Hualien: what to see, where to stay and how to get around

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Hualien, on Taiwan’s wild east coast, is the gateway to Taroko, a gorge of marble walls hundreds of metres high carved by the Liwu River. On 3 April 2024 an earthquake of magnitude seven point four struck just off Hualien, causing rockfalls across the gorge; many trails were closed for a long time, so check at the visitor centre what is open and wear a helmet where required. Israelis can enter Taiwan without a visa for short visits. A full day by car or tour bus.

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A short history of Hualien

The Amis and other indigenous peoples have lived in the Hualien area for centuries, and they still make up a large part of the population. The Chinese settled here relatively late, and in 1895, when Taiwan passed to Japan, the Japanese built the modern city and the harbour. In 1960 the highway across the centre of the island opened, running through Taroko Gorge, a marble canyon that the river has cut hundreds of metres deep. On 3 April 2024 a magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck the area, the strongest in Taiwan in 25 years.

The ten best sights in Hualien

1
Cultural and Creative Park
An old winery turned arts park
2
Railway Cultural Park
The old railway offices of the east coast
3
Pine Garden
A Japanese officers’ club among old pines
4
Martyrs’ Shrine
On the site of a Japanese Shinto shrine
5
Meilun Mountain Park
A wooded hill in the city
6
Qixingtan
A crescent beach of grey pebbles
7
Farglory Ocean Park
A marine park over the sea
8
Taroko Visitor Centre
Check which trails are open since the 2024 quake
9
Taroko Archway
The gate of the Central Cross-Island Highway
10
Shakadang Trail
A turquoise river along a marble cliff

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Tours in Hualien →

A guide in your headphones: open the walk on our site, walk from stop to stop, and at each one your phone tells its story. No guide, no group, and free. This is the first walk in Hualien:

Free walking tours in Hualien

Taroko Gorge

Taroko Archway · The painted gate at the start of the Central Cross-Island Highway, the road through the gorge over the mountains to the west coast, cut largely by hand by retired soldiers who came from China with the Nationalists, between 1956 and 1960.
Shakadang Trail · A path cut into the cliff above a river of startling turquoise water over white marble boulders, leading toward a village of the Truku, the indigenous people who gave the gorge its name and fought the Japanese army here in 1914.
Eternal Spring Shrine · A pavilion built over a waterfall in memory of the more than two hundred workers who were killed building the highway through the gorge. It has been hit by rockfalls in several earthquakes, and its path is often closed.
Swallow Grotto · A stretch where the walls close in and are pitted with holes worn by water, in which swallows nest in spring. Across the river, a rock profile known as the Indian Chief’s face looks down on the road.
Tunnel of Nine Turns · The narrowest point of the gorge, where the old road winds through tunnels and the two marble walls nearly touch above a river far below.
Tianxiang · A terrace at the top of the gorge with a Buddhist temple and a seven-storey pagoda reached across a suspension bridge, the usual end of a day in Taroko.

Hualien city

Hualien was a frontier town that grew under Japanese rule from 1895 to 1945, and much of its old centre dates from that time. Half a day on foot or by bicycle, ending at the night market.

Pine Garden · A Japanese military building of 1942 on a hill of old Ryukyu pines. It is said that kamikaze pilots were given a last cup of sake here before their missions; today it is a gallery with a view over the harbour.
Martyrs’ Shrine · Stairs and stone lanterns of a Japanese Shinto shrine, rebuilt after the war as a Chinese shrine to the fallen of the Republic — one of the clearest places to see the two layers of the city.
Railway Cultural Park · The wooden offices of the old narrow-gauge railway that the Japanese built down the valley to the south. The line was converted to standard gauge in the 1980s, and these buildings became a museum.
Cultural and Creative Park · An old government winery founded in the Japanese period, whose warehouses now hold studios, shops and concerts.
Dongdamen Night Market · The largest night market on the east coast, with a lane of the Amis and other indigenous peoples grilling wild boar and bamboo rice, and a lane of dishes of every Chinese province, cooked by the descendants of the soldiers who came in 1949.
Qixingtan · A crescent of grey and marble pebbles facing the Pacific. The name, seven-star pools, belonged to ponds where the airport now stands; when the villagers were moved to the coast, they brought the name with them.

The coast and the rift valley

North of the city the mountains fall straight into the sea; to the south run two roads, one along the coast of the Amis and one up the rift valley between two mountain ranges. A long day by car.

Qingshui Cliff · Mountains of marble and gneiss that drop over a thousand metres almost straight into the Pacific, with the Suhua Highway clinging to them. The water below turns from turquoise to deep blue within a few metres of the shore.
Liyu Lake · The largest inland lake of the area, at the foot of the Central Range, named carp lake after the shape of the hill beside it, with a cycle path around its shore and paddle boats for hire.
Chinan Forest · A forest recreation area on the site of a logging station, with the old cable machinery that brought giant cypress logs down from the mountains.
Lintianshan · A logging village founded in 1918 in the Japanese period, of wooden houses on a slope, which once had its own school, cinema and narrow-gauge railway to bring down the cypress of the mountains.
Jiqi Bay · A crescent of sand on the coast road below green mountains, near an Amis village, one of the few safe swimming beaches on this rocky shore.
Shitiping · Terraces of rock stepping down into the sea like a stone staircase, full of tide pools; the Amis, the largest indigenous people of Taiwan, have fished this coast for generations.

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Getting to Hualien and getting around

Hualien Station · About two hours from Taipei on the express
Hualien Airport · Domestic flights, next to Qixingtan

Cheap eats in Hualien

Hualien is famous for bianshi, thin-skinned wontons in clear broth; for mochi, sticky rice cakes filled with peanut or red bean, sold in boxes as the town’s souvenir; and for steamed dumplings and buns from shops open around the clock. In the night market, the Amis grill wild boar sausage and serve sticky rice cooked inside bamboo. A bowl of wontons costs about two or three dollars.

Dongdamen Night Market · Indigenous and mainland lanes
Hualien Station · Mochi boxes for the train
Railway Cultural Park · Wonton shops of the old centre

Museums in Hualien

Hualien’s museums are the buildings of the Japanese era and the logging villages of the mountains.

Railway Cultural Park · The old railway
Pine Garden · The officers’ club
Lintianshan · The logging village

Nature and day trips near Hualien

Marble gorges, sea cliffs, a rift valley and the open Pacific.

Shakadang Trail · The turquoise river
Qingshui Cliff · Cliffs into the sea
Liyu Lake · The lake by the mountains

Things to do in Hualien with kids

With children: a marine park, paddle boats, pebble beaches and whale-watching boats from the harbour.

Farglory Ocean Park · The marine park
Liyu Lake · Paddle boats
Qixingtan · Pebbles and kites

Holy places in Hualien

Buddhist and Taoist temples, Japanese shrines rebuilt, and the memorial to the road’s builders.

Eternal Spring Shrine · The workers’ memorial
Tianxiang · The pagoda
Martyrs’ Shrine · Two eras on one hill

Nightlife in Hualien

Hualien’s nights are the night market, indigenous song bars and concerts at the old winery.

Dongdamen Night Market · The night market
Cultural and Creative Park · Concerts in the warehouses

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Frequently asked questions about Hualien

What is there to see in Hualien?

The top sights in Hualien are Cultural and Creative Park, Railway Cultural Park and Pine Garden. The full list on this page has 10 sights, each with a photo and a short note.

How many days do you need in Hualien?

Three to four days are enough to see the best of Hualien without rushing, including at least one walking tour.

Is there a free walking tour in Hualien?

Yes. sleepntrip has 3 free audio walks in Hualien, with no guide and no group: your phone tells the story at every stop. The first one: Taroko Gorge.

How do you get to Hualien and get around?

The main ways are Hualien Station and Hualien Airport. Full details are in the transport section on this page.

Where to stay in Hualien, and for how much?

sleepntrip shows only rooms in Hualien that meet nine conditions: a good location, high guest scores, cleanliness, and a price of up to $80 a night for two. Pick your dates and see what is free.

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