Trips
Taipei 101 lit at night above the city skyline

Winter trip, longer haul

Taiwan

Two weeks of food in Taipei, a Pacific surf break in Donghe, and the mountains and Indigenous villages of the east coast.

December 19, 2026 to January 2, 2027

Photo: 4300streetcar, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Why this works

The pitch

It’s the ambitious option, but it has a clean rhythm: city food first, east-coast culture and mountains next, then a slow surf-town finish.

  • Five nights in Taipei: night markets, museums, coffee, beef noodles, xiaolongbao, and one proper tasting-menu night.
  • Three nights in Hualien: the Pacific coast, partial Taroko, and Truku culture without pretending the gorge is fully back.
  • Five nights in Donghe: Jinzun surf, Dulan’s Amis art scene, Sanxiantai sunrise, and Highway 11 coast days.
  • The logistics win: trains move us down the east coast, so we don’t need a rental car.

Photo credits on the location slides

Chapter one

Taipei

Five nights of food, neighborhoods, museums, and a couple of mountain days within MRT reach.

  • Night markets: Raohe for the neon first impression, then Ningxia or Tonghua when we want something tighter.
  • Yongkang Street: beef noodles, scallion pancakes, mango ice, and enough wandering to call it research.
  • National Palace Museum: half a day for the imperial collection, not just the famous cabbage.
  • Day trips: Yangmingshan and Beitou for mountain air, or Jiufen if we want the misty tea-house version.
The illuminated entrance to Raohe Street Night Market in Taipei

Photo: Ounfs Robmmy 238, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

Chapter two

Hualien

Three nights for the marble walls of Taroko, the Liwu River, Qixingtan’s Pacific view, and the Truku villages in the mountains behind.

  • Taroko, honestly: post-earthquake access is partial, so it’s a guided half-day, not the trip’s headline.
  • Qixingtan Beach: a pebbled coast walk with the mountains dropping almost straight into the sea.
  • East Rift Valley: Liyu Lake, tea fields, small farms, and a driver day if we want to go wider.
  • Truku context: book a small cultural or river experience ahead instead of treating Hualien as only a gateway.

Honest caveat: Taroko’s official status keeps changing. We should check the park site again before booking any gorge-centered stay.

The Liwu River running through marble cliffs in Taroko Gorge

Photo: CEphoto, Uwe Aranas, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The hidden chapter

Indigenous Taiwan

Hualien and Taitung are where this trip gets deeper: Amis, Truku, and Bunun hosts run food workshops, homestays, music nights, and river-tracing days.

  • Truku in Hualien: guided river and village experiences if we book small operators early.
  • Amis in Dulan: artist studios, live music, and the Sugar Factory creative complex.
  • Bunun near Taitung: singing, food, and workshop-style visits when the timing lines up.
  • The respectful version: pre-book 4 to 6 weeks ahead, ask before photos, and let hosts set the pace.
The Dulan Sugar Factory arts complex in Taitung County

Photo: CEphoto, Uwe Aranas, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Chapter three

Donghe

Five nights at the Pacific-facing east coast surf village. Jinzun breaks year-round, and winter is when the northeast monsoon gives it real energy.

  • Jinzun Surf House: lessons, boards, and local break calls instead of us guessing from shore.
  • Dulan nights: Sugar Factory studios, cafés, and live music when the weekend lines up.
  • Sanxiantai sunrise: the eight-arch bridge, surf below, and a very different kind of morning walk.
  • Backup pleasures: coastal cycling on Highway 11, Zhiben hot springs, and Taitung city meals.
The Pacific coastline looking toward Jinzun in Taitung County

Photo: 大頭家族, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

What we’ll do

Outdoor moves

Not a beach-only trip. We’re using two weeks to mix the active stuff with the food stuff.

  • From Taipei: Yangmingshan hikes, Beitou hot springs, and maybe Jiufen if the weather cooperates.
  • From Hualien: Taroko Terrace, Qixingtan, and a river or valley day with a guide.
  • From Donghe: surf sessions at Jinzun, coastal cycling, and Sanxiantai at sunrise.
  • The pace: enough movement to feel alive, with real downtime built into the east coast.
Sanxiantai’s eight-arch bridge over the Pacific in Taitung County

Photo: CEphoto, Uwe Aranas, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Food chapter

What we’ll eat

If we’re going 17 hours on a plane, it’s mostly for this part.

Bowl one

Beef noodle soup

Red-braised broth, thick noodles, and the Taipei meal that justifies a long line.

Classic

Xiaolongbao

Din Tai Fung is touristy for a reason, and the Taipei version is the one to try.

Night market

The sweep

Pepper buns, oyster omelet, mochi, grilled squid, and one brave stinky-tofu decision.

East coast

Indigenous-style meals

Millet, wild greens, grilled fish, banana-leaf cooking, and meals where the host matters.

A bowl of Taiwanese beef noodle soup from Yongkang Street

Photo: Minghong, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The route

A 14-night version

The clean version is Taipei, Hualien, Donghe and Taitung, then one final Taipei night so the flight home doesn’t own the last day.

Nights 1 to 5

Taipei

Land, recover, eat hard, do museums, and take one mountain or hot-spring day.

Nights 6 to 8

Hualien

East-coast scenery, partial Taroko, Qixingtan, and Truku context.

Nights 9 to 13

Donghe / Taitung

Surf mornings, Dulan art and music, Sanxiantai, and Highway 11.

Night 14

Taipei

Train back, one last meal, and a calmer departure buffer.

My vote: keep Taipei tight, let the east coast be the slow chapter, and end with surf and Amis culture in Donghe.

A relief map of Taiwan Route overlay showing Taipei, Hualien, and Donghe and Taitung Taipei Hualien Donghe / Taitung

Base map: Uwe Dedering, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Route markers are approximate; return follows the same east-coast rail line.

Reality check

The logistics

This is the longest-haul option, so the practical question is whether the flight length feels worth the food, surf, and east-coast depth.

Flights EVA’s IAD to TPE nonstop is scheduled to start June 26, 2026, four times weekly. The Saturday bookends fit the published pattern, and Premium Economy is worth pricing.
Trains Use Taiwan Railway down the east coast. Current official guidance says reservations open 28 days ahead, so book when that window opens.
Weather Taipei is cool and sometimes drizzly. Taitung is warmer and drier. Mountains and Taroko-adjacent days still need layers and a rain shell.
Money No tipping culture, EasyCard for transit, and cash for night markets, small cafés, taxis, and Indigenous-village stops.
Caveat Taroko is post-earthquake partial. Plan it as a careful half-day, not the emotional center of the trip.
The interior of a Taiwan Railway Puyuma Express train at Hualien Station

Photo: Tbatb, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

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