Taiping Suspension Bridge (太平吊橋) in Chiayi county is one of Taiwan’s most stunning suspension bridges and “sea of clouds” viewing locations.
Taiping Sky Ladder (太平雲梯), as it is usually called in Mandarin, also holds the title of highest elevation suspension bridge in the country, at a full kilometer above sea level (though not quite high enough to literally take your breath away).
On my recent visit to Taiping Bridge, I enjoyed not only the bridge itself but also a lovely hike through tea plantations at the end of it (easier than others in the region like Shizhuo and Eryanping!) After, I feasted on traditional snacks on Taiping Old Street nearby.
Taiping Suspension Bridge is off-the-beaten-track for foreign travelers in Taiwan. In this article, I’ll tell you how to do it as a rewarding day trip from Chiayi – self-driving or by public transportation – or as a part of an extremely scenic back route to Alishan.
Taiping Bridge: Key Visiting Info
- Opening times: 9:00 AM to 5:30 PM (to 8:00 PM on Saturdays), closed Wednesdays
- Best time to visit: Weekdays for less crowds (but Taiping Old Street will be very quiet with some shops closedx), close to closing time for sea of clouds, or Saturdays for sunset and night view
- Travel time from Chiayi: 1 hour by scooter or car, 2 to 2.5 hours by public transportation
- Tickets: TWD 100, purchase online (Klook / KKday) then proceed directly to the bridge upon arrival (don’t need to wait in line at Visitor’s Center). Booking online is especially recommended for weekends or holidays, due to visitor limits.
- Time needed: 1 hour for bridge only, 1.5 hours for bridge + hike, 2.5 hours for bridge, hike, and Taiping Old Street
Taiping Bridge Introduction
Taiping Bridge is located in Meishan township (梅山) of Chiayi county in Southern Taiwan. It is approximately one hour’s drive from Chiayi city on highway 162甲.
After passing Meishan town center on the Chianan Plain (嘉南平原 or Chiayi-Tainan Plain), the highway goes up the incredibly steep and winding Taiping 36 Bends (太平三十六彎) to reach Taiping Suspension Bridge at 1000 meters above sea level.
After the bridge, the highway continues through a picturesque tea and coffee growing region with many waterfalls, to where it finally meets Fenqihu and the more popular route to Alishan.
The bridge first opened in 2017, crossing a small valley between Taiping village and a mountain on the other side.
At the time, it was the longest in Taiwan (281 meters), until it was surpassed by Xikou Suspension Bridge (新溪口吊橋, 303m) in Taoyuan and later Shuiyuan Rainbow Suspension Bridge (雙龍七彩吊橋, 340m) in Nantou.
From the Taiping Suspension Bridge Visitor Service Center (太平雲梯服務中心) and parking lot, you can only cross the bridge in one direction.
At the end of the bridge, you’ll have the option to take a shorter and easier walk back via the valley below (the bridge is actually not that high above the valley floor).
Or, you can take a longer and more scenic 45-minute easy hike through tea plantations on the South of the Clouds Trail (雲之南道步道 or Yunzhinandao Trail).
No matter which trail you take, you can’t miss Taiping Old Street in Taiping Village, which is like a more local version of Fenqihu, featuring all manner of local specialties and traditional snacks.
I’ll introduce these specialties in detail at the end of the article.
Taiping (太平) is not to be confused with Taipingshan (or “Taiping Mountain”) in Yilan county of northeastern Taiwan, nor should Taiping Old Street be confused with a street of the same name in Douliu, Yunlin county.
Taiping is also the name of the Pacific Ocean (太平洋) in Mandarin, as well as a famous rebellion and civil war in China. These are all totally unrelated!
Getting to Taiping Suspension Bridge
The fastest way to get to the bridge it to drive. It’s also possible by bus but takes twice as long.
Driving
For my day trip to Taiping Bridge and other sights in Meishan, I rented a scooter here on Klook, with pickup from this shop at Chiayi station. Here’s what you’ll need to rent a scooter in Taiwan.
To rent a car, most agencies are at Chiayi HSR station (see my HSR booking guide).
The last time I rented a car at Chiayi HSR station, I used this link on Klook and chose a car provided by IWS, which I had a good experience with. They have English email support.
I also have more info about renting cars in Taiwan here.
GoogleMaps worked perfectly to get me from Chiayi to Taiping Bridge.
But one thing to note if going by scooter: you can’t ride it on National Freeways (denoted by a number in a flower icon on GoogleMaps).
For this route, GoogleMaps tried to put me on National Freeway 3. I avoided this by driving straight on the 166 (which was marked as a slower route) instead of turning onto the freeway.
I would later turn onto Provincial Highway 3 (in a blue icon on GoogleMaps, which is allowed for scooters) to reach Meishan town center.
Public Transportation
There’s no direct bus from Chiayi city to Taiping Bridge. You’ll need to transfer once in Meishan town center.
Take bus 7323 from this stop near Chiayi station. When checking the bus schedule, see the “To Meishan” times, but add 10 minutes, because Chiayi station is not the first stop.
The ride to Meishan bus station (here) takes 50 minutes.
At Meishan bus station, transfer to bus 107 (weekdays only, see schedule), 113 (weekends, see schedule, check last two columns) or 7315 (weekends, see schedule) for the final 15-minute ride up the 36 Bends to Taiping Suspension Bridge.
Unfortunately, you usually have to wait about 45 minutes to transfer from the 7323 to the any of these. Use this time to find breakfast or lunch in Meishan village. Because of the long transfer time, it will take you 2.5 hours total to reach Taiping Bridge.
The bus schedule images I shot here (above and below) were posted at Taiping Suspension Bridge bus stop, so they show the times for going BACK to Meishan.
There’s another option that’s faster (just under two hours) but involves two transfers. Ride a local train 14 minutes from Chiayi to Dalin Station, take a bus to Meishan (40 minutes, use GoogleMaps to find bus number, as there are a few possible ones), then catch the 107, 113, or 7315 from there.
No matter how you go, I suggest using GoogleMaps directions to plan your route and times. You can swipe your EasyCard for all these bus and train rides.
My Trip to Taiping Suspension Bridge
Here I’ll cover every step of my visit to Taiping Suspension Bridge!
Morning in Chiayi and Drive to the Bridge
In Chiayi city, I was staying at Orange Hotel (see on Booking / Agoda), which I chose for its proximity to Wenhua Road Night Market.
Knowing that Taiping Bridge doesn’t open until 9 AM, I didn’t want to leave Chiayi on my scooter until 8 AM. But I’m an early riser, so I had a few hours to kill. I had already rented my scooter the day before.
I spent the time having a traditional breakfast in Chiayi’s East Public Market (嘉義市東公有零售市場), where I waited a full hour in line for the market’s most famous food (see above).
Then I visited the City God Temple here just south of the market.
I then made a brief stop to check out historic Beimen Station here (the second stop of the Alishan Forest Railway) on my drive out of the city.
The drive out of Chiayi and across the Chianan Plain was fun, but there’s nothing special to note.
After passing Meishan town center, I soon got my first view of Taiping Suspension Bridge, which was hanging in the sky far above me.
Things were about to get much more interesting before I would get there.
Taiping 36 Bends
The Taiping 36 Bends (太平三十六彎) are quite possibly the most winding stretch on any major road in Taiwan.
As the name suggests, there are 36 very sharp turns or switchbacks (often 180 degrees or close to it) within a very short (less than 4 km) stretch of road.
On top of that, it’s also steep, climbing a quarter of a kilometer from bottom to top. Doing this on scooter was exhilarating – I had a blast going up.
I found that each bend is numbered with a red sign. Some had additional signs showing elevation and directions to attractions, like in the above photo.
Towards the top, the views looking down on the Chianan Plain got better and better. I had to stop a few times to take photos.
It’s impossible to see all 36 bends at once (unless perhaps with a drone), but I enjoyed a good view from the top looking down on a few of the upper bends (see image below).
Later, I’ll share more views of the 36 Bends shot from Taiping Bridge.
I was very impressed to find several locals tackling the 36 Bends on bikes. None of them were there for Taiping Bridge either – once they reached the top of the bends they turned around and cycled back down.
Apparently, the 36 Bends are a destination in themselves!
Arriving at Taiping Suspension Bridge
Shortly after the top of the 36 Bends, Taiping Suspension Bridge came into view. The highway passes right under the bridge, with a pavilion where I stopped to admire it from below.
Here I noted that the suspension bridge isn’t actually that high off the valley floor below it. But not far to the side, that valley plunges far below to the Chianan Plain, where I had just come from.
One minute after that, I arrived at the large parking lot, Visitor’s Center, and bus stop where you would get dropped off. There are restrooms at the side of the Visitor’s Center.
I learned the hard way (so you don’t have to) that if you book your ticket on Klook, you don’t have to line up at the Visitor’s Center ticket window.
You can proceed directly to the bridge, where there are staff who will scan your mobile voucher.
Back to where I started in the parking lot, I followed the pedestrian path and crossed the highway to the large staircase up to the bridge entrance.
It’s pretty much impossible to miss the bridge entrance – just watch for the huge metallic rhinoceros!
Crossing Taiping Bridge
After the staff at the top of the stairs scanned my voucher, I spent some time admiring the impressive bridge view from the lookout platforms on either side of its entrance.
From this vantage point, it was easy to see why the bridge is dubbed “Sky Ladder”, as it seems to ascend to the sky at the far end.
Because I was visiting on a Sunday, it was quite busy. There were several local tour groups, including a large group of Taiwanese seniors right in front of me.
I gave them some time to pass so I could get better photos when I crossed the bridge.
If you’re hoping to get the bridge all to yourself, good luck! Although I would manage to get Shuiyuan Suspension Bridge in Nantou all to myself a few days later.
With some patience, I did manage to capture a few selfies with only a few people in them.
The view from the bridge looking down on the Chianan Plain was OK but hazy and underwhelming. I would have much preferred a sea of clouds!
At the end of the bridge, there’s a bit of a climb to reach the top, visible at the bottom of the below photo.
Where’s the Sea of Clouds?
Just like at Alishan, you need some luck to witness the “Sea of Clouds” phenomenon at Taipingshan.
It can happen any time of day at this location, but late afternoon until sunset the most common, as you can see in these Instagram posts I’ve shared.
Stick around till the end of the day for the best chance, especially in winter when sunset is earlier, or come on Saturday when the bridge is ope till 8 PM.
Note: the above image would have been shot from a mountain on the opposite side, above Taiping Village, while the below is shot from the side with the trail we’ll get to below.
Keep in mind that you need to finish the bridge walk by 5:30 PM. In summer, this would be too early for sunset.
However, the trail at the end, which includes views looking down on the bridge and even better possible “sea of clouds” views, has no opening or closing time. So you could finish the bridge walk at 5:30 but linger for longer on the trail if you wanted to.
When it does happen, the clouds may fill the valley below the bridge, or more commonly, form a sea-like surface over the adjacent Chianan Plain (like in the above two images).
But sometimes, the clouds may totally envelop the bridge, which is the least desirable outcome, as you won’t be able to see anything in any direction.
It’s tough to know exactly what will happen before you get there, even if you check the weather forecast. You want there to be clouds, but you hope those clouds won’t ruin your visit.
For my visit, the sky was totally clear, plus quite hazy looking down on the Chianan Plain. That meant no sea of clouds for me.
Yunzhinandao Trail
Reaching the end of Taping Bridge, I took some more photos looking back at the bridge. With my zoom lens, I could capture part of the Taiping 36 Bends from afar.
I also noted a steep metal slide next to the bridge – for moving products, or an emergency escape route for people?
Two trails begin from the platform at end of the bridge. The trail to the right (and downhill) is the faster way back to Taiping Visitor’s Center (375m, 20 min). It goes under the bridge then crosses the valley back to the center.
The trail to the left (and uphill) is the South of the Clouds Trail (雲之南道步道 or Yunzhinandao Trail), which I highly recommend. This trail will get you back to the Visitor’s Center or to Taiping Old Street in 45 minutes.
Yunzhinandao trail starts by going up some stairs (268 of them, according a sign at the trailhead), which is the only difficult section.
After a few minutes, it levels out and reaches a pavilion with glimpses looking down on the bridge. The 36 Bends are again visible in the distance.
For the rest of the walk, the trail meanders through some lovely tea plantations.
Since I am a big fan of exploring tea plantations (see my guides to Pinglin, Shizhuo, and Eryanping), I was in my happy place here!
The trail gradually descends to a pavilion looking out over more tea fields, then further descends to this exit on a small vehicle road.
When I reached the exit on the road, there was a vendor selling winter melon tea (冬瓜茶), a traditional drink that Taiping is especially known for.
I followed the road down to the highway, from where I could turn left to return to the Visitor’s Center and parking lot, or cross the highway to find the start of Taiping Old Street.
If you love hiking, don’t miss my guide to Mianyue Line, the most rewarding hike in Alishan.
Taiping Old Street
Taiping Old Street (太平老街) reminded me of Fenqihu Old Street, minus the lunchboxes and Alishan Forest Railway cars. I saw lots of the same local specialties on both streets.
While both are mainly for tourists, Taiping Old Street attracts mainly local tourists, while Fenqihu is mostly foreign ones.
Because most people visit Taiping Old Street right after Taiping Suspension Bridge, the shops on the Old Street follow pretty much the same hours as the bridge.
Please note, Taiping Old Street is very quiet on weekdays and some shops won’t even be open. Wednesday (when the bridge is closed) would be especially dead.
On weekends, like when I visited, everything will be open, but it never really gets crowded.
There were so many delicious looking snacks on Taiping Old Street that I’d have to come back many times to try all the ones I wanted to.
Here’s are just a few of the specialties I noted: taro meatballs (芋仔肉圓), roselle tea (洛神花), tea oil (苦茶油), grilled boar meat (山豬肉) and sausages (香腸), deep fried high mountain cabbage balls (高山高麗菜包) and plum wine (梅酒).
I also saw many dried things, like dried strawberries, mangoes, day lilies, bamboo, radish, mushrooms, and more.
Things I actually tried included aiyu jelly (愛玉), which I got to add my own flavored syrup to), cao ah gui (草仔粿), which are green herbal sticky rice dumplings stuffed with sweet or savoury ingredients), and millet donuts (like those at Fenqihu).
I was also determined to try winter melon tea (冬瓜茶) on the old street, since Taiping is famous for it. This is probably my favorite herbal iced tea in Taiwan, but beware that it’s very sweet.
I certainly couldn’t miss it when I saw it, thanks to the huge winter melons on display out front:
About halfway down the street, I went left down a narrow lane and then climbed up a steep staircase to check out Sanyuan Temple (太平三元宮, here).
The staircase was covered in a canopy of hanging purple lantern flowers (紫燈花), which later that day I would see in many other places in Meishan township. These ones were past their prime blooming time, though.
After having my fill of snacks on Taiping Old Street, I made my way back to the Visitor’s Center and parking lot, which was only a 10-minute walk away.
Other Things to Do around Taiping Suspension Bridge
If you came to Taiping Suspension Bridge by bus, you won’t be able to go any further than this. It’s time to head back to Chiayi.
However, if you drove like I did, there is so much more to explore in the region, with the potential to finish at Fenqihu, Shizhuo, Alishan, or to circle back via a few possible different roads to Chiayi.
To avoid this article becoming too long, I’ll be publishing a separate article soon to detail all the other cool places I visited on my day trip in Meishan township.
These included an amazing meal on coffee farm, tea plantation hikes, and waterfalls. Stay tuned!