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    Taichung
    Nico Kaiser / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY 2.0

    Taiwan

    Taichung

    CityCultureCulinary

    Taichung in central Taiwan is a major city with distinctive modern architecture, one of the country's largest night markets, and good bus connections to Sun Moon Lake.

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    9. Taichung
    Taichung in central Taiwan is a major city with distinctive modern architecture, one of the country's largest night markets, and good bus connections to Sun Moon Lake. For many travelers, it's a convenient stopover on the way to the mountains.The National Taichung Theater, opened in 2016 and designed by Japanese architect Toyo Ito, stands out with its curved concrete walls. In Rainbow Village, a former soldier covered a military dependents' village with colorful paintings, saving it from demolition. The Fengjia Night Market is one of Taiwan's largest, and on the coast, at sunset, the sky reflects in the Gaomei Wetlands at the mouth of the Dajia River.
    Taichung is one of Taiwan's largest cities and the center of the island's midsection. The city is sprawling: the old core is located around Taichung Station with Miyahara and the Second Market, while the modern center is in Xitun District with the City Hall and National Theater. Since 2021, the Green Metro Line connects the High-Speed Rail Station in Wuri District with the City Hall and the north of the city; for most other routes, you use bus or taxi. In the evening, many are drawn to the Fengjia Night Market, and from here, Sun Moon Lake and the Gaomei Wetlands are easily accessible.

    Sights in Taichung

    Discover the most important sights and attractions

    National Theater Taichung
    Attraction

    1National Theater Taichung

    The opera and concert hall, opened in 2016 and designed by Pritzker Prize winner Toyo Ito, features curved concrete walls that resemble caves inside. Even without a show, you can walk through the foyer and onto the roof garden; it's closed on Mondays.
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    Fengjia Night Market
    Market

    2Fengjia Night Market

    The night market around Feng-Chia University is one of Taiwan's largest. Food stalls, snack stands, and shops stretch through several streets between Wenhua Road and Fuxing Road.
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    The Gaomei Wetlands
    Park

    3The Gaomei Wetlands

    The protected area at the mouth of the Dajia in Qingshui District is a habitat for wading and seabirds. It is known for its sunsets, when the sky and wind turbines reflect in the shallow water.
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    Rainbow Village
    Historic Landmark

    4Rainbow Village

    Former soldier Huang Yung-fu, known as Rainbow Grandpa, painted the houses of a veterans' village in Nantun District, saving them from demolition. In 2022, part of the murals was painted over due to a dispute over the operator contract; since 2023, the village is freely accessible again, but looks different than before. Huang died in January 2024.
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    Restaurants in Taichung

    1

    Chun Shui Tang Siwei

    The flagship store of the teahouse chain on Siwei Street is considered the birthplace of Pearl Milk Tea. Try the classic Pearl Milk Tea made with black tea, milk, cane sugar, and tapioca pearls, and enjoy Dim Sum alongside.
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    2

    Miyahara

    The former eye clinic from the Japanese era near Taichung Station is today a splendidly renovated shop for ice cream, pineapple cakes, and sweets. The ice cream counter alone, with flavors of fruit, tea, and chocolate, is worth the visit – expect queues.
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    Eating and Drinking in Taichung

    Taichung is considered the home of pearl milk tea and, with the Fengjia Night Market, boasts one of Taiwan's largest night markets. Guide Michelin also features restaurants in Taichung.

    Pearl Milk Tea

    At Chun Shui Tang's original branch on Siwei Street, you drink it where it was, according to legend, invented.

    Sunny Cake

    The traditional pastry with a malt sugar filling is a sweet treat that is closely associated with Taichung.

    Miyahara's Ice Cream

    In the former eye clinic at the station, there is fruit, tea, and chocolate ice cream as well as pineapple cake.

    Second Market

    In the central market, alongside meat, vegetables and spices, discover food stalls with Baozi, noodles and Lu Rou Fan, closed Mondays.

    Architecture, Art and Tea Culture

    Opened in 2016, the National Theater by Pritzker laureate Toyo Ito is the city's most renowned modern building. The Calligraphy Greenway, a long green corridor through the city, connects the National Museum of Natural Science with the National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts.In Rainbow Village, veteran Huang Yung-fu painted a settlement for military dependents, saving it from demolition, even though some of the paintings were painted over in 2022. Taichung is also considered the birthplace of bubble tea, which the Chun Shui Tang teahouse made famous.

    Nightlife

    1

    Vendor

    The speakeasy's entrance is disguised as a vending machine and opens with a coin. Founded by Summer Chen and Darren Lim, the bar combines Southeast Asian herbs and spices in its drinks and was named Taiwan's best bar, ranking 20th in Asia's 50 Best Bars in 2025.
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    On the go in Taichung

    The Taichung High Speed Rail Station is located in Wuri District, outside the city center. All Taiwan High Speed Rail trains stop here, and you can also transfer to Taiwan Railway and the Metro.Metro: The driverless Green Line has been operating since 2021, covering approximately 17 kilometers with 18 stations from the HSR station via Nantun and City Hall to Beitun. The EasyCard is valid.Train: Taichung Main Station is not connected to the Metro; regional trains link it with Wuri and the HSR station.Bus and Taxi: Many destinations such as Fengjia Night Market and Rainbow Village are best reached by city bus or taxi.Sun Moon Lake: Buses run directly from the HSR station to the lake.

    Accommodations in Taichung

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    Nearby

    Central Taiwan

    Central Taiwan

    Central Taiwan stretches from the metropolis of Taichung into the Central Mountain Range, home to Sun Moon Lake and the Alishan mountain area. Those seeking lakes, forests, and tea plantations will find them here.Taichung, with its high-speed rail station and metro, serves as the region's transport hub, with buses departing from here to Sun Moon Lake in Nantou County. Further south, the historic Alishan Forest Railway runs from Chiayi to over 2,000 meters. To its east rises Yushan, Taiwan's highest mountain at 3,952 meters.
    Sun-Moon-Lake

    Sun-Moon-Lake

    Sun Moon Lake in Nantou County, Central Taiwan, is the island's largest body of water, situated at 748 meters amidst forested mountains. Boats ferrying between piers, a cycling path around the lake, and temples with lake views make it a tranquil counterpoint to the cities.The lake owes its name to the shape of its two parts, resembling a sun and a crescent moon. Along its shores lives the Thao people, one of the smallest of the 16 recognized indigenous peoples, whose center is Ita Thao village. The Wenwu Temple on the north shore honors Confucius, as well as the gods of war Guan Yu and Yue Fei. A cable car connects the lake with the Formosan Aboriginal Culture Village.
    Ita Thao

    Ita Thao

    Ita Thao, on Sun Moon Lake's southern shore, is the village of the Thao, one of Taiwan's smallest indigenous peoples. Many shops on the main street are owned by Thao families, and local eateries offer dishes like mountain pork, sticky rice, and millet wine. Boats run from Shuishe twice an hour, crossing in about ten minutes.
    Fenqihu

    Fenqihu

    Fenqihu is a mountain village on the Alishan Forest Railway on the way up from Chiayi. Trains make a longer stop here, and the place is known for its Bento lunchboxes. Buses 7329A and 7322A from Chiayi also pass through Fenqihu.
    Alishan

    Alishan

    Alishan is a forested mountain region in Taiwan's western Central Mountain Range, reached by a historic narrow-gauge railway from Chiayi. Ancient cypress forests, mountain villages, and stunning peak sunrises make it one of Taiwan's classic mountain destinations.The Alishan Forest Railway was built during the Japanese colonial era for logging, ascending from Chiayi at 30 meters to Alishan Station at 2,216 meters. En route, it traverses tropical, subtropical, and temperate forest zones. After severe typhoon damage in 2009 and 2015, it is fully operational again since July 2024. From Alishan, an early morning train takes you to Zhushan, where many observe the sunrise over the mountains.