Tag: taichung

How much does it cost to travel on Taiwan? Our budget and tips

Many say that if you can’t afford Japan, Taiwan is a good alternative. That made us think and expect this little island would be a lot like our beloved Japan. It’s definitely cleaner and more organized than other parts of Asia but that’s almost all the similarities it has with cherry- blossom- land. Still we completely fell in love with its nature, culture and beauty of its coast and mountains.

And I have to admit it’s more budget – friendly than Japan:)

Over 61 days we spend 3875 euro so around 63 euro per day for the two of us. A little above 30 euro each makes it a great alternative to Japan. But let’s break it down.

 

Where did we travel?

Taiwan is a pretty small island with a lot to offer. We visited their furthest southern part with its beachy national park (Kenting), we also emerged in their mountainous pearl of Taroko National Park. We couldn’t miss some of its most prominent cities like Taichung, Kaohsiung and obviously Taipei. When we got tired of the cities we relaxed by its magical Sun Moon Lake.

How did we travel?

Honestly I think renting a car on Taiwan is a great idea. We didn’t do that and regretted it afterwards. From what I read it’s not very expensive and some spots are difficult or even impossible to reach by public transport.

On transportation we  spent “just”398 euro. The prices of trains and buses were dirty cheap compared to Japan. A train from Taipei to Taichung was around 20 euros for both of us (750 TWD). Return bus from Zuoying to Kenting was 33 euro for both of us (1200 TWD). Actually we felt so sorry for ourselves that we didn’t try the high speed trains in Japan that we took one on Taiwan. It was “just” 2980 TWD (83 euros) so really cheap compared to the ones we saw in Japan.

The transport section includes some uber and taxi rides.

Curiosity! Buses in Taichung are FREE! Ok they can be pretty slow and a pain in the ass but who looks a gift horse in the mouth right?:)

Where did we stay?

Accommodation was the biggest part of our budget and it came up to 1876 euros. Out of this sum we spend 975 USD for a month of a private apartment in Taipei rented via airbnb (32.5 dollar a night). That one was a serious bargain considering that 99% of the studios I saw were for above 50 US dollars a night especially taking under consideration that we were in pure city center. The owner was going on vacation and wanted someone who could stay as long as possible so he offered 40% off for a stay above 28 nights.

For the rest we didn’t have that much luck anywhere else. The smaller and more beautiful the place was, the more pricey the hostel/ hotel was. At the Taroko National Park we had a private room at a local community home and that cost us 223 euros for 4 days.

We spent only 12 nights in dorms but those were not particularly cheap actually. For 7 nights in our hostel in Kenting we paid 234 euros for the two of us (around 20 euros per night). 

What did we eat?

Our food beginnings were difficult. Coming from lean, low fat, veggie Japan we had a hard time adjusting our bellies to more decadent, fatty Chinese cuisine. As usual we cooked ourselves most of the time but after some time we also enjoyed dinning at night markets, local restaurants and cafes. We didn’t deny ourselves many bubble teas either!

Food turned out to be 1369 euros out of which just 363 went on eating out on night markets, coffees and bubble teas. The rest was what we spent on ingredients to cook with. It might seem like quite a sum but we didn’t save, we treated ourselves buying fruit every single day and we tried out some weird ingredients. In this little fortune we also included quite a sum of tea, bought for gifts and for ourselves.

To give you an idea of eating out costs:

A very good bubble tea (good so not the cheapest) is around 70 TWD (around 2 euros)

Eating out at a night market we spent 200 - 400 TWD (5.5-11 euros) depending on what we bought. Barbecue was always the most expensive stand, together with fancy seafood. For cheaper meals we always turned to onion pancakes or dumplings.

How expensive are museums, tours etc?

On tourism we spend 139 euro. Many of the museums, temples and exhibitions were actually free. The most we spent on an entrance fee was when we went to see the Paul Smith exhibition in Taipei (560 TWD= around 16 euros for both of us). After all this free or dirt cheap cultural entertainment that one felt like a fortune. Although well spent.

In tourism we included mountain bikes rentals at the Sun Moon Lake (400 TWD = 11 euros) as well as renting an electric scooter in the Kenting National Park for two days (around 33 euros). A “huge” budget breaker was mountain bike rental with drop off in Taroko National Park. That was 1600 TWD (around 45 euros) well spent as it’s a super mountainous and dangerous area so we wanted to have the best equipment and calmly slide of a tremendous series of hills.

Where did the rest of our money go?

93 euro in the equipment and miscellaneous parts of our budget went to postcards, souvenirs, splurge in a private bath, a hat, some flowers and not much more:)

Money- saving tips and tricks

  1. Travel smart! Lots of spots on Taiwan are famous as weekend getaways and prices for accommodation get double or even triple during weekends and vacations. Try to avoid that. The three most popular of those are Sun Moon Lake, Kenting National Park and Taroko National Park.
  2. Hop on public transport! Buses, trains and metro are really cheap on Taiwan. In Taichung buses are actually free of charge. Just make sure you get yourself an Easy Card. You can buy it in many spots for example on metro stations and you put money on there to travel. It’s very easy, convenient and it makes everything even more affordable. The great thing is it works in buses and metro of Taipei as well as other big cities.
  3. Consider Airbnb! We managed to get a really great deal for an apartment in Taipei. It was central, pretty and it felt so homie. During the hottest summer months many people go away on vacation and some rent out their spots pretty cheap especially for longer stays.
  4. Enjoy free cultural events and exhibitions! Many of the art museums and cultural events are just free and really interesting.

Exchange rate used: 1 Euro = 34.48 TWD

Taichung in a day

Taichung is the 3rd largest city on the island and a perfect stop on the way to the Sun Moon Lake. It offers amazing street art, stylish cafes and a true Taiwanese experience but without the crowd of the capital. Even better... all of the spots are reachable by public transport and buses are for free!

Morning at the Rainbow Village

The Rainbow Village is the absolute must see and the only busy spot in Taichung. But early morning is pretty peaceful even there. Later in the day it's only busy when the tour buses unload and storm in there but after 15 minutes of chaos they are mostly gone and the village goes back to its calm state.

15 minutes sounds like very little time for a whole village but in reality it’s not that much of a village. It's just a small area of few houses with a square and few little streets. But still it’s worth the visit and I would even dare to say: a slow one:) 

Rainbow Village has been created by a veteran who goes by the name of Rainbow Grandpa. Those houses were dull and practically on the edge of ruin when he decided to give them a new life. He started painting everything from walls to floors, including details like lanterns. Although the patterns look childish, together they create a unique, colorful and heartwarming feeling. There is nothing like to wake up in the morning and have a rainbow of colors bringing you to life.

Rainbow Grandpa still hangs around there so you can definitely spot him in the village... we did 🙂

A stroll full of art in Stock 20

Although the area is not very big, it’s situated next to the central station which provides a very convenient location. It still needs a lot of work, there is just one café and the opening hours of the ateliers are not clear but… it’s just such a charming place full of art and murals. When the ateliers are open it’s even more interesting with some amazing stainless glass beauties, paintings and other handicrafts. It’s hard to believe that those were just some old warehouses used during the Japanese occupation and left for decades since then.

Coffee and a cake at Fermento

Fermento is a really lovely café with hip furniture and art. Not to mention the joy of light coming through glass walls. It’s a perfect spot to have a cup of coffee or taste some of the delicious Taiwanese teas. To go with it they have a selection of cakes. If that wasn’t enough Fermento is situated in a very nice neighborhood with plenty of nice restaurants and artistic shops. There is even a shop dedicated to masking tape with millions of designs. That one is a true art on its own that is now extremely popular on the island. From there it’s nice to walk around on the Greenway. The most popular green area in Taichung that offers so needed shadow at any time of the day.

Read a book in the National library of Public Information

Taiwanese love reading. In fact I don’t think I ever saw more people reading in my life. Even bookstores are actually encouraging their clients to stay and read with nice tables, stylish lamps and comfy chairs. We were told they try to earn money on other merchandise and in house restaurant instead.

It made us wonder how a library would look like so we decided to visit one in Taichung. It was quite an experience, people were reading everywhere and it looked more like a stylish café than a dull library. Not to mention the building itself is futuristic and worth a visit even without a book in your hand.

Cool off with a big cup of bubble tea

Coffee might be the new hip thing but its still tea that leads the way. Taiwan produces 20% of world’s oolong tea and it proudly grows also green and black varieties. What better place to try some bubble tea than Taichung, where it was invented in the '80s.

Bubble tea comes in a variety of flavors, it can be green, black or oolong, with fresh or powdered milk, with tapioca or other kinds of pearls. They often even put jellies in it. We tried many different shops but only one made us come back over and over again. Europa served in our opinion the nicest tea bubble or normal. Although the guys preparing it looked clueless, what came out of their hands was delicious.

Explore some fine art for free in the National Taiwan Museum of Fine arts

The museum itself is not an architectural pearl like many others are. But it offers a variety of interesting exhibitions and it’s actually for free. When we were there it presented amazing work of an artist creating moving art with light installations on it. It was literally the most soothing exhibition I saw in my life as the objects were almost floating above and next to us. Another room was all about explaining gravity in a beautiful, approachable way. 

Get some dinner at one of the night markets

Taichung just like any other place on Taiwan is all about night markets, they are literally everywhere and they vary in size and quality. The biggest one is Feng Chia. Although not as good as in Kenting or Taipei, it’s still satisfying especially if you pick up their barbecue meat and veg with a decadent sweet sauce. It’s not exactly picture perfect so you will have to see it with your own eyes:)