Taichung Hotels

The Taichung Rundown

It is customary to encourage would-be wanderlusters to take a keen interest in the less fashionable, more diminutive corners of any given country. In the case of Taichung, the de facto third city of Taiwan behind Taipei and Kaohsiung, diminutive is hardly a word you can use. Indeed, as Taiwan’s rapid urban momentum and uncommon allure with new generations of travellers on mainland China endure, tourism to Taichung is sure to spike.

Even as it stands, the city offers much to admire and enjoy. Taichung covers a vast area that evinces the best of Taiwan, from industrious urban pockets to lush highlands, feverish night markets to austere temples.

The majority of urban Taichung inhabits a basin and plain with exquisite backdrop scenery in the Central Mountain Range. The city’s proximity to some of the most idyllic, primeval regions of an island in constant hyper-development drive is a valuable asset that seldom escapes the notice of countless annual domestic tourists. Taichung’s next challenge is to parlay those patent geographic advantages into a dynamic international tourism sector. The result is inevitable. The core of the city, which includes the busy districts of Central, North, South, East, West, is a convivial hub and beyond, coastal and mountain townships beckon with telltale, singular charms. All in all, Taichung is well worth a special detour from the likes of Taipei, Penghu and the geothermal attractions that lure so many to Taiwan.

Taichung’s Top 10

Taichung Local

With a total area of 2,200 km², Taichung covers more ground than Greater London. About half the city, however, takes in vast swaths of the Central Mountain Range foothills and, as such, is out of reach and somewhat remote. A metro population of 2.6 million resides in a cluster of easily accessible districts.

East District is one of the main urban areas of Taichung and a prominent base for hotels, restaurants and the like.

West District is home to a number of fine museums and landmarks, from the National Museum of Natural Science to the National Museum of Fine Art.

South District is a residential and college town enclave of Taichung.

North District packs close to 150,000 people in a tidy 7 km²

Nantun District is a vital area of the city that over 150,000 people call home.

Xitun District is the prominent home of Fengjia Night Market and Taichung Metropolitan Park.

Fengyuan District is a green enclave of the city with a decent night market.

Beitun District encompasses close to a quarter of a million people but also contains the rural area of Dakeng.

Central District is the densely populated heart of Taichung, with some 22,000 people in just under 1 km²

Taichung Eat & Drink

Taiwan is a paradise for globetrotter gourmets. With a blend of night market food stalls, upscale restaurants and traditional kitchens, Taichung, the birthplace of bubble tea, is a cardinal stop on the island for intrepid epicures.

Taichung Events

The calendar of annual events in Taichung is a mix of Chinese traditional and more contemporary festivals.

Chinese New Year is of no less importance in Taiwan and as a big city, Taichung celebrates with gusto and verve.

Shang Yuan or Lantern Festival, is the official last bash of the New Year celebration and takes place every year on the fifteenth day of the first Chinese calendar month. A host of inherent rituals and foods mark the luminous festival in Taichung.

Taichung Jazz Festival is the most famous annual event in Taichung and lures a number of acts to to the city every October.

Night Markets qualify as events in of themselves in Taiwan and nowhere is this more germane than in Taiching. Fengjia Night Market is a requisite first stop for a cornucopia of savoury and sweet snacks, apparel and consumer goods galore . The open-air food court and bazaar is second to Shilin Night Market in Taipei in overall area but is easily as vibrant. Other worthwhile night markets in Taichung include Zhong Hua and Zhong Xiao.

Taiwan has a notable and impressive record as a baseball powerhouse. The Sinon Bulls represent Taichung in the Chinese Professional Baseball League and play out of the all grass, 19,000 capacity Taichung Intercontinental Baseball Stadium.

Dajia Mazu Cultural Festival is a wildly colourful and venerable week-long temple pilgrimage festival that takes place in March. One of the most important annual religious events in Taiwan, the festival celebrates Mazu (Matsu), the native deity of the sea and a major figure in southern coastal Chinese culture.

Duanwu Festival, or Double Fifth, occurs on the fifth day of the fifth month on the Chinese calendar and is the traditional time for Dragon Boat races.

Autumn Moon Festival, or Mid-Autumn Festival, is an ancient, 3,000 year old commemoration of the autumnal equinox and one of the most vital holidays on the Chinese calendar.

Double Ten Day takes place, naturally, on October 10 and salutes the events of 1911 that led to the implosion of the Qing Dynasty in China and subsequent creation of the Republic of China. Concerts and fireworks mark the de facto national day of celebration throughout Taiwan.

When To Go

Like Taipei, Taichung has a humid subtropical climate that features close to 80% humidity from month to month and sporadic scrapes from typhoons off the South China Sea coast. Whereas the northern part of Taiwan typically receives heavy rainfall from January until late March, the bulk of annual precipitation descends on Taichung from May through to August. July is the worst month for showers, with over 340 mm on average.

The rain is not the only reason to avoid Taichung in summer. From June to August, the city swelters and rarely sees temperatures fall or rise beyond the 76°F (24°C) to 91°F (33°C) range. A simple stroll on hectic Gongyi Road can, as a result, turn into a vexatious ordeal.

The best counsel then is to visit Taichung in the winter or a month like March, when the torrid weather tapers off significantly and the protection of the Central Mountain Range comes into play. Between December and March, travellers can expect little rainfall and temperatures to waver between 57°F (14°C) and 76°F (24°C).

What To Miss

Like the rest of Taiwan, Taichung has a reputation as a safe destination. A minority of visitors on the island for a week or two make the effort to visit the tertiary city, which is a boon for those who do. The city, on the whole, is free of crass traps and churlish conduct vis-à-vis outsiders, with scant traces of the opportunism one often encounters, if not in Taiwan, then certainly in busier hot spots in East and Southeast Asia.

Getting Around

Taichung Airport (Taichung Ching Chuang Kang Airport) is primarily a domestic hub but has seen a recent increase in service to and from the People’s Republic of China and Southeast Asia. As such, visitors can access the city directly from the likes of Hong Kong, Ningbo, Fuzhou, Hangzhou, Shanghai-Pudong, Shenzhen and Ho Chi Minh City.

Despite the airport’s growth in recent years, a train or coach bus from Taipei is by far the most popular mode of transport to Taichung. The rapid rail option is worth the extra premium and takes 2 hours from Taiwan’s capital. The fast train from Kaohsiung comes in at 2.5 hours. A relatively new high-speed train from Taipei cuts the time in half but is prohibitively expensive for some.

Though Taichung covers a big area, the downtown commercial core is compact enough to traverse on foot. A proper mass rapid transit system is in the works but will take years to fully develop. As a result, visitors must rely on taxis and a few vital bus lines to get from one point to another. Happily, both options are reliable and affordable in Taichung.

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