hikouki

I'm thinking of spending about 5 days in Taiwan this December on my way from the USA to SE Asia. Any suggestions?

I've been to Taiwan in April and we just went for a city tour. I'm wondering if it's worthwhile doing a bullet train tour to somewhere, like Kaoshiung, Taichung, or just take a tour of a tea farm. My mom and dad are elderly and they would probably opt for a private guided tour. But I'm not sure which activity is best during December.

Thanks for any suggestion.

glennaa11

The train is fast. I just spent several days in Kaohsiung and was not especially impressed. It's not a very photogenic place. There area couple of decent sights, but I didn't think it was anything special.

With only 5 days I would just spend my time in Taipei. According to Weatherspark it should be fairly pleasant weather. The tea area is nice. You can take the MRT to the the gondola up the mountain.
https://weatherspark.com/m/137170/12...-Taipei-Taiwan

How long did you spend there before? Obviously Taipei is a pretty big city.

hikouki

Would Taichung and Tainan be better alternatives to Kaohsiung?

I spent a day by myself in Taiwan last April, then four days with my parents arriving from a different Asian country. We took a custom day tour around the city. The next free day, we just went around the area near our hotel.

PAX_fips

MRT to Tainan for visiting the city and one or two night markets is worth it.

wordsew

I would highly recommend you go to Taroko Gorge....it is stunning. If you're on a budget you can take the train to the closest town and then the hop on hop off bus. The best way is to negotiate a car service to either pick you up at the train station closest to the park or to simply negotiate a car service directly from your hotel in Taipei.

The car service guys do this trip all the time and know exactly where to bring you so you see all the main sights. 4-6 hours or so at the gorge with a private car is enough time to take a few 1-2 mile hikes and see some of the major attractions. We booked a private driver from the local train station for a little over $100 it was well worth it. I had gotten a quote for $130 for a private car tour direct from our Taipei hotel.... if I had to do it again I would have booked the driver direct from the hotel (door to door) and skipped the train option. However if the bus and or train is the only option within your budget...do it.

If I understand it correctly you're going with a few elderly folks so a private car would be your best option. English speaking driver, Comfort, convenience and air conditioning...need I say more.

Also, if you're so inclined the driver can drop you off to jaunt down a trail for as long as you like and can chauffeur the older folks to view other sites while you stretch you legs and venture down the trail for a bit.

glennaa11

I found Tainan to be interesting for a couple of days. As a day trip from Taipei, I'm not sure it's worthwhile given the location of the HSR station with relation to the city. How well are you and your parents able to get around? I did a lot of walking in Tainan but I am sure you could arrange a car and driver as well.

Taipei is a big metropolis with lots to do. If you haven't been to Taroko I agree that is worth doing. I did it as part of a long weekend trip with my own guide/driver. The drive from Taipei takes a while.

PAX_fips

Oh indeed, I did a guided tour there. Awesome.. since time is a bit tight, flying TSA (the in-city domestic airport) to HUN works well for a day trip.