Ready-made plans

Custom planning is temporarily unavailable for this route. Ready-made plans are still available.

Home › Journeys › Asia › Taipei to Kaohsiung around the East & West Coasts

Taipei to Kaohsiung around the East & West Coasts: Route Guide

Last updated:

A southbound Taiwan Railways EMU3000 crosses rice fields at Fuli on the Hualien–Taitung line
Photo: 4300streetcar · CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

A complete conventional-rail circuit links Taipei, Hualien, Taitung, Kaohsiung, Tainan and Taichung before returning to Taipei. The journey contrasts east-coast rail, Taitung's seafront, Kaohsiung's port warehouses, Tainan's layered history and Taichung's museums. Taroko is a separate conditional excursion, never a baseline promise: include it only after confirming the exact road, trail and open-area status with the national park.

Taipei to Kaohsiung around the East & West Coasts is a 900 km loop (rail). It works best as 7–9 days; the plan below is the 8-day version for November, built from 584 verified places, with published scheduled journey times, opening hours and daylight checked.

7–9
days
900km
distance
6
Stops
584
curated stops

View ready-made plans 7-day plan · 8-day plan · 9-day plan · best time to go

The route

Taipei→ 160 kmHualien→ 170 kmTaitung→ 170 kmKaohsiung→ 50 kmTainan→ 150 kmTaichung
Visitors in the courtyard below the ornate red roofs of Longshan Temple in Taipei

Taipei · Day 1

Longshan Temple

Experience serene Buddhist rituals and vibrant traditional prayers in a historic temple dedicated to Guanyin.

8-day plan →

Photo: Goranq · CC BY-SA 3.0

What you'll see

National Taiwan University
Stroll campus grounds surrounded by vibrant student shops.
Taipei
Qixingtan Beach
Feel the sand, hear waves, and spot colorful agates.
Hualien
National Museum of Prehistory
Discover ancient artifacts from the Peinan culture excavations.
Taitung
Kaohsiung City Temple of Confucius
Explore Taiwan's largest Confucian temple complex near Lotus Pond in Zuoying District.
Kaohsiung
Chihkan Tower
Admire centuries-old architecture, standing tall through history.
Tainan
921 Earthquake Museum of Taiwan
Reflect at preserved ruins of a school devastated by earthquake.
Taichung

Choose your length

7-day plan32 stops · 24.7 h transit4.6 stops/day · 3.5 h transit/daySee the full plan →8-day plan38 stops · 26.6 h transit4.8 stops/day · 3.3 h transit/daySee the full plan →9-day plan44 stops · 28.6 h transit4.9 stops/day · 3.2 h transit/daySee the full plan →

When to go

Best months: January, October, November, December

Cooler conditions often suit the city-and-rail circuit, but every dated train and any weather-related disruption still require a current TRA check.

See the month-by-month breakdown →

Similar journeys

View ready-made plans