjustments according to your exact arrival and departure times.

Also assuming that you will fly into Taoyuan International Airport, it will make sense to start with the capital, Taipei. I suggest spending two full days exploring Taipei city, then a third day doing a day trip to Jiufen and Shifen.

On Day 4, you’ll head to Taichung (Taiwan’s central city) and either spend a night there (if the sights I’ll introduce are of interest to you) or proceed directly to Sun Moon Lake (if you’d prefer more time to enjoy the lake).

Day 5 will be a whole day and night at Sun Moon Lake. On the morning or Day 6, you’ll catch an early bus to Alishan and spend the day exploring it. Day 7 will start with the famous Alishan sunrise, after which you’ll travel back to Taipei or directly to the airport.

If Sun Moon Lake and Alishan are not your preferred places to visit in Taiwan, you can easily sub them out for other destinations. I’ll provide some ideas at the end of this article. Or, see my paid itinerary for city-focused and kid-focused alternative itineraries for one week.

Itinerary Days 1-3: Taipei

To avoid repeating content on my website (which Google doesn’t love), I suggest you read my 3-day itinerary for Taipei, which is exactly what I recommend doing for your first three days in Taiwan.

That article goes into great detail, but I’ll quickly summarize it here. First, start with my guide to getting a SIM card or eSIM at the airport, how to get and use an EasyCard, and how to get from Taoyuan Airport to Taipei.

On Day 1, start in the Old City of Taipei, with stops at Longshan Temple, Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall, and Ximending. Do this on your own or join a free walking tour.

After lunch, I give optional stops at Huashan 1914 Creative Park, Da’an Forest Park, and Yongkang Street.

These depend on how much time you have and whether you want to do Taipei 101 AND Elephant Mountain next, or just one of them. Another consideration is that the sun sets quite a bit earlier in winter than in summer.

Next, head to Taipei 101 Observatory (Klook / KKday) and/or Elephant Mountain for sunset. You also have the option to do the more thrilling Skyline 460 experience (Klook / KKday), which involves standing on the actual roof of Taipei 101.

Have dinner at Tonghua Night Market or Raohe Night Market.

In the evening, I have articles recommending things to do at night in Taipei, best places to find craft beer, and best cocktail bars.

Start Day 2 with breakfast at Fu Hang Soy Milk, then choose from one of three morning activities: National Palace Museum (Klook / KKday), hiking in Yangmingshan National Park, or exploring Dihua Street.

In the afternoon, go to Beitou Hot Springs for a soak, then Tamsui and Fisherman’s Wharf for sunset before dinner at Din Tai Fung (Klook / KKday, pre-ordering gets you in faster) or Shilin Night Market.

On Day 3, do a day trip to Jiufen Old Street and Shifen Old Street, plus your choice of a couple more stops from the following list:

Yehliu Geopark, Jinguashi Gold Ecological Park, Houtong Cat Village, Sandiaoling Waterfall Trail, Shifen Waterfall, Pingxi and Jingtong Old Streets, Bitoujiao Trail, and Shen’ao Rail Bike.

If you want to DIY your day trip, I recommend following my paid itinerary, as the transportation details do get complicated.

Otherwise, simply book an organized day trip on Klook (here or here) or KKday (here or here), or hire a private driver.

Finish the day at Keelung Night Market before returning to Taipei. Or, head back earlier, eat at Ningxia Night Market, then watch a traditional Taiwanese opera performance at TaipeiEye (Klook / KKday).

Also read my Taipei city guide and where to stay in Taipei for choosing an area and hotel to stauy.

Planning tip: My Taipei 5-day itinerary includes two alternative days that you could swap in for any of the above days.

One of them includes Maokong Gondola and some more off-the-beaten-track places in Taipei. And another includes several day trip alternatives to Jiufen and Shifen.

Itinerary Day 4: To Taichung or Sun Moon Lake

Every traveler is different, so I’m giving you three choices for Day 4.

For the first option, if the attractions in Taichung city interest you a lot, travel to and spend the night in Taichung. See my Taichung hotel recommendations.

A day in Taichung could include visits to Rainbow Village, Miyahara (ice cream) and Chun Shui Tang (birthplace of bubble tea), or some places outside the city center like Zhongshe Flower Market, Gaomei Wetlands for sunset, and finishing at Feng Chia Night Market.

If you take an early HSR from Taipei to Taichung, you could make it in time for this Taichung tour.

See my guide to buying HSR tickets in Taiwan.

A second option is to travel to Taichung early, see only one or two of those places, then catch an afternoon bus to Sun Moon Lake.

You could leave your luggage in a locker at the HSR station (while visiting Rainbow Village) or Taichung Station (while visiting Miyahara and Chun Shui Tang).

A third option is to skip Taichung altogether. Take the HSR to Taichung and bus directly from Taichung HSR Station to Sun Moon Lake.

The first option will limit your time at Sun Moon Lake. The second option gives you the best of both worlds. The final option will give you the most time at Sun Moon Lake, for those who prefer nature to cities.

If you go directly to Sun Moon Lake, you could be there by the late morning or early afternoon if you leave Taipei early enough. Check in to a hotel in Shuishe (the main village, where buses arrive), hire a bike (Klook / KKday) and do some cycling along the lake shore.

Read my general Sun Moon Lake guide, see my recommended itinerary for the lake, and click here to see where to stay.

Itinerary Day 5: Sun Moon Lake

If you spent the previous night in Taichung, take a bus to Sun Moon Lake as early as possible.

If you spend the previous night in Sun Moon Lake, congrats, you have a full day to explore it! Early risers can wake early and climb Mount Maolan (one hour to the peak) to watch sunrise over the lake.

If you didn’t go cycling yet, rent a bike and spend 1-2 hours cycling beside the lake in the morning.

Next, take a boat across the lake to Xuanguang Temple. If you don’t love boats, you can also take a bus there.

Visit the temple, taste one of the famous tea eggs there, and if you have the time and energy, climb the stairs up to Xuanzang Temple and even further to Ci’en Pagoda.

Next, take a boat from Xuanguang Temple to Ita Thao village. Alternatively, you can take the bus from Xuanguang Temple, Xuanzang Temple, or Ci’en Pagoda to Ita Thao.

Have a lunch of aboriginal foods on Ita thao’s famous food street. Then, walk along the lake shore to Sun Moon Lake Ropeway (Klook / KKday) and ride the scenic gondola to the top and back down.

At the top, there’s a second gondola which goes down the other side to Formosan Aboriginal Culture Village (Klook / KKday), a theme park with rides, aboriginal performances, and cherry blossoms (check blooming times).

The theme park is large, so if you want to visit it, skip some of the earlier activities on this day. The park entrance fee includes the return ropeway rides.

After you ride the ropeway back down, take a bus to Wenwu Temple. If you time it well, you may be able to catch sunrise here before returning to your hotel in Shuishe.

Itinerary Day 6: Alishan

Wake early to catch the bus from Sun Moon Lake to Alishan (only one per day or 2 on weekends/holidays). See my guide to booking this bus online.

Arriving in Alishan, check in to your hotel and have lunch. Here are some hotels I recommend in Alishan.

Ride the Alishan Forest Railway from Alishan Station to Chaoping Station, where there’s a short boardwalk trail with plum (February to March) and cherry blossoms (March to April).

Next, do Sister Pond trail to Shouzhen Temple, then Giant Tree Trail and ride the train from Shenmu Station back to Alishan Station.

See my paid itinerary for more details about how to plan this walking route, times required, and possible places to see the sunset.

Have dinner at the tourist village then do a Stargazing Tour (tickets sold at the Visitor’s Center) or go to bed early for your early rise the next day.

Read my Alishan guide for more information.

Itinerary Day 7: Alishan Sunrise and Going Back

On your final day, set your alarm super early to wake up for the famous Alishan sunrise.

The exact time of sunrise varies throughout the year from 5 to 6:30 AM. There are usually a couple sunrise trains from Alishan Station to Chushan Station, where the Chushan Sunrise Platform is located.

The exact train times are posted at Alishan Station the day before (1 to 4 PM) or you can ask your hotel. Buy a ticket in cash the day before or even in the early morning before you board the train.

Chushan Sunrise Platform is a mass of noisy tourists in the morning. Escape the crowds by hiking 15 minutes uphill to Xiaoliyuanshan viewpoint or 10 minutes downhill to Duigaoyue Sunrise Platform.

I give more details about how to find these and how to hike to them (instead of taking the morning train) in my paid itinerary and my Alishan guide.

After sunrise, depending on what time you need to be back in Taipei or at the airport, you could do a few more hours of hiking before leaving, or check out from your hotel ASAP.

Catch a bus from Alishan Bus Station to Chiayi HSR station and ride to Taoyuan HSR Station (for transferring to the Airport MRT to the airport) or Taipei. I definitely recommend booking this ride online in advance, especially if you have a plane to catch.

There’s also the famous Alishan Forest Railway from Alishan to Chiayi, but tickets are quite difficult to get and it takes more than twice as long as the bus. Only attempt to get tickets if you have time!

If you don’t depart until late, you could visit Xpark Aquarium (near Taoyuan HSR station) on the way to the airport.

Alternative Itineraries

Sun Moon Lake and Alishan are not everyone’s cup of tea.

Some travelers find Sun Moon Lake too touristy or no more beautiful than so many lakes in North America or Europe. And many travelers find the transportation to and from Alishan to be overwhelmingly complicated.

One option would be to skip Taichung and Sun Moon Lake and focus more on Alishan region. Spend a night in Alishan, a night in Shizhuo (for tea plantation hikes), and/or a night in Fenqihu (for bamboo forests, bento boxes, and fireflies).

See any of my longer itineraries (10 days, 14 days, or 21 days) for how to plan those.

Another option would be to visit all the big cities instead, like Taichung, Tainan, and Kaohsiung. Yet another would be to visit the wild and scenic east coast, like Yilan, Hualien, and/or Taitung.

However, fewer travelers have been doing the east coast because the top attraction, Taroko Gorge, has been almost totally closed ever the April 2024 Hualien Earthquake.

Final Thoughts  

And that brings us to the end of this one-week Taiwan itinerary!

If you really plan to follow the above itinerary, then I highly recommend spending a few bucks to get the paid version, which has three times the content and tons more details for every step. Enjoy your trip!