Taitung: what to see, where to stay and how to get around
Taitung has the largest share of indigenous people of any county in Taiwan, and the island's past is older here than anywhere: digging for a new railway station in 1980 uncovered a whole prehistoric village. This route links that past to the living cultures of the Amis and Puyuma. Start in the museum, end with music at night. Most stops are in or near town, so half a day by car plus the evening.
Live camera
All cameras in town (4) ▾
A short history of Taitung
People lived in the Taitung area thousands of years ago: in 1980, while foundations were being dug for the new railway station, the Beinan site was discovered here, with thousands of slate coffins, one of the largest sites of its kind in East Asia. For generations this was the land of the Puyuma and Amis peoples. The Qing dynasty set up an administrative district here only in the late 1880s, and shortly afterwards Taiwan passed to Japan. Taitung remained the most isolated city on the island, and the railway linking it to the west coast was completed only in 1992. Today it is the cultural centre of Taiwan's indigenous peoples, and since 2011 it has hosted a hot-air balloon festival.
The ten best sights in Taitung
1National Museum of PrehistoryTaiwan's best museum of its first peoples; give it two hours before the Beinan site
2Beinan Site ParkThe open-air half of the museum, by the railway; a standing slate pillar marks the old village
-
3Tiehua Music Village
Live indigenous music most evenings from Wednesday to Sunday; check the programme
4Taitung Railway Art VillageThe old town station, now a park and craft market along the disused tracks
5Taitung Tianhou TempleThe town's main Mazu temple; the Lantern Festival parade starts around here
6Taitung Forest ParkFlat cycle paths through pine to Pipa Lake and the sea; rent bikes at the entrance
7Taitung Seashore ParkSunrise over the Pacific straight from town; the beach is for walking, not swimming
8Liyu MountainA small hill in the centre with a view over the town and the sea; 15 minutes up
9XiaoyeliuStrange sandstone shapes on the shore, 10 minutes north; go at low tide
-
10Fugang Fishing Harbour
Ferries to Green Island and Orchid Island; the sea is rough, so take seasickness pills early
Scan with your phone camera to open the map there
What is an audio walk?
Tours in Taitung →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 Taitung:
Free walking tours in Taitung
The first people
Taitung has the largest share of indigenous people of any county in Taiwan, and the island's past is older here than anywhere: digging for a new railway station in 1980 uncovered a whole prehistoric village. This route links that past to the living cultures of the Amis and Puyuma. Start in the museum, end with music at night. Most stops are in or near town, so half a day by car plus the evening.
- National Museum of Prehistory · It was built to hold what came out of the Beinan dig, and it opened in 2002. Its galleries cover the island's indigenous peoples, now more than a dozen officially recognised groups.
- Beinan Site Park · Railway works in 1980 hit more than 1,500 slate coffins from a village about 3,000 years old, one of the largest prehistoric cemeteries found anywhere in the western Pacific. Many of the dead were buried with jade earrings and ornaments.
- Taitung Railway Art Village · This was the town station until 2001, when trains moved to the new station built on top of the Beinan site. The tracks and sheds were left in place and turned into a public park.
- Liyu Mountain · Its name means Carp Mountain, for its shape. Stone tools and relics found on the hill show that the Beinan culture lived here too, before the town grew around it.
- Taitung Forest Park · The park is planted with she-oak and pine on what was once flood land at the mouth of the Beinan river. Its lakes, the largest called Pipa for its lute shape, attract migrating birds in winter.
- Tiehua Music Village · The village is named after Tiehua Road, which honours Hu Chuan, known as Hu Tiehua, the last Qing prefect of Taitung in the 1890s and father of the philosopher Hu Shih. It opened in 2010 on old railway land as a stage for indigenous singers.
The Pacific coast north
North of Taitung, Highway 11 runs between the coastal mountains and the open Pacific, and every bay has a village, a rock and a story. This is where the Philippine Sea plate pushes into Taiwan, so the cliffs are young and odd. Drive it as a half-day out and back, or as the first leg towards Hualien. Swimming is risky on most of this coast; look, do not swim.
- Xiaoyeliu · The name means Little Yeliu, after the famous rock park on the north coast. The tofu-like blocks and honeycomb holes are sandstone and shale tilted up by the collision of plates and carved by waves.
- Jialulan · Jialulan comes from an Amis word for washing hair, since people once washed in a stream here. Artists have filled the headland with sculptures made from driftwood and scrap from the shore.
- Dulan Sugar Factory · The factory closed in 1991, when sugar cane stopped paying on this coast. Artists and musicians moved into the sheds, and Dulan became the bohemian village of the east coast.
- Water Running Up · The irrigation ditch appears to flow uphill, an optical illusion created by the slope of the land around it. Measurements show the water is in fact running gently downhill, like anywhere else.
- Donghe Bridge · Three bridges cross the river mouth here, the oldest from the Japanese era. Donghe is also known across Taiwan for its steamed buns, sold to every bus that stops on the way north.
- Sanxiantai · The name means Platform of the Three Immortals: legend says three of the Eight Immortals rested on this islet. The footbridge of eight arches, about 320 metres long, was built in 1987 and is meant to look like a dragon on the sea.
Springs, valley and islands
Inland and offshore, Taitung is a place to slow down: hot water in the hills, tea and balloons on the plateau, and two islands out in the ocean. The East Rift Valley that leads north to Chishang and Hualien starts here. This route is a choice rather than a single day: pick the springs and the plateau by car, or give the islands a night of their own. Ferries are cancelled in rough seas, so keep a spare day.
- Zhiben Hot Springs · The Puyuma knew the springs long before the Japanese built the first bathhouse here in the colonial era. The water is clear and alkaline, and it comes out hot, so the baths are kept at several temperatures.
- Zhiben Forest Recreation Area · The forest holds some huge banyan trees, and troops of Formosan rock macaques live along the trails. Keep food out of sight: the monkeys know what a plastic bag means.
- Luye Highland · Since 2011 the plateau has hosted the Taiwan International Balloon Festival every summer, with balloons from around the world. The tea grown on its slopes is known as Fulu tea, and its red oolong is the local speciality.
- Fugang Fishing Harbour · This is the gateway to both islands: about 50 minutes to Green Island and around two and a half hours to Orchid Island. Orchid Island is home to the Tao, who still build carved plank canoes and hold the flying-fish season sacred.
- Green Island · From 1951 to 1987, during martial law, political prisoners were held here, and the camp is now the Green Island White Terror Memorial Park. The same island has Zhaori, a hot spring that bubbles up in the tidal rocks.
- Taitung Central Market · Taitung grows most of Taiwan's sugar apples, the knobbly green fruit sold here in heaps from autumn to spring. Eat it soft, with a spoon, and spit out the black seeds.
Getting to Taitung and getting around
- Taitung Airport · Small planes to Green Island and Orchid Island fly from here; seats are few and sell out
- Taitung Station · Out of town, 6 km from the centre; trains north up the rift valley and south to Kaohsiung
- Dingdong Bus Station · Coast buses towards Sanxiantai and the Zhiben hot springs leave from the town centre
Cheap eats in Taitung
Taitung eats simply and cheaply. Its signature is mǐtáimù, short fat rice noodles in a light broth, and the rice comes from Chishang up the valley, the most famous in Taiwan, packed into railway lunchboxes. Indigenous cooks add wild greens, millet wine and grilled boar. Bowls cost less than a coffee in Tel Aviv, and the night market fills in the gaps.
- Rong Shu Xia Mi Tai Mu · A bowl about NT$40-60
- Blue Dragonfly · Fried chicken pieces about NT$40-100
- Baosang Douhua · Soft tofu pudding with syrup and toppings, about NT$40-60
- Beinan Pig Blood Soup · Local soup of pig's blood cake and chives, about NT$40-50
- Taitung Night Market stalls · Grilled squid, skewers and bubble tea, about NT$30-100 a snack
- Donghe Buns · Steamed pork buns on the coast road, about NT$15-25 each
Museums in Taitung
- National Museum of Prehistory · Two hours; the Beinan park is a short drive away
- Beinan Site Park · Excavated house floors and the standing slate pillar
- Green Island Human Rights Culture Park · On Green Island; an afternoon
- Taitung Railway Art Village · The old station building and tracks
- Dulan Sugar Factory · Galleries and studios in the old factory
Nature and day trips near Taitung
- Sanxiantai · Coral islet and arched bridge; sunrise
- Zhiben Forest Recreation Area · Banyans, monkeys and a hanging bridge
- Taitung Forest Park · Cycling among lakes and pines
- Xiaoyeliu · Sculpted sandstone at low tide
- Luye Highland · Tea farms, paragliders and balloons
Things to do in Taitung with kids
- Luye Highland · Tethered balloon rides in summer; children love the glow nights
- Taitung Forest Park · Family bikes and tandem bikes to rent at the gate
- Chulu Ranch · Calves, ice cream and open lawns
- Water Running Up · A five-minute puzzle on the coast road
- Taitung Seashore Park · Lawns and a seafront path for scooters and bikes
Where to eat in Taitung
- Tiehua Music Village · Live music Wednesday to Sunday evenings; food and craft stalls
- Dulan Sugar Factory Café · Saturday night music, 25 minutes up the coast
- Taitung Tourist Night Market · Grilled snacks and games on set nights; check which before going
- Taitung Railway Art Village · An evening walk along the lit old tracks
- Liyu Mountain · Town lights and the dark sea from the top at dusk
Frequently asked questions about Taitung
What is there to see in Taitung?
The top sights in Taitung are National Museum of Prehistory, Beinan Site Park and Tiehua Music Village. The full list on this page has 10 sights, each with a photo and a short note.
How many days do you need in Taitung?
Three to four days are enough to see the best of Taitung without rushing, including at least one walking tour.
Is there a free walking tour in Taitung?
Yes. sleepntrip has 3 free audio walks in Taitung, with no guide and no group: your phone tells the story at every stop. The first one: The first people.
How do you get to Taitung and get around?
The main ways are Taitung Airport, Taitung Station and Dingdong Bus Station. Full details are in the transport section on this page.
Where to stay in Taitung, and for how much?
sleepntrip shows only rooms in Taitung 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.
Looking for a hotel in Taitung for your dates?
Only rooms that meet nine conditions, up to $80 a night.